bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Why, then, is it so bright? Towards an aesthetics of peace at a time of war
Authors: Bleiker Roland
Published: July 2003

Dieter Senghaas, Klänge des Friedens: Ein Hörbericht (Frankfurt: Suhrkamp, 2001), pp. 188.

Ekkehart Krippendorff, Die Kunst, nicht regiert zu werden: Ethische Politik von Sokrates bis Mozart (Frankfurt: Suhrkamp, 1999), pp. 467.
Structural Realism in a more complex world
Authors: Glaser Charles L.
Published: July 2003

The editors of the Review of International Studies have posed a timely challenge to what they term American realism. In broad terms, their editorial makes two points: first, realism has lost its relevance to current international policy; and second, realism does a poor job of explaining the behaviour of the world's major powers. In this brief essay I argue that both of these points are greatly overstated, if not simply wrong. At the same time, I accept that realism provides less leverage in addressing the full spectrum of issues facing the major powers in the post-Soviet and now the post-9/11 world than it did during the Cold War. However, this is neither surprising nor a serious problem, because scholars who use a realist lens to understand international politics can, and have, without inconsistency or contradiction also employed other theories to understand issues that fall outside realism's central focus.
It is kind to be cruel: the humanity of American Realism
Authors: Desch Michael C.
Published: July 2003

‘No one loves a political realist’, Robert Gilpin once

lamented. A major reason for this hostility towards realism is its sceptical
view of the role of ethical norms (principled beliefs about state action) in international
relations. Some critics dislike realism because they think it leads to an immoral international
order. Thucydides' famous adage that the ‘strong do what
they can and the weak suffer what they must’ is widely interpreted as evidence that one of
realism's founding fathers was an advocate of an immoral approach to
statecraft. Niccoló Machiavelli's well-known
advice to his Prince that it is politics that determines ethics, not vice versa,
reinforces these widely-held views of realism's amorality. The fact that modern realism
has been influenced by unsavoury
individuals like the German theorist Carl Schmitt, whose indisputable intellectual brilliance
was tainted by his overly close association with the Third Reich, leads many to see a continuing
link between realpolitik and evil in the international
system. Thus, Richard Ashley spoke for many when he
concluded that
‘Ces nymphes, je les veux perpétuer’: the post-war pastoral in space-age bachelor-pad music
Authors: Leydon Rebecca
Published: July 2003

Juan Garcia Esquivel's compositions and band arrangements of the late 1950s and early 1960s – his so-called ‘space-age bachelor pad music’ – feature exotic and futuristic instruments, dazzling stereo effects, textless vocalisations, and an array of colourful harmonic resources. This paper situates Esquivel's music within the venerable tradition of the Pastoral mode, a specialised narrative mode met in certain literary and musical works. I begin with an account of the musical pastoral, illustrated with reference to Renaissance madrigals, opera libretti, and especially French concert music from the turn of the twentieth century. In the music of ‘impressionist’ composers, pastoral conventions include a preponderance of ‘slithery’ sounds such as tremolo, trills, glissandi, gauzy timbres, colouristic harmonies and, especially, an over-abundance of motivic material. The steady parade of new themes, with little repetition, and rapidly changing orchestral colours impart a hedonistic atmosphere, consistent with the ‘fantasy of plenitude’ associated with the literary Pastoral. Esquivel's music, I claim, represents a transposition of this bucolic style, in which the ephemeral sounds of the flute and harp are transformed into their space-age counterparts: theremin, vibraphone, buzzimba, and the ‘zu-zu-zu’ of the Randy Van Horne Singers. Esquivel's music, I argue, reconstitutes the particular erotic configurations of classic pastoral: in place of fauns and nymphs are suave bachelors and their dates. The paper concludes with a discussion of representations of the ‘leisurely bachelor’ in other contemporaneous media.
Selling an image: girl groups of the 1960s
Authors: Cyrus Cynthia J.
Published: July 2003

This article considers the parameters and implications of the look of 1960s girl groups such as the Marvelettes, the Shirelles and the Shangri-Las through an examination of approximately two hundred images taken from title pages for songs, from LP covers, and from ads and publicity photos. An overwhelming majority of these visual images depict the members of an ensemble as equal and visually interchangeable, for the members dressed in the same clothes and accessories, sported the same hair style and stood in the same pose. This uniformity supported the chatty teenage dialogue which typified the girl group lyrics. Perhaps more importantly, it also invited the audience member to identify herself with the members of the group. Such a message of belonging was an important part of a marketing strategy aimed at the increasingly multiracial teen market of the period.
Limited pidgin-type patois? Policy, language, technology, identity and the experience of Canto-pop in Singapore
Authors: Khiun Liew Kai
Published: July 2003

This article explores the interactions and tensions arising from a vibrant Canto-pop industry exported from Hong Kong to an interventionist nation-state of Singapore bent on discouraging the use of dialects by its ethnic Chinese population. Aside from highlighting the roles of technological and commercial factors behind the regional music networks, it seeks further to position this contemporary relationship within the larger historical and cultural context. The cultural politics involved here is not just an isolated phenomenon between two different cities. More importantly, the language policies of the Singapore government represent a haunting replication of the perennial attempts by central authorities in China to impose a more standardised linguistic and cultural identity on its dialect-speaking peripheries. This identity is based on not just the court language of Mandarin, but notions of ‘Chineseness’. This article goes on to question the extent to which Canto-pop could help foster a more hybridised identity transcending both the current dictates of the modern Singaporean state and the imagined cultural boundaries of a more historically entrenched Sino-centric realm.
Ethnicity, Class and Gender in Israeli Community Theatre
Authors: LEV-ALADGEM SHULAMITH
Published: July 2003

Community theatre in Israel emerged as a unique theatrical form at the beginning of the 1970s in several disadvantaged neighbourhoods inhabited by the Mizrahim (Jews originating from Arab countries). It has since developed into a vital and diverse cultural intervention within different groups and locations. The political community theatre of the Mizrahi ethnic group reflects the power relationships between the hegemonic establishment of the Ashkenazi (Jews originating from Western countries) and the Mizrahi minority. The socio-cultural categories of ethnicity, class and gender are applied to two community theatre performances as generators of an alternative identity processing.
Anticipating interactivity: Henry Cowell and the Rhythmicon
Authors: Schedel Margaret
Published: July 2003

In the early 1930s, maverick composer Henry Cowell collaborated with inventor Leon Theremin to build an electronic instrument capable of producing intricate polyrhythms. This instrument, dubbed the Rhythmicon, can be considered a rudimentary example of an interactive music system. Cowell and Theremin created the machine to fulfil a compositional need, but it ultimately failed to become a successful musical instrument. The Rhythmicon was one of the first electronic music instruments to use technology to extend performers' musical capacities, anticipating the interactive computer music movement by several decades. Despite its shortcomings, the Rhythmicon should be remembered as an important step on the road to interactivity.
For a morphology of interaction
Authors: Menezes Flo
Published: July 2003

In mixed electroacoustic music it is common to find the erroneous conception according to which interaction should base itself exclusively on the fusion between instrumental writing and electronic devices, whereas the contrast between these sound spheres is as significant as the fusional states. Although fusion may be seen as the most important ingredient for an efficacious compositional strategy concerning interaction, it is actually through contrast that the identities of spectral transfers in mixed composition can be evaluated by the listener. This text intends to introduce a discussion about the many possibilities offered by the morphology of interaction between acoustic sources and electroacoustic resources and structures. In this sense it tries to identify intermediate types between the extremes of pure fusion and pure contrast, which can be established by the composer that sees in interactive music one of the most advantageous poetic realms of electroacoustic music.
Spatio-musical composition strategies
Authors: Barrett Natasha
Published: July 2003

Spatial elements in acousmatic music are inherent to the art form, in composition and in the projection of the music to the listener. But is it possible for spatial elements to be as important carriers of musical structure as the other aspects of sound? For a parameter to serve the requirements of musical development, it is necessary for that parameter to cover a range of perceptually different states. For ‘space’ to be more than a setting within which the main active elements in the structure unfold, it needs to satisfy these requirements. This paper explains a number of important spatial composition strategies available to the acousmatic composer in light of current technology and sound reproduction situations. The analysis takes an aesthetical rather than a technical standpoint.
Extraordinary climates of Earth-like planets: three-dimensional climate simulations at extreme obliquity
Authors: Williams Darren M. , Pollard David
Published: July 2003

A three-dimensional general-circulation climate model is used to simulate climates of Earth-like planets with extreme axial tilts (i.e. ‘obliquities’). While no terrestrial-planet analogue exists in the solar system, planets with steeply inclined spin axes may be common around nearby stars. Here we report the results of 12 numerical experiments with Earth-like planets having different obliquities (from 0° to 85°), continental geographies, and levels of the important greenhouse gas, CO2. Our simulations show intense seasonality in surface temperatures for obliquities [ges ]54°, with temperatures reaching 80–100 °C over the largest middle- and high-latitude continents around the summer solstice. Net annual warming at high latitudes is countered by reduced insolation and colder temperatures in the tropics, which maintains the global annual mean temperature of our planets to within a few degrees of 14 °C. Under reduced insolation, seasonal snow covers some land areas near the equator; however no significant net annual accumulation of snow or ice occurs in any of our runs with obliquity exceeding the present value, in contrast to some previous studies. None of our simulated planets were warm enough to develop a runaway greenhouse or cold enough to freeze over completely; therefore, most real Earth-like planets should be hospitable to life at high obliquity.
Welfare Retrenchment or Collective Responsibility? The Privatisation of Public Pensions in Western Europe
Authors: Hyde Mark , Dixon John , Drover Glenn
Published: July 2003

Public pensions privatisation in Western Europe has been seen as being part of a broader programme of welfare retrenchment, informed by neoliberal values, that will intensify poverty among future generations of pensioners. Whilst such fears should not be dismissed lightly, we argue that the notion of welfare privatisation is conceptually much broader than the free-market model posited by neoliberalism. Reflecting this, many of the public pensions privatisation initiatives that have been introduced in Western Europe have been informed by its collectivist ideological heritage and, to varying degrees, are consistent with the notion of collective responsibility for needs-satisfaction.European civilisation is underpinned by values Europe's leaders could not give up even if they wanted to; for their roots lie deep and define what it means to be European. (Hutton, 2002: 357)
Gender, Poverty and Social Exclusion
Authors: Millar Jane
Published: July 2003

This article discusses some of the problems involved in trying to develop gender-sensitive ways of measuring poverty. It argues that what is needed is a way of placing individuals within households and measuring both their contribution to the resources of that household and the extent of their dependence on the resources of others within the household. It is argued that this should involve examining sources as well as levels of income, and by adopting an approach that is dynamic, rather than static. The concept of social exclusion – multi-dimensional, dynamic, local and relational – could provide a way to explore these issues of autonomy and dependency, and their gender dimensions.
Introduction: Themed Section on the European Union and Social Policy: National and EU Policy Interaction
Authors: Hantrais Linda
Published: July 2003

When the European Economic Community was established in 1957, the six founding member states (Belgium, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands) had a shared interest, though each for their own reasons, in ensuring that provisions to promote the harmonisation of national social protection systems figured in the treaties. Progressively, and as membership of the Community expanded and diversified, the social dimension came to be accepted as a legitimate, albeit contested and subordinate, component in European law and policy. Whereas the social protection systems of the six original member states could be considered as variants of the continental model of welfare, the new waves of membership in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s brought different conceptions of social protection, making harmonisation ever-more difficult to achieve. Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom in the second wave were characterised by their universal welfare systems. Greece, Portugal and Spain in the third wave had less developed, minimalist provision for social protection. In the fourth wave, Austria was closer to the founding member states, whereas Finland and Sweden represented the Nordic model with their universalist system based on social democratic criteria.
The Work–Life Balance from the Perspective of Economic Policy Actors
Authors: Ackers Peter
Published: July 2003

This article reviews the burgeoning literature on work–life balance and family-friendly policies in European countries, noting the new interdisciplinary dialogue between traditional ‘work’ and ‘family’ disciplines. It examines the findings from interviews with economic actors, suggesting that, while work–life balance and family-friendly policies are an issue everywhere, progress is very uneven. Overall, strong traditional family policies have not contributed to work–life balance, since they are predicated on a traditional male breadwinner model. A combination of strong demand for female labour in the service sector and equal opportunities policies is, however, causing employers and government to address the issue.
How much do small‐scale changes in flight direction increase overall migration distance?
Authors: Desholm Mark
Published: July 2003

During a radar study of autumn migrating waterfowl Denmark, individual flight trajectories of bird flocks were seen to show zigzag‐like patterns, rather than exact straight lines. An analysis of these small‐scale changes in flight directions, which are too small to be detected by satellite telemetry, showed that geese and common eiders Somateria m. mollissima were flying on average 0.7% and 1.6% longer distances, respectively, than if they would have flown along exact straight lines. Thus, it is concluded that the flight paths are remarkably similar to straight lines. A multivariate regression analysis suggested cross wind as a factor increasing flight distance, and hence, the small‐scale changes in flight directions could in part be a result of birds trying to compensate for wind drift.
Molecular support for a sister group relationship between Pici and Galbulae (Piciformes sensu Wetmore 1960)
Authors: Johansson Ulf S. , Ericson Per G. P.
Published: July 2003

Woodpeckers, honeyguides, barbets, and toucans form a well‐supported clade with approximately 355 species. This clade, commonly referred to as Pici, share with the South American clade Galbulae (puffbirds and jacamars) a zygodactyls foot with a unique arrangement of the deep flexor tendons (Gadow's Type VI). Based on these characters, Pici and Galbulae are often considered sister taxa, and have in traditional classification been placed in the order Piciformes. There are, however, a wealth of other morphological characters that contradicts this association, and indicates that Pici is closer related to the Passeriformes (passerines) than to Galbulae. Galbulae, in turn, is considered more closely related to the rollers and ground‐rollers (Coracii). In this study, we evaluate these two hypotheses by using DNA sequence data from exons of the nuclear RAG‐1 and c‐myc genes, and an intron of the nuclear myoglobin gene, totally including 3400 basepairs of aligned sequences. The results indicate a sister group relationship between Pici and Galbulae, i.e. monophyly of the Piciformes, and this association has high statistical support in terms of bootstrap values and posterior probabilities. This study also supports several associations within the traditional order Coraciiformes, including a sister group relationship between the kingfishers (Alcedinidae) and a clade with todies (Todidae) and motmots (Momotidae), and with the bee‐eaters (Meropidae) placed basal relative to these three groups.
Relationship between laying dates of black kites Milvus migrans and spring temperatures in Italy: rapid response to climate change?
Authors: Sergio Fabrizio
Published: July 2003

Many Holarctic bird species have been shown to be laying progressively earlier in response to global warming. Most studies have been conducted on small‐bodied species at northern latitudes. In Italy, black kite Milvus migrans populations are concentrated near large pre‐Alpine lakes, whose water temperatures have been increasing steadily in recent decades. Annual black kite laying dates have become 10–11 days earlier during the last nine years. This shift was related to temporal variations in spring air temperatures, with earlier laying in warmer springs. The progressive advancement in laying dates was not associated with an increase in population level productivity, despite the fact that productivity declined with laying date at the individual territory level within years. Avian response to climate change may be occurring more rapidly than previously thought, even in relatively long‐lived species, and not only at the most northern latitudes or highest elevations. Because this change has occurred so rapidly, and because laying dates match annual variations in spring temperatures, the response must be facultatively driven by prevailing conditions, rather than genetic in response to natural selection.
Mechanisms underlying the modulatory action of platelet activating factor (PAF) on the upregulation of kinin B1 receptors in the rat paw
Authors: Fernandes Elizabeth S , Passos Giselle F , Campos Maria M , Araújo José G V C , Pesquero Jorge L , Avelllar Maria C , Teixeira Mauro M , Calixto João B
Published: July 2003

The present study evaluated the ability of the administration of platelet activating factor (PAF) to induce the upregulation of B1 receptors in the rat paw.

Local treatment with PAF resulted in a time‐dependent increase of oedema formation induced by the B1 receptor agonist des‐Arg9‐BK (des‐Arg9‐bradykinin), but not by the B2 receptor agonist tyrosine8‐bradykinin. Functional upregulation of B1 receptors was accompanied by a prominent increase of B1 receptor mRNA expression in the rat paw.

In PAF‐treated paws, des‐Arg9‐BK‐induced oedema formation was significantly inhibited by the B1 receptor antagonists des‐Arg9‐[Leu8]‐BK and R‐715. The effects of PAF pretreatment were receptor operated, as assessed by the effects of the PAF receptor antagonist WEB2086 or by desensitisation of PAF receptors.

The protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide, the anti‐inflammatory steroid dexamethasone or the nuclear factor (NF‐κB) blockers pyrrolidine‐dithiocarbamate (PDTC) and Nα‐tosyl‐L‐chloromethylketone significantly blocked the functional upregulation of B1 receptors.

The selectin inhibitor fucoidin, an anti‐CD18 antibody or an anti‐rat neutrophil antiserum, also significantly prevented des‐Arg9‐BK‐induced paw oedema in rats pretreated with PAF.

Intradermal injection of PAF induced a 25‐fold increase of myeloperoxidase activity in the rat paw, a response that was significantly inhibited by fucoidin, anti‐CD‐18, anti‐rat neutrophil antiserum or PDTC.

Local treatment with PAF also resulted in a marked increase of NF‐κB activation, an effect largely prevented by PDTC or by the anti‐rat neutrophil antiserum.

Collectively, the present results indicate that the induction of B1 receptors following treatment with the chemotatic mediator PAF is dependent on the recruitment of neutrophils, an event that is under the control of adhesion molecules, protein synthesis and NF‐κB activation. These findings provide new insights into the role played by cell migration and chemotatic factors on B1 receptor upregulation in vivo.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2003) 139, 973–981. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0705314
Central endogenous histamine modulates sympathetic outflow through H3receptors in the conscious rabbit
Authors: Charles Julian , Angus James A , Wright Christine E
Published: July 2003

This study examined the role of histamine H3receptors in vagal and sympathetic autonomic reflexes in the conscious rabbit, and in rabbit and guinea‐pig isolated right atria.

The baroreceptor‐heart rate reflex (baroreflex), Bezold‐Jarisch‐like and nasopharyngeal reflexes were assessed after these treatments (i.v.; with H1and H2receptor block): (i) vehicle (saline;n=11); (ii) H3receptor agonist, (R)‐α‐methylhistamine (R‐α‐MH) 100μg kg−1+100μg kg−1h−1(n=9); (iii) H3receptor antagonist, thioperamide 1 mg kg−1+1 mg kg−1h−1(n=11); (iv)R‐α‐MH and thioperamide (n=6); and (v) H2and H3antagonist, burimamide 6.3 mg kg−1+6.3 mg kg−1h−1(n=4).

R‐α‐MH caused a thioperamide‐sensitive fall in mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 8±1 mmHg and tachycardia of 18±2 bpm (P<0.0005). Burimamide was without effect, however thioperamide elicited an increase in MAP of 4±1 mmHg (P<0.01), but no change in heart rate (HR).

R‐α‐MH caused a 44% decrease in the average gain of the baroreflex (P=0.0001); this effect was antagonised by thioperamide. Thioperamide caused a parallel rightward shift in the barocurve with an increase in MAP of 5 mmHg (P<0.05). Burimamide had no effect on the baroreflex. The vagally mediated bradycardia elicited by the Bezold‐Jarisch and nasopharyngeal reflexes was unaffected by H3receptor ligand administration.

R‐α‐MH (10μM) caused a thioperamide‐sensitive depression of both sympathetic and vagal responses in guinea‐pig atria, but had no effect in rabbit atria.

As H3receptor activation caused a significant decrease in baroreflex gain without affecting HR range, the former is unlikely to be simply due to peripheral sympatholysis (supported by the lack of effect in isolated atria). Central H3receptors may have a tonic role in the baroreflex as thioperamide caused a rightward resetting of the barocurve. In contrast, the peripherally acting H3antagonist burimamide was without effect. These findings suggest a role for central histamine H3receptors in cardiovascular homeostasis in the rabbit.

British Journal of Pharmacology(2003)139, 1023–1031. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0705322
Enhanced anti‐inflammatory potency of a nitric oxide‐releasing prednisolone derivative in the rat
Authors: Turesin Fusun , Del Soldato Piero , Wallace John L
Published: July 2003

Derivatization of nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs, such that they release nitric oxide (NO) in small amounts, has been shown to significantly increase their anti‐inflammatory activity and analgesic potency. In this study, we compared the anti‐inflammatory potency of prednisolone to a nitric oxide‐releasing derivative of prednisolone (NCX‐1015).

Carrageenan‐induced inflammation of an airpouch in the rat was used. The rats were pretreated with equimolar doses of prednisolone or NCX‐1015 and the effects on leukocyte infiltration into the airpouch and exudates levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and nitrite (as an index of NO production) were measured 6 h later.

Injection of carrageenan into the airpouch resulted in a progressive increase in leukocyte infiltration, and accumulation of PGE2, LTB4 and nitrite. Carrageenan also induced elevated expression of cyclooxygenase‐1 and ‐2, inducible nitric oxide synthase and 5‐lipoxygenase in the inflammatory exudate.

Prednisolone dose dependently reduced the numbers of leukocytes within the airpouch exudates, as well as reducing PGE2, LTB4 and nitrite levels. NCX‐1015 also reduced leukocyte numbers and inflammatory mediator levels. However, the doses of NCX‐1015 required to produce a maximal reduction of each of these parameters was one‐third to one‐tenth the dose of prednisolone that produced a comparable effect.

The reduction of PGE2 and NO production was likely to be at least in part due to reduced expression of the key enzymes responsible for their synthesis (cyclooxygenase‐2, inducible NO synthase), with NCX‐1015 producing greater suppression than prednisolone at an equimolar dose.

Coadministration of prednisolone with a nitric oxide donor (DETA‐NONOate) resulted in a greater reduction of leukocyte infiltration and inflammatory mediator production than was observed with either drug alone.

These results support the notion that delivery of NO to a site of inflammation can markedly enhance the anti‐inflammatory activity of a glucocorticoid.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2003) 139, 966–972. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0705324
Enhancement of lipopolysaccharide‐stimulated JNK activity in rat aortic smooth muscle cells by pharmacological and adenovirus‐mediated inhibition of inhibitory kappa B kinase signalling
Authors: MacKenzie Christopher J , Paul Andrew , Wilson Susan , de Martin Rainer , Baker Andrew H , Plevin Robin
Published: July 2003

In rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs), the putative nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) inhibitor Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) was found to inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐stimulated NFκB DNA‐binding. However, further investigation identified the site of inhibition as being at, or upstream of, the inhibitory kappa B kinases (IKKs) as their kinase activity was substantially reduced.

In addition, PDTC potentiated LPS‐stimulated c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK), p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) and MAP kinase‐activated protein kinase‐2 activity (the downstream target of p38 MAP kinase).

Another inhibitor of NFκB signalling, the serine protease inhibitor Nαp‐tosyl‐L‐lysine chloro‐methylketone (TLCK), also inhibited LPS‐stimulated IKK activity and potentiated JNK activity in response to LPS, suggesting that cross‐talk may occur between the NFκB and stress‐activated protein kinase pathways at the level of IKK or at a common point upstream.

Infection of RASMCs with an adenovirus encoding either inhibitory kappa Bα or a dominant‐negative IKKβ potentiated LPS‐stimulated JNK activity.

These studies therefore suggest that the loss of NFκB DNA‐binding and resultant transcriptional activity, rather than the loss of IKK activity, is sufficient to cause an increase in JNK activity. This shows that either pharmacological or molecular inhibition of NFκB DNA‐binding enhances JNK activation in vascular smooth muscle cells, an effect that may contribute to the pathophysiological effects of LPS.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2003) 139, 1041–1049. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0705330
Squalene synthase inhibitors
Authors: Menys V C , Durrington P N
Published: July 2003

British Journal of Pharmacology (2003) 139, 881–882. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0705331
Drug binding to HERG channels: evidence for a ‘non‐aromatic’ binding site for fluvoxamine
Authors: Mitcheson John S
Published: July 2003

British Journal of Pharmacology (2003) 139, 883–884. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0705336
Vitrification of cryoelectron microscopy specimens revealed by high‐speed photographic imaging
Authors: Kasas S. , Dumas G. , Dietler G. , Catsicas S. , Adrian M.
Published: July 2003

Cryoelectron microsopy is a widely used technique to observe biological material in an almost physiological, fully hydrated state. The sample is prepared for electron microsopy observation by quickly reducing its temperature to −180 °C. The high‐speed cooling induces the formation of vitreous water, which preserves the sample conformation. However, the way vitrification occurs is still poorly understood. In order to better understand the phenomenon, we have used a stroboscopic device to visualize the interaction between the electron microscopy grid and the cryogen. By blocking the free fall of the plunger once the grid has penetrated the coolant by half its diameter, we have elucidated the way in which vitrification propagates. The findings were confirmed by numerical simulation. In addition, according to our observations, we now present an alternative way to prepare vitreous specimens. This new method, with the grid parallel to the liquid cryogen surface, decreases evaporation from the sample during its free fall towards the coolant and at the same time achieves a more uniform vitrification over the entire surface of the specimen.
Attenuation correction in confocal laser microscopes: a novel two‐view approach
Authors: Can A. , Al‐Kofahi O. , Lasek S. , Szarowski D. H. , Turner J. N. , Roysam B.
Published: July 2003

Confocal microscopy is a three‐dimensional (3D) imaging modality, but the specimen thickness that can be imaged is limited by depth‐dependent signal attenuation. Both software and hardware methods have been used to correct the attenuation in reconstructed images, but previous methods do not increase the image signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) using conventional specimen preparation and imaging. We present a practical two‐view method that increases the overall imaging depth, corrects signal attenuation and improves the SNR. This is achieved by a combination of slightly modified but conventional specimen preparation, image registration, montage synthesis and signal reconstruction methods. The specimen is mounted in a symmetrical manner between a pair of cover slips, rather than between a slide and a cover slip. It is imaged sequentially from both sides to generate two 3D image stacks from perspectives separated by approximately 180° with respect to the optical axis. An automated image registration algorithm performs a precise 3D alignment, and a model‐based minimum mean squared algorithm synthesizes a montage, combining the content of both the 3D views. Experiments with images of individual neurones contrasted with a space‐filling fluorescent dye in thick brain tissue slices produced precise 3D montages that are corrected for depth‐dependent signal attenuation. The SNR of the reconstructed image is maximized by the method, and it is significantly higher than in the single views after applying our attenuation model. We also compare our method with simpler two‐view reconstruction methods and quantify the SNR improvement. The reconstructed images are a more faithful qualitative visualization of the specimen's structure and are quantitatively more accurate, providing a more rigorous basis for automated image analysis.
Algorithms for accurate 3D registration of neuronal images acquired by confocal scanning laser microscopy
Authors: Al‐Kofahi O. , Can A. , Lasek S. , Szarowski D. H. , Turner J. N. , Roysam B.
Published: July 2003

This paper presents automated and accurate algorithms based on high‐order transformation models for registering three‐dimensional (3D) confocal images of dye‐injected neurons. The algorithms improve upon prior methods in several ways, and meet the more stringent image registration needs of applications such as two‐view attenuation correction recently developed by us. First, they achieve high accuracy (≈ 1.2 voxels, equivalent to 0.4 µm) by using landmarks, rather than intensity correlations, and by using a high‐dimensional affine and quadratic transformation model that accounts for 3D translation, rotation, non‐isotropic scaling, modest curvature of field, distortions and mechanical inconsistencies introduced by the imaging system. Second, they use a hierarchy of models and iterative algorithms to eliminate potential instabilities. Third, they incorporate robust statistical methods to achieve accurate registration in the face of inaccurate and missing landmarks. Fourth, they are fully automated, even estimating the initial registration from the extracted landmarks. Finally, they are computationally efficient, taking less than a minute on a 900‐MHz Pentium III computer for registering two images roughly 70 MB in size. The registration errors represent a combination of modelling, estimation, discretization and neuron tracing errors. Accurate 3D montaging is described; the algorithms have broader applicability to images of vasculature, and other structures with distinctive point, line and surface landmarks.
Time‐gated total internal reflection fluorescence spectroscopy (TG‐TIRFS): application to the membrane marker laurdan
Authors: Schneckenburger H. , Stock K. , Strauss W. S. L. , Eickholz J. , Sailer R.
Published: July 2003

A novel setup for total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy with spectral and temporal (nanosecond) resolution was used to measure the emission spectra of the membrane marker laurdan either selectively within the plasma membrane or in whole living cells, depending on the incident angle of the excitation light. With increasing temperature, the intensity of the fluorescence band around 490 nm increased in comparison with the band around 440 nm, which has previously been assigned to a phase transition of membrane lipids from gel to liquid crystalline phase. For a better separation of the overlapping spectral bands, time‐gated detection with a delay of 10–15 ns with respect to the exciting laser pulse was used. As a parameter of membrane dynamics the so‐called generalized polarization GP = (I440 − I490)/(I440 + I490) was evaluated at temperatures between 24 and 41 °C and variable angles of the incident light permitting to excite laurdan molecules either within the plasma membrane or in the whole cell. A decrease of the GP values by ≈ 0.2 units between 28 and 41 °C indicated an increase in membrane fluidity or a decrease in membrane stiffness with increasing temperature. In addition, higher GP values were observed for the plasma membrane as compared with intracellular membranes, probably due to a higher amount of cholesterol. Because properties of the plasma membrane have a large influence on the uptake or release of certain pharmaceutical agents or metabolites, the direct assessment of the dynamics of the plasma membrane by total internal reflection fluorescence spectroscopy appears to be important for pharmacology.
Semi‐automated software for the three‐dimensional delineation of complex vascular networks
Authors: Barber P. R. , Vojnovic B. , Ameer‐Beg S. M. , Hodgkiss R. J. , Tozer G. M. , Wilson J.
Published: July 2003

The understanding of tumour angiogenesis is of great importance in cancer research, as is the tumour response to vascular‐targeted drugs. This paper presents software aimed at aiding these investigations and other situations where linear or dendritic structures are to be delineated from three‐dimensional (3D) data sets. This software application was written to analyse the data from 3D data sets by allowing the manual and semi‐automated tracking and delineation of the vascular tree, including the measurement of vessel diameter. A new algorithm, CHARM, based on a compact Hough transform and the formation of a radial map, has been used to locate vessel centres and measure diameters automatically. The robustness of this algorithm to image smoothing and noise has been investigated.
Inhibition of protein adsorption to muscovite mica by monovalent cations
Authors: Czajkowsky D. M. , Shao Z.
Published: July 2003

One of the most challenging steps in biological atomic force microscopy (AFM) is to find conditions under which the sample will adsorb to a substrate. Here we show that a common constituent of biological buffers, monovalent cations, can inhibit the adsorption of a number of different proteins onto one of the best substrates for biological AFM, muscovite mica. The potency series for different cations to prevent adsorption is the same for every protein, K+ > Na+ > Li+, and, in each case, this inhibition could be overcome by increasing the concentration of proteins. These results thus suggest that reducing the extent of this inhibition by using lower concentrations of salt, higher concentrations of proteins, or Li+ in place of K+ and Na+ may be generally useful procedures to maximize the amount of protein on mica.
Enzymuria following amphotericin B application in the rat
Authors: Inselmann Gerhard , Balaschke Michael , Heidemann Hugo T.
Published: July 2003

The effect of amphotericin B application on urinary renal tubule enzyme excretion was investigated in rats treated with amphotericin B (1.5 mg kg−1 b.i.d., i.v.) for 4 days. Application of amphotericin B induced a significant higher daily urinary enzyme activity of the renal tubular enzymes N‐acetyl‐β‐glucosaminidase (NAG), β‐glucuronidase (GRS), alanine‐aminopeptidase (AAP) and γ‐glutamyltransferase (GGT) in comparison with controls and sodium deoxycholate treated animals as well. A significant increase in the renal excretion of NAG, GRS, AAP and GGT occurred after the first day of amphotericin B treatment and continued until the fourth day. Following treatment for 4 days with amphotericin B urine AAP activity amounted to 69 ± 19 U g−1 creatinine, control: 39 ± 7 U g−1 creatinine (P < 0.05). After 4 days GGT excretion increased to 803 ± 238 U g−1 creatinine, control: 445 ± 106 U g−1 creatinine (P < 0.05). At the fourth day NAG excretion was 80 ± 39 U g−1 creatinine, control: 23 ± 5 U g−1 creatinine (P < 0.05) and GRS 724 ± 604 U g−1 creatinine (amphotericin B), control: 276 ± 158 U g−1 creatinine (P < 0.05). Treatment with amphotericin B decreased the creatinine clearance significantly: 0.94 ± 0.16 ml−1 min−1 vs. control 1.35 ± 0.29 ml−1min−1 (P < 0.05). Fractional sodium and potassium excretion was not influenced by amphotericin B. The application of sodium deoxycholate had no influence on urinary renal tubular enzyme activity. The results show that amphotericin B application induces early enzymuria of renal tubule enzymes suggesting damage of proximal renal tubules.
Dermatomycoses in the Rijeka area, Croatia, before, during and after the war 1990–1999
Authors: Brajac Ines , Prpic‐Massari L. , Stojnic‐Sosa L. , Gruber F.
Published: July 2003

Summary The frequency of dermatomycoses as well as the spectrum of causative agents in the Rijeka area, northwestern part of Croatia, in the periods before and during the war (1990–1994) and in the postwar period (1995–1999) were analyzed. A total of 20 463 patients with clinically suspected dermatomycoses referred to the Department of Dermatovenerology, Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, was examined. In the period from 1990 till 1994, 2462 samples were positive, compared with 2250 positive samples during the period from 1995 to 1999. The most frequently isolated dermatophytes were in both periods Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum canis, followed by Microsporum gypseum, Epidermophyton floccosum, Trichophyton verrucosum and in the first period T. rubrum. An intensive change in composition of the flora was observed in the postwar period, mainly connected to the migration of population from other regions to the Rijeka area. This was demonstrated by a disappearance of T. verrucosum and T. rubrum and by an eruptive occurrence of Trichophyton violaceum. This antropophilic species became third representative in the postwar period, followed by M. gypseum, and E. floccosum. Our data were compared with those obtained in the same area in previous studies, and with results obtained in other countries.
Fluconazole toxicity is independent of oxidative stress and apoptotic effector mechanisms in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Kontoyiannis D. P. , Murray P. J.
Published: July 2003

Summary Fluconazole toxicity was previously shown to require intact mitochondria in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, however, the mechanism of mitochondrial‐dependent azole toxicity is unclear. Here we show that fluconazole toxicity is not attenuated by the overexpression of the mitochondrially‐acting human antiapoptotic protein Bcl‐2 nor is it increased by the presence of the oxidating agents in S. cerevisiae. Our data further support the notion that mitochondrial toxicity in the presence of azoles is modulated by the conversion of ergosterol precursors to toxic sterols.
Cure of orthopaedic infection with Scedosporium prolificans, using voriconazole plus terbinafine, without the need for radical surgery
Authors: Gosbell I. B. , Toumasatos V. , Yong J. , Kuo R. S. , Ellis D. H. , Perrie R. C.
Published: July 2003

Summary Scedosporium prolificans infections of normal hosts usually require extensive debridement and sometimes amputation to effect cure, due to the intrinsic resistance of this species to available antifungal agents. Newer agents have not tested favourably. Variable results are obtained with voriconazole, and 100% resistance is described with echinocandins. Itraconazole and terbinafine has offered synergy against various moulds including S. prolificans. In vivo success is reported with the azole/terbinafine combination in S. apiospermum pulmonary infection and Pythium insidiosum periorbital cellulitis. We report a case of orthopaedic infection in a non‐immunocompromised host with S. prolificans, in which the combinations of itraconazole/terbinafine and voriconazole/terbinafine showed synergy in vitro, and success was achieved without radical surgery, using voriconazole and terbinafine.
Paracoccidioidomycosis and larynx carcinoma
Authors: Maymó Argañaraz M. , Luque A. G. , Tosello M. E. A. , Perez J.
Published: July 2003

Report of a case of paracoccidioidomycosis associated with a carcinoma: both located in the larynx in a patient whose therapeutic response to antifungal treatment produced a recovery of physical conditions. This case shows the importance of taking into account the diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis in all patients with problems in the larynx, especially those who inhabit or inhabited endemic areas of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis.
Isolation of dermatophytes and other keratinophilic fungi from soils of Jammu, India
Authors: Deshmukh S. K. , Agrawal S. C.
Published: July 2003

A total of 112 soil samples collected from various areas of Jammu, India, were screened for the prevalence of keratinophilic fungi and related dermatophytes. From 65 positive samples (58.1%), a total of six genera with 13 species were isolated.
The manufacturing strategy‐capabilities links in mass customisation and agile manufacturing – an exploratory study
Authors: Brown Steve , Bessant John
Published: July 2003

This paper is based on longitudinal case studies of research into strategy formulation within six plants from large firms – three in the car industry and three from the computer industry – that have embarked on mass customisation. The core theme of this paper is that, in spite of the increasing attention given to manufacturing strategy from the seminal work of Skinner through to the plethora of articles in recent times, little is mentioned about its application to paradigms of agility or mass customisation. As a consequence firms attempt to become agile and to pursue mass customisation without appreciating the contribution of plant‐specific manufacturing strategies that might enable them to achieve these aspirations. We examine the enablers and strategic blockages in pursuing mass customisation, via a mapping process, and reveal reasons why some firms remain unable to devise and implement manufacturing strategies.
Assessing self‐awareness: some issues and methods
Authors: Fletcher Clive , Bailey Caroline
Published: July 2003

Multi‐source processes have been increasingly adopted by organisations in recent years and most projections suggest this trend will continue. As a developmental technique, one underlying rationale to such systems is their potential impact on target managers’ self‐awareness; increasing self awareness is thought to enhance performance. The main theme of this paper relates to the potential of 360‐degree assessment for yielding measures of self‐awareness and the different ways of deriving indices of this variable. The relationship between self‐awareness indices and measures of performance are discussed in light of research findings. It is concluded that different self‐awareness measures used in the research literature are not equivalent, and may have differential relationships to performance. It is argued that self‐awareness should be assessed in selection and other settings using a variety of methods, not necessarily utilizing the kinds of measures typically associated with multi‐source feedback systems.
Measuring emotional intelligence: content, construct and criterion‐related validity
Authors: Dulewicz Victor , Higgs Malcolm , Slaski Mark
Published: July 2003

Many authors claim there is a paucity of evidence for the validity of measures of emotional intelligence (EI). This paper summarises existing information on the reliability and validity of two measures of EI, the Dulewicz and Higgs EIQ and the Bar‐on EQ‐i. It also reports the results of a study on middle managers which investigated the degree to which these two EI instruments measure the same constructs: their concurrent/criterion‐related validity; and the relationship between EI and morale and stress at work. Correlations between the two instruments showed content and construct validity, with 16 out of the 20 hypothesised relationships between scales being significant. Correlations between various measures of morale and stress at work and EIQ demonstrated construct validity. Significant relationships were also found between EIQ and current job performance, thus providing further evidence of concurrent/criterion‐related validity.