bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Employment of the Phenomenological Psychological Method in the Service of Art Education
Authors: Cloonan Thomas F.
Published: May 2012

Abstract

The concern of this study is the consequences of art education information on the experiencing of a painting that has already been experienced in a condition naïve to such information. It is believed that experiential data of viewers with respect to such consequences can be accessed by way of the phenomenological approach. The phenomenological psychology and methodology that are representative of this approach are that of Amedeo P. Giorgi. The employment of Giorgi’s phenomenological psychological method in this study is in the service of education and pedagogy. Giorgi’s history of research on a phenomenological psychology and the method specific to it goes back a number of decades. Four major presentations by Giorgi (1985, 2009; Giorgi & Giorgi, 2003, 2008) are the sources for designing the study here in the use of his method. Giorgi’s (2009) book is the major source for the understanding of his development and use of the method.
The Possibility of Citizen Theology: Public Theology after Christendom and the Enlightenment
Authors: Brown Malcolm , Pattison Stephen , Smith Graeme
Published: May 2012

Abstract

In this article the authors outline and critique two models of public theology in order to advance a new, more helpful, approach. The context is British but the intention is to draw lessons for public theology in the global west. The state of British public theology is briefly surveyed and found to be in some disarray. The most common models—characterized as ‘disciple theology’ and ‘liberal activist theology’—are critically analysed and found in significant ways to be inadequate for purpose. The model of ‘citizen theology’ as an approach to doing public theology is advanced, developed and discussed as an alternate. The central features of citizen theology are put forward for analysis. These include the importance of developing the virtues, creating poetic and parabolic discourse, and creating imaginative theological categories and theories.
Seeing God in Philo of Alexandria: Means, Methods, and Mysticism
Authors: Mackie Scott D.
Published: May 2012

Abstract

For Philo of Alexandria, seeing God represents the pinnacle of human experience. This essay examines three important aspects of that experience: the effectual means of the vision, the methods employed in evoking it, and the function and influence of Philo’s mysticism in the experience. While in some contexts Philo emphasizes the singular role of God in empowering the contemplative ascent and affording the vision, many others highlight the part played by human effort. Philo’s accounts of the practices that evoke the ascent and vision of God are also varied. Though Platonic philosophical contemplation and the practice of virtue are occasionally implicated, in most cases exegetical text work is instrumental. Finally, while some have attempted to divorce Philo’s mystical praxis from the vision of God, contending that “seeing” is simply a metaphor for “knowing” (i.e., “achieving a rational awareness of God’s existence”), a number of factors indicate the importance of Philo’s mysticism in the experience and suggest that an actual, mystical visual encounter underlies and informs these textual representations.
Inside Herod’s Courts: Social Relations and Royal Ideology in the Herodian Palaces
Authors: Regev Eyal
Published: May 2012

Abstract

The article examines the social relations in Herod’s royal courts according to the archaeological discoveries in the Herodian palaces of Jericho, Masada, and Caesarea and what kind of political self-image is represented by these palaces. Space Syntax Theory (Access Analysis) is used to examine the spatial plan of these five palaces. Until 15 B.C.E. Herod was interested in maintaining an open court, being easily approachable to many visitors. It therefore seems that Nicolaus and Josephus exaggerated in their depiction of Herod’s suspicious and antisocial behavior. In the last decade of his reign Herod’s palaces reflect discreteness and the division into segregated sections. Access to the king became more remote. Social interaction became more hierarchical, stressing the king’s privacy and his control over his visitors with low interaction potential. The archaeological evidence shows that Herod transformed his court structure and royal posture several years before Josephus’ report of the emergence of his grave suspicions of Alexander and Aristobulus. His social behavior changed drastically sometime before 15 B.C.E., that is, before his paranoia became worse.
Kenya in the Shadow of the ICC: Complementarity, Gravity and Impact
Authors: Sriram Chandra Lekha , Brown Stephen
Published: May 2012

Following contested elections in late 2007, Kenya experienced brief but significant violence. International pressure and diplomacy led to a coalition government, and a commission of inquiry recommended the creation of an internationalized criminal tribunal or International Criminal Court (ICC) involvement, should a tribunal not be created. The government of Kenya both promised to create a hybrid tribunal and to cooperate with the ICC, yet has arguably done neither, engaging in delaying tactics for about a year before the prosecutor requested approval to open an investigation. The specific situation presented by Kenya requires careful analysis of two key principles of admissibility in the Rome Statute, gravity and complementarity. This article, based on fieldwork and interviews in Kenya and in The Hague and on judicial decisions and prosecutorial policy documents, examines the treatment of these to date, emphasizing the use and abuse of the concept of positive complementarity.
The Role of Victims in the International Criminal Tribunals of the Second World War
Authors: Moffett Luke
Published: May 2012

This article, drawing from historical research of the practice and judgements of the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals, analyses the role of victims within the founding international criminal tribunals of the Second World War. While some commentators have decried the absence of victims at Nuremberg and Tokyo, numerous victim-witnesses testified before these tribunals. However, the outcome of these tribunals has been disappointing to victims who still seek justice over sixty-five years later. This article considers the implications of the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals not providing justice to victims and how this has impacted on their legacy. Although these tribunals are neglected in contemporary discussions of victim provisions in modern international criminal justice mechanisms, they can still provide some important lessons for modern international criminal justice mechanisms, such as the International Criminal Court, to learn from.
International Criminal Responsibility Concerning ‘Control over an Organization’ and Command Responsibility Lato Sensu
Authors: Satō Hiromi
Published: May 2012

The International Criminal Court recently presented its arguments concerning criminal responsibility arising pursuant to the theory of ‘control over an organization’. This theory is based on the notion of ‘perpetrator-by-means’ found in the Rome Statute, Article 25(3)a. The court appears to have utilized this theory to establish principal responsibility for ordering in contrast to accessorial responsibility prescribed in Article 25(3)b of the said Statute. However, it should be noted that customary international law has long established the notion of command responsibility lato sensu, recognizing the serious and primary nature of superiors’ responsibility for ordering. This article argues that there should be some conscious sequence between the discussions of ‘control over an organization’ and command responsibility lato sensu for the sake of the integrity of the discourse in international criminal law.
Extra-Territorial Application of the European Convention on Human Rights after Al-Skeini and Al-Jedda
Authors: Szydło Marek
Published: May 2012

Both annotated judgments are concerned with some prerequisites for the responsibility of a Convention State (i.e., the United Kingdom) for the breach of Convention human rights through behaviours of that State carried out outside its national territory, i.e. through the extra-territorial acts or omissions. However, each of those judgments puts its emphasis on a different prerequisite for the aforementioned responsibility: while Al-Jedda is centred on the issue of imputability of extra-territorial acts to the Convention State, Al-Skeini focuses rather on the issue of jurisdiction of the Convention State over individuals whose human rights are claimed to be in breach.
The Substantial Contribution Requirement: The Unfortunate Outcome of an Illogical Construction and Incorrect Understanding of Article 6(1) of the Statute of the ICTR
Authors: Agbor Avitus A.
Published: May 2012

The jurisprudence of the Trial Chambers of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) requires that criminal responsibility under Article 6(1) of the Statute of the ICTR can only be imposed where an individual’s participation substantially contributed to any of the crimes over which the ICTR has jurisdiction. Given the fact that instigation is one of the modes of participation under Article 6(1), I argue that this requirement is the outcome of a poor understanding and illogical construction of Article 6(1). This problem has been compounded by the inclusion of the crime of direct and public incitement to genocide under Article 2(3)(c) of the Statute.
Egyptologists, Nazism and Racial “Science”
Authors: Meltzer Edmund S.
Published: May 2012

Abstract

Only recently has Egyptology begun to examine ideology and its implications for our self-understanding and our understanding of ancient Egypt, of Egyptology as a discipline, and of the past as a whole. Part of this effort is Thomas Schneider’s important research on Egyptology and Egyptologists in the third Reich. In the present volume, P. Raulwing and T. Gertzen study and document the career and thought of F.W. Freiherr von Bissing; Schneider publishes Georg Steindorff’s letter to John Wilson about Egyptologists in the Third Reich, extensively documenting the scholars mentioned in it and many more besides; and L. Ambridge explores the racial dimension of James H. Breasted Sr.’s historical thought. The continuing influence and relevance of these people and events is shown inter alia by the recent controversy over Steindorff’s collection of Egyptian antiquities.
Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bissing im Blickpunkt ägyptologischer und zeithistorischer Forschungen: die Jahre 1914 bis 1926
Authors: Raulwing Peter , Gertzen Thomas L.
Published: May 2012

Abstract

The extensive bibliography of Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bissing (1873–1956) lists 621 numbered items, documenting over six decades of Egyptological productivity. Widely unknown to Egyptologists and ancient historians, however, are a handful of publications by F.W. von Bissing, printed between 1914 and 1917, in which he defends the German occupation of Belgium to a French-speaking audience using the pseudonym “Anacharsis le jeune.” This name refers to the antagonist in the novel Les Voyages du jeune Anacharsis en Grèce (1787) by the French antiquarian Jean-Jacques Barthélemy (1716–1795), which reached the status of, what might be called, a Bildungsroman in the late 18th and 19th century in Europe. Furthermore, F.W. von Bissing is the author of numerous political writings published between 1915 and 1922 for a German-speaking audience under his own name, mostly dealing with the relationship between the German Empire and Belgium during World War I.; later with the political situation in post-war Germany.—This study tries to shed light on F.W. von Bissing’s pamphlets, writings, letters and political background and non-academic activities in the last years of the Kaiserreich and the early Weimar Republic until his retirement from the chair at the university in Utrecht in 1926.
Ägyptologen im Dritten Reich: Biographische Notizen anhand der sogenannten „Steindorff-Liste“
Authors: Schneider Thomas
Published: May 2012

Abstract

The history of Egyptology in the Third Reich has never been the subject of academic analysis. This article gives a detailed overview of the biographies of Egyptologists in National Socialist Germany and their later careers after the Second World War. It scrutinizes their attitude towards the ideology of the Third Reich and their involvement in the political and intellectual Gleichschaltung of German Higher Education, as well as the impact National Socialism had on the discourse within the discipline. A letter written in 1946 by Georg Steindorff, one of the emigrated German Egyptologists, to John Wilson, Professor at the Oriental Institute Chicago, which incriminated former colleagues and exonerated others, is first published here and used as a framework for the debate.
Closing Surgeon-Patient Consultations
Authors: White Sarah J.
Published: May 2012

Closing an encounter is a co-constructed activity through which participants conclude verbal and non-verbal action in a way that allows each to raise any matters they wish prior to the termination of the encounter (West, 2006). Although medical encounters are often time restricted, the scheduled length of the appointment “does not determine just when or how such a visit will be brought to a close” (West, 2006: 379). There are, however, points within the consultation where closing becomes a relevant activity. In this article, I examine these points in surgeon-patient consultations. There are seven types of surgeon-initiated pre-closings found in the data presented here. These are: final-concern sequences; arranging surgery; referring back; referring on; arranging diagnostic testing; organising a follow-up; and instructions regarding front desk paperwork. There is also one instance of patient-initiated possible pre-closing, which is also described. After an analysis of these seven types, there is also an analysis of the types of non-minimal responses that can be produced by patients.
“Mum, Sister Hit Me”: Interlanguage Complaint Strategies of Cantonese Learners of English from Childhood to Their Teens
Authors: Lee Cynthia
Published: May 2012

The act of complaining takes place in home and institutional settings in many forms every day. However, it is an under-represented speech act compared with the wealth of studies on other speech acts such as requesting, apologising, refusing and responding to compliments. The recent studies on complaint making have concentrated on the discussion about the nature of the act, identification of its communicative features and interlanguage or cross-cultural comparison among adult speakers or second language learners at different proficiency levels. Very little is known about the strategy preferences and realisation patterns of the act made by young and teenage second language learners.

This study attempts to provide a fuller picture of how a complaint is realised in an oral-production task by learners of English from childhood to their teens. Based on the transcribed spoken discourse of 176 and 156 young and teenage Cantonese learners of English in Hong Kong primary and secondary schools, it was found that their complaints were moderate in terms of directness and severity. There was a significant decreasing use of direct strategies but a growing sociopragmatic awareness and flexibility in the use of a direct single strategy towards less direct combined strategies according to age and level of study. Pragmalinguistically, the learners used a similar range of intensifiers and softeners. The teenage groups are, however, better at increasing or mitigating the force of the act through the use of supportive moves, descriptions and requesting. The study has demonstrated some evidence for the interlanguage pragmatic development of Cantonese learners of English in the act of complaining.
Impact Assessment of Daily Satellite-Derived Surface Albedo in a Limited-Area NWP Model
Authors: Cedilnik Jure , Carrer Dominique , Mahfouf Jean-François , Roujean Jean-Louis
Published: May 2012

This study examines the impact of daily satellite-derived albedos on short-range forecasts in a limited-area numerical weather prediction (NWP) model over Europe. Contrary to previous studies in which satellite products were used to derive monthly “climatologies,” a daily surface (snow free) albedo is analyzed by a Kalman filter. The filter combines optimally a satellite product derived from the Meteosat Second Generation geostationary satellite [and produced by the Land Surface Analyses–Satellite Application Facility of the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT)], an albedo climatology, and a priori information given by “persistence.” The surface albedo analyzed for a given day is used as boundary conditions of the NWP model to run forecasts starting the following day. Results from short-range forecasts over a 1-yr period reveal the capacity of satellite information to reduce model biases and RMSE in screen-level temperature (during daytime and intermediate seasons). The impact on forecast scores is larger when considering the analyzed surface albedo rather than another climatologically based albedo product. From comparisons with measurements from three flux-tower stations over mostly homogeneous French forests, it is seen that the model biases in surface net radiation are significantly reduced. An impact on the whole planetary boundary layer, particularly in summer, results from the use of an observed surface albedo. An unexpected behavior produced in summer by the satellite-derived albedo on surface temperature is also explained. The forecast runs presented here, performed in dynamical adaptation mode, will be complemented later on by data assimilation experiments over typically monthly periods.
Roles of Urban Tree Canopy and Buildings in Urban Heat Island Effects: Parameterization and Preliminary Results
Authors: Loughner Christopher P. , Allen Dale J. , Zhang Da-Lin , Pickering Kenneth E. , Dickerson Russell R. , Landry Laura
Published: May 2012

Urban heat island (UHI) effects can strengthen heat waves and air pollution episodes. In this study, the dampening impact of urban trees on the UHI during an extreme heat wave in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland, metropolitan area is examined by incorporating trees, soil, and grass into the coupled Weather Research and Forecasting model and an urban canopy model (WRF-UCM). By parameterizing the effects of these natural surfaces alongside roadways and buildings, the modified WRF-UCM is used to investigate how urban trees, soil, and grass dampen the UHI. The modified model was run with 50% tree cover over urban roads and a 10% decrease in the width of urban streets to make space for soil and grass alongside the roads and buildings. Results show that, averaged over all urban areas, the added vegetation decreases surface air temperature in urban street canyons by 4.1 K and road-surface and building-wall temperatures by 15.4 and 8.9 K, respectively, as a result of tree shading and evapotranspiration. These temperature changes propagate downwind and alter the temperature gradient associated with the Chesapeake Bay breeze and, therefore, alter the strength of the bay breeze. The impact of building height on the UHI shows that decreasing commercial building heights by 8 m and residential building heights by 2.5 m results in up to 0.4-K higher daytime surface and near-surface air temperatures because of less building shading and up to 1.2-K lower nighttime temperatures because of less longwave radiative trapping in urban street canyons.
Comparison of Simulated and Observed Continental Tropical Anvil Clouds and Their Radiative Heating Profiles
Authors: Powell Scott W. , Houze Robert A. , Kumar Anil , McFarlane Sally A.
Published: May 2012

Vertically pointing millimeter-wavelength radar observations of anvil clouds extending from mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) that pass over an Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) field site in Niamey, Niger, are compared to anvil structures generated by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) mesoscale model using six different microphysical schemes. The radar data provide the statistical distribution of the radar reflectivity values as a function of height and anvil thickness. These statistics are compared to the statistics of the modeled anvil cloud reflectivity at all altitudes. Requiring the model to be statistically accurate at all altitudes is a stringent test of the model performance. The typical vertical profile of radiative heating in the anvil clouds is computed from the radar observations. Variability of anvil structures from the different microphysical schemes provides an estimate of the inherent uncertainty in anvil radiative heating profiles. All schemes underestimate the optical thickness of thin anvils and cirrus, resulting in a bias of excessive net anvil heating in all of the simulations.
Soil Moisture Analyses at ECMWF: Evaluation Using Global Ground-Based In Situ Observations
Authors: Albergel C. , de Rosnay P. , Balsamo G. , Isaksen L. , Muñoz-Sabater J.
Published: May 2012

In situ soil moisture from 117 stations across the world and under different biome and climate conditions are used to evaluate two soil moisture products from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)—namely, the operational analysis and the interim reanalysis [ECMWF Re-Analysis Interim (ERA-Interim)]. ECMWF’s operational Integrated Forecasting System (IFS) is based on a continuous effort to improve the analysis and modeling systems, resulting in frequent updates (a few times a year). The ERA-Interim reanalysis is produced by a fixed IFS version (for the main component of the atmospheric model and data assimilation). It has the advantage of being consistent over the whole period from 1979 onward and by design, reanalysis products are more suitable than their operational counterparts for use in climate studies. Although the two analyses show good skills in capturing surface soil moisture variability, they tend to overestimate soil moisture, particularly for dry land. Over the 2008–10 period, averaged statistical scores (correlation, bias, and root-mean-square difference) are 0.70, −0.081 m3 m−3, and 0.113 m3 m−3 for the operational product and 0.63, −0.079 m3 m−3, and 0.121 m3 m−3 for ERA-Interim. Compared to the scheme used in ERA-Interim, the current model used in the IFS has an improved match to soil moisture that is attributed to recent changes in the IFS. Indeed, major upgrades recently implemented in the operational land surface analysis and modeling system improve the surface and the root-zone soil moisture analyses.
Double-Ridge Internal Tide Interference and Its Effect on Dissipation in Luzon Strait
Authors: Buijsman Maarten C. , Legg Sonya , Klymak Jody
Published: May 2012

Luzon Strait between Taiwan and the Philippines features two parallel north–south-oriented ridges. The barotropic tides that propagate over these ridges cause strong internal waves and dissipation. The energy dissipation mechanisms and the role of the baroclinic wave fields in this dissipation are investigated using numerical simulations with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model (MITgcm). The model is integrated over two-dimensional configurations along a zonal transect at 20.6°N for a maximum duration of a spring–neap cycle. Nearly all dissipation occurs at the steep ridge crests due to high-mode turbulent lee waves with horizontal scales of several kilometers and vertical scales of hundreds of meters. The spatial structure and timing of the predicted velocities and dissipation agree with observations and confirm the existence of these lee waves. The lee wave strength is greatly affected by the internal waves generated at the other ridge. When semidiurnal barotropic tides are dominant, the internal wave beams from both ridges nearly superpose after one surface reflection. The remotely generated internal waves from both ridges are therefore in phase with each other and the barotropic tides at the ridges. The barotropic-to-baroclinic energy conversion, energy flux divergence, ridge top velocities, and dissipation are stronger compared to the sum of the single east ridge and single west ridge cases. When diurnal tides are dominant, the wave fields are more out of phase and the conversion, divergence, and dissipation are less than or equal to the single ridge cases combined.
A Study of the Remote Control for the East China Sea Seafloor Observation System
Authors: Yu Yang , Xu Huiping , Xu Changwei , Qin Rufu
Published: May 2012

Seafloor observatories enable long-term, continuous, real-time, weather-independent, and multidisciplinary scientific observation and research that will promise major breakthroughs in ocean sciences. China has started to establish a seafloor observation system in the East China Sea (ECSSOS), and the purpose of this paper is to describe the remote control for ECSSOS. Technological development in system architecture and remote communication was first performed in this paper. Based on this work, an overall framework for the remote control solution for ECSSOS was developed, adopting a client-server architecture containing three components, that is, a control center, a shore station, and observatory facilities, as well as two strands of information flow, that is, flow of observation data and flow of control commands. To implement the present solution, operational data flow and the core module were further designed and the corresponding remote control subsystem for ECSSOS was developed against all design specifications. This backbone system has been put into operation in China’s first seafloor observatory in 2009, and in this paper the practical performance is evaluated addressing both the general descriptions and results from case studies. Given the successful trial in the Xiaoqushan seafloor observatory, the remote control solution proposed in this paper could be a useful reference implementation to the following construction phases of ECSSOS.
Coincidence Errors in a Cloud Droplet Probe (CDP) and a Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer (CAS), and the Improved Performance of a Modified CDP
Authors: Lance Sara
Published: May 2012

Central to the aerosol indirect effect on climate is the relationship between cloud droplet concentrations Nd and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations. There are valid reasons to expect a sublinear relationship between measured Nd and CCN, and such relationships have been observed for clouds in a variety of locations. However, a measurement artifact known as “coincidence” can also produce a sublinear trend. The current paper shows that two commonly used instruments, the cloud droplet probe (CDP) and the cloud and aerosol spectrometer (CAS), can be subject to significantly greater coincidence errors than are typically recognized, with an undercounting bias of at least 27% and an oversizing bias of 20%–30% on average at Nd = 500 cm−3, and with an undercounting bias of as much as 44% at Nd = 1000 cm−3. This type of systematic error may have serious implications for interpretation of in situ cloud observations. It is shown that a simple optical modification of the CDP dramatically reduces oversizing and undercounting biases due to coincidence. Guidance is provided for diagnosing coincidence errors in CAS and CDP instruments.
Geographic Specificity, Tornadoes, and Protective Action
Authors: Nagele Danielle E. , Trainor Joseph E.
Published: May 2012

In 2007, the National Weather Service (NWS) began using storm-based warnings (SBWs) rather than countywide warnings. Some analysts have examined the effects of this change, but little empirical research has yet to focus on the public response. Using a random digit dialing sample and a computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) system, data were collected that focused on protective action decision making in counties that were affected by a severe storm or tornado warning. Based on those data, the following paper examines the influence of these new storm-based warnings on protective action decision making by the public. While a significant relationship between being inside the warning polygon and taking protective action was not found, the authors were able to conclude that polygon size is an important factor. Given these mixed results, it is suggested that future work on storm-based warnings focus on the warnings’ dissemination and reception, as well as the optimization of the polygons themselves. It is suggested that the complexities associated with communicating with these risk areas complicate the dissemination process and create difficulties in the public understanding of the warning. The possible need for optimization is reinforced by the significance of the track proximity and polygon-sized variables. In addition, a smaller polygon resulted in protective action, in particular, sheltering. With regard to the preparedness and sociodemographic variables, the study’s results agreed with previous findings on the importance of a family emergency plan. Unlike earlier research this study did not find past experience or education level significant within the regression model and showed mixed results of gender.
Perspectives on Access and Equity in the Era of (Community) College Completion
Authors: Bragg Debra D. , Durham Brian
Published: May 2012

In an era when college completion dominates the policy agenda, matters of access and equity are critically important. The allure of raising completion rates by reducing access for students thought unprepared for college and incapable of finishing is too attractive to deny. This article discusses the importance of linking access and completion to ensure that equitable outcomes are obtained by community college learners and examines the question of how policy affects access in the context of the nation’s college completion agenda. Key national initiatives undertaken to increase completion are examined with an eye toward understanding how the strategies developed by these initiatives affect student access and success.
A Tale of Two Communities
Authors: Stewart Julie
Published: May 2012

Sociologists of development are increasingly interested in better understanding the reasons for intracountry variation of development outcomes, often focusing on community-level studies. I draw on extensive fieldwork in two return-refugee communities in rural, postwar Guatemala to explain why some community development initiatives succeed while others fail. I attribute this divergence to the presence of embedded brokerage, a new form of brokerage that is particularly useful in the context of aid relationships, which frequently cross transnational cleavages of class, power, and privilege. In particular, I argue that when brokers who are embedded in both the sending and receiving communities facilitate aid relationships, the outcome is more successful. This study demonstrates how embedded brokers responded to community initiative, attracted specialized funding, and helped institutionalize key development values in one community. In contrast, the absence of brokers in the second community contributed to the absence of community initiative, the delivery of generic projects and the failure to institutionalize development values.
Sociological Images
Authors: Wade Lisa , Sharp Gwen
Published: May 2012

Sociological Images is a website aimed at a broad public audience that encourages readers to develop and apply a sociological imagination. The site includes short, accessible posts published daily. Each includes one or more images and accompanying commentary. Reaching approximately 20,000 readers per day, Sociological Images illustrates the potential for using websites as a platform for public engagement in the social sciences. This report provides an overview of the site’s history, approach, reach, and impact. The authors also discuss some challenges facing academics interested in blogging for a general audience and some of the features that contribute to the popularity of the site.
Stroke and Renal Dysfunction
Authors: Fabbian Fabio , Casetta Ilaria , Giorgi Alfredo De , Pala Marco , Tiseo Ruana , Portaluppi Francesco , Manfredini Roberto
Published: May 2012

Cerebrovascular disease may represent an important clinical presentation of atherosclerosis in chronic kidney disease (CKD), and atherosclerosis is frequently encountered in CKD. In fact, kidney disease is now considered a risk factor for development of cardiovascular disease. Although guidelines for primary prevention of stroke have been recently published, CKD is hardly mentioned. Based on a series of available studies, we analyzed the relationship between reduced renal function, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and stroke. Reduced renal function and risk of stroke appear to be related to the highest risk of patients on dialysis treatment. Primary and secondary prevention of stroke should be encouraged in participants with renal dysfunction.
Concurrent Treatment of Acute Pancreatitis and Multiple Visceral Artery Aneurysms Using Endovascular Techniques
Authors: Mitkov Mario , Al-Khatib Weesam Kassim , Zhou Wei
Published: May 2012

Multiple aneurysms involving the celiac axis are extremely rare. Celiac artery aneurysms account for only 4% of all visceral aneurysms with 40% having concomitant aneurysms such as gastroduodenal artery (GDA) aneurysms. Development of a GDA aneurysm is associated with pancreatitis. If a GDA aneurysm ruptures, traditional repair is through open surgical techniques with significant morbidity and mortality as up to 50% occur in the setting of chronic pancreatitis. However, a ruptured GDA aneurysm causing pancreatitis has not been described previously. We report a case of successful endovascular treatment of a ruptured GDA aneurysm and concomitant celiac artery aneurysm leading to the resolution of acute pancreatitis.
Age-dependent kinetics of dentate gyrus neurogenesis in the absence of cyclin D2
Authors: Ansorg Anne , Witte Otto W , Urbach Anja
Published: May 2012

Background

Adult neurogenesis continuously adds new neurons to the dentate gyrus and the olfactory bulb. It involves the proliferation and subsequent differentiation of neuronal progenitors, and is thus closely linked to the cell cycle machinery. Cell cycle progression is governed by the successive expression, activation and degradation of regulatory proteins. Among them, D-type cyclins control the exit from the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Cyclin D2 (cD2) has been shown to be required for the generation of new neurons in the neurogenic niches of the adult brain. It is differentially expressed during hippocampal development, and adult cD2 knock out (cD2KO) mice virtually lack neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus and olfactory bulb. In the present study we examined the dynamics of postnatal and adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus (DG) of cD2KO mice. Animals were injected with bromodeoxyuridine at seven time points during the first 10 months of life and brains were immunohistochemically analyzed for their potential to generate new neurons.

Results

Compared to their WT litters, cD2KO mice had considerably reduced numbers of newly born granule cells during the postnatal period, with neurogenesis becoming virtually absent around postnatal day 28. This was paralleled by a reduction in granule cell numbers, in the volume of the granule cell layer as well as in apoptotic cell death. CD2KO mice did not show any of the age-related changes in neurogenesis and granule cell numbers that were seen in WT litters.

Conclusions

The present study suggests that hippocampal neurogenesis becomes increasingly dependent on cD2 during early postnatal development. In cD2KO mice, hippocampal neurogenesis ceases at a time point at which the tertiary germinative matrix stops proliferating, indicating that cD2 becomes an essential requirement for ongoing neurogenesis with the transition from developmental to adult neurogenesis. Our data further support the notion that adult neurogenesis continuously adds new neurons to the hippocampal network, hence increasing cell density of the DG.
Validation of glypican-3-specific scFv isolated from paired display/secretory yeast display library
Authors: Li Yonghai , Siegel Donald L , Scholler Nathalie , Kaplan David E
Published: May 2012

Background

Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a heparan-sulfate proteoglycan frequently expressed on the cell membrane of malignant hepatocytes in hepatocellular carcinoma. The capacity for screening potential antibodies in vitro using human hepatocellular lines is critical to ensure binding to this highly post-translationally modified glycophosphatidylinositiol-linked protein. We hypothesized that we could utilize a recently described paired display/secretory yeast library to isolate human-derived scFv against glypican-3 for potential diagnostic and/or therapeutic application.

Results

Using two different biotinylated antigen targets, a synthesized 29mer fragment GPC3550-558and a truncated GPC3368-548fused with glutathione S-transferase (GST) we enriched the yeast display library to greater than 30% target-specific yeast with both positive selection and depletion of streptavidin- and GST-specific clones. After cloning of scFv cDNA from the enriched sub-library, scFv specificity was validated by ELISA for binding to recombinant protein from prokaryotic and eukaryotic sources and ultimately naturally presented human protein on the cell membrane of human hepatocellular cell lines. Specificity was confirmed using non-expressing cell lines and shRNA knockdown. Ultimately, five unique scFv with affinity EC50ranging from 5.0-110.9nM were identified.

Conclusions

Using a paired display/secretory yeast library, five novel and unique scFvs for potential humoral or chimeric therapeutic development in human hepatocellular carcinoma were isolated and characterized.
Treatment of chronic hemodialysis patients with low-dose fenofibrate effectively reduces plasma lipids and affects plasma redox status
Authors: Makówka Agnieszka , Dryja Przemysław , Chwatko Grażyna , Bald Edward , Nowicki Michał
Published: May 2012

Dyslipidemia is common in chronic hemodialysis patients and its underlying mechanism is complex. Hemodialysis causes an imbalance between antioxidants and production of reactive oxygen species, which induces the oxidative stress and thereby may lead to accelerated atherosclerosis. Statins have been found to be little effective in end-stage kidney disease and other lipid-lowering therapies have been only scarcely studied. The study aimed to assess the effect of low-dose fenofibrate therapy on plasma lipids and redox status in long-term hemodialysis patients with mild hypertriglyceridemia.

Twenty seven chronic hemodialysis patients without any lipid-lowering therapy were included in a double-blind crossover, placebo-controlled study. The patients were randomized into two groups and were given a sequence of either 100 mg of fenofibrate per each hemodialysis day for 4 weeks or placebo with a week-long wash-out period between treatment periods. Plasma lipids, high sensitive C-reactive protein (CRP), urea, creatinine, electrolytes, phosphocreatine kinase (CK), GOT, GPT and plasma thiols (total and free glutathione, homocysteine, cysteine and cysteinylglycine) were measured at baseline and after each of the study periods. Plasma aminothiols were measured by reversed phase HPLC with thiol derivatization with 2-chloro-1-methylquinolinium tetrafluoroborate.

Fenofibrate therapy caused a significant decrease of total serum cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and an increase of HDL cholesterol. The treatment was well tolerated with no side-effects but there was a small but significant increase of CK not exceeding the upper limit of normal range. There were no changes of serum CRP, potassium, urea, and creatinine and liver enzymes during the treatment. Neither total nor total free cysteinylglycine and cysteine changed during the study but both total and free glutathione increased during the therapy with fenofibrate and the same was observed in case of plasma homocysteine.

The study shows that a treatment with reduced fenofibrate dose is safe and effective in reducing serum triglycerides and cholesterol in chronic dialysis patients and may shift plasma aminothiol balance towards a more antioxidative pattern.
Decreased MHC I expression in IFN gamma mutant mice alters synaptic elimination in the spinal cord after peripheral injury
Authors: Victório Sheila CS , Cartarozzi Luciana P , Hell Rafaela CR , Oliveira Alexandre LR
Published: May 2012

Background

The histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I expression in the central nervous system (CNS) regulates synaptic plasticity events during development and adult life. Its upregulation may be associated with events such as axotomy, cytokine exposition and changes in neuron electrical activity. Since IFNγ is a potent inducer of the MHC I expression, the present work investigated the importance of this pro-inflammatory cytokine in the synaptic elimination process in the spinal cord, as well as the motor recovery of IFN−/−, following peripheral injury.

Methods

The lumbar spinal cords of C57BL/6J (wild type) and IFNγ−/− (mutant) mice, subjected to unilateral sciatic nerve transection, were removed and processed for immunohistochemistry and real time RT-PCR, while the sciatic nerves from animals subjected to unilateral crush, were submitted to immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy for counting of the axons. Gait recovery was monitored using the Cat Walk system. Newborn mice astrocyte primary cultures were established in order to study the astrocytic respose in the absence of the IFNγ expression.

Results

IFNγ−/− mutant mice showed a decreased expression of MHC I and β2-microglobulin mRNA coupled with reduced synaptophysin immunolabelling in the lesioned spinal cord segment. Following unilateral nerve transection, the Iba-1 (ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1) and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) reactivities increased equally in both strains. In vitro, the astrocytes demonstrated similar GFAP levels, but the proliferation rate was higher in the wild type mice. In the crushed nerves (distal stump), neurofilaments and p75NTR immunolabeling were upregulated in the mutant mice as compared to the wild type and an improvement in locomotor recovery was observed.

Conclusion

The present results show that a lack of IFNγ affects the MHC I expression and the synaptic elimination process in the spinal cord. Such changes, however, do not delay peripheral nerve regeneration after nerve injury.
Microarray-based uncovering reference genes for quantitative real time PCR in grapevine under abiotic stress
Authors: Coito João L , Rocheta Margarida , Carvalho Luísa , Amâncio Sara
Published: May 2012

Background

Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction is becoming the primary tool for detecting mRNA and transcription data analysis as it shows to have advantages over other more commonly used techniques. Nevertheless, it also presents a few shortcomings, with the most import being the need for data normalisation, usually with a reference gene. Therefore the choice of the reference gene(s) is of great importance for correct data analysis. Microarray data, when available, can be of great assistance when choosing reference genes. Grapevine was submitted to water stress and heat stress as well as a combination of both to test the stability of the possible reference genes.

Results

Using the analysis of microarray data available for grapevine, six possible reference genes were selected for RT-qPCR validation: PADCP, ubiq, TIF, TIF-GTP, VH1-IK, aladin-related. Two additional genes that are commonly used as reference genes were included: act and L2. The stability of those genes was tested in leaves of grapevine in both field plants and in greenhouse plants under water or heat stress or a combination of both. Gene stability was analyzed with the softwares GeNorm, NormFinder and the ΔCq method resulting in several combinations of reference genes suitable for data normalisation. In order to assess the best combination, the reference genes were tested in putative stress marker genes (PCO, Galsynt, BKCoAS and HSP17) also chosen from the same microarray, in water stress, heat stress and the combination of both.

Conclusions

Each method selected different gene combinations (PADCP + act, TIF + TIF-GTP and ubiq + act). However, as none of the combinations diverged significantly from the others used to normalize the expression of the putative stress marker genes, then any combination is suitable for data normalisation under the conditions tested. Here we prove the accuracy of choosing grapevine reference genes for RT-qPCR through a microarray analysis.
Inducible Cre transgenic mouse strain for skeletal muscle-specific gene targeting
Authors: McCarthy John J , Srikuea Ratchakrit , Kirby Tyler J , Peterson Charlotte A , Esser Karyn A
Published: May 2012

Background

The use of the Cre/loxP system for gene targeting has been proven to be a powerful tool for understanding gene function. The purpose of this study was to create and characterize an inducible, skeletal muscle-specific Cre transgenic mouse strain.

Methods

To achieve skeletal muscle-specific expression, the human α-skeletal actin promoter was used to drive expression of a chimeric Cre recombinase containing two mutated estrogen receptor ligand-binding domains.

Results

Western blot analysis, PCR and β-galactosidase staining confirmed that Cre-mediated recombination was restricted to limb and craniofacial skeletal muscles only after tamoxifen administration.

Conclusions

A transgenic mouse was created that allows inducible, gene targeting of floxed genes in adult skeletal muscle of different developmental origins. This new mouse will be of great utility to the skeletal muscle community.
History and citizenship education: Acentury old association; the Quebec experience
Authors: Laville Christian
Published: May 2012

We sometimes forget that since its birth as a scientific knowledge, not much more than a century ago, history has always been closely associated with the education of the citizen. This article intends to retrace not only the origins of this association, but also its evolution to present
time with a particular emphasis on its two main stages. It ends with an illustration of a current association between history and citizenship education in a school curriculum.
Agency, choice and historical action: How history teaching can help students think about democratic decision making
Authors: Barton Keith C.
Published: May 2012

At the heart of both historical understanding and democratic decision making is agency – the ability to act on decisions in order to bring about desired goals. Students are rarely exposed to the concept of agency in school, however. In order to better understand the complexity
of historical agency, students need exposure to a wider range of historical actors than has traditionally been found in history curricula, and they need to consider the societal factors that enabled or constrained their actions. They also need to recognize that people in the past were not
simply acted upon by historical forces but were themselves active participants in events and trends of the day. Such participation involved not only large-scale political involvement but everyday actions and decisions influencing the historical development of cultures and societies. No nation
or group, however, acts in complete unison, and students also need to learn about the diversity of perspectives and behaviours that characterized people in the past. By thinking about these issues, students should be better prepared to think about their own lives in the present, about their
ability to contribute to societal change and continuity, and about the consequences of their actions. This is one of the ways in which history education can contribute to students’ ability to engage in democratic decision making. Studying history in isolation, however, may not be enough
to enhance students’ participation in society. Instead, students need to develop a metacognitive awareness that agency is a lens for making sense of any social topic, past or present. They also need opportunities to explicitly connect historical agency to the choices that face people
today as they respond to social, economic, political and environmental issues.