bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Straight walking and turning on a slippery surface
Authors: Gruhn Matthias , Zehl Lyuba , Büschges Ansgar
Published: December 2008

In stick insects, walking is the result of the co-action of different pattern generators for the single legs and coordinating inter-leg influences. We have used a slippery surface setup to understand the role the local neuronal processing in the thoracic ganglia plays in the ability of the animal to show turning movements. To achieve this, we removed the influence of mechanical coupling through the ground by using the slippery surface and removed sensory input by the successive amputation of neighboring legs. We analyzed the walking pattern of the front, middle and hind legs of tethered animals mounted above the surface and compared the kinematics of the straight walking legs with those of the curve walking inside and outside legs. The walking pattern was monitored both electrically through tarsal contact measurement and optically by using synchronized high-speed video. The vectors of leg movement are presented for the intact and a reduced preparation. Animals showed the ability to walk in a coordinated fashion on the slippery surface. Upon change from straight to curve walking, the stride length for the inside legs shortens and the vector of movement of the inner legs changes to pull the animal into the curve, while the outer legs act to pull and push it into the turn. In the reduced two-leg and in the single-leg preparation the behavior of the legs remained largely unchanged in the behavioral contexts of straight walking or turning with only small changes in the extreme positions. This suggests that the single stepping legs perform given motor programs on the slippery surface in a fashion that is highly independent not only of mechanical coupling between but also of the presence of the other legs.
Localization and regulation of a facilitative urea transporter in the kidney of the red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans)
Authors: Uchiyama Minoru , Kikuchi Ryosuke , Konno Norifumi , Wakasugi Tatsuya , Matsuda Kouhei
Published: December 2008

Urea is the major excretory end product of nitrogen metabolism in most chelonian reptiles. In the present study, we report the isolation of a 1632 base pair cDNA from turtle kidney with one open reading frame putatively encoding a 403-residue protein, the turtle urea transporter (turtle UT). The first cloned reptilian UT has high homology with UTs (facilitated urea transporters) cloned from vertebrates, and most closely resembles the UT-A subfamily. Injection of turtle UT cRNA into Xenopus oocytes induced a 6-fold increase in [14C]urea uptake that was inhibited by phloretin. The turtle UT mRNA expression and tissue distribution were examined by RT-PCR with total RNA from various tissues. Expression of turtle UT mRNA was restricted to the kidney, and no signal was detected in the other tissues,such as brain, heart, alimentary tract and urinary bladder. An approximately 58 kDa protein band was detected in membrane fractions of the kidney by western blot using an affinity-purified antibody that recognized turtle UT expressed in Xenopus oocytes. In an immunohistochemical study using the anti-turtle UT antibody, UT-immunopositive cells were observed along the distal tubule but not in the collecting duct. In turtles under dry conditions,plasma osmolality and urea concentration increased, and using semi-quantitative RT-PCR the UT mRNA expression level in the kidney was found to increase 2-fold compared with control. The present results, taken together,suggest that the turtle UT probably contributes to urea transport in the distal tubule segments of the kidney in response to hyperosmotic stress under dry conditions.
Caudal fin shape modulation and control during acceleration, braking and backing maneuvers in bluegill sunfish,Lepomis macrochirus
Authors: Flammang B. E. , Lauder G. V.
Published: December 2008

Evolutionary patterns of intrinsic caudal musculature in ray-finned fishes show that fine control of the dorsal lobe of the tail evolved first, followed by the ability to control the ventral lobe. This progression of increasing differentiation of musculature suggests specialization of caudal muscle roles. Fine control of fin elements is probably responsible for the range of fin conformations observed during different maneuvering behaviors. Here, we examine the kinematics of the caudal fin and the motor activity of the intrinsic caudal musculature during kick-and-glide, braking and backing maneuvers, and compare these data with our previous work on the function of the caudal fin during steady swimming. Kick-and-glide maneuvers consisted of large-amplitude, rapid lateral excursion of the tail fin, followed by forward movement of the fish with the caudal fin rays adducted to reduce surface area and with the tail held in line with the body. Just before the kick, the flexors dorsalis and ventralis, hypochordal longitudinalis, infracarinalis and supracarinalis showed strong activity. During braking, the dorsal and ventral lobes of the tail moved in opposite directions, forming an `S'-shape,accompanied by strong activity in the interradialis muscles. During backing up, the ventral lobe initiated a dorsally directed wave along the distal edge of the caudal fin. The relative timing of the intrinsic caudal muscles varied between maneuvers, and their activation was independent of the activity of the red muscle of the axial myomeres in the caudal region. There was no coupling of muscle activity duration and electromyographic burst intensity in the intrinsic caudal muscles during maneuvers, as was observed in previous work on steady swimming. Principal-component analysis produced four components that cumulatively explained 73.6% of the variance and segregated kick-and-glide,braking and backing maneuvers from each other and from steady swimming. The activity patterns of the intrinsic caudal muscles during maneuvering suggest motor control independent from myotomal musculature, and specialization of individual muscles for specific kinematic roles.
Regional variation in parvalbumin isoform expression correlates with muscle performance in common carp (Cyprinus carpio)
Authors: Brownridge Philip , de Mello Luciane Vieira , Peters Mary , McLean Lynn , Claydon Amy , Cossins Andrew R. , Whitfield Phillip D. , Young Iain S.
Published: December 2008

The mechanical properties of the axial muscles vary along the length of a fish's body. This variation in performance correlates with the expression of certain muscle proteins. Parvalbumin (PARV) is an important calcium binding protein that helps modulate intracellular calcium levels which set the size and shape of the muscle calcium transient. It therefore has a central role in determining the functional properties of the muscle. Transcript data revealed eight specific isoforms of PARV in common carp (Cyprinus carpio)skeletal muscle which we classified as α1 and β1–7. This study is the first to show expression of all eight skeletal muscle PARV isoforms in carp at the protein level and relate regional differences in expression to performance. All of the PARV isoforms were characterised at the protein level using 2D-PAGE and tandem mass spectrometry. Comparison of carp muscle from different regions of the fish revealed a higher level of expression of PARV isoforms β4 and β5 in the anterior region, which was accompanied by an increase in the rate of relaxation. We postulate that changes in specific PARV isoform expression are an important part of the adaptive change in muscle mechanical properties in response to varying functional demands and environmental change.
Peak energy turnover in lactating European hares: the role of fat reserves
Authors: Valencak T. G. , Tataruch F. , Ruf T.
Published: December 2008

European hares (Lepus europaeus) in central Europe have high energetic costs of reproduction, mainly due to precocial, rapidly growing young that rely largely on energy-rich milk. Thus, hares in this climate build up large fat stores during winter that are then gradually depleted during the spring-to-autumn breeding season. We hypothesized that the diminishing fat stores of females over the breeding season might affect resource allocation,peak energy assimilation during lactation or the total investment in offspring. Therefore, we measured energy intake, milk quality and milk production throughout lactation in spring, summer and autumn in females raising (size-manipulated) litters with three young each, under a natural photoperiod but at buffered ambient temperatures inside our facility. Over the course of the breeding season, the amount of milk production remained constant, but the fat content of the milk decreased. Hence, total energy transfer to young decreased significantly in autumn. By using undecanoic acid as a tracer of body fat mobilization, we were able to show that milk fat partially originated from maternal fat stores, particularly in spring. The peak sustained energy assimilation rates of lactating females were significantly higher in autumn, due to increased rates of food intake. We conclude that fat stores allow female hares to downregulate energy intake and expenditure early in the breeding season, whereas late breeding forces them to reach peak energy intake levels. Accordingly, we suggest that in hares, peak energy turnover during lactation varies with the availability of fat reserves. Limits to the sustained metabolic rate serve as variable constraints on reproductive investment. Thus, there might be a trade-off in energetic costs to mothers rearing early versus late litters in the year.
Occludin and hydromineral balance inXenopus laevis
Authors: Chasiotis Helen , Kelly Scott P.
Published: December 2008

To investigate the response of the tight junction (TJ) protein occludin to environmental change in an anuran amphibian, we examined occludin tissue distribution, immunolocalization and alterations in mRNA expression in African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) acclimated to brackish water (BW)conditions (from freshwater to 2‰, 5‰ or 10‰ salt water). Occludin mRNA is widely expressed in Xenopus and is abundant in tissues involved in regulating salt and water balance, such as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, kidney and urinary bladder. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed strong occludin immunolabelling in the apicolateral region of epithelia lining the GI tract and mRNA expression increased along the longitudinal axis of the gut. In kidney tissue, occludin was differentially expressed on the luminal side of the nephron tubule, appearing in the distal tubules and collecting ducts only. In response to BW acclimation, Xenopus exhibited a significant loss of tissue water as well as salinity-dependent elevations in serum osmolality as a result of increased urea levels followed by elevated serum Na+ and Cl–levels. Tissue-specific alterations in the ionomotive enzyme Na+,K+-ATPase were also observed in Xenopus in response to BW acclimation. Most notably, Na+,K+-ATPase activity in the rectum increased in response to elevated environmental salt concentrations while renal activity decreased. Furthermore, acclimation to BW caused tissue-specific and salinity-dependent alterations in occludin mRNA expression within select Xenopus osmoregulatory organs. Taken together, these studies suggest that alterations in occludin, in conjunction with active transport processes, may contribute to amphibian hydromineral homeostasis during environmental change.
Temperature adaptation of cytosolic malate dehydrogenases of limpets(genusLottia): differences in stability and function due to minor changes in sequence correlate with biogeographic and vertical distributions
Authors: Dong Yunwei , Somero George N.
Published: December 2008

We characterized functional and structural properties of cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenases (cMDHs) from six limpets of the genus Lottia that have different vertical and latitudinal distributions. Particular attention was given to the cryptic species pair Lottia digitalis (northern occurring) and L. austrodigitalis (southern occurring) because of recent contraction in the southern range of L. digitalis and a northward range extension of L. austrodigitalis. As an index of adaptation of function, we measured the effects of temperature on the apparent Michaelis–Menten constant (Km) of the cofactor NADH(KmNADH). KmNADHvalues of cMDHs from the mid- to high-intertidal, low-latitude species L. scabra and L. gigantea were less sensitive to high temperature than those of cMDHs from the low- and mid-intertidal, high-latitude species L. scutum and L. pelta. cMDH of L. digitalis was more sensitive to high temperatures than the cMDH ortholog of L. austrodigitalis. Thermal stability (rate of loss of activity at 42.5°C) showed a similar pattern of interspecific variation. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences showed that interspecific differences ranged from one to as many as 17 residues. Differences in KmNADH and thermal stability between orthologs of L. digitalis and L. austrodigitalis result from a single amino acid substitution. At position 291, the glycine residue in cMDH of L. digitalis is replaced by a serine in cMDH of L. austrodigitalis, a change that favors additional hydrogen bonding and reduced conformational entropy. This difference between closely related congeners demonstrates the role of minor alterations in protein sequence in temperature adaptation and suggests that such variation is important in governing shifts in biogeographic range in response to climate change.
Effects of cocaine on honey bee dance behaviour
Authors: Barron Andrew B. , Maleszka Ryszard , Helliwell Paul G. , Robinson Gene E.
Published: December 2008

The role of cocaine as an addictive drug of abuse in human society is hard to reconcile with its ecological role as a natural insecticide and plant-protective compound, preventing herbivory of coca plants(Erythroxylum spp.). This paradox is often explained by proposing a fundamental difference in mammalian and invertebrate responses to cocaine, but here we show effects of cocaine on honey bees (Apis mellifera L.)that parallel human responses. Forager honey bees perform symbolic dances to advertise the location and value of floral resources to their nest mates. Treatment with a low dose of cocaine increased the likelihood and rate of bees dancing after foraging but did not otherwise increase locomotor activity. This is consistent with cocaine causing forager bees to overestimate the value of the floral resources they collected. Further, cessation of chronic cocaine treatment caused a withdrawal-like response. These similarities likely occur because in both insects and mammals the biogenic amine neuromodulator systems disrupted by cocaine perform similar roles as modulators of reward and motor systems. Given these analogous responses to cocaine in insects and mammals, we propose an alternative solution to the paradox of cocaine reinforcement. Ecologically, cocaine is an effective plant defence compound viadisruption of herbivore motor control but, because the neurochemical systems targeted by cocaine also modulate reward processing, the reinforcing properties of cocaine occur as a `side effect'.
Review Paper: Current Strategies in the Development of Anti-obesity Drugs and Their Safety Concerns
Authors: Elangbam C. S.
Published: December 2008

Obesity is a well-established risk factor for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, type II diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, obstructive sleep apnea, asthma, orthopedic disorders, and certain cancers. Despite this risk, the prevalence of obesity continues to increase worldwide, and there is a growing demand for safe and effective antiobesity drugs. Previous antiobesity drugs or anorexigens, particularly centrally acting agents, have poor safety records. Life-threatening safety issues led to the withdrawal of aminorex in 1968, fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine in 1997, and phenylpropanolamine in 2000. Many of the safety issues, such as valvulopathy with fenfluramine and pulmonary arterial hypertension with aminorex, were initially not predicted by routine preclinical toxicology studies. To date, there are no validated animal models or preclinical and/or toxicologic screens to accurately predict anorexigen-induced valvulopathy and pulmonary arterial hypertension in humans. This review covers the current state of antiobesity drugs and their safety concerns, and highlights new therapeutic targets and scientific advances toward the development of appropriate animal models by using novel techniques that will aid in understanding pathogenesis and pathophysiology of anorexigen-related safety issues.
Effects of Neonatally Administered High-dose Diethylstilbestrol on the Induction of Mammary Tumors Induced by 7,12-Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene in Female Rats
Authors: Kawaguchi H. , Umekita Y. , Souda M. , Gejima K. , Kawashima H. , Yoshikawa T. , Yoshida H.
Published: December 2008

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of neonatal administration of a relatively high dose of diethylstilbestrol (DES) on the induction of mammary carcinomas (MCs) and benign proliferative lesions (PLs) induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) in female rats. Three different terms of daily administration of DES (10 μg) were used: 0–14, 0–5, and 6–14 days after birth. Control animals were administered solvent (oil) alone once daily from 0 to 14 days after birth. Rats were given DMBA (10 mg) at 50 days after birth. All rats administered DES showed persistent estrus and anovulatory ovaries. In rats administered DES from 0 to 14 and 0 to 5 days after birth there was protection from development of MCs and PLs, and serum levels of both estrogen and progesterone were significantly lower than in the control animals at 100 days after birth. In rats administered DES from 6 to 14 days after birth, the incidence of MCs was equal to that of the control animals (100%), and the number of PLs was significantly higher than in the control animals. The critical period for exposure to endocrine disruptors, such as DES, affecting the induction of MCs and PLs may be from 0 to 5 days after birth.
Diagnostic Exercise: Tyzzer's Disease, Distemper, and Coccidiosis in a Pup
Authors: Headley S. A. , Shirota K. , Baba T. , Ikeda T. , Sukura A.
Published: December 2008

A 2-month-old mongrel dog had multifocal necrotizing hepatitis, interstitial pneumonia, and hemorrhagic enteritis. Immunohistochemistry detected antigens of Clostridium piliforme in the intestine and liver, and antigens of canine distemper virus within the lung, urinary bladder, brain, spleen, and liver. Furthermore, uncharacterized intralesional coccidian protozoa were observed within the intestine.
Serial Passage of Sheep Scrapie Inoculum in Suffolk Sheep
Authors: Hamir A. N. , Kunkle R. A. , Richt J. A. , Greenlee J. J. , Miller J. M.
Published: December 2008

Scrapie is a naturally occurring fatal neurodegenerative disease of sheep and goats. Susceptibility to the disease is partly dependent upon the genetic makeup of the host. In a recent study, it was shown that sheep intracerebrally inoculated with a US scrapie agent (No. 13–7) developed scrapie and survived for an average of 19 months post inoculation. In the present study, when this scrapie inoculum was further passaged for 3 successive generations, the survival time was reduced by approximately 8 months in scrapie-susceptible (QQ on prion protein gene [ PRNP] at codon 171) Suffolk sheep. It is concluded that inoculum No. 13–7 appears to have been stabilized in susceptible (171 QQ) Suffolk sheep and may be considered a specific isolate of sheep scrapie agent in the USA and therefore that it can be used to evaluate other isolates of sheep scrapie in this country.
Oat seed as an important source of dietary fibre and the influence of genetic and agroecological factors on its content
Authors: Havrlentová M. , Skripčáková I. , Bieliková M. , Masár Š.
Published: December 2008

Among the basic cereals oats (
Avena sativa
L.) are highly valued from the nutritive and dietetic point of view. The chemical constituents of oat seed are therefore in the focus of a number of studies. The effect of genetic and agro-ecological factors on the content of total dietary fibre was investigated in mature grains of ten oat genotypes (5 hulled, 5 naked) grown in two localities during two years. Hulled genotypes contained 33.82% of total dietary fibre in the mature grain, whereas in naked oats, the content of this component was 3 times lower. The effect of the locality was also very significant. Naked genotypes showed a higher content of total dietary fibre in the locality Víg’aš-Pstruša, and hulled genotypes in Borovce. The value of the parameter was significantly influenced by the glumose × locality and year × locality interactions. Levels of total dietary fibre content in hulled oats showed another, highly significant source of variability: the effect of the genotype. Year did not influence the content of dietary fibre in the oat set monitored.
Stroke from A Large Left Atrial Myxoma
Authors: Hirose Hitoshi , Youdelman Benjamin A , Entwistle John W. C
Published: December 2008

A 36-year-old male involved in a car accident was found to have an embolic stroke due to a left atrial myxoma. Open heart surgery was delayed 4 weeks to decrease the risk of neurologic complications from the anticoagulation required for cardiopulmonary bypass. After resection of the myxoma, intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography found severe mitral regurgitation, which was repaired.
Stenosis and Aneurysm of Coronary Arteries in A Patient with Behcet’s Disease
Authors: Sonia Hammami , Khaldoun Ben Hamda , Sylvia Mahjoub , Faouzi Maatoug , Habib Gamra , Mohamed Ben Farhat
Published: December 2008

Coronary artery disease is extremely rare in patients with Behçet’s disease. We report the case of a patient with a history of Behçet’s disease who was admitted in our hospital with instable angina pectoris. The patient’s electrocardiogram was normal. Coronary angiography revealed aneurysm of the distal right coronary artery with a tight stenosis of the proximal part of the posterolateral branch. These two conditions were initially treated with immunosuppressive treatment. Three years later coronary angiography showed a total occlusion of the right coronary artery treated with medical therapy. More than fourteen cases of coronary involvement were reported in the literature but the etiopathogeny and the treatment are yet unknown
Morphogenesis of Coronavirus HCoV-NL63 in Cell Culture: A Transmission Electron Microscopic Study
Authors: Orenstein Jan M. , Banach Bridget S. , Baker Susan C.
Published: December 2008

NL63 (HCoV-NL63) is a recently discovered human coronavirus that causes respiratory disease in infants and
young children. NL63 productively infects LLCMK2 cells and ciliated epithelial cells of human airway cell cultures.
Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) studies of NL63 infected LLCMK2 cells revealed that virions are spherical,
spiked, and range from 75 to 115 nm in diameter. Virus replication predominantly occurs on the rough endoplasmic reticulum
(RER), both perinuclear and cytoplasmic, and the Golgi. Plasma membrane budding was occasionally observed.
As virus production increased, aberrant viral forms appeared with greater frequency. Unusual inclusions were present in
infected cells including tubular and laminated structures. Pleomorphic double membrane-bound vesicles (DMV), measuring
roughly 140 to 210 nm in diameter, were observed. The virus was released via exocytosis and cell lysis. In summary,
we report the key morphologic characteristics of NL63 infection observed by TEM analysis.
Tornado Frequency and its Large-Scale Environments Over Ontario, Canada
Authors: Cao Zuohao , Cai Huaqing
Published: December 2008

Over the last two decades, there exist ever-increasing changes in tornado frequency over Ontario, Canada. It is shown through a composite analysis that the tornado events occur more frequently over Ontario with stronger low-level cyclonic circulations and stronger baroclinicity under conditions of warmer atmospheric temperature.
High Treatment Success Rates When Switching to Once Daily Nevirapine Containing Antiretroviral Therapy
Authors: Benzie Andrew , Marett Brett , Mackie Nicola E , Winston Alan
Published: December 2008

Introduction

Two recent studies have highlighted low rates of virological response to once daily nevirapine containing combination antiretroviral therapy (CART) in treatment naïve HIV-1 infected subjects.

Aim

We assessed factors associated with treatment responses in a cohort of HIV-1 infected, therapy naïve individuals, commencing nevirapine CART with two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) containing either lamivudine or emtricitabine.

Results

Between January 2002 and 2006, 173 subjects (80 female) met the study inclusion criteria. All subjects initially commenced on twice daily nevirapine with six different NRTI backbones. Mean follow up was 802 days. 49 (28%) subjects switched to once daily nevirapine, 23 (13%) within the first year. After 48 weeks of therapy, HIV RNA was < 50 copies/mL in 154/173 subjects (89%). A trend was observed towards improved virological outcome (HIV RNA < 50 copies/mL) and switching to once daily nevirapine during the first year of therapy (p=0.051).

Conclusion

Whilst awaiting the results of prospective studies assessing once daily nevirapine, our data describe high treatment success rates and good safety responses when switching to once daily nevirapine.
Sandwich ELISA system for cartilage oligomeric matrix protein in equine synovial fluid and serum
Authors: Yamanokuchi K. , Tagami M. , Nishimatsu E. , Shimizu Y. , Hirose Y. , Komatsu K. , Misumi K.
Published: December 2008

Reasons for performing study: Measurement of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) in serum has potential for diagnosis of equine osteoarthritis (OA), but clinical use is currently limited by the lack of specificity of an inhibition ELISA as well as by baseline increases due to exercise. Improved methods for ELISA with increased antigen specificity and sensitivity are therefore required for reliable measurement.

Hypothesis: Measurement of the serum level of COMP by sandwich ELISA allows identification of horses with OA.

Methods: New monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were elicited against equine cartilage COMP, their epitopes were determined and a sandwich ELISA was developed. The concentrations of COMP in synovial fluid (SF; n = 100) and sera (n = 100) from OA cases were measured by sandwich ELISA as well as by inhibition ELISA and compared with concentrations in normal joints (n = 95) and horses (n = 50).

Results: Immunoblots of enzymatically cleaved COMP showed that the new mAbs recognised different epitopes located on a 20 kDa fragment between K63 and K238 of the EGF‐like repeats. Inhibition ELISA with any mAb detected significantly increased levels of COMP in OA SF compared with normal SF, whereas no significant difference was detected between serum levels of COMP in OA and normal horses. Conversely, sandwich ELISA with the combination of unlabelled 2A11 × biotinylated 11F10 mAbs detected a significant increase in COMP levels in both serum and SF from OA cases compared with levels in normal animals.

Conclusions and potential relevance: Measurement of serum COMP with sandwich ELISA may be useful in identifying horses with OA.
Prevalence of various radiographic manifestations of osteochondrosis and their correlations between and within joints in Dutch Warmblood horses
Authors: Van Grevenhof E. M. , Ducro B. J. , Van Weeren P. R. , Van Tartwijk J.M.F.M. , Van Den Belt A.J. , Bijma P.
Published: December 2008

Reasons for performing study: Osteochondrosis (OC) is the most important orthopaedic developmental disorder in horses and may manifest in several different forms. No detailed study on the prevalence and/or interrelation of these forms is available, even though these data are a prerequisite for conclusive genetic studies.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of the various manifestations of OC as detected radiographically and to evaluate possible relationships between their occurrence within the same joint and between different joints.

Methods: The FP (femoropatellar), TC (tarsocrural) and MCP/MTP (metacarpophalangeal/metatarsophalangeal) joints of 811 yearlings selected randomly, descending from 32 representative stallions, were radiographed and scored for the presence and grade of osteochondrotic lesions. Results were compared at the sire, animal, joint and predilection site levels.

Results: In the FP joint, the percentage of animals showing normal joint contours in all sites was 60.7%. For the TC joint and the combined MCP/MTP joints, these figures were 68.6 and 64.6%, respectively. For all joints combined, the percentage dropped to 30.5%. Sedation improved detection of OC lesions in the FP joint. There was a high correlation between the right and left joints. The correlation between flattened bone contours and fragments was considerably less.

Conclusions: Scoring on a detailed scale is necessary to achieve good insight into the prevalence of OC. Observations on the right and left joints can be combined in further analyses, whereas flattened bone contours and fragments should be evaluated as statistically different disorders.

Potential relevance: This study provides insight into the prevalences of various manifestations of OC and their relationships, within and between joints. These results form the basis for detailed quantitative and/or molecular genetic studies that should lead to the establishment of breeding indices and/or genetic marker sets for OC.
A Randomized Field Trial of the Fast ForWord Language Computer-Based Training Program
Authors: Borman Geoffrey D. , Benson James G. , Overman Laura
Published: December 2008

This article describes an independent assessment of the Fast ForWord Language computer-based training program developed by Scientific Learning Corporation. Previous laboratory research involving children with language-based learning impairments showed strong effects on their abilities to recognize brief and fast sequences of nonspeech and speech stimuli, but generalization of these effects beyond clinical settings and student populations and to broader literacy measures remains unclear. Implementing a randomized field trial in eight urban schools, we generated impact estimates from separate intent-to-treat and treatment-on-the-treated analyses of the literacy outcomes of second- and seventh-grade students who were more generally at risk for poor reading and language outcomes. There were some problems of implementation in the field setting, and the Fast ForWord Language program did not, in general, help students in these eight schools improve their language and reading comprehension test scores.
Le prix de l'eau pour les pauvres : comment concilier droit d'accès et paiement d'un service ?
Authors: Vincent Isabelle
Published: December 2008

Résumé Le paiement de l'eau est un sujet polémique. On confond d’ailleurs souvent paiement de la ressource et paiement du service. Actuellement, ce sont en fait les populations des quartiers défavorisés qui dépensent des sommes importantes pour une consommation d'eau minimale. Un tel constat conduit à s'interroger sur la pertinence des subventions aux services d'eau et sur l'efficacité des mécanismes tarifaires censés garantir la desserte des plus pauvres.
Grands aménagements hydro-agricoles d'Afrique subsaharienne : poursuivre les évolutions institutionnelles
Authors: Devèze Jean-Claude , Jullien Jean-François , Papazian Vatché
Published: December 2008

Résumé Des grands aménagements hydro-agricoles africains ont été l’objet d’importantes interventions qui ont contribué à la promotion d’une agriculture familiale encore en cours d’organisation. Les impératifs en matière d’une part de gestion de l’eau et du foncier, d’autre part de compétitivité internationale se traduisent par des transitions difficiles à conduire, d’où la nécessité de poursuivre des appuis. Il s’agit en priorité d’accompagner les indispensables évolutions institutionnelles à conduire avec les acteurs concernés et en premier lieu les organisations de producteurs.
L'hydraulique pastorale, un bienfait pour les éleveurs du Sahel ?
Authors: Baroin Catherine
Published: December 2008

Résumé On désigne par "hydraulique pastorale" la politique de multiplication des points d’eau et de modernisation de l’abreuvage qui fut mise en œuvre dans les pays francophones du Sahel à partir des années 1950. Son objectif était de développer et d’intensifier l’élevage extensif qui se pratiquait dans cette région, en jouant sur un facteur essentiel, l’accès à l’eau. Les effets pervers de cette politique qui eut des conséquences immédiates ont été mainte fois dénoncés. Du point de vue du développement, son histoire reste exemplaire des défauts d’une politique basée uniquement sur des considérations techniques.
"Nord musulman et Sud chrétien" : les moules médiatiques de la crise ivoirienne
Authors: Bassett Thomas J.
Published: December 2008

Les développements médiatiques consacrés à la crise divisant la Côte d’Ivoire tendent à réduire ce conflit à un divorce entre un Nord musulman et un Sud chrétien. Ne cessant de se référer à la guerre civile en termes religieux, ils évoquent un pays divisé entre "une zone sous contrôle gouvernemental, chrétienne et animiste, au Sud et une zone tenue par les rebelles dans le Nord musulman". Une telle description géographico-culturelle fausse notre compréhension. Les reportages ont aussi pour effet d’amplifier l’appel à la confrontation de politiciens locaux et d’aggraver les clivages. En outre, les simplifications religieuses et géographiques des médias ne nous aident pas à comprendre le conflit ivoirien. Au contraire, elles l’exacerbent insidieusement en renforçant les stéréotypes et en accroissant les divisions sociales et politiques.
Les politiques d'affrontement en Côte d'Ivoire 1999-2003
Authors: Le Pape Marc
Published: December 2008

Parmi les facteurs conduisant à la guerre civile, le principal a été, dès les débuts du multipartisme en 1990 mais surtout depuis la mort de Félix Houphouët Boigny en 1993, la brutalité croissante du combat politique avec ses effets de division et d'entraînement dans l'opinion publique et dans les corps intermédiaires. La conséquence fut de politiser la société ivoirienne à l'extrême par la montée des affrontements et la banalisation collective des pratiques de violence. L'auteur examine quelques débats et épisodes significatifs de la vie politique ivoirienne. Ces derniers attestent de la gravité d’antagonismes exacerbés depuis des années.
La dynamique des conflits ethniques au Nord-Kivu : une réflexion prospective
Authors: Rusamira Étienne
Published: December 2008

Résumé La province du Nord-Kivu (est du Congo) est confrontée aux conflits ethniques récurrents depuis le début des années 60, et qui présentent une double dimension : intra-ethnique et inter-ethnique. Cet article présente d’abord la dynamique de ces conflits au cours de quatre dernières décennies, et ensuite il examine de manière prospective les pistes de solutions selon trois scénarios envisageables pour le futur politique du Congo.
Les élections de 2004 en Afrique du Sud : les enseignements d'un scrutin gagné d'avance
Authors: Vircoulon Thierry
Published: December 2008

Résumé Au cours des élections d’avril 2004, l’ANC a réalisé son meilleur score en une décennie. Mais, bien que cette victoire ait été annoncée d’avance, le scrutin 2004 n’est pas un non-événement : il tourne une page de la politique sud-africaine et comporte nombre d’enseignements dans un pays qui fait figure de démocratie "déséquilibrée" et donc d’énigme.
Femmes et Parlement au Mali
Authors: Sanankoua Bintou
Published: December 2008

Résumé La participation relativement faible des femmes à la vie publique au Mali ne reflète ni leur engagement politique effectif ni leur poids démographique. La première partie de cet article retrace la place faites aux femmes dans le contexte politique national de 1960 à n os jours. La seconde esquisse un portrait sociologique des femmes députées au Parlement de 1997 à 2002.
La politique japonaise de moyenne puissance et l'Afrique
Authors: Cornelissen Scarlett
Published: December 2008

Résumé Cet article revient sur le débat concernant le caractère proactif ou, au contraire, réactif de la politique étrangère du Japon vis à vis de l’Afrique depuis la fin de la Guerre froide. L’on y défend l’idée que cette politique étrangère s’appuyant sur des initiatives multilatérales ou non, de la TICAD au NEPAD, est plus volontaire, plus indépendante et plus dynamique qu’on ne l’a estimé. Elle provient d’un besoin d’affirmation de la position internationale du Japon comme puissance moyenne dans le monde. Toutefois, cette attitude proactive envers l’Afrique en s’affirmant comme partenaire de taille moyenne reste inachevée et égocentrique.
Le Conseil de paix et de sécurité de l'Union africaine, clef d'une nouvelle architecture de stabilité en Afrique ?
Authors: Lecoutre Delphine
Published: December 2008

Résumé La paix constituant une condition préalable à la sécurité et au développement du continent, la volonté de prise en charge par l'Afrique elle-même du traitement de ses conflits, l'Union africaine a mis en place en mai 2004 un Conseil de paix et de sécurité (C.P.S.) qui se substitue au Mécanisme pour la prévention, la gestion et le règlement des conflits de l'Organisation de l'unité africaine (O.U.A.), créé en 1993, mais peu efficace. Ce nouvel instrument, analysé ici en détail, vise à jour un rôle clé dans la future architecture de stabilité du continent africain.
Les « mutations impromptues »
Authors: Severino Jean-Michel , Charnoz Olivier
Published: December 2008

?Résumé Les mutations de l’Aide publique au développement (APD) sont déconcertantes : contradictions opérationnelles et principes auto-démentis abondent sans cesse. Ces incohérences ont néanmoins des fondements rationnels. Cet article les étudie et met aussi en lumière plusieurs vecteurs de force et principes organisateurs qui émergent des bouillonnements complexes de l’aide. Sont proposées à cet égard huit séries de jugements qui sont autant de clefs de lecture des mutations actuelles de l’APD, mais aussi des risques et opportunités qui les accompagnent.
Le Darfour, un conflit identitaire ?
Authors: Tubiana Jérôme
Published: December 2008

Résumé Cet article reprend, dans une version abrégée, une étude de terrain effectuée par l’auteur – pour le compte de l’ONG « Action contre la faim » – , visant notamment à une meilleure compréhension de l’aspect ethnique du conflit du Darfour. Il souligne que le terme « d’ethnie » est à utiliser avec prudence dans ce cas, que l’on qualifierait plutôt de conflit identitaire lié à la revendication par une partie de la population d’une identité arabe. La fracture, aujourd’hui exacerbée, entre ceux qui se sentent arabes et les autres ne date pas d’hier. Elle est l’aboutissement de multiples conflits entre les différents groupes pour le contrôle de la terre et des ressources en eau, attisés aussi bien par la sécheresse que par des luttes de pouvoir locales, nationales et internationales.
La guerre dans les évolutions du Congo-Kinshasa
Authors: de Villers Gauthier
Published: December 2008

Résumé Cet article examine le temps de guerre dans lequel a été plongé le Congo-Kinshasa à partir de 1996. Deux perspectives seront abordées. La première partie cherche à mettre en lumière les grands processus historiques dont la conjonction permet le mieux d’expliquer le basculement du pays dans des guerres à la fois civiles et régionales : « désinstitutionalisation » et « informalisation » de l’État-Zaïre ayant entraîné son progressif démantèlement ; subordination et exclusion de groupes ethniques dans le pays même, et chez ses voisins de la région des Grands Lacs ; profonds changements dans les rapports des puissances occidentales avec l’Afrique depuis la décennie 1980. Dans la seconde partie, l’auteur s’interroge sur la manière dont ces guerres ont agi sur les processus de changements social et politique. Il procède à un rapide examen critique d’approches aujourd’hui assez répandues appelant à saisir, dans les guerres africaines, le cheminement d’« un système alternatif de profit, de pouvoir et de protection ».
Cameroun :
Authors: Lasseur Maud
Published: December 2008

Résumé Etiré du Golfe de Guinée au lac Tchad, le Cameroun enregistre, depuis l’époque pré-coloniale, une multiplicité d’influences religieuses issues d’épisodes guerriers (djihad) , de la circulation de commerçants et prédicateurs musulmans, de vagues missionnaires concurrentes, protestantes et catholiques. L’extrême diversité des appartenances religieuses témoigne aujourd’hui de l’appropriation différentielle par les sociétés locales de ces systèmes religieux à visée universaliste. La géographie des religions qui en découle dessine moins une fracture opposant un Nord-musulman à un Sud-animiste-chrétien qu’une mosaïque complexe où la confusion entre identité religieuse et identité ethno-régionale reste forte, dans les mobilisations comme dans les représentations sociales. Artificiellement figée par des décennies de gouvernement autoritaire, cette géographie ethno-culturelle connaît toutefois une véritable explosion depuis les lois de libéralisation du début des années 1990. Les migrations, l’urbanisation, l’ouverture du pays aux courants prosélytes internationaux, les compétitions liées à l’instauration du multipartisme suscitent de puissantes recompositions au sein de la sphère religieuse, qui ne vont pas toujours sans tensions. Au total, la démultiplication de l’offre cultuelle et l’éclatement des frontières géoreligieuses internes témoignent à la fois de l’ampleur du changement social au Cameroun et du branchement de ce pays sur les grands courants géopolitiques globaux.
L'économie de l'opium en Afghanistan et ses implications en termes de développement
Authors: Véron Jean-Bernard
Published: December 2008

Résumé La production, la transformation et la commercialisation des drogues illicites sont habituellement abordées sous l’angle de leurs effets néfastes pour la santé humaine et du blanchiment des profits nés de ces activités. Néanmoins, dans les pays producteurs, ces activités sont des activités économiques comme les autres : elles génèrent emplois et revenus, irriguent tout ou partie de l’économie nationale, contribuent à l’équilibre de la balance des paiements et à la parité de la monnaie. Dans le cas où le pays producteur est un pays pauvre, la drogue est donc une question qui a à voir avec le sous-développement et les stratégies de lutte ne peuvent pas (ou ne devraient pas) se dispenser de poser le problème en termes de développement.
L'Afrique dans la géopolitique mondiale du pétrole
Authors: Copinschi Philippe , Noël Pierre
Published: December 2008

Résumé Au cours des quinze dernières années, l’Afrique sub-saharienne a acquis une position centrale dans la géopolitique pétrolière mondiale. Ce repositionnement est très largement lié à la révolution technologique de l’ off-shore profond, qui a permis une série de découvertes importantes dans le golfe de Guinée (Angola, Nigeria, Guinée équatoriale). Aujourd’hui, l’Afrique est une des rares provinces pétrolières hors du Moyen-Orient et de la Russie qui ait un réel potentiel d’augmentation des capacités de production. Elle occupe donc une place centrale dans les stratégies de croissance des compagnies pétrolières internationales et dans la politique énergétique mondiale des États-Unis.
Fiscalité pétrolière au sud du Sahara : la répartition des rentes
Authors: Leenhardt Blaise
Published: December 2008

Résumé Les États pétroliers d’Afrique se trouvent actuellement en matière de fiscalité pétrolière devant des phénomènes multiples et contradictoires : baisse due à la concurrence fiscale entre États orchestrée par les pays du Nord pour maximiser la production non-OPEP, hausse des coûts d’exploitation et d’investissement dans l’ off-shore profond du fait de la raréfaction de la ressource et de ce fait entraînant une fiscalité à la baisse, concurrence entre firmes pétrolières internationales pour avoir accès à la ressource et poussant la fiscalité à la hausse et, enfin, hausse importante des cours ayant un effet positif net sur les recettes fiscales. Le nécessaire travail de transparence des revenus pétroliers, auquel souhaite contribuer la communauté internationale, est donc particulièrement délicat et techniquement difficile à mener. Il suppose des modélisations précises, au cas par cas, de la fiscalité pétrolière des différents pays.
Décentralisation et participation des femmes aux plans de développement intégré (PDI) en Afrique du Sud
Authors: Williamson Amanda , Sithole Pearl , TODES Alison
Published: December 2008

Résumé Au plan international, la décentralisation fait désormais partie intégrante des recettes de bonne gouvernance promues par les institutions comme la Banque mondiale et les Nations unies. Cet intérêt est fondé sur l’idée que la décentralisation favorisera la démocratie participative, introduira un système de prestation de services plus adapté aux besoins, fera progresser les droits des citoyens et favorisera l’égalité des sexes, profitant donc aux femmes. Toutefois, l’expérience commence à montrer ses limites. La transformation sociale ne suit pas forcément le processus de décentralisation et l’autonomie accrue dont jouit l’administration locale peut même conduire à certaines régressions. Dans le cadre du débat sur l’impact de la décentralisation pour les femmes, nous soulevons ici la question de savoir si les processus de planification décentralisés, en Afrique, ont réellement permis d’augmenter la participation des femmes à la gouvernance municipale, et s’ils sont susceptibles de modifier les relations entre les genres.
Les compromis d'une ONG burkinabè entre politiques de « bonne gouvernance » et pouvoirs locaux
Authors: Lewandowski Sophie
Published: December 2008

Résumé Dans un pays sous ajustement structurel régi par des politiques de « bonne gouvernance » et au cœur d’une province rurale enclavée aux fortes solidarités lignagères, une ONG tente d’orienter son intervention et développe un discours ambigu. Si, à l’origine, ce discours évoquait pour elle un effort de démocratisation et non un processus de libéralisation, force est de constater que ses projets s’inscrivent dans des politiques qui favorisent davantage les logiques économiques libérales qu’un processus démocratique local. Ceci est renforcé par le fait que les acteurs locaux dominants se réapproprient, notamment grâce à la sorcellerie et à son utilisation idéologique, les projets et même le fonctionnement interne de l’association. Celle-ci, en devenant un terrain de lutte pour le pouvoir et la rente, s’éloigne de la transparence démocratique. L’exemple développé permet de poser la question de la marge de liberté possible des ONG entre politiques de good order et stratégies de survie locales, communautaires ou plus individuelles.
La prison du temps. Les mutations sociales à l'œuvre dans les camps de réfugiés sahraouis
Authors: Caratini Sophie
Published: December 2008

Résumé Une société nomade précipitamment réfugiée dans des camps de fortune installés sur un territoire étranger, des fils de guerriers, de lettrés, de commerçants, de forgerons et d’esclaves contraints, pour aller à la guerre, de confier à leurs femmes le soin de prendre en charge la vie civile, tel était l’héritage laissé en 1975 par les Espagnols à ceux des habitants de leur « province saharienne ». En l’absence de solution politique du conflit de décolonisation du Sahara Occidental, les Sahraouis des camps de réfugiés restent bloqués sur la hamada de Tindouf. Et, de fait, depuis plus de 30 ans qu’elle s’épuise dans la lutte, la société des camps a traversé plusieurs phases de transformation profonde : une phase révolutionnaire initiée par les jeunes et fortement mise en œuvre par les femmes, qui a accompagné et soutenu la lutte armée des hommes tout au long de la guerre, et dont il sera question dans cet article (première partie), puis une phase post-révolutionnaire, traitée dans une seconde partie, qui engendre une situation d’anomie de plus en plus manifeste. Cette partie sera publiée dans le prochain numéro d’Afrique contemporaine.