bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Update on mechanisms of azole resistance in Mycosphaerella graminicola and implications for future control
Authors: Cools Hans J , Fraaije Bart A
Published: April 2012

This review summarises recent investigations into the molecular mechanisms responsible for the decline in sensitivity to azole (imidazole and triazole) fungicides in European populations of the Septoria leaf blotch pathogen, Mycosphaerella graminicola. The complex recent evolution of the azole target sterol 14α‐demethylase (MgCYP51) enzyme in response to selection by the sequential introduction of progressively more effective azoles is described, and the contribution of individual MgCYP51 amino acid alterations and their combinations to azole resistance phenotypes and intrinsic enzyme activity is discussed. In addition, the recent identification of mechanisms independent of changes in MgCYP51 structure correlated with novel azole cross‐resistant phenotypes suggests that the further evolution of M. graminicola under continued selection by azole fungicides could involve multiple mechanisms. The prospects for azole fungicides in controlling European M. graminicola populations in the future are discussed in the context of these new findings. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
Incidence of pyrethroid‐resistant oilseed rape pests in Germany
Authors: Heimbach Udo , Müller Andreas
Published: April 2012

BACKGROUND: Failures in pollen beetle control using pyrethroids since 2005 indicated pyrethroid resistance in Germany. Therefore, resistance monitoring using bioassays was established in Germany for oilseed rape pest insects.

RESULTS: The spread and intensity of pyrethroid resistance of Meligethes aeneus increased from 2005 onwards, with no sensitive samples left in any region of Germany in 2011. Sensitivity also declined for the newly introduced actives bifenthrin, etofenprox (both class‐I pyrethroids) and tau‐fluvalinate; all three claimed to be less affected by resistance, although there was no clear cross‐resistance to lambda‐cyhalothrin (class‐II pyrethroid). In the German region with the longest tradition and high intensity of oilseed rape production, pyrethroid resistance of Psylliodes chrysocephala and Ceutorhynchus obstrictus, with resistance factors of up to 81 and 140 respectively, was detected.

CONCLUSION: The intensive use of only one mode of action for many years is risky, because even pest insects with a low intrinsic resistance risk may develop resistance. Therefore, resistance strategies need to include several control options for pest insects needing regular treatments. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
Selectivity of diacylhydrazine insecticides to the predatory bug Orius laevigatus: in vivo and modelling/docking experiments
Authors: Amor Fermín , Christiaens Olivier , Bengochea Paloma , Medina Pilar , Rougé Pierre , Viñuela Elisa , Smagghe Guy
Published: April 2012

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of pesticide selectivity to natural enemies is necessary for a successful implementation of biological and chemical control methods in integrated pest management (IPM) programmes. Diacylhydrazine (DAH)‐based ecdysone agonists, also known as moulting‐accelerating compounds (MACs), are considered to be a selective group of insecticides, and their compatibility with predatory Heteroptera, which are used as biological control agents, is known. However, their molecular mode of action has not been explored in beneficial insects such as Orius laevigatus (Fieber) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae).

RESULTS: In this project, in vivo toxicity assays demonstrated that the DAH‐based RH‐5849, tebufenozide and methoxyfenozide have no toxic effect against O. laevigatus. The ligand‐binding domain (LBD) of the ecdysone receptor (EcR) of O. laevigatus was sequenced, and a homology protein model was constructed that confirmed a cavity structure with 12 α‐helices, harbouring the natural insect moulting hormone 20‐hydroxyecdysone. However, docking studies showed that a steric clash occurred for the DAH‐based insecticides owing to a restricted extent of the ligand‐binding cavity of the EcR of O. laevigatus.

CONCLUSIONS: The insect toxicity assays demonstrated that MACs are selective for O. laevigatus. The modelling/docking experiments are indications that these pesticides do not bind with the LBD‐EcR of O. laevigatus and support the supposition that they show no biological effects in the predatory bug. These data help in explaining the compatible use of MACs together with predatory bugs in IPM programmes. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
Characterization of extrastriatal D2 in vivo specific binding of [18F](N‐methyl)benperidol using PET
Authors: Eisenstein Sarah A. , Koller Jon M. , Piccirillo Marilyn , Kim Ana , Antenor‐Dorsey Jo Ann V. , Videen Tom O. , Snyder Abraham Z. , Karimi Morvarid , Moerlein Stephen M. , Black Kevin J. , Perlmutter Joel S. , Hershey Tamara
Published: April 2012

PET imaging studies of the role of the dopamine D2 receptor family in movement and neuropsychiatric disorders are limited by the use of radioligands that have near‐equal affinities for D2 and D3 receptor subtypes and are susceptible to competition with endogenous dopamine. By contrast, the radioligand [18F]N‐methylbenperidol ([18F]NMB) has high selectivity and affinity for the D2 receptor subtype (D2R) and is not sensitive to endogenous dopamine. Although [18F]NMB has high binding levels in striatum, its utility for measuring D2R in extrastriatal regions is unknown. A composite MR‐PET image was constructed across 14 healthy adult participants representing average NMB uptake 60 to 120 min after [18F]NMB injection. Regional peak radioactivity was identified using a peak‐finding algorithm. FreeSurfer and manual tracing identified a priori regions of interest (ROI) on each individual's MR image and tissue activity curves were extracted from coregistered PET images. [18F]NMB binding potentials (BPNDs) were calculated using the Logan graphical method with cerebellum as reference region. In eight unique participants, extrastriatal BPND estimates were compared between Logan graphical methods and a three‐compartment kinetic tracer model. Radioactivity and BPND levels were highest in striatum, lower in extrastriatal subcortical regions, and lowest in cortical regions relative to cerebellum. Age negatively correlated with striatal BPNDs. BPND estimates for extrastriatal ROIs were highly correlated across kinetic and graphical methods. Our findings indicate that PET with [18F]NMB measures specific binding in extrastriatal regions, making it a viable radioligand to study extrastriatal D2R levels in healthy and diseased states. Synapse 66:770–780, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Performance improvement of (linear low‐density polyethylene)/poly(vinyl alcohol) blends by in situ silane crosslinking
Authors: Nordin Razif , Ismail Hanafi , Ahmad Zukifli , Rashid Azura
Published: April 2012

Linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blends were prepared by melt mixing. LLDPE/PVA weight ratios between 90/10 and 40/60 were studied. The effects of the silane coupling agent 3‐(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate on processability, gel fraction, component interaction, compatibility, thermal stability, tensile properties, and morphology of the LLDPE/PVA blends were investigated. The results indicated that the presence of silane increased the equilibrium torque of the LLDPE/PVA blends because of crosslinking and better compatibility between LLDPE and PVA. The degree of crosslinking was quantified by gel fraction measurements, and crosslinking was confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy analysis. The melting temperature depression of PVA and LLDPE further suggested the formation of crosslinks. The thermal stability and tensile properties such as tensile strength, elongation at break, and Young's modulus of the blends also increased with the incorporation of silane. Improved compatibility between LLDPE and PVA in the blends with silane was demonstrated by the interconnected rough material observed in scanning electron microscopy images that differed from the morphology of the LLDPE/PVA blends without silane. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Effects of methyl methacrylate grafting and polyamide coating on the interfacial behavior and mechanical properties of jute‐fiber‐reinforced polypropylene composites
Authors: Wang Xinxin , Cui Yihua , Zhang Huihui , Xie Bo
Published: April 2012

In recent years, environmentally friendly materials have become popular because of the growing environmental demands in human society. Natural fibers are now widely used as reinforcements in polymer matrix composites for their various advantages such as low cost, light weight, abundant resources, and biodegradability. However, the applications of these kinds of composites are limited because of their unsatisfactory mechanical properties, which are caused by the poor interfacial compatibility between the fibers and the thermoplastic matrix. In this paper, three methods, including (i) alkali treatment, (ii) alkali and methyl methacrylate (MMA) treatment, and (iii) alkali and polyamide (PA) treatment (APT), were used to treat jute fibers and improve the interfacial adhesion of jute‐fiber‐reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites (JPCs). The mechanical properties of the JPCs were tested, and their impact fracture surfaces were observed. Infrared spectral analysis showed that MMA was grafted and that PA was coated onto the surface of jute fibers. Mechanical tests indicated that the three kinds of pretreated composites presented better mechanical properties than untreated composites. Among them, the APT composite had the best comprehensive properties. Compared with untreated composites, the tensile strength, flexural strength, and flexural modulus of APT composite were increased by 24.8, 31.3, and 28.4%, respectively. Analysis by scanning electron microscopy showed that better interfacial compatibility between jute fibers and PP occured in this kind of composite. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Effects of peroxide crosslinking on the mechanical and morphological properties of poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate)/zeolite composites
Authors: Zaharri Nur Diyana , Othman Nadras , Ishak Zainal Ariffin Mohd
Published: April 2012

Uncrosslinked and chemically crosslinked ethylene‐vinyl acetate copolymers (EVAs) with 5–25 volume percentages of zeolite were prepared in a melt‐mixing process and then compression‐molded on a hot‐press machine according to standard test specifications. The mechanical properties measured by tensile test showed a reduction in tensile strength and elongation at break with increasing zeolite content. However, an increasing trend was observed for tensile modulus with addition of zeolite. Experimental results for ultimate stress were compared with those from Pukanszky equation. The experimental data showed a good fit to the Pukanszky model. The improvement in the interfacial interaction for crosslinked composites was also confirmed by this model. Morphological changes of EVA/zeolite composites were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The fractured surface of the composites indicated more complex morphology at higher zeolite loading. The influence of crosslinking induced by 2 wt% of dicumyl peroxide on the properties of EVA/zeolite composites was also investigated. The crosslinked composites showed better tensile properties than the uncrosslinked ones, a result which might be an indication of enhanced interaction between the EVA and zeolite. Density measurements, gel content determinations, and Fourier transform infrared analyses were also performed to evaluate the crosslink content of the composites. The changes in the properties of chemically crosslinked EVA/zeolite composites were observed. Meanwhile, SEM micrographs of the crosslinked EVA/zeolite composites showed better interfacial strength between zeolite and the EVA matrix as compared to that of the uncrosslinked composites. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Evolutionary design of decision trees for medical application
Authors: Kokol Peter , Pohorec Sandi , Štiglic Gregor , Podgorelec Vili
Published: April 2012

Decision trees (DT) are a type of data classifiers. A typical classifier works in two phases. In the first, the learning phase, the classifier is built according to a preexisting data (training) set. Because decision trees are being induced from a known training set, and the labels on each example are known the first step can also be referred to as supervised learning. The second step is when the induced classifier is used for classification. Usually, prior to the first step several steps should be performed to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the classification: data cleaning, redundancy elimination, and data normalization. Classifiers are evaluated for accuracy, speed, robustness, scalability, and interpretability. DTs are widely used for exploratory knowledge discovery where comprehensible knowledge representation is preferred. The main attraction of DTs lies in the intuitive representation that is easy to understand and comprehend. Accuracy, however, is dependent on the learning data. One of the methods to improve the induction and other phases in the creation of a classifier is the use of evolutionary algorithms. They are used because the classic deterministic approach is not necessarily optimal with regard to the quality, accuracy, and complexity of the obtained classifier. In addition to the description of different evolutionary DT induction approaches, this paper also presents multiple examples of evolutionary DT applications in the medical domain. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This article is categorized under:

Algorithmic Development > Hierarchies and Trees

Technologies > Classification
EPR Spectroscopy of 4, 4′‐Bis(tert‐butyl)‐2, 2′‐bipyridine‐1, 2‐dithiolatocuprates(II) in Host Lattices with Different Coordination Geometries
Authors: Jawad Awad Duha , Koch Andreas , Mickler Wulfhard , Schilde Uwe , Strauch Peter
Published: April 2012

A series of new heteroleptic MN2S2 transition metal complexes with M = Cu2+ for EPR measurements and as diamagnetic hosts Ni2+, Zn2+, and Pd2+ were synthesized and characterized. The ligands are N2 = 4, 4′‐bis(tert‐butyl)‐2, 2′‐bipyridine (tBu2bpy) and S2 =1, 2‐dithiooxalate, (dto), 1, 2‐dithiosquarate, (dtsq), maleonitrile‐1, 2‐dithiolate, or 1, 2‐dicyanoethene‐1, 2‐dithiolate, (mnt). The CuII complexes were studied by EPR in solution and as powders, diamagnetically diluted in the isostructural planar [NiII(tBu2bpy)(S2)] or[PdII(tBu2bpy)(S2)] as well as in tetrahedrally coordinated[ZnII(tBu2bpy)(S2)] host structures to put steric stress on the coordination geometry of the central CuN2S2 unit. The spin density contributions for different geometries calculated from experimental parameters are compared with the electronic situation in the frontier orbital, namely in the semi‐occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) of the copper complex, derived from quantum chemical calculations on different levels (EHT and DFT). One of the hosts, [NiII(tBu2bpy)(mnt)], is characterized by X‐ray structure analysis to prove the coordination geometry. The complex crystallizes in a square‐planar coordination mode in the monoclinic space group P21/a with Z = 4 and the unit cell parameters a = 10.4508(10) Å, b = 18.266(2) Å, c = 12.6566(12) Å, β = 112.095(7)°. Oxidation and reductions potentials of one of the host complexes, [Ni(tBu2bpy)(mnt)], were obtained by cyclovoltammetric measurements.
Synthesis and Characteristics of Bis(2, 2‐dinitroethyl‐N‐nitro)ethylenediamine‐Based Energetic Salts
Authors: Song Jinhong , Zhou Zhiming , Huang Haifeng , Cao Dan , Liang Lixuan , Wang Kai , Zhang Jun , Zhao Fen‐Qui
Published: April 2012

New energetic bis(2, 2‐dinitroethyl‐N‐nitro)ethylenediamine‐based salts exhibiting moderate physical properties, good detonation properties, and relatively low impact sensitivities were synthesized in high yield by direct reactions of bis(2, 2‐dinitroethyl‐N‐nitro)ethylenediamine with organic bases. The resulting salts were fully characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy (1H and 13C), vibrational spectroscopy (IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and elemental analysis. Solid‐state 15N NMR spectroscopy was used as an effective technique to further determine the structure of some products. Thermal decomposition kinetics and several thermodynamic parameters of some salts were obtained under non‐isothermal conditions by DSC. The densities of the energetic salts paired with organic cations were in the range 1.60–1.89 g·cm–3 as measured with a gas pycnometer. Based on the measured densities and calculated heats of formation, detonation pressures and velocities were calculated using Explo 5.05 and found to be 23.6–44.8 GPa and 7790–9583 m·s–1, respectively, which make them potentially useful as energetic materials.
Success and Failure for Children Born with Facial Clefts in Africa: A 15‐Year Follow‐up
Authors: de Buys Roessingh Anthony S. , Dolci Mirko , Zbinden‐Trichet Chantal , Bossou Raymond , Meyrat Blaise‐Julien , Hohlfeld Judith
Published: April 2012

Background

This study reviews the 15 year program of our Department of Pediatric Surgery for the treatment and follow‐up of children born with a cleft in Benin and Togo.

Methods

We analyzed files of children born in Africa with a cleft. They were referred to us through a nongovernmental organization (NGO) between 1993 and 2008 and assessed in Africa by local pediatricians before and after surgery. Operations were performed by our team.

Results

Two hundred files were reviewed: 60 cases of unilateral cleft lip, seven of bilateral cleft lip, 44 of unilateral cleft lip palate (UCLP), 29 of bilateral cleft lip palate (BCLP), 53 of cleft palate (CP), three of bilateral oro‐ocular cleft, one of unilateral and two of median clefts (Binder), and one of commissural cleft. Sixty‐nine (35 %) of these cases were not operated in Africa: 25 (12.5 %) had not shown up, 28 (15 %) were considered unfit for surgery (Down’s syndrome, HIV‐positive, malnutrition, cardiac malformation), and 16 (7.5 %) were transferred to Switzerland. Palatal fistula occurred in 20 % of UCLP, 30 % of BCLP, and 16 % of CP. Evaluation of speech after palate surgery gave less than 50 % of socially acceptable speech.

Conclusions

Our partnership with a NGO and a local team makes it possible to treat and subsequently follow children born with a cleft in West Africa. Surgery is performed under good conditions. If aesthetic results are a success, functional results after palate surgery need further improvement to promote integration in school and social life.
Fate of metastatic foci after chemotherapy and usefulness of contrast‐enhanced intraoperative ultrasonography to detect minute hepatic lesions
Authors: Uetake Hiroyuki , Tanaka Shinji , Ishikawa Toshiaki , Sugihara Kenichi , Arii Shigeki
Published: April 2012

Background/purpose

Along with advances in the chemotherapy for colorectal cancer, the strategy for hepatic metastasis has been changed. One of the most striking issues is that initially unresectable hepatic metastases can be resectable after chemotherapy with considerably high frequency. In addition, advanced chemotherapy leads to the downsizing of the metastatic foci in the liver, which is sometimes difficult to detect with conventional intraoperative ultrasonography (IOUS). To discover the undetectable hepatic lesions with IOUS, we have introduced contrast‐enhanced intraoperative ultrasonography (CEIOUS). In the present study, we present evidence that viable cancer cells exist in even the shrunken tumors with high frequency and that CEIOUS contributes to detecting the minute foci.

Methods

This study was composed of eight patients; four of them had initially unresectable metastasis, and the remaining four had either H2 or H3 status of hepatic metastases. All of them underwent hepatic resection after chemotherapy.

Results

A total of 57 metastatic lesions were detected before chemotherapy. Thirty lesions were demonstrated by CEIOUS with perflubutane and resected. In the pathological examination, tumor cells were not found in 12 of the 30 resected lesions. The degree of pathological liver damage was grade 1 or less in all patients, and no serious complication occurred after surgery in any of the patients.

Conclusion

The present study showed that viable cancer cells remained with high frequency, even in the minute hepatic metastasis which was reduced in size after chemotherapy, and CEIOUS was a useful examination for detecting the minute hepatic foci.
Traumatic Stem Fractures in Short Stem THA-A Rare Case Series
Authors: Haasper Carl , Kendoff Daniel O. , Gebauer Matthias , Zahar Akos , Kreibich Thomas , Suero Eduardo M. , Gehrke Thorsten
Published: April 2012

Adequate trauma of a well-fixed total hip prosthesis might cause relevant osseous injuries. Concomitant occult fractures of the implant itself are very rare. We report on two patients admitted to our institution and who were previously treated with similar types of short-stem total hip arthroplasty (THA). Both were unable to walk after an adequate trauma, although the initial admitting hospital misdiagnosed the exact diagnosis. Detailed reexamination later revealed a prosthetic neck fracture of the cement-free stem. Both patients were treated with a stem revision. In THA patient, special attention should be drawn to the implants after relevant trauma. A single examination shortly after trauma seems to be insufficient to diagnose implant-related injuries. A secondary follow-up several weeks after trauma, including at least X-rays, has to be recommended.
Sexual Prejudice among Christian College Students, Denominational Teachings, and Personal Religious Beliefs
Authors: Woodford Michael R. , Levy Denise , Walls N. Eugene
Published: April 2012

Although numerous studies have examined the role of religious tradition and religiosity on attitudes toward lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, the role of endorsement of denominational teachings has largely been overlooked, even though such teachings are often cited to explain study findings. To better understand the complex relationship between religion and sexual prejudice, this study explores the unique contributions of religious tradition, religiosity, and individual endorsement of denominational doctrine about same-sex sexuality in shaping these attitudes. Findings indicate that endorsement of denominational doctrine concerning same-sex sexuality is more influential than religiosity, and that endorsement of denominational doctrine is not simply a proxy for believing that same-sex sexuality is a sin. Implications for future research are discussed.
Influence of maternal and paternal IQ on offspring health and health behaviours: Evidence for some trans-generational associations using the 1958 British birth cohort study
Authors: Whitley E. , Gale C.R. , Deary I.J. , Kivimaki M. , Singh-Manoux A. , Batty G.D.
Published: April 2012

Purpose

Individuals scoring poorly on tests of intelligence (IQ) have been reported as having increased risk of morbidity, premature mortality, and risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, poor diet, alcohol and cigarette consumption. Very little is known about the impact of parental IQ on the health and health behaviours of their offspring.

Methods

We explored associations of maternal and paternal IQ scores with offspring television viewing, injuries, hospitalisations, long standing illness, height and BMI at ages 4 to 18 using data from the National Child Development Study (1958 birth cohort).

Results

Data were available for 1446 mother-offspring and 822 father-offspring pairs. After adjusting for potential confounding/mediating factors, the children of higher IQ parents were less likely to watch TV (odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for watching 3+ vs. less than 3 hours per week associated with a standard deviation increase in maternal or paternal IQ: 0.75 (0.64, 0.88) or 0.78 (0.64, 0.95) respectively) and less likely to have one or more injuries requiring hospitalisation (0.77 (0.66, 0.90) or 0.72 (0.56, 0.91) respectively for maternal or paternal IQ).

Conclusions

Children whose parents have low IQ scores may have poorer selected health and health behaviours. Health education might usefully be targeted at these families.
Die Bedeutung von Gesundheit in der Stadtentwicklungsplanung aus Sicht des Gesunde Städte-Netzwerkes
Authors: Weth Claus
Published: April 2012

Einleitung

Gesundheit und Stadtentwicklungsplanung hatten in der Vergangenheit keine besondere gemeinsame Bedeutung. Seit einigen Jahren beobachten wir, dass Städte in „gute“ und „belastete“ Stadtteile zerfallen. Die Gesunden Städte haben mit der „Kölner Entschließung“ ein gemeinsames Handeln aller Akteure und gesellschaftlichen Kräfte eingefordert, sozialen und gesundheitlichen Benachteiligungen entgegen zu wirken. Wir sehen heute, dass sich in immer mehr Kommunen die Verantwortlichen aus den unterschiedlichen Ressorts an einen Tisch setzen und unter Bürgerbeteiligung Stadtentwicklungsplanung betreiben.
A drop of active matter
Authors: Joanny Jean-François , Ramaswamy Sriram
Published: April 2012

We study theoretically the hydrodynamics of a fluid drop containing oriented filaments endowed with active contractile or extensile stresses and placed on a solid surface. The active stresses alter qualitatively the wetting properties of the drop, leading to new spreading laws and novel static drop shapes. Candidate systems for testing our predictions include cytoskeletal extracts with motors and ATP, suspensions of bacteria or pulsatile cells, or fluids laden with artificial self-propelled colloids.
Nobles or Pariahs? The Exclusion of Florentine Magnates from the Thirteenth to the Fifteenth Centuries
Authors: Klapisch-Zuber Christiane
Published: April 2012

“It is one thing to be one of the Great; it is another to be noble.” The first are perhaps nobles as defined by locality, but they are not loved nor recognized by the People or by the Prince; the others are “well regarded and appreciated,” their nobility being linked not only to their birth but also to the recognition of their titles and merits. According to Bartolo, the Florentine jurist Lap da Castiglionchio attempted, around 1370, the difficult exercise of combining the rival definitions of nobility that circulated in the Italy of his times, and the justification of his own nobility. He wanted very much to be noble, but not “great”. Who then are these great people from whom these nobles mean to distinguish themselves?
Sugar, Colonialism, and Death: On the Origins of Mexico's Day of the Dead
Authors: Brandes Stanley
Published: April 2012

Mexico's most famous holiday is, without doubt, the Day of the Dead. At the end of October, large numbers of foreign visitors descend upon Mexico to witness colorful—some would say carnivalesque—ritual performances and artistic displays. Decorated breads, paper cutouts, and plastic toys, most of them humorously playing on the theme of death, are evident everywhere. Sculpted sugar candies in the form of skulls, skeletons, and caskets suggest an almost irreverent, macabre confrontation with mortality. During November 1 and November 2, Mexicans clean, decorate, and maintain vigil over the graves of relatives. Tombstones and burial sites are adorned with flowers, candles, and food, all aesthetically arranged in honor of the deceased. Some Mexicans claim that the souls of the departed watch over their living relatives during these few days. Negligent family members await punishment, whether on earth or in the afterlife. This belief is invoked throughout Mexico to explain the substantial time, money, and energy invested in the two-day ceremony.
Witchcraft Suppression Practices and Movements: Public Politics and the Logic of Purification
Authors: Green Maia
Published: April 2012

Public practices for the suppression of witchcraft are periodically performed throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Anthropologists have generally sought to interpret such practices rather than explain them. This interpretation rests on assumptions about what such practices might mean for social actors rather than on the actual social processes which make their public performance possible. In the anthropological view, the performance of anti-witchcraft practices amounts to an expression of discontent with aspects of social and economic life deriving from the terms of Africa's engagement with the contemporary world. Antiwitchcraft practices and the witchcraft discourse of which they are part are understood to constitute locally constructed critiques of social transformation and modernity. But, whatever the coherence of the symbolic logic expressed in anti-witchcraft practices, such accounts fail to explain why large numbers of people participate in such practices from time to time or how such practices become public.
National Construction of Occupational Identity: Jewish Clerks in British-Ruled Palestine
Authors: De Vries David
Published: April 2012

This essay addresses the relationship between white-collar workers and nationalism by introducing a cultural-symbolic approach to examine how national discourse became an essential “point of production” of white-collar identities, particularly those of clerks and clerical work. Based on an analysis of the imagery that clerks use to describe their work experience, this discussion attempts to document and explain how and why nationalism, as a cultural system with an internal logic and specific stylistic devices, was employed by the clerks “from below” to construct their occupational identity.

The association between white-collar workers and nationalism, particularly in the context of state building, has long attracted the attention of sociologists and historians. First, the emergence of non-manual workers as the social basis of bureaucratic organizations was linked to state formation. Second, the role of white-collar workers in the evolution of national-capitalist economies and urban consumer communities was regarded as essential in linking state building and economic change. Third, political and social histories of the nationalist Right centered on bureaucrats and clerical employees as standard-bearers of conservative politics.
From Fetishism to Sincerity: On Agency, the Speaking Subject, and their Historicity in the Context of Religious Conversion
Authors: Keane Webb
Published: April 2012

Central to much recent work in both anthropology and history is the concept of agency. This essay examines some problems with this concept that arise when we look for it across historical and ethnographic contexts. This study focuses on how agency is expressed in differences among the powers that people impute to spoken words and the kinds of subjects to which they attribute the authorship of words. In this article I want in particular to show how attention to the intersections between speechpracticesand speakers' beliefsaboutlanguage can shed light on the historical and cultural worlds in which those speakers act.

The problem of agency is often raised by anthropologists and historians in the effort to be inclusive, to take account of “all the players in the game” (Comaroff and Comaroff 1991:9). Furthermore, the question of agency increasingly reflects an ethical imperative. As Talal Asad has recently remarked, “The doctrine of action has become essential to our recognition of other people's humanity” (1996:272). The anthropologist's quest for local agency is often portrayed as an antidote to earlier assumptions about tradition-bound natives and timeless structures or to triumphalist narratives of empire and modernity.
Manners, Deference, and Private Property in Early Modern Europe
Authors: Graeber David
Published: April 2012

This essay is an attempt to map out the rudiments of a theory of manners and formal deference and to demonstrate how such a theory can be usefully applied to certain long-standing problems in the historical sociology of Europe. It is also meant to demonstrate the continuing relevance of comparative ethnography for social theory—something which has been somewhat cast into doubt in recent years.

The historical problems I have in mind is how Max Weber's famous observations (1930) about how the rise of Puritanism was related to the emergence of a commercial economy in early modern Europe can be related to processes that other scholars have noted during that same general period, the rise of “puritanism” in its more colloquial sense, even in areas totally unaffected by Calvinist theology. I am thinking particularly here of the work of Norbert Elias and Peter Burke.
AFRICANS AND LUSO-AFRICANS IN THE PORTUGUESE SLAVE TRADE ON THE UPPER GUINEA COAST IN THE EARLY SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
Authors: NEWSON LINDA A.
Published: April 2012

Using previously unknown account books, found in archives in Peru, of three New Christian Portuguese slave traders on the Upper Guinea Coast, this article examines the extent and nature of African and Luso-African involvement in the Atlantic trade during the early seventeenth century. Beads, textiles, and wine that figured most prominently among Portuguese imports were traded predominantly by Luso-Africans. Meanwhile, slaves were delivered in small numbers by people from a diverse range of social backgrounds. This trade was not a simple exchange of imported goods for slaves, but was a complex one that built on pre-European patterns of exchange in locally-produced commodities.
SLAVERY, FREEDOM, AND FAILED RANSOM NEGOTIATIONS IN WEST AFRICA, 1730–1900
Authors: LOFKRANTZ JENNIFER , OJO OLATUNJI
Published: April 2012

This article builds upon previous work on the impact of ransoming on processes of captivity, enslavement, and slavery in West Africa. Ransoming is defined as the release of a captive prior to enslavement in exchange for payment. It was a complicated process with no guarantee of success. This article examines the responses of families of captives to the failure of ransom negotiations. The ability to respond to failed ransom negotiations and the type of response chosen was dependent on the political climate and the resources available to those seeking the release of a captive.
THE EFFECT OF ENGLISH-LANGUAGE RESTRICTION ON SYSTEMATIC REVIEW-BASED META-ANALYSES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF EMPIRICAL STUDIES
Authors: Morrison Andra , Polisena Julie , Husereau Don , Moulton Kristen , Clark Michelle , Fiander Michelle , Mierzwinski-Urban Monika , Clifford Tammy , Hutton Brian , Rabb Danielle
Published: April 2012

Objectives:The English language is generally perceived to be the universal language of science. However, the exclusive reliance on English-language studies may not represent all of the evidence. Excluding languages other than English (LOE) may introduce a language bias and lead to erroneous conclusions.

Study Design and Setting:We conducted a comprehensive literature search using bibliographic databases and grey literature sources. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they measured the effect of excluding randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reported in LOE from systematic review-based meta-analyses (SR/MA) for one or more outcomes.

Results:None of the included studies found major differences between summary treatment effects in English-language restricted meta-analyses and LOE-inclusive meta-analyses. Findings differed about the methodological and reporting quality of trials reported in LOE. The precision of pooled estimates improved with the inclusion of LOE trials.

Conclusions:Overall, we found no evidence of a systematic bias from the use of language restrictions in systematic review-based meta-analyses in conventional medicine. Further research is needed to determine the impact of language restriction on systematic reviews in particular fields of medicine.
Aggregation in agent-based models of economies
Authors: Page Scott E.
Published: April 2012

Agent-based models are often described as bottom-up because macro-level phenomena emerge from the micro-level interactions of agents. These macro-level phenomena include fixed points, cycles, dynamic patterns, and long transients. In this paper, I explore the link between micro-level characteristics—learning rules, diversity, network structure, and externalities—and the macro-level patterns they produce. I focus on why we need agent-level modeling, on how these models produce emergent phenomenon, and on how agent-based models help understand outcomes of social systems in a way that differs from the analytic, equilibrium approach.
Individual evolutionary learning with many agents
Authors: Arifovic Jasmina , Ledyard John
Published: April 2012

Individual Evolutionary Learning (IEL) is a learning model based on the evolution of a population of strategies of an individual agent. In prior work, IEL has been shown to be consistent with the behavior of human subjects in games with a small number of agents. In this paper, we examine the performance of IEL in games with many agents. We find IEL to be robust to this type of scaling. With the appropriate linear adjustment of the mechanism parameter, the convergence behavior of IEL in games induced by Groves–Ledyard mechanisms in quadratic environments is independent of the number of participants.
Anglicization and Autonomy: Scottish Policing, Governance and the State, 1833 to 1885
Authors: Barrie David G.
Published: April 2012

As with other pillars of the Scottish criminal justice system, the distinctiveness of the Scottish police model from its English counterpart has been widely acknowledged. Its historical development, institutional structure, and level of community support have been portrayed as unique in the United Kingdom. Although rarely heralded as a symbol of national identity in the same way as the Church of Scotland or the legal system, the Scottish police's distinctive customs, traits, and practices have been held up in some studies as a badge of national pride. Often this is for no significant reason other than the fact that police reform in Scotland predated similar developments in England. Municipal police administration has also been depicted as an important symbol of the self-governing nature of Scottish civil society, conferring upon local authorities a wide range of autonomous powers and strengthening their bargaining position with central government in Westminster in London.
The Sex Side of Civil Liberties:United States v. Dennettand the Changing Face of Free Speech
Authors: Weinrib Laura M.
Published: April 2012

It was the policy of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) during the 1920s to contest only those obscenity regulations that were “relied upon to punish persons for their political views.” So stated a 1928 ACLU bulletin, reiterating a position to which the organization had adhered since its formation in 1920. For the majority of the ACLU's executive board, “political views” encompassed the struggle for control of the government and the economy, but not of the body. The early ACLU was not interested in defending avant-garde culture, let alone sexual autonomy.
Privatizing Violence: A Transformation in the Jurisprudence of Assault
Authors: Stein Joshua
Published: April 2012

Assault is a commonplace crime with uncommon potential for shedding light on the American criminal justice system. It lives on the periphery of American legal historiography, and yet, because of the ubiquity of small-scale violence, it has for centuries been a perennial and pesky nuisance threatening to overwhelm courts everywhere. Perched between private and public, criminal and civil, and bound to questions of governance and the rule of law, assault can no longer be ignored. Because of its nature as both a civil action and criminal offense, assault presents an opportunity to capture the evolving meanings of “public” and “private.” To what extent an assault was “criminal” hinged upon whether the “public” had an interest in the case, a criterion both amorphous and politically charged.1At the time of William Blackstone's writing in eighteenth-century England, assault was criminal insofar as it constituted a breach of the public peace, an insult to the king, and a threat, by its “evil example,” to the public at large. By the 1850s, much had changed. Two major figures in American criminal justice law, Joel Bishop and Francis Wharton, declared that assault's status as a crime no longer depended upon some ineffable public harm. Rather, it was the individual injury to a member of the public that constituted its chief criminal component. But this individuated logic also meant that, barring sufficiently severe or shocking injury, newly empowered members of the public could be entrusted to sort out matters on their own. This article contends that a changing view of criminal justice—an underlying “public” transformed from a paternalistically governed, impressionable populace to a group of independent persons—gave violence a much wider legal legitimacy.
Outbreak of Streptococcus pyogenes infection in healthcare workers in a paediatric intensive care unit: transmission from a single patient
Authors: MONTES M. , TAMAYO E. , OÑATE E. , PÉREZ-YARZA E. G. , PÉREZ-TRALLERO E.
Published: April 2012

A 15-h stay in a paediatric intensive care unit by a girl with generalized dermal lesions superinfected with Streptococcus pyogenes led to four streptococcal infections in healthcare workers. Phenotypic and molecular analyses of the strains revealed that four isolates, characterized as emm87/ST62/T28, were identical to the isolate obtained from the index case. The occurrence of this outbreak, despite of the girl's brief hospital stay and appropriate patient management, highlights the high transmissibility of this pathogen.
Trial-based psychotherapy and the efficacy of trial-based thought record in changing unhelpful core beliefs and reducing self-criticism
Authors: de Oliveira Irismar Reis , Hemmany Curt , Powell Vania B. , Bonfim Thaís D. , Duran Érica P. , Novais Nilma , Velasquez Michella , Di Sarno Elaine , Alves Gledson L. , Cesnik Joici A.
Published: April 2012

Introduction

The best prevention against relapse results when patients are taught to restructure negative core beliefs (CBs). Efficacy of the trial-based thought record (TBTR) in decreasing the credit given by patients to negative CBs and corresponding emotions was evaluated.

Method

Patients (n = 166) were submitted to a simulation of a legal trial to assess their adherence to negative CBs and corresponding emotions after each cognitive therapy technique incorporated by TBTR.

Results

Significant reductions existed in percent values after the first and second defense attorney pleas, as well as after jury's verdict and initial preparation for the appeal (p < 0.001), relative to the investigation phase. Significant differences also emerged between the defense attorney's first and second pleas and between the defense attorney's second plea and jury's verdict, as well as preparation for the appeal (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between percentages presented by patients submitted to TBTR used in the empty chair format relative to the conventional format. Similarly, there was no difference between outcomes, regardless of therapists’ level of exposure to TBTR.

Conclusion

TBTR may help patients reduce attachment to negative CBs and corresponding emotions. Outcomes were significantly favorable regardless of the format use and therapists’ level of exposure to TBTR.
Attributing carbon changes in conterminous U.S. forests to disturbance and non‐disturbance factors from 1901 to 2010
Authors: Zhang Fangmin , Chen Jing M. , Pan Yude , Birdsey Richard A. , Shen Shuanghe , Ju Weimin , He Liming
Published: April 2012

Recent climate variability (increasing temperature, droughts) and atmospheric composition changes (nitrogen deposition, rising CO2concentration) along with harvesting, wildfires, and insect infestations have had significant effects on U.S. forest carbon (C) uptake. In this study, we attribute C changes in the conterminous U.S. forests to disturbance and non‐disturbance factors with the help of forest inventory data, a continental stand age map, and an updated Integrated Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Cycle model (InTEC). We grouped factors into disturbances (harvesting, fire, insect infestation) and non‐disturbances (CO2 concentration, N deposition, and climate variability) and estimated their subsequent impacts on forest regrowth patterns. Results showed that on average, the C sink in the conterminous U.S. forests from 1950 to 2010 was 206 Tg C yr−1 with 87% (180 Tg C yr−1) of the sink in living biomass. Compared with the simulation of all factors combined, the estimated C sink would be reduced by 95 Tg C yr−1 if disturbance factors were omitted, and reduced by 50 Tg C yr−1if non‐disturbance factors were omitted. Our study also showed diverse regional patterns of C sinks related to the importance of driving factors. During 1980–2010, disturbance effects dominated the C changes in the South and Rocky Mountain regions, were almost equal to non‐disturbance effects in the North region, and had minor effects compared with non‐disturbance effects in the West Coast region.
Role of turbulence fluctuations on uncertainties of acoustic Doppler current profiler discharge measurements
Authors: Tarrab Leticia , García Carlos M. , Cantero Mariano I. , Oberg Kevin
Published: April 2012

This work presents a systematic analysis quantifying the role of the presence of turbulence fluctuations on uncertainties (random errors) of acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) discharge measurements from moving platforms. Data sets of three‐dimensional flow velocities with high temporal and spatial resolution were generated from direct numerical simulation (DNS) of turbulent open channel flow. Dimensionless functions relating parameters quantifying the uncertainty in discharge measurements due to flow turbulence (relative variance and relative maximum random error) to sampling configuration were developed from the DNS simulations and then validated with field‐scale discharge measurements. The validated functions were used to evaluate the role of the presence of flow turbulence fluctuations on uncertainties in ADCP discharge measurements. The results of this work indicate that random errors due to the flow turbulence are significant when: (a) a low number of transects is used for a discharge measurement, and (b) measurements are made in shallow rivers using high boat velocity (short time for the boat to cross a flow turbulence structure).
Crustal CO2 liberation during the 2006 eruption and earthquake events at Merapi volcano, Indonesia
Authors: Troll Valentin R. , Hilton David R. , Jolis Ester M. , Chadwick Jane P. , Blythe Lara S. , Deegan Frances M. , Schwarzkopf Lothar M. , Zimmer Martin
Published: April 2012

High‐temperature volcanic gas is widely considered to originate from ascending, mantle‐derived magma. In volcanic arc systems, crustal inputs to magmatic gases mainly occur via subducted sediments in the mantle source region. Our data from Merapi volcano, Indonesia imply, however, that during the April‐October 2006 eruption significant quantities of CO2 were added from shallow crustal sources. We show that prior to the 2006 events, summit fumarole gas δ13C(CO2) is virtually constant (δ13C1994–2005 = −4.1 ± 0.3‰), but during the 2006 eruption and after the shallow Yogyakarta earthquake of late May, 2006 (M6.4; hypocentres at 10–15 km depth), carbon isotope ratios increased to −2.4 ± 0.2‰. This rise in δ13C is consistent with considerable addition of crustal CO2and coincided with an increase in eruptive intensity by a factor of ∼3 to 5. We postulate that this shallow crustal volatile input supplemented the mantle‐derived volatile flux at Merapi, intensifying and sustaining the 2006 eruption. Late‐stage volatile additions from crustal contamination may thus provide a trigger for explosive eruptions independently of conventional magmatic processes.