bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chronic Morphine Increases Fos‐Positive Neurons After Concurrent Cornea and Tail Stimulation
Authors: Robbins Ashlee , Schmitt David , Winterson Barbara J. , Meng Ian D.
Published: September 2011

Objective.— The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of chronic morphine exposure on diffuse noxious inhibitory controls in a large population of neurons throughout the medullary dorsal horn, as assessed using immunocytochemistry for c‐Fos protein.

Background.— Overuse of medications, including the opioids, to treat migraine headache can lead to progressively more frequent headaches. In addition, chronic daily headache sufferers and chronic opioid users both lack the inhibition of pain produced by noxious stimulation of a distal body region, often referred to as diffuse noxious inhibitory controls.

Methods.— In urethane anesthetized rats, Fos‐positive neurons were quantified in chronic morphine and vehicle‐treated animals following 52°C noxious thermal stimulation of the cornea with and without the application of a spatially remote noxious stimulus (placement of the tail in 55°C water).

Results.— When compared to chronic morphine‐treated animals that did not receive the spatially remote noxious stimulus, chronic morphine‐treated animals given corneal stimulation along with the spatially remote noxious stimulus demonstrated a 163% increase (P < .05) in the number of Fos‐positive neurons in the superficial laminae of the medullary dorsal horn and a 682% increase (P < .01) in deep laminae that was restricted to the side ipsilateral to the applied stimulus. In contrast, no significant difference was found in Fos‐like immunoreactivity in vehicle‐treated animals given concurrent cornea and tail stimulation or only cornea stimulation in either superficial or deep laminae.

Conclusions.— It is proposed that an increase in descending facilitation and subsequent loss of diffuse noxious inhibitory controls contributes to the development of medication overuse headache.
Mechanisms of mitochondrial targeting of cytochrome P450 2E1: physiopathological role in liver injury and obesity
Authors: Knockaert Laetitia , Fromenty Bernard , Robin Marie‐Anne
Published: September 2011

There has been growing evidence that phase I metabolizing enzymes cytochromes P450 (CYPs) are not only located in the endoplasmic reticulum but also in other subcellular compartments and particularly in mitochondria. The presence of CYPs in these organelles raises questions regarding their metabolic role and their possible deleterious effects on the respiratory chain complexes and mitochondrial DNA. This review will focus on one particular CYP, CYP2E1, which represents a significant source of reactive oxygen species and is involved in the metabolism of small molecule substrates including ethanol, drugs and carcinogens. Since hepatic CYP2E1 expression is increased in different physiopathological situations such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and ethanol intoxication, the presence of significant levels of this CYP within the mitochondria could have major deleterious effects. This review recalls the main data that brought to the fore the presence of CYP2E1 in mitochondria and the mechanism of its targeting in this organelle. The potential pathological consequences linked to the presence of CYP2E1 in mitochondria will be subsequently discussed.
Fumarase: a paradigm of dual targeting and dual localized functions
Authors: Yogev Ohad , Naamati Adi , Pines Ophry
Published: September 2011

The enzyme fumarase is a conserved protein in all organisms with regard to its sequence, structure and function. This enzyme participates in the tricarboxylic acid cycle in mitochondria which is essential for cellular respiration in eukaryotes. However, a common theme conserved from yeast to humans is the existence of a cytosolic form of fumarase; hence this protein is dual localized. We have coined identical (or nearly identical) proteins situated in different subcellular locations ‘echoforms’ or ‘echoproteins’. Fumarase was the first example of a dual localized protein whose mechanism of distribution was found to be based on a single translation product. Consequently, fumarase has become a paradigm for three unique eukaryotic cellular phenomena related to protein dual localization: (a) distribution between mitochondria and the cytoplasm involves reverse translocation; (b) targeting to mitochondria involves translation coupled import; and (c) there are two echoforms possessing distinct functions in the respective subcellular compartments. Here we describe and discuss these fumarase related phenomena and in addition point out approaches for studying dual function of distributed proteins, in particular compartment‐specific depletion. In the case of fumarase, the cytoplasmic function was only recently discovered; the enzyme was found to participate in the cellular response to DNA double strand breaks. Strikingly, upon DNA damage the protein is transported from the cytosol to the nucleus, where by virtue of its enzymatic activity it participates in the DNA damage response.
Health reform: Is routinely collected electronic information fit for purpose?
Authors: Liaw Siaw‐Teng , Chen Huei‐Yang , Maneze Della , Taggart Jane , Dennis Sarah , Vagholkar Sanjyot , Bunker Jeremy
Published: September 2011

Objective: Little has been reported about the completeness and accuracy of data in existing Australian clinical information systems. We examined the accuracy of the diagnoses of some chronic diseases in an ED information system (EDIS), a module of the NSW Health electronic medical record (EMR), and the consistency of the reports generated by the EMR.

Methods: A list of ED attendees and those admitted was generated from the EDIS, using specific (e.g. angina) and possible clinical terms (e.g. chest pain) for the selected chronic diseases. This EDIS list was validated with an audit of discharge summaries, and compared with a list generated, using similar specific and possible Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine – Clinical Terms (SNOMED‐CT), from the underlying EMR database.

Results: Of the 33 115 ED attendees, 2559 had diabetes mellitus (DM), cardiovascular disease or asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; of these 2559, 876 were admitted. Discharge summaries were missing for 12–15% of patients. Only three‐quarters or fewer of the diagnoses were confirmed by the discharge summary audit, best for DM and worst for cardiovascular disease. Proportion of agreement between the lists generated from the EDIS and EMR was best for DM and worst for asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are technical, such as use of different extraction terms or system inconsistency; or clinical, such as data entry, decision‐making, professional behaviour and organizational performance.

Conclusions: Variations in information quality and consistency of the EDIS/EMR raise concerns about the ‘fitness for purpose’ of the information for care and planning, information sharing, research and quality assurance.
Numerical Solution for Water Table Rise Estimation Behind Deep Underground Dam
Authors: El‐Hames A. S.
Published: September 2011

A comprehensive numerical approach has been developed to solve the transient groundwater level changes due to the construction of underground dams. This method assumes no flow takes place through the dam and does not require knowledge of either the dam hydraulic properties or information about downstream water table changing level or aquifer geometry beyond the dam site. It couples the solution of the general groundwater flow equation with a modified equation derived at the lower boundary nodes of the simulated domain. The robustness of this method has been tested against simulations of the full groundwater equation for different time periods of up to 50 years with different aquifer characteristics. Comparison shows good agreement between the developed model outputs and the full groundwater flow equation simulated results, under the different simulated scenarios.
Flow Injection Assessment of Nitrate Contents in Fresh and Cooked Fruits and Vegetables Grown in Fiji
Authors: Prasad Surendra , Chetty Adrian A.
Published: September 2011

Abstract:  Nitrates form part of the essential chemistry of soils and plants. Thus, plant roots are able to absorb nitrate directly from the soil. It has been discovered that human nitrate intake is mainly from vegetables. Vegetables play an important role in human nutrition since they are an outstanding source for vitamins, minerals, and biologically active compounds. In risk assessment of nitrate contents, this study reports the nitrate levels of 8 commonly consumed fruits and vegetables grown in Fiji, tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), eggplant (Solanum melongena), capsicum (Capsicum annuum var. grossum), breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis), long bean (Vigna sesquipedalis), jackfruit (A. heterophyllus), pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo), and cucumber (Cucumis sativus). The effects of different types of cooking methods, baking, boiling, and frying, have also been studied. The validated flow injection analysis technique has been used to quantify the nitrate‐N levels in the chosen products following nitrate extraction using the activated carbon technique. The mean values of nitrate levels in fresh products ranged from 25.83 to 281.02 mg NO3− kg−1. The study shows that boiling reduced nitrate contents by 65.37% to 25.25%. The frying in soy bean oil elevated nitrate contents from 354.79% to 86.69%, but after baking, nitrate contents remained almost constant with slight increasing trend in the case of tomato (19.97%). The nitrate levels published in the literature for the same types of fruits and vegetables studied have also been reviewed and compared. The average nitrate‐N values were comparable or lower than overseas data, but did not present unpredictably high values, that is, they were below the risk level.
Role of Glassy State on Stabilities of Freeze‐Dried Probiotics
Authors: Santivarangkna Chalat , Aschenbrenner Mathias , Kulozik Ulrich , Foerst Petra
Published: September 2011

Abstract:  High viability of dried probiotics is of great importance for immediate recovery of activity in fermented foods and for health‐promoting effects of nutraceuticals. The conventional process for the production of dried probiotics is freeze‐drying. However, loss of viability occurs during the drying and storage of the dried powder. It is believed that achieving the “glassy state” is necessary for survival, and the glassy state should be retained during freezing, drying, and storage of cells. Insight into the role of glassy state has been largely adopted from studies conducted with proteins and foods. However, studies on the role of glassy state particularly with probiotic cells are on the increase, and both common and explicit findings have been reported. Current understanding of the role of the glassy state on viability of probiotics is not only valuable for the production of fermented foods and nutraceuticals but also for the development of nonfermented functional foods that use the dried powder as an adjunct. Therefore, the aim of this review is to bring together recent findings on the role of glassy state on survival of probiotics during each step of production and storage. The prevailing state of knowledge and recent finding are discussed. The major gaps of knowledge have been identified and the perspective of ongoing and future research is addressed.
LONG MEMORY IN THE VOLATILITY OF AN EMERGING FIXED‐INCOME MARKET: EVIDENCE FROM SOUTH AFRICA
Authors: THUPAYAGALE PAKO
Published: September 2011

This paper tests for long memory in volatility of fixed‐income returns; specifically, South Africa's local currency 10‐year government bond, given that the characterisation of stochastic long‐memory volatility is of interest and importance in portfolio and risk management. The long‐memory parameter is estimated using methods based on wavelets, which have gained prominence in recent years. Evidence of long memory in fixed‐income return volatility is conclusively demonstrated across a variety of volatility measures and wavelet forms. This finding suggests a pattern of time dependence, which may potentially be exploited to generate improved volatility forecasting performance especially over long horizons. This paper further extends the extant literature by comparing the predictive power of long‐memory forecasts with those obtained from a standard (short‐memory) generalised autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) process. The results of this exercise suggest that the information content of long‐memory models does not lead to improved forecast accuracy. The GARCH(1,1) model is shown to provide the best forecasts across most horizons (i.e. daily, weekly and monthly). Forecast performance is further revealed to be sensitive to the choice of volatility proxy used. Finally, the derived volatility forecasts are generally very close, and in some cases, almost indistinguishable.
Political Decorating and Branding: A Historical Retrospective of the oval office Interiors from 1934 to 2010
Authors: Brooks Darrin S.
Published: September 2011

The Oval Office, the White House locus of the president's formal office, is one of the most well–known interiors in the world. It is part of a living museum, where rules and tradition often dictate the placement of furniture and objects, yet the décor changes as each president and spouse guide its decoration in their attempts to create or reinforce a particular political identity as a part of a strategy referred to as political branding. This paper will examine the Oval Office for over 76 years and will discuss the manner in which décor and politics have joined and created four patterns established in this research as branding strategies over time. This particular time period was chosen because it covers the inception of the Oval Office in its permanent location through the present. The methodology of this paper is qualitative. Each of the 13 presidential administrations’ use of furniture, color, window treatments, rugs, and emblems is examined to reveal the four patterns identified in this research as branding strategies. These four branding strategies are classified as either symbolic, static, personal or expunged, and propose a new framework to view the décor of the 13 Oval Offices.
Exploring Theories Identified in the Journal of Interior Design
Authors: Clemons Stephanie A. , Eckman Molly J.
Published: September 2011

This study identified the need for theory building within interior design through the examination of content published in the Journal of Interior Design. From 1975 to 1991, the iournal was called the Journal of Interior Design Education and Research ( JIDER) and then in 1992 was renamed the Journal of Interior Design (JID). Specifically, the purpose of this study was to identify all the theories reported in JIDER/JID from 1975 to 2008 to explore the extent to which theory is represented and applied to interior design and to identify any theories unique to the field. This journal was selected since it represents a refereed journal dedicated to the design of interior environments and serves as a credible source to explore the presence of theory in the body of knowledge. The findings identified that the theories, reported in JID, were primarily borrowed from the social sciences. In addition, the findings provided sample definitions of interior design theories cited in JID, and offered suggestions concerning why there is limited theory cited. Finally, themes and subthemes emerged that shaped a model, which offers a representative image of theory in JID and the presence of theory in the body of knowledge. This study is but the first stage in the process of identifying and building theory specific to interior design. Future areas of research are suggested to shape additional conversations concerning interior design scholarship focused on theory building and development.
Granulosa thecal cell tumour in a mare causing hypertrophic osteopathy
Authors: Packer M. , McKane S.
Published: September 2011

Hypertrophic osteopathy (HO) is a rare condition in the horse characterised by symmetrical proliferation of connective tissue and subperiosteal bone, along the diaphyses of limb bones. In this case, a 10‐year‐old Irish Draught cross Thoroughbred mare was presented for investigation of weight loss, lethargy and firm swelling of all 4 distal limbs. Radiographs of the distal limbs revealed palisade‐like periosteal new bone formation perpendicular to the cortex of the distal third metacarpal and metatarsal bones, proximal (P1) and mid (P2) phalanges. Rectal examination revealed a mass of approximately 20 x 30 cm in the right caudoventral abdomen. The mare was diagnosed with HO due to a granulosa thecal cell (GTC) tumour. The GTC tumour was removed and the diagnosis confirmed on histological examination. Clinical examination and radiographs of the distal limbs after surgery demonstrated reduction in size of the limb swellings and new bone formation. To the authors' knowledge this is the first report of HO due to a GTC tumour in a mare.
A solution to the St Petersburg paradox
Authors: Treisman Michel
Published: September 2011

‘The St Petersburg paradox’ refers to a gamble which can be shown to have an infinite expected value but which gamblers are normally loth to pay more than a small sum to play. A number of explanations have been put forward for this, which are briefly considered, and an alternative is offered.
Interval‐scale measurement of attitudes: Some theoretical conditions and empirical testing methods
Authors: Westermann Rainer
Published: September 2011

Thurstone's and Likert's methods of attitude‐scale construction and Osgood's semantic differential technique are analysed from a measurement theoretical point of view. It is shown that the resulting attitude scores are measurements of interval‐scale type only if four conditions are satisfied. For the Likert and Osgood scales, these conditions can only be fulfilled if the standard scaling procedures are modified. Thurstone scales are of interval‐scale type, if some axioms from measurement theory are not violated empirically with respect to the scale values derived for the statements. These deterministic axioms can be tested by deriving statistical hypotheses and taking the Neyman‐Pearson theory of significance tests as an error theory.
Estimation of factor scores with polytomous data by the EM algorithm
Authors: Shi Jian‐Qing , Lee Sik‐Yum
Published: September 2011

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the application of the EM algorithm for obtaining a Bayesian estimate of the factor score in a factor analysis model with polytomous data. The posterior distribution of the latent factor score given the manifest continuous or polytomous observations is derived, and then the EM algorithm is utilized to find the posterior mode estimate of the distribution. It is shown that both the E‐step and the M‐step of the algorithm are very simple. An expression for the covariance matrix of the posterior distribution is derived. Results of a simulation study are presented to illustrate some properties of the estimate and the EM algorithm.
Analysis of structural equation models with censored data
Authors: Poon Wai‐Yin , Lee Sik‐Yum , Tang Man‐Lai
Published: September 2011

A two‐stage estimation procedure for analyses of structural equation models with censored data is developed in this paper. The first stage involves the partition maximum likelihood estimation of the unstructured covariance matrix. It is shown that the joint asymptotic distribution of these parameter estimates is multivariate normal. An analytic expression for the asymptotic covariance matrix is derived. In the second stage, the structural parameters are estimated by means of the generalized least squares approach with an appropriately specified weight matrix. A simulation study is conducted to study the performance of the proposed approach and to compare it with that of LISCOMP.
FROM SUPERCURRENTS TO SOFT TERMS
Authors: ZHENG SIBO , HUANG JIA-HUI
Published: September 2011

In this paper conformal hidden sectors of Ferrara–Zumino multiplets are investigated in framework of gravity mediation. The two-point correlator of Ferrara–Zumino multiplets can be parametrized, which implies the wave function renormalizations of components fields in gravity supermultiplet can be evaluated in relatively simple form. Soft terms are calculated via supercurrent approach. We find gaugino masses are independent of sfermion masses on general grounds. The unification of gaugino masses is not universal. In comparison with general gauge mediation, there are no sum rules for sfermion masses of each generation.
The Dilute Magnetic and Optical Properties of Mn-Doped ZnO Nanowires
Authors: Ma Xiying , Lou Caoxin
Published: September 2011

We present a study of the dilute magnetic and optical properties of Mn-doped ZnO nanowires (Nws) fabricated by means of a liquid phase evaporation deposition process. The samples were grown using a mixed Zn/Mn liquid source with a mol ratio of Mn 10% in a constant O2/Ar gas at 580°C. The nanowires show a strong UV emission at 405 nm and a blue emission at 433 nm in the photoluminescence spectrum. In addition, they present a strong reversible smooth ferromagnetic hysteresis loop at room temperature, and the corresponding saturation magnetization Msis up to 0.015 emu/g Oe, showing that the nanowires are of a ferromagnetism semiconductor (DMS). With the strong magnetic and photoluminescence properties, ZnO : Mn Nws will be used in fields of making electromagnetic devices and magneto-optical storage devices.
Recent Advances in Quartz Crystal Microbalance-Based Sensors
Authors: Vashist Sandeep Kumar , Vashist Priya
Published: September 2011

Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) has gained exceptional importance in the fields of (bio)sensors, material science, environmental monitoring, and electrochemistry based on the phenomenal development in QCM-based sensing during the last two decades. This review provides an overview of recent advances made in QCM-based sensors, which have been widely employed in a plethora of applications for the detection of chemicals, biomolecules and microorganisms.
Highly Selective Deethylation of Rhodamine B on Prepared in Supercritical Fluids
Authors: Fan Yuzun , Chen Guoping , Li Dongmei , Luo Yanhong , Lock Nina , Jensen Anca Paduraru , Mamakhel Aref , Mi Jianli , Iversen Steen B. , Meng Qingbo , Iversen Bo B.
Published: September 2011

Pure phase anatase TiO2nanoparticles with sizes of 5–8 nm and varying crystallinity were synthesized in supercritical isopropanol/water using a continuous flow reactor. Their photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) was evaluated under visible light irradiation. The as-prepared TiO2nanoparticles show much higher photodegradation efficiencies than commercial Degussa P25 TiO2. Moreover, the photodegradation of RhB on the as-prepared TiO2follows a different process from that on P25 TiO2, quicker N-deethylation and slower cleavage of conjugated chromophore structure. Based on PXRD, TEM, and BET measurements, these two photodegradation properties have been explained by the physicochemical properties of TiO2.
Power of Data Mining Methods to Detect Genetic Associations and Interactions
Authors: Molinaro Annette M. , Carriero Nicholas , Bjornson Robert , Hartge Patricia , Rothman Nathaniel , Chatterjee Nilanjan
Published: September 2011

Background: Genetic association studies, thus far, have focused on the analysis of individual main effects of SNP markers. Nonetheless, there is a clear need for modeling epistasis or gene-gene interactions to better understand the biologic basis of existing associations. Tree-based methods have been widely studied as tools for building prediction models based on complex variable interactions. An understanding of the power of such methods for the discovery of genetic associations in the presence of complex interactions is of great importance. Here, we systematically evaluate the power of three leading algorithms: random forests (RF), Monte Carlo logic regression (MCLR), and multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR). Methods: We use the algorithm-specific variable importance measures (VIMs) as statistics and employ permutation-based resampling to generate the null distribution and associated p values. The power of the three is assessed via simulation studies. Additionally, in a data analysis, we evaluate the associations between individual SNPs in pro-inflammatory and immunoregulatory genes and the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Results: The power of RF is highest in all simulation models, that of MCLR is similar to RF in half, and that of MDR is consistently the lowest. Conclusions: Our study indicates that the power of RF VIMs is most reliable. However, in addition to tuning parameters, the power of RF is notably influenced by the type of variable (continuous vs. categorical) and the chosen VIM.
Identification, phylogeny and phylogeography of circumfenestrate cyst nematodes (Nematoda: Heteroderidae) as inferred from analysis of ITS-rDNA
Authors: Subbotin Sergei A. , Prado Vera Ignacio Cid Del , Mundo-Ocampo Manuel , Baldwin James G.
Published: September 2011

Some 134 ITS rRNA gene sequences for circumfenestrate cyst nematodes and two
sequences for non-cyst nematodes of the family Heteroderidae, of which 46
were newly obtained, were analysed by phylogenetic and phylogeographic
methods. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis combined with known
morphological, biological and geographical data allowed the identification,
amongst samples original to this study, of several belonging to known valid
species as well as others that might be new species. The phylogenetic
analysis revealed six major clades for circumfenestrate cyst nematodes:
i) Globodera from South and North America;
ii) Globodera from Europe, Asia,
Africa and Oceania; iii) Paradolichodera;
iv) Punctodera; v)
Cactodera; and vi)
Betulodera. Monophylies of Punctodera,
Cactodera and Betulodera were highly
supported. The Betulodera clade occupied a basal position
on all trees. Phylogeographic analysis suggested a North American origin of
Punctoderinae with possible further long distance dispersal to South
America, Africa and other regions. Molecular data supported synonymisation
of G. achilleae with G. millefolii and of
G. hypolysi with G. artemisiae.
PCR-RFLP diagnostic profiles for some Globodera and
Cactodera species are given. Problems of diagnostics
for Globodera species using PCR with specific primers are
discussed.
Re-evaluation of the life-cycle of the nematode-parasitic bacterium Pasteuria penetrans in root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne spp.
Authors: Davies Keith G. , Rowe Janet , Manzanilla-López Rosa , Opperman Charles H.
Published: September 2011

Comparisons of the growth of Pasteuria penetrans in adult
root-knot nematode females infected with P. penetrans
dissected from the roots of tomato plants were undertaken using bright-field
and scanning electron microscopy. Samples of infected females were
nutritionally compromised by maintaining them in sterile saline at 30°C for
different periods of time following their removal from the root system.
Observations of these females maintained in saline revealed a series of
growth stages of Pasteuria hitherto not documented,
consisting of rhizoids, rod-like bacilli and granular masses. A new
life-cycle for Pasteuria is described consisting of three
phases: Phase I: attachment and germination; Phase II: rhizoid production
and exponential growth; and Phase III: sporogenesis. These newly observed
stages of the life cycle show a high degree of similarity to the
developmental stages seen in other Bacillus spp.
Osmotic responses of different strains of Steinernema carpocapsae
Authors: Yan Xun , De Clercq Patrick , Han Richou , Jones John , Chen Shulong , Moens Maurice
Published: September 2011

A solution consisting of a mixture of glycerol and fortified artificial
seawater was used to induce partial anhydrobiosis at 15°C in different
strains of Steinernema carpocapsae. All the strains tested
were tolerant to the osmotic solution and the survival and infectivity of
the nematodes were not influenced. The osmotic treatment greatly improved
heat tolerance of all the tested strains but the heat tolerance of
S. carpocapsae MR7 was significantly poorer than that
of the other strains. This method could be used to induce S.
carpocapsae into partial anhydrobiosis and thereby improve
storage of the nematodes. Expression patterns of stress-related genes after
osmotic treatment were compared in a heat tolerant strain (All) and a more
heat sensitive strain (MR7) after induction of anhydrobiosis. Differences in
gene expression after induction of anhydrobiosis between strain MR7 and All
were observed that may be related to differences in subsequent heat
tolerance.
Requirements of non-haem iron and haem iron in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Zhao Yang , Nancy Lu C.
Published: September 2011

Both non-haem iron (iron salt) and haem iron (cytochrome c) are components of the Caenorhabditis elegans Maintenance Medium (CeMM). However, the quantitative requirements of non-haem iron and its relationship with haem iron were unknown. A basal medium was prepared with both non-haem iron and haem iron eliminated from the CeMM. After being pre-cultured in this basal medium, C. elegans were inoculated into a 3 × 5 factorial design of experimental media, consisting of five levels of non-haem iron (0, 0.0672, 0.336, 8.40 and 210 μg ml–1) and three levels of cytochrome c (0, 50.0 and 500 μg ml–1). The population growth of C. elegans in various experimental media was counted at day 28, and the iron uptake (ng (1000 nematodes)–1) and percentage iron absorption (total iron in nematode tissue/total iron in original media) of the nematodes were analysed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). At 0 μg ml–1 iron and 0 μg ml–1 cytochrome c, the population growth (2530±220 nematodes ml–1) was very poor. At 0 μg ml –1 cytochrome c, as iron level increased to 8.40 μg ml–1, the nematode population increased to 5980±530 nematodes ml–1. At 0 μg ml–1 iron, as cytochrome c level increased from 0 to 500 μg ml–1, the population growth was greatly increased from 2530±220 nematodes ml–1 to 45 900±3600 nematodes ml–1. Under the experimental conditions, the highest population growth (258 000±9000 nematodes ml–1) was achieved at 8.40 μg ml–1 iron and 500 μg ml–1 cytochrome c, suggesting an additive requirement of non-haem and haem iron. As the concentration of iron further increased from 8.40 to 210 μg ml–1, significant declines in nematode population were observed, indicating iron toxicity. Based on the Atomic Absorption analysis, the iron uptake by C. elegans increased when either non-haem or haem iron concentration increased in the media. At 0 μg ml–1 cytochrome c, the percentage iron absorption decreased from 7.39 to 0.118% with the increase of iron concentration (0-210 μg ml–1) in the media. This observation was in accordance with the 'mucosal block' theory. At 50.0 and 500 μg ml–1 cytochrome c, the percentage iron absorption greatly increased, and percentage iron absorption reached a maximum of 85.9% when media contained 0.336 μg ml–1 iron and 50.0 μg ml–1 cytochrome c, indicating an optimal percentage iron absorption in C. elegans.
“The Mutual Flame of Love”: Spiritual Marriage in Shakespeare’s The Phoenix and Turtle
Authors: Beauregard David
Published: September 2011

The main thesis of this essay is that The Phoenix and Turtle is a poetic definition of the “truth of love,” or perfect love, incorporating various medieval traditions. Starting from an examination of the context of the overall collection containing poems by Jonson, Marston, and Shakespeare, my argument is that the roots of this conception of perfect love lie not only in scholastic sources regarding the union of persons in the Trinity, but also in the confluence of three other lines of medieval Catholic tradition: the literary traditions of mystical union, spiritual friendship, and spiritual marriage.
Tim Gautreaux’s The Missing: Journeys of Vengeance or Belonging?
Authors: Nisly L. Lamar
Published: September 2011

Louisiana Catholic author Tim Gautreaux engages questions of violence and revenge in his two most recent novels, The Clearing (2003) and The Missing (2009). In particular, engaging the popular myth of redemptive violence, The Missing explores the attractiveness of this idea before ultimately revealing the falseness of this simplistic approach to evil. This essay draws on Catholic social teaching as well as theologian Walter Wink’s analysis of redemptive violence to investigate the critique of revenge revealed in the novel. Through the protagonist Sam Simoneaux’s wrestling with the possibility of revenge juxtaposed with his uncle’s quiet Catholic-infused teaching, the novel reveals that a journey toward reclaiming a painful past is only possible if the siren song of vengeance is resisted.
The Evolution of Hazing: Motivational Mechanisms and the Abuse of Newcomers
Authors: Cimino Aldo
Published: September 2011

Hazing - the abuse of new or prospective group members - is a widespread and puzzling feature of human social behavior, occurring in divergent cultures and across levels of technological complexity. Some past research has examined the effect of hazing on hazees, but no experimental work has been performed to examine the motivational causes of hazing. This paper has two primary objectives. First, it synthesizes a century of theory on severe initiations and extracts three primary explanatory themes. Second, it examines the dynamics of enduring human coalitions to generate an evolutionary theory of hazing. Two laboratory experiments suggest that one potential function of hazing is to reduce newcomers’ ability to free ride around group entry. These results are discussed in light of two common but largely untested explanations of hazing.
Towards a Catholic Understanding of Baptist Congregationalism: Conciliar Power and Authority
Authors: Bakker Henk
Published: September 2011

Baptist Theologies allegedly show little interest in formal statements about the ministerial office. Baptist churches commonly share the congregational Church vision, and by definition try to avoid any trace of conformity to hierarchy. In this article we explore the possibility of redefining and broadening the notion of congregationalism by principles of conciliar life, as demonstrated in pre-Nicene Northern Africa, more specifically in Cyprian’s era. Cyprian c.s. carefully tried to listen to singing and praying communal voices (lex orandi, lex credenda), and ‘discerning the mind of Christ’ was indicative of involving the voice of the community (suffragium populi), even in matters of ecclesial election, such as the election of clergy.
‘Structural Indifference’ and Compatibilism in Reformed Orthodoxy
Authors: Helm Paul
Published: September 2011

In Reformed Thought on Freedom the Scotian apparatus of synchronic contingency, structural indifference, and logical moments is deployed in an attempt to show that the Reformed Orthodox espoused Scotian freedom of indifference as an intrinsic feature of their anthropology. It is counter-argued that the sense given to ‘structural indifference’ is at odds with the Orthodox commitment to indifference in the divided sense. Further, recent commentators misunderstand the divided sense only as the Reformed Orthodox use it. Finally it is briefly argued that the Orthodox use of the contrast between being free and being constrained, and their criteria for moral accountability, are consistent with certain forms of compatibilism. So it is a reasonable presumption that as regards human freedom, the Orthodox favoured a version of compatibilism.
The Dialectics and Therapeutics of Desire in Maximus the Confessor
Authors: Blowers Paul M.
Published: September 2011

Maximus the Confessor’s Ambiguum 7 has long been considered the anchor of a substantial refutation of Origenist cosmology and teleology, with Maximus still seeking to rehabilitate the ascetical “gospel” of Origen. Yet in commenting on Gregory Nazianzen’s Oration 14 in Ambiguum 7, Maximus acknowledges that Gregory is dealing less with the scheme of human origins per se than with the miseries attending life in the body, which opens up the whole question of how embodied, passible human existence is the frontier of human salvation and deification. I argue that for Maximus human desire in all its cosmological and psychosomatic complexity—both as a register of creaturely passibility and affectivity, and as integral to the definition of human volition and freedom—is central to the subtle dialectic of activity and passivity in the creaturely transitus to deification. The morally malleable character of desire and the passions, and their ambiguous but ultimately purposive status within the economy of human transformation, decisively manifest the divine resourcefulness in fulfilling the mystery of deification—especially in view of Christ’s use of human passibility in inaugurating the new eschatological “mode” (tropos) of human nature. In his engagement of Gregory of Nyssa, in particular, Maximus develops a sophisticated dialectics and therapeutics of desire that integrates important perspectives of the Confessor’s anthropology, christology, eschatology, and asceticism.
Rebuilding the Ship while at Sea Introduction to the Special Issue on Nepal's Constitution Writing Process
Authors: Føllesdal Andreas
Published: September 2011

In order to understand the recent political and constitutional events of Nepal, and to discern feasible and fair ways to move forward, it is essential to consider the complex composition, circumstances and potential for conflicts by and among the many groups and minorities that constitute the people of Nepal. The future inclusion of marginalised groups requires the drafters of the Constitution to attend closely to various models and mechanisms for managing group claims and conflicts. They include a federal Nepal, various group rights, and a voting system of proportional representation. Closer scrutiny reveals that these demands may be interpreted and institutionalised in several ways consistent with the objectives and needs of the population, especially the desire to prevent domination by a predatory centre, and to bolster local autonomy. To understand and facilitate these developments, the present special issue explores several perspectives and analyses.
Ethnic Identity, Participation and Social Justice: A Constitution for New Nepal?
Authors: Ghai Yash
Published: September 2011

For nearly two centuries Nepal has been governed under the hegemony of three upper caste communities: Brahmins, Chettries and Newars. Under the influence of Hinduism and the monarchy, other communities, Dalits, women, indigenous peoples and the people of the southern parts were marginalised. Struggles of democracy in the 1950s were less about social justice than the access of the elite communities to increasing shares in the spoils and administration of the state, which was achieved in the 1990 Constitution. The Maoist rebellion in the mid 1990s seriously hampered the working of the Constitution, although not the hegemony of the upper caste communities. The uprising of the people against the King in April 2006 changed the context of that rebellion, accelerated the ceasefire and introduced a new constitutional agenda, based on social justice and the inclusion of the marginalised community in the affairs and institutions of the state. However, despite the overthrow of the monarchy, a multi-party government, of parties committed to fundamental state restructuring, progress towards a new dispensation has been slow. A new Constitution should have been adopted by April 2010 by an elected, representative Constituent Assembly but disagreements between the former elites, still firmly in control of politics, has diverted attention from constitutional reform.
Between Demos and Ethnos: The Nepal Constitution and Indigenous Rights
Authors: Langford Malcolm , Jones Peris
Published: September 2011

This article examines the contested reception of the Convention concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries (“ILO Convention 169”) in Nepal, particularly in the context of current constitutional reform and post-conflict economic development. Compelling evidence suggests that exclusionary political institutions, laws and structures have been the major cause of exclusion in contemporary Nepal. While Nepal is home to a range of different ethnic, language, religious and caste-based groups, the Adivasi Janajati (around 37 per cent of the population) consider themselves indigenous peoples. With such a sizeable minority, Nepal was the first and so far only Asian country to ratify the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention 169, which has considerable significance in a context of state restructuring and the accommodation of indigenous rights. The form of recognition of indigenous rights in the constitutional drafting process has created much heat, particularly over questions of autonomy and federalism, control over natural resources and land and quotas for political representation, but with less light concerning political consensus. The ILO Convention 169 has figured prominently in this process with various interpretations by different actors. Reconciling international meanings of this treaty with national interpretations used for political purposes in Nepal foregrounds a paradox existing between liberalism (in the form of rights and freedoms) and equality (democracy). Through a range of disciplinary methods, this article analyses the background to indigenous demands, the political and legal contestation over the interpretation of ILO 169 and the specific case of natural resources.
Constitutional Rights and Social Exclusion in Nepal
Authors: Langford Malcolm , Bhattarai Ananda Mohan
Published: September 2011

In Nepal, poverty is highly correlated with an individual's ethnicity, caste, language, religion or membership in an indigenous group. In the drafting of the new Constitution, many have called for inclusion of socio-economic and affirmative action rights in order to address social inequalities. This article sets out to assess these demands in an international and domestic context. After this socio-political background is set out in the introduction, section 2 provides a comparative and international analysis of the debates, trends and jurisprudence concerning the constitutional inclusion of equality and socio-economic rights. Section 3 examines the constitutional history of Nepal on this topic with a particular focus on the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court, and section 4 assesses the consequences of this experience for the constitutional drafting process. Section 5 analyses the current draft bill of rights and provides some thoughts on the possible future directions for the constitutional drafting and jurisprudential responses.
A New Assessment of the Predictability of Tropical Cyclone Tracks
Authors: Plu Matthieu
Published: September 2011

The inherent predictability of tropical cyclone tracks has received much attention since the 1980s. It is still an issue because of the recent improvement of track forecasts by numerical models. The aim of this study is to assess this predictability limit globally using an approach devised by Lorenz on several up-to-date numerical models. The differences between forecasts valid at the same instant are considered to be error values; the doubling time of these small errors leads to an estimated upper bound on predictability. This method is here applied on cyclone position forecasts obtained from three different global operational models (from ECMWF, Météo-France, and the Met Office) over the main tropical cyclone basins in the world and during three recent cyclone seasons (2006–09).

The resulting estimates of predictability largely exceed the values that are commonly accepted in the literature. The doubling time of small errors is found between 30 and 50 h. An important consequence is that cyclone track forecasts have not reached their predictability limit yet. It is argued that the previous methods for computing the predictability of tropical cyclone tracks did not constrain the environment and the structure of the cyclones initially. But the Lorenz method could still underestimate the inherent predictability of tropical cyclone tracks. The sensitivity of the predictability estimates to the model characteristics is discussed. In particular, the use of wind bogus is suggested to avoid serial correlations between successive forecasts and to accelerate error growth.
Low-Frequency Climate Response of Quasigeostrophic Wind-Driven Ocean Circulation
Authors: Abramov Rafail V. , Majda Andrew J.
Published: September 2011

Linear response to external perturbation through the fluctuation–dissipation theorem has recently become a popular topic in the climate research community. It relates an external perturbation of climate dynamics to climate change in a simple linear fashion, which provides key insight into physics of the climate change phenomenon. Recently, the authors developed a suite of linear response algorithms for low-frequency response of large-scale climate dynamics to external perturbation, including the novel blended response algorithm, which combines the geometrically exact general response formula using integration of a linear tangent model at short response times and the classical quasi-Gaussian response algorithm at longer response times, overcoming numerical instability of the tangent linear model for longer times due to positive Lyapunov exponents. Here, the authors apply the linear response framework to several leading empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) of a quasigeostrophic model of wind-driven ocean circulation. It is demonstrated that the actual nonlinear response of this system under external perturbation at leading EOFs can be predicted by the linear response algorithms with adequate skill with moderate errors; in particular, the blended response algorithm has a pattern correlation with the ideal response operator on the four leading EOFs of the mean state response of 94% after 5 yr. In addition, interesting properties of the mean flow response to large-scale changes in wind stress at the leading EOFs are observed.
Filtering Partially Observed Multiscale Systems with Heterogeneous Multiscale Methods–Based Reduced Climate Models
Authors: Kang Emily L. , Harlim John
Published: September 2011

This paper presents a fast reduced filtering strategy for assimilating multiscale systems in the presence of observations of only the macroscopic (or large scale) variables. This reduced filtering strategy introduces model errors in estimating the prior forecast statistics through the (heterogeneous multiscale methods) HMM-based reduced climate model as an alternative to the standard expensive (direct numerical simulation) DNS-based fully resolved model. More importantly, this approach is not restricted to any analysis (or Bayesian updating) step from various ensemble-based filters. In a regime where there is a distinctive separation of scales, high filtering skill is obtained through applying the HMM alone with any desirable analysis step from ensemble Kalman filters. When separation of scales is not apparent as typically observed in geophysical turbulent systems, an additional procedure is proposed to reinitialize the microscopic variables to statistically reflect pseudo-observations that are constructed based on the unbiased estimates of the macroscopic variables. Specifically, these pseudo-observations are constructed offline from the conditional distributions of the microscopic forcing to the macroscopic dynamics given the macroscopic variables with the method-of-moments estimator. This HMM-based filter is comparable to the more expensive standard DNS-based filter on a stringent test bed, the two-layer Lorenz’96 model, in various regimes of scale gap, including the not so apparent one. This high filtering skill is robust in the presence of additional model errors through inconsistent pseudo-observations and even when macroscopic observations are spatially incomplete.