bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Mathematical Model of a Micrometastasis
Authors: Bloor Malcolm I. G. , Wilson Michael J.
Published: June 2007

Experimental evidence indicates that tumour metastases can exist for long periods in a dormant state, with cell proliferation balancing cell death. However, this balance can be upset, by removing the primary tumour for instance, which causes the metastasis to grow, or by adminstering a substances inhabiting angiogenesis which causes the metastasis toi regress. A mathematical model is presented for the growth of a tumour metastasis, which by postulating the possibility of a local imbalance between cell proliferation and cell death though apoptosis, is able to explain some of these observations. A prediction of the model is that at any position within the metastasis there will be a radial movement of cells, even in the document state.
Mathematical Modelling of the Effects of Mitotic Inhibitors on Avascular Tumour Growth
Authors: Ward J. P. , King J. R.
Published: June 2007

In this paper we build on the mathematical model of Ward and King (1998) to study the effects of high molecular mass mitotic inhibitors released at cell death. The model assumes a continuum of living cells which, depending on the concentration of a generic nutrient, generate movement (described by a velocity field) due to the changes in volumes caused by cell birth and death. The necrotic material is assumed to consist of two diffusible materials: 1) basic cellular material which is used by living cells as raw material for mitosis; 2) a generic non‐utilisable material which may inhibit mitosis. Numerical solutions of the resulting system of partial differential equations show all the main features of tumour growth and heterogeneity. Material 2) is found to act in an inhibitive fashion in two ways: i) directly, by reducing the mitotic rate and ii) indirectly, by occupying space, thereby reducing the availability of the basic cellular material. For large time the solutions to the model tend either to a steady‐state, reflecting growth saturation, or to a travelling wave, indicating continual linear growth. The steady‐state and travelling wave limits of the model are derived and studied, the regions of existence of these two types of long‐time solution being explored in parameter space using numerical methods.
Clinical Efficacy of Citalopram Alone or Augmented with Bupropion in Methadone‐Stabilized Patients
Authors: Poling James , Pruzinsky Rhonda , Kosten Thomas R. , Gonsai Kishorchandra , Sofuoglu Mehmet , Gonzalez Gerardo , Oliveto Alison
Published: June 2007

Despite the success of opiate‐agonist therapies such as methadone for the treatment of opiate addiction, treatment response is not complete. This study evaluates the efficacy of citalopram augmented with bupropion in the treatment of illicit opiate use in a methadone‐stabilized population. We conducted a 12‐week randomized, double‐blind, outpatient clinical trial in which 60 subjects were randomized into one of three treatment groups: placebo, citalopram (40 mg/day) plus placebo, or citalopram (40 mg/day) plus bupropion (50 mg/day). The results indicate that neither citalopram nor citalopram augmented with bupropion were more effective than placebo in the treatment of opioid abuse.
THE VARIETY OF SOCIAL CAPITAL IN WELFARE STATE REGIMES – A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF 21 COUNTRIES
Authors: Kääriäinen Juha , Lehtonen Heikki
Published: June 2007

In this article we examine the occurrence of social capital in 21 different countries. Our study starts from the premise that the countries under scrutiny represent different kinds of welfare state regimes. The concept of social capital we separate here into bonding social capital, bridging social capital, generalized trust and informal support. Our main question is whether or not social capital varies systematically between different welfare state regimes. In this respect, our aim is to put to the test two opposite assumptions: the society-centred hypothesis that assumes that strong welfare states may weaken the preconditions in which social capital emerges and the institution-centred hypothesis that assumes that social capital emerges expressly in societies with strong welfare state institutions. Although mainly confirming the latter assumption, our research findings also emphasize the fact that the different forms of social capital are connected to welfare state regimes in different ways. On the basis of our results, it is possible that the welfare state both prevents and promotes the development of social capital, depending on the respective meanings given to social capital.1
Chickens or eggs? A follow‐up case study exploring links between physical and psychological impact of Tourette's syndrome and sexual abuse
Authors: Etherington Kim
Published: June 2007

This follow‐up case study highlights the complex relationship when working at the interface between physical and psychological symptoms. The paper draws upon conversations between an ex‐client and myself, held seven years after the end of our six year therapeutic relationship. Conversational interviews, based upon social constructionist beliefs, led to an unexpected exploration of the client's subsequent diagnosis of Tourette's syndrome (given several years after the end of therapy) and evolved into a struggle to reach a shared understanding of how she now makes connection between her problem with eating in public, her neck and facial tics, and childhood sexual abuse. Our research relationship provided both of us with a rare opportunity to reflect upon how she had made meaning of her counselling and its outcomes. The paper draws attention to the impact of counselling and therapy discourses concerning sexual abuse on the work we did at the time and asks how that work might be different today. It also helps us understand the layers of complexity and ambiguity contained within the client's stories. This multi‐layered case study represents the overlap and ‘messiness’ that mirrors the ‘lived experience’ of the persons involved, and provides an example of how co‐constructed research conversations can evoke stories that create meaning as they are told.
From anti‐doping to a ‘performance policy’ sport technology, being human, and doing ethics
Authors: Miah Andy
Published: June 2007

This paper discusses three questions concerning the ethics of performance enhancement in sport. The first has to do with the improvement to policy and argues that there is a need for policy about doping to be re‐constituted and to question the conceptual priority of ‘anti’ doping. It is argued that policy discussions about science in sport must recognise the broader context of sport technology and seek to develop a policy about ‘performance’, rather than ‘doping’. The second argues that a quantitative enhancement to a sporting performance has no value and is, thus, unethical, unless the motivation behind using it implies something meaningful about being human. Thus, unless the use of the technology is constitutive of our humanness, then it is not a justifiable method of altering (rather than enhancing) performance. This rules out the legitimacy of using performance enhancement to gain an advantage over other competitors, who do not have access to similar means. Finally, the third argument claims that sport ethics has had only a limited discourse and has failed to recognise broader theoretical ideas in relation to performance modification, which might be found in the philosophy of technology and bioethics. Collectively, these positions articulate important concerns about the role of science in sport and the ethical discussions arising from them.
The Importance of Gender as an Aspect of Identity at Key Transition Points in Compulsory Education
Authors: Jackson Carolyn , Warin Jo
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT This article focuses upon the role of gender as a significant aspect of self‐concept, one that acquires particular salience at times of transition in a person's life. We suggest that transitional phases intensify the sociocultural processes of identity construction, and that gender acquires particular salience as an aspect of identity at these times of transition. Both authors have undertaken studies that focused on gender as an aspect of identity during key transitional phases of the school career, one focused on the first transition to formal schooling and the other on the transition from primary to secondary schooling. Illustrations will be drawn from both these studies to support the suggestion that the social category of gender functions as a means of providing a schematic principle for ‘coping’ with transitions. We outline a programme for further empirical research that could be employed to develop and explore this suggestion further.
Do Teachers Support Causal Understanding through their Discourse when Teaching Primary Science?
Authors: Newton D.P. , Newton L. D.
Published: June 2007

Understanding is a requirement of the National Curriculum for Science. To what extent do teachers press for causal understanding through their discourse in primary science lessons? Fifty Key Stage 2 primary science lessons (years 3–6; 7 + −10 + years) were observed in the north‐east of England and the nature of the discourse was examined. There were low levels of teacher discourse that related explicitly to causes and reasons. Discourse relating to facts and description was much more common. Further, discourse to do with causes and reasons with younger children tended to occur less than with older children and that of non‐specialist teachers tended to be less than that of subject specialists. Some potential explanations are described. A possible way to encourage a press for causal understanding in science through teacher discourse is suggested.
Nine‐year follow‐up of 86 consecutive patients treated with methadone in general practice, Sydney, Australia
Authors: BYRNE ANDREW
Published: June 2007

The status of 86 consecutive heroin addicted patients who presented for methadone treatment to an inner‐city Sydney general practice in 1987 and 1988 was sought in 1996, using patients' files and official records; follow‐up information was obtained for 79 patients (92%) after a mean period of 8.6 ± 0.5 years. The mean age at intake was 29 years, patients having used heroin for a mean of 8.5 ± 5.1 years (range 1–25). By 1996, 35 (41%) of the 86 patients had remained in continuous treatment. Successful withdrawal from opioids including methadone for a period of 3 months or more was reported by 31 patients (36%) for a mean of 36 months (range 3–84) with 10 of these returning to methadone treatment after prolonged periods of abstinence. Eight patients (9%) died, four from drug overdose. Five patients (6%) who had left treatment were reportedly using street heroin. Seven patients (8%) could not be traced. The most conservative interpretation of these patients' reports is that 56% of the original 86 were well and functional at follow‐up. The most optimistic interpretation was that 81% of patients were doing well 9 years later. This study confirms the benefits of methadone maintenance while also demonstrating the serious nature of heroin addiction.
GP attitudes to managing drug‐ and alcohol‐dependent patients: a reluctant role
Authors: ABOUYANNI GEORGE , STEVENS LEONIE J. , HARRIS MARK F. , WICKES WENDY A. , RAMAKRISHNA SMTA S. , TA ENG , KNOWLDEN SHEILA M
Published: June 2007

The aim of this study was to determine the experience, confidence and views of GPs in South West Sydney towards managing drug and alcohol dependence and their interest in participating in shared care methadone prescribing. Five hundred and forty‐eight GPs were mailed a self complete questionnaire. Non‐responders were followed‐up by telephone. Seventy‐six per cent of GPs responded; 52% considered methadone maintenance to be effective. GPs were more confident managing smoking than alcohol and benzodiazepine dependence and least confident in illicit drug dependence. Fifty per cent reported having no patients on methadone and 40% between one and five patients. GPs in Fairfield and Liverpool reported having most patients; 25% were interested in prescribing methadone for patients in their own practice and 17% for patients referred to them. GPs who had more patients on methadone in their practice (especially those in Fairfield and Liverpool) considered methadone effective and were more likely to be interested in having patients referred to them. The most frequent reasons for not being interested were concerns about patients being demanding or aggressive or the impact on their practice. The most frequently requested support for shared care prescribing was for 24‐hour back‐up from specialist services, especially requested by those with less experience with patients on methadone. A shared‐care approach to facilitating greater GP involvement in prescribing appears feasible, especially among GPs with some previous experience with patients on methadone.
Heroin hell their own making‘: construction of heroin users in the Australian press 1992–97
Authors: ELLIOTT AMANDA J. , CHAPMAN SIMON
Published: June 2007

The ACT heroin trial was a proposal to evaluate the efficacy of prescription heroin as a treatment for heroin‐dependent people. The trial was actively debated within the press by proponents and opponents but ultimately did not proceed due to a lack of required political support. Previous research indicates that public perceptions of the nature of drug users can influence the direction of policy responses. This paper analyses the construction of heroin users within press debate about the proposed ACT heroin trial, comparing and contrasting trial proponent and opponent views. The primary constructions of the user embraced models of users as people with health problems who were dying; who were criminals; classic deviance distinctions between us and them; that users posed costs and a threat to society; that users were victims; and discourse about ‘ruined’ selves. Despite attempts by trial proponents to construct the user as an ‘ill us’, the cultural value of abstinence from drug use and the ideology of individualism with its connotations of heroin use as a choice that required punishment rather than help were rarely challenged, reinforcing the view of drug use as a problem of individual morality.
Offences under the Cannabis Expiation Notice schemein South Australia
Authors: CHRISTIE PAUL , ALI ROBERT
Published: June 2007

Since the introduction of the Cannabis Expiation Notice (CEN) schemein South Australia in April 1987, the number of minor cannabis offences for which CENs have been issued has increased from 6231 expiable offences in the 1987/88 financial year to a peakof over 18000 offences in 1996/97. This ‘net‐widening’ appears unrelated to prevalence of cannabis use. The rate of expiation of issued CENs has remained below 50%. Of those CENs that are not expiated, the vast majority was forwarded for prosecution and result in a conviction for the offender. Overall, around 46% of total CENs issued between 1991/92 and 1995/96 resulted in a conviction, or around 90% of all CENs forwarded for prosecution. This net‐widening and the low rate of expiation may have resulted in more convictions than would have occurred had the system not been introduced. The low expiation rate may relate to difficulties faced by offenders in paying expiation fees. Changes to the payment options for expiation offences in the last few years have led to a minor increase in the proportion cleared by expiation. Further education on the consequences of failure to expiate may improve the situation.
Opioid dependence and driving ability: a review in the context of proposed legislative change in Victoria
Authors: LENNÉ MICHAEL G. , DIETZE PAUL , RUMBOLD GREG , REDMAN JENNIFER R. , TRIGGS THOMAS J.
Published: June 2007

There is debate in Victoria, Australia concerning the effects of various drugs, including opioids, on driving skills and accident rates, and the development of appropriate legislative responses. There are legislative difficulties around drugs and driving because of the lack of adequate epidemiological and performance‐based studies. In relation to opioids, although there are studies that have shown the prevalence of opioids in both non‐fatal and fatal crashes, these studies do not demonstrate that the use of opioids is associated with any elevated crash risk and they fail to take into account issues regarding tolerance. A review of the performance studies, including only a small number of driving studies, suggests that opioids, and in particular methadone, have limited effects on driving skills. None the less, recommendations have been made in other countries, such as Germany, that place driving restrictions upon methadone clients. This paper reviews the available evidence concerning the effects of opioids on driving skills and accident risk, with reference to the proposed changes to legislation in the area of drugs and driving in Victoria.
Drug users' experiences of witnessing overdoses: what do they know and what do they need to know?
Authors: BEST DAVID , MAN LAN‐HO , GOSSOP MICHAEL , NOBLE ALISON , STRANG JOHN
Published: June 2007

The study investigated overdose attitudes and experiences among 155 attenders at an out‐patient drug clinic in south London. Almost half the sample (46.8%) had ever overdosed while 82.6% had witnessed overdoses, of whom 43 had witnessed overdose fatalities. However, this does not appear to have been a consequence of inaction, with most users reporting that they had attempted to resuscitate or assist the victim in a number of ways. Most participants also reported a reasonable awareness of the appropriate actions to take, were not deterred by fear of police sanction and managing reported that they would be willing to intervene in the future. Over a third were keen to receive training on managing overdose and that the majority would be willing to keep naloxone at home. This evidence supports previous research suggesting that addicts may be a valuable resource in strategies for reducing overdose fatalities through training and the dissemination of new drug technologies such as naloxone.
Patients in methadone maintenance treatment who inject methadone syrup: a preliminary study
Authors: ROBINSON GEOFFREY M. , KEMP ROBERT , LEE COLIN , CRANSTON DAVID
Published: June 2007

An increased awareness of the injection of methadone syrup has been appreciated by methadone treatment clinicians and Needle Exchange outlets which distribute large‐volume syringes. This study aimed to identify patterns of use by methadone injectors, and the reasons and perceived risks of this behaviour. Nineteen of 36 attendees at a needle exchange who stated they had injected methadone over the previous 3 months completed a structured interview. Results found a majority were methadone clinic patients. Forty‐two percent injected three times a week or more. This practice continued in 58%, despite reported difficult venous access. Subjects' concerns included accelerating vein damage and possible toxicity of syrup additives. Reasons for injecting included immediate drug effect (80%) and ‘needle‐fixation’ (47%). It is concluded that methadone clinic staff need to be aware of such patients who may require additional treatment approaches, and that methadone formulations should minimize harmful consequences if injected.
On the Heun equation
Authors: Takemura Kouichi
Published: June 2007

A new approach to the theory of finite-gap integration for the Heun equation is constructed. As an application, global monodromies of the Heun equation are calculated and expressed as hyperelliptic integrals. The relationship between the Heun equation and the spectral problem for the BC
1
Inozemtsev model is also discussed.
Extracellular matrix, mechanotransduction and structural hierarchies in heart tissue engineering
Authors: Parker Kevin K , Ingber Donald E
Published: June 2007

The spatial and temporal scales of cardiac organogenesis and pathogenesis make engineering of artificial heart tissue a daunting challenge. The temporal scales range from nanosecond conformational changes responsible for ion channel opening to fibrillation which occurs over seconds and can lead to death. Spatial scales range from nanometre pore sizes in membrane channels and gap junctions to the metre length scale of the whole cardiovascular system in a living patient. Synchrony over these scales requires a hierarchy of control mechanisms that are governed by a single common principle: integration of structure and function. To ensure that the function of ion channels and contraction of muscle cells lead to changes in heart chamber volume, an elegant choreography of metabolic, electrical and mechanical events are executed by protein networks composed of extracellular matrix, transmembrane integrin receptors and cytoskeleton which are functionally connected across all size scales. These structural control networks are mechanoresponsive, and they process mechanical and chemical signals in a massively parallel fashion, while also serving as a bidirectional circuit for information flow. This review explores how these hierarchical structural networks regulate the form and function of living cells and tissues, as well as how microfabrication techniques can be used to probe this structural control mechanism that maintains metabolic supply, electrical activation and mechanical pumping of heart muscle. Through this process, we delineate various design principles that may be useful for engineering artificial heart tissue in the future.
Autoimmune Hepatitis in Brazil: An Overview
Authors: Goldberg A. C. , Bittencourt P. L. , Oliveira L. C. , Ramasawmy R. , Marin M. L. C. , Palacios S. A. , Kalil J. , Porta G.
Published: June 2007

Autoimmune hepatitis is an immune cell‐mediated chronic liver disease of unknown cause that leads, when untreated, to cirrhosis and liver failure. Importantly, this disease affects not only adults but children as well. Genetic susceptibility is clearly important and the major susceptibility factor identified up to now is the HLA‐DRB1 locus, but other genes may play a role as well. HLA‐DRB1 alleles present in South American patients differ from those found in patients in other parts of the world. In addition, we have recently identified two chromosomal regions where additional susceptibility factors may be found in Brazilian patients, namely, the class III MHC region and the 5q31 region where the IL‐4 and IL‐13 genes are located. This review discusses the current knowledge of the pathogenesis of this autoimmune disease occurring in the setting of an immune‐privileged organ, the liver, and compares the data on gene polymorphisms studied in Brazil and in other parts of the world.
Public views on priority setting for High Cost Medications in public hospitals in Australia
Authors: Gallego Gisselle , Taylor Susan J. , McNeill Paul , Brien Jo‐anne E.
Published: June 2007

Objective  To gather information about views of members of the general public about access to High Cost Medications (HCMs) in public hospitals.

Methods  A structured questionnaire was administered to members of the general public. Individuals were approached in train stations, shopping centres and different venues in the Sydney metropolitan area. People were eligible to answer the survey if they were: over 18 years of age, Australian permanent residents and able to complete the questionnaire in English.

Results  Two hundred people completed the survey. Of these 56% were females, 47% were married, 84% spoke English at home, 88% were working either full‐time or part‐time, 61% had a university degree, 27% had a household annual income greater than $100 000 and 68% had private health insurance. Participants considered factors such as treatment outcomes, quality of life and current health status when determining who should have access to HCMs. Participants wanted resources to be allocated to provide the ‘greatest benefit to the greatest number of people’. Almost half the respondents did not want direct involvement in decision‐making, however, 38% did.

Conclusions  The results offered support for indirect involvement through the development of a process to involve community members in discussion on policy on the provision of treatment and services within health‐care institutions and specifically, to seek the views of members of the public on the provision of HCMs and expensive services within public hospitals.
Promoting academic writing/referencing skills: Outcome of an undergraduate e‐learning pilot project
Authors: Brown Cary A. , Dickson Rumona , Humphreys Anne‐Louise , McQuillan Vicky , Smears Elizabeth
Published: June 2007

Future health care professionals will require self‐directed learning skills. e‐Learning is a tool to assist in this process and therefore there is a need to develop the capacity and readiness to utilise e‐learning within educational programmes. The aim of this study was to determine if extra‐curricular online referencing and anti‐plagiarism lectures would be utilised and would ultimately improve 1st‐year undergraduate health sciences students’ performance in written assessments. A series of six online archived multimedia lectures (asynchronous) were offered. Adult learning theory principles guided the resource design. Pre‐ and post‐testing of knowledge, attitudes and computer skills was carried out. In‐person tutorials and online email support were also offered. Less than 36% (self‐report) of students accessed the online resources. The poor uptake revealed in this study is consistent with a number of other studies. These findings indicate the need for more careful scrutiny of the learning theory applied in e‐learning design. Prochaska's transtheoretical model is suggested as a framework with strong potential for e‐learning initiatives.
Classical Parkinson disease versus Parkinson complex – Reflections against staging and in favour of heterogeneity
Authors: Linazasoro G.
Published: June 2007

Pathological studies have prompted the idea that Parkinson disease (PD) is a multisystem disorder, which starts far away from the nigrostriatal dopamine system and it goes through a long pre‐clinical period. Evidence from epidemiological research, functional imaging, olfaction and sleep studies provides support to this hypothesis. Accordingly, PD is seen as an homogeneous disease which sequentially affects different neural structures leading to a well‐defined clinical picture. This concept, recently named PD complex, has deep theoretical and practical implications which raise some concerns. This report shows the concept of classical PD as opposed to PD complex. Although the relevance of the central argument concerning the PD complex concept is admitted, it needs to be fully proved before premature conclusions are drawn. In contrast, the notion of classical and clinically significant PD can explain many of the well‐characterized pathological and clinical features of the disease and it gives support to the idea that the magic word in PD is variability.
Sensitivity of a Square Cylinder Wake to Forced Oscillations
Authors: Dutta Sushanta , Panigrahi P. K. , Muralidhar K.
Published: June 2007

The wake of a square cylinder at zero angle of incidence oscillating inline with the incoming stream has been experimentally studied. Measurement data are reported for Reynolds numbers of 170 and 355. The cylinder aspect ratio is set equal to 28 and a limited study at an aspect ratio of 16 has been carried out. The frequency of oscillation is varied around the Strouhal frequency of a stationary cylinder, and the amplitude of oscillation is 10–30% of the cylinder size. Spatial and temporal flow fields in the cylinder wake have been studied using particle image velocimetry and hot-wire anemometry, the former providing flow visualization images as well. A strong effect of forcing frequency is clearly seen in the near wake. With an increase in frequency, the recirculation length substantially reduces and diminishes the time-averaged drag coefficient. The time-averaged vorticity contours show that the large-scale vortices move closer to the cylinder. The rms values of velocity fluctuations increase in magnitude and cluster around the cylinder as well. The production of turbulent kinetic energy shows a similar trend as that of spanwise vorticity with the former showing greater asymmetry at both sides of the cylinder centerline. The instantaneous vorticity contours show that the length of the shear layer at separation decreases with increasing frequency. The effect of amplitude of oscillation on the flow details has been studied when the forcing frequency is kept equal to the vortex-shedding frequency of the stationary cylinder. An increase in amplitude diminishes the time-averaged drag coefficient. The peak value of rms velocity increases, and its location moves upstream. The length of the recirculation bubble decreases with amplitude. The reduction in drag coefficient with frequency and amplitude is broadly reproduced in experiments with the cylinder of lower aspect ratio.
EXPLORING THE BORN GLOBAL CONCEPT IN THE BIOTECHNOLOGY CONTEXT
Authors: BRÄNNBACK MALIN , CARSRUD ALAN , RENKO MAIJA
Published: June 2007

Purpose: The purpose of this research paper is to explore what constitutes being "born global." We approach the born global phenomenon by applying ideas presented in existing international entrepreneurship, business, and marketing literatures. In addition, the paper illustrates how market orientation is a relevant construct for understanding the existence of born global firms. Market orientation is contrasted with science driven strategies in young, technology based firms and in both domains. In markets as well as in science, both global and local forces influence the behavior of new biotechnology based companies. Methodology: This paper uses mixed methods including interviews and multiple industry cluster surveys. Qualitative data is analyzed by categorizing and combining data (thematic interviews). Numeric (quantitative) survey data is summarized by using non-parametric statistics. Findings: Young ventures in a global biotechnology based industry simultaneously face forces that drive them towards localization and other forces that require a more global approach. Even though both the markets of biotechnology products as well as the science base are increasingly global, this paper suggests that true born globals must do more than passively adapt to this global scene. Born global firms should pursue active, market oriented strategies in their internationalization. Since our sample firms typically perceive international market orientation as less valuable that international scientific reputation, we conclude that they do not always fulfill the "born global" criteria.
Sociophonetics
Authors: Hay Jennifer , Drager Katie
Published: June 2007

Investigators have recently made impressive progress in multiple areas of sociophonetics. One area is the use of increasingly sophisticated phonetic analysis, which is demonstrating that very fine phonetic detail is used for the construction of social identity. A second area is the use of ethnographic approaches, which enable researchers to break free from using traditional social categories that may not be relevant for a particular group of speakers, and to investigate in depth the social meaning of particular phonetic variants. A third area is the application of experimental techniques to probe listeners' uses of sociophonetic detail in speech perception. These research directions are currently pursued by largely disjoint research communities, and the innovations are seldom combined within the scope of a single study. We argue that it is the combination of all these approaches that holds the key to an integrated understanding of how phonetic variation is produced, performed, and perceived in its social context.
The Ecologically Noble Savage Debate
Authors: Raymond Hames
Published: June 2007

Debate around the ecologically noble savage represents two markedly different research threads. The first addresses the issue of conservation among native peoples and narrowly focuses on case studies of resource use of ethnographic, archaeological, or historic sources. The second thread is broader and more humanistic and political in orientation and considers the concept of ecological nobility in terms of identity, ecological knowledge, ideology, and the deployment of ecological nobility as a political tool by native peoples and conservation groups.
The Archaeology of Sudan and Nubia
Authors: Edwards David N.
Published: June 2007

This review explores recent research within the territory of the modern Sudan and Nubia. One special interest of this region's history and archaeology lies in its role as a zone of interaction between diverse cultural traditions linking sub-Saharan Africa, Egypt, the Mediterranean world, and beyond. The exceptionally early development of large-scale polities in the Middle Nile also offers remarkable opportunities for exploring the archaeology of the development of political power as well as for exploring research topics of a wide significance, both within and beyond African archaeology, such as the development of agriculture, urbanism, and metallurgy. The unique opportunities offered by the Nile corridor for trans-Saharan contacts have also ensured that the region's archaeology provides an extraordinary scope for exploring the interplay and interaction of indigenous and external cultural traditions, often very obviously manifested in the material worlds of the region: from their encounters with Pharaonic Egypt to the incorporation of Nubian kingdoms into medieval Christendom and the creation of new Arab and Muslim identities in the postmedieval world.
Gender and Technology
Authors: Bray Francesca
Published: June 2007

The praxis-oriented interdisciplinary field of feminist technology studies (FTS) has done most among the social sciences to build a vibrant and coherent school of gender and technology studies. Given their shared commitment to exploring emergent forms of power in the contemporary world, there is surprisingly little dialogue between FTS and mainstream cultural anthropology. This review begins by outlining FTS and its concepts and methods. I then turn to the anthropology of technology, which also offers useful conceptual frameworks and methods for exploring gender regimes. Then, to highlight the ideological and methodological contrasts between social and cultural analyses of technology and the implications for gender analysis, I discuss the treatment of technology in two leading theoretical fields in the cultural anthropology of modernity and globalization: the anthropology of technoscience, and material culture studies. I conclude by asking which forms of engagement might be envisaged between the fields.
The Archaeology of Religious Ritual
Authors: Fogelin Lars
Published: June 2007

Archaeologists traditionally assumed that rituals were understood best in light of religious doctrines, beliefs, and myths. Given the material focus of archaeology, archaeologists believed that ritual was a particularly unsuitable area for archaeological inquiry. In the past 25 years, archaeologists have increasingly started to address ritual in their research. Some archaeologists with access to extensive historical or ethnohistorical sources continue to see rituals as the enactment of religious principles or myths. Other archaeologists have adopted a more practice-oriented understanding of ritual, arguing that ritual is a form of human action. In emphasizing ritual practice, archaeologists reject a clear dichotomy between religious and nonreligious action or artifacts, focusing instead on the ways that the experience of ritual and ritual symbolism promotes social orders and dominant ideologies.
Relativistic X-Ray Lines from the Inner Accretion Disks Around Black Holes
Authors: Miller J.M.
Published: June 2007

Relativistic X-ray emission lines from the inner accretion disks around black holes are reviewed. Recent observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory, X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission-Newton, and Suzaku are revealing these lines to be good probes of strong gravitational effects. A number of important observational and theoretical developments are highlighted, including evidence of black hole spin and effects such as gravitational light bending, the detection of relativistic lines in stellar-mass black holes, and evidence of orbital-timescale line flux variability. In addition, the robustness of the relativistic disk lines against absorption, scattering, and continuum effects is discussed. Finally, prospects for improved measures of black hole spin and understanding the spin history of supermassive black holes in the context of black hole–galaxy coevolution are presented. The best data and most rigorous results strongly suggest that relativistic X-ray disk lines can drive new explorations of General Relativity and disk physics in the future.
Cold Dark Clouds: The Initial Conditions for Star Formation
Authors: Bergin Edwin A. , Tafalla Mario
Published: June 2007

Cold dark clouds are nearby members of the densest and coldest phase in the Galactic interstellar medium, and represent the most accessible sites where stars like our Sun are currently being born. In this review we discuss recent progress in their study, including the newly discovered IR dark clouds that are likely precursors to stellar clusters. At large scales, dark clouds present filamentary mass distributions with motions dominated by supersonic turbulence. At small, subparsec scales, a population of subsonic starless cores provides a unique glimpse of the conditions prior to stellar birth. Recent studies of starless cores reveal a combination of simple physical properties together with a complex chemical structure dominated by the freeze-out of molecules onto cold dust grains. Elucidating this combined structure is both an observational and theoretical challenge whose solution will bring us closer to understanding how molecular gas condenses to form stars.
Cell Mechanics: Integrating Cell Responses to Mechanical Stimuli
Authors: Janmey Paul A. , McCulloch Christopher A.
Published: June 2007

Forces are increasingly recognized as major regulators of cell structure and function, and the mechanical properties of cells are essential to the mechanisms by which cells sense forces, transmit them to the cell interior or to other cells, and transduce them into chemical signals that impact a spectrum of cellular responses. Comparison of the mechanical properties of intact cells with those of the purified cytoskeletal biopolymers that are thought to dominate their elasticity reveal the extent to which the studies of purified systems can account for the mechanical properties of the much more heterogeneous and complex cell. This review summarizes selected aspects of current work on cell mechanics with an emphasis on the structures that are activated in cell-cell contacts, that regulate ion flow across the plasma membrane, and that may sense fluid flow that produces low levels of shear stress.
Magnetic Resonance–Compatible Robotic and Mechatronics Systems for Image-Guided Interventions and Rehabilitation: A Review Study
Authors: Tsekos Nikolaos V. , Khanicheh Azadeh , Christoforou Eftychios , Mavroidis Constantinos
Published: June 2007

The continuous technological progress of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as its widespread clinical use as a highly sensitive tool in diagnostics and advanced brain research, has brought a high demand for the development of magnetic resonance (MR)-compatible robotic/mechatronic systems. Revolutionary robots guided by real-time three-dimensional (3-D)-MRI allow reliable and precise minimally invasive interventions with relatively short recovery times. Dedicated robotic interfaces used in conjunction with fMRI allow neuroscientists to investigate the brain mechanisms of manipulation and motor learning, as well as to improve rehabilitation therapies. This paper gives an overview of the motivation, advantages, technical challenges, and existing prototypes for MR-compatible robotic/mechatronic devices.
Accountability, Quantification, and Law
Authors: Espeland Wendy Nelson , Vannebo Berit Irene
Published: June 2007

Accountability can mean many things, but increasingly it is linked to quantification. This is true in many fields, including law. This review considers how the recent emphasis on quantitative accountability has influenced law and legal practices. Rather than offering a broad survey of quantitative techniques deployed in law, the article examines three legal contexts in which quantification has shaped how actors are held accountable: sentencing guidelines, cost-benefit analysis in regulation, and law school rankings. The conditions that promote rigorous quantification, its effects on professional discretion, relations of authority, and resistance are examined. The article suggests fruitful questions and strategies for analyzing more broadly the effects of quantification in law.
Ferroelectric Domain Breakdown
Authors: Molotskii Michel , Rosenwaks Yossi , Rosenman Gil
Published: June 2007

A new phenomenon—ferroelectric domain breakdown, or the formation of string-like domains—is observed in various bulk ferroelectric crystals under a high inhomogeneous electric field generated at the tip of a high-voltage atomic force microscope. The domains have a high aspect ratio when their length exceeds their lateral size by two or three orders of magnitude. This chapter reviews some of the recent advances in understanding the nature of this phenomenon. The main driving force for ferroelectric domain breakdown is not the tip's electric field, which is negligibly weak near the apex of the long domain, but rather internal forces generated owing to the minimization of depolarization field energy when the domain elongates. Domain breakdown is considered an extreme manifestation of Coulomb instability, which is caused by repulsion of bound charges near the inverted domain apex. This instability leads to strong pulling of the domain apex into a region where the tip-induced electric field is negligibly small.
Aggresomes and Pericentriolar Sites of Virus Assembly: Cellular Defense or Viral Design?
Authors: Wileman Thomas
Published: June 2007

Virus replication and virus assembly often occur in virus inclusions or virus factories that form at pericentriolar sites close to the microtubule organizing center or in specialized nuclear domains called ND10/PML bodies. Similar inclusions called aggresomes form in response to protein aggregation. Protein aggregates are toxic to cells and are transported along microtubules to aggresomes for immobilization and subsequent degradation by proteasomes and/or autophagy. The similarity between aggresomes and virus inclusions raises the possibility that viruses use aggresome pathways to concentrate cellular and viral proteins to facilitate replication and assembly. Alternatively, aggresomes may be part of an innate cellular response that recognizes virus components as foreign or misfolded and targets them for storage and degradation. Insights into the possible roles played by aggresomes during virus assembly are emerging from an understanding of how virus inclusions form and how viral proteins are targeted to them.
Cosmic-Ray Propagation and Interactions in the Galaxy
Authors: Strong Andrew W. , Moskalenko Igor V. , Ptuskin Vladimir S.
Published: June 2007

We survey the theory and experimental tests for the propagation of cosmic rays in the Galaxy up to energies of 1015eV. A guide to the previous reviews and essential literature is given, followed by an exposition of basic principles. The basic ideas of cosmic-ray propagation are described, and the physical origin of its processes is explained. The various techniques for computing the observational consequences of the theory are described and contrasted. These include analytical and numerical techniques. We present the comparison of models with data, including direct and indirect—especially γ-ray—observations, and indicate what we can learn about cosmic-ray propagation. Some important topics, including electron and antiparticle propagation, are chosen for discussion.
Two-Photon Physics in Hadronic Processes
Authors: Carlson Carl E. , Vanderhaeghen Marc
Published: June 2007

Two-photon exchange contributions to elastic electron scattering are reviewed. The apparent discrepancy between unpolarized Rosenbluth and polarization transfer experiments in the extraction of elastic nucleon form factors is discussed, as well as the understanding of this puzzle in terms of two-photon exchange corrections. Calculations of such corrections within both partonic and hadronic frameworks are reviewed. In view of recent spin-dependent electron scattering data, the relation of the two-photon exchange process to the hyperfine splitting in hydrogen is critically examined. The imaginary part of the two-photon exchange amplitude as can be accessed from the beam-normal spin asymmetry in elastic electron-nucleon scattering is reviewed. Further extensions and open issues in this field are outlined.
Creatine: Endogenous Metabolite, Dietary, and Therapeutic Supplement
Authors: Brosnan John T. , Brosnan Margaret E.
Published: June 2007

Creatine and phosphocreatine serve not only as an intracellular buffer for adenosine triphosphate, but also as an energy shuttle for the movement of high-energy phosphates from mitochondrial sites of production to cytoplasmic sites of utilization. The spontaneous loss of creatine and of phosphocreatine to creatinine requires that creatine be continuously replaced; this occurs by a combination of diet and endogenous synthesis. Vegetarians obtain almost no dietary creatine. Creatine synthesis makes major demands on the metabolism of glycine, arginine, and methionine. Large doses of creatine monohydrate are widely taken, particularly by athletes, as an ergogenic supplement; creatine supplements are also taken by patients suffering from gyrate atrophy, muscular dystrophy, and neurodegenerative diseases. Children with inborn errors of creatine synthesis or transport present with severe neurological symptoms and a profound depletion of brain creatine. It is evident that creatine plays a critical, though underappreciated, role in brain function.
Conserved and Tissue-Specific Genic and Physiologic Responses to Caloric Restriction and Altered IGFI Signaling in Mitotic and Postmitotic Tissues
Authors: Spindler Stephen R. , Dhahbi Joseph M.
Published: June 2007

Caloric restriction (CR), the consumption of fewer calories without malnutrition, and reduced insulin and/or IGFI receptor signaling delay many age-related physiological changes and extend the lifespan of many model organisms. Here, we present and review microarray and biochemical studies indicating that the potent anticancer effects of CR and disrupted insulin/IGFI receptor signaling evolved as a byproduct of the role of many mitotic tissues as reservoirs of metabolic energy. We argue that the longevity effects of CR are derived from repeated cycles of apoptosis and autophagic cell death in mitotically competent tissues and protein turnover and cellular repair in postmitotic tissues. We review studies showing that CR initiated late in life can rapidly induce many of the benefits of lifelong CR, including its anticancer effects. We also discuss evidence from liver and heart indicating that many benefits of lifelong CR are recapitulated in mitotic and postmitotic tissues when CR is initiated late in life.