bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“Hummus is best when it is fresh and made by Arabs”: The gourmetization of hummus in Israel and the return of the repressed Arab
Authors: HIRSCH DAFNA
Published: November 2011

In this article, I examine the “cultural biography” of hummus in Israel from the Mandate period to the present, focusing on the changing place of Arabness in the signification of the dish. Contrary to accounts that regard food consumption as metonymic of political relations, I argue that, because food items move in several fields, both their consumption and signification are overdetermined processes. Rather than taking hummus to be the essential “food of the Other,” I show that the Arab identity of hummus functions as a resource, employed by social actors embedded in various political, social, and economic projects.
TurboConsumers™ in paradise: Tourism, civil rights, and Brazil's gay sex industry
Authors: MITCHELL GREGORY
Published: November 2011

In this article, I examine the contradictory ideals and practices of North American gay sex tourists in Brazil. Even as gay travel can be an edifying search for broader community, gay tourists I met also argued that their travel and spending encourage local communities to become more tolerant of gay subjectivities. Gay tourists were attracted by “exotic” and “different” local models for same‐sex desire, but they simultaneously promoted the universality of “gay identity” to sex workers as a matter of modernity and gay rights, thereby attempting to delegitimize the very sexual difference that initially attracted them. Moreover, tourists’ efforts to link consumer capability to sexual identification and civil rights reflect a larger and even more dangerous tendency to cede ethically grounded claims for equal rights to market‐based ones.
Rewriting the past and reimagining the future: The social life of a Tamil heritage language industry
Authors: NEELA DAS SONIA
Published: November 2011

Globally circulating discourses associated with heritage language industries often promote temporally dichotomous views of spoken and written languages that deny coeval status to linguistic minorities. In the multilingual city of Montreal, Quebec, where Sri Lankan refugees work to preserve a classicalist style of Written Tamil and Indian immigrants work to revitalize a modernist style of Spoken Tamil, this division of labor is undermined by elders and youth who, in mixing colloquial and literary styles of Tamil, French, and English, reframe curricular and nationalist discourses of language loss and degeneration into more empowering narratives of developmental progress and ethnolinguistic identification.
Embodying emergent masculinities: Men engaging with reproductive and sexual health technologies in the Middle East and Mexico
Authors: INHORN MARCIA C. , WENTZELL EMILY A.
Published: November 2011

We employ Raymond Williams's concept of “emergence” to capture new forms of embodied masculinities in the Middle East and Mexico, two sites marked by powerful local stereotypes of manliness. Men there are enacting “emergent masculinities”—living out new ways of being men in attempts to counter forms of manhood that they see as harmfully hegemonic. They do this partly through engagements with emergent health technologies, including assisted reproductive technologies for male infertility and pharmaceutical technologies for erectile dysfunction that today are reshaping sociopolitical and intimate realities. We argue that masculinities research within anthropology must account for these ongoing, embodied changes in men's enactments of masculinities over time on both individual and societal levels. Furthermore, we heed R. W. Connell's advice that reformulations of hegemonic masculinity theory must consider new comparative geographies, forms of masculine embodiment, and social dynamics of masculinity around the globe.
Close‐range behaviour of male pea moths, Cydia nigricana, responding to sex pheromone re‐released via the substrate
Authors: Perry J. N. , Wall C. , Clark Suzanne J.
Published: November 2011

The close‐range orientation behaviour of male pea moths, Cydia nigricana (F.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), to a substrate contaminated with synthetic sex pheromone was studied in the field. The substrate was a sheet of polypropylene ‘grass’ on a 1 m diam arena, on the upwind edge of which a pheromone trap had been placed previously for 1 h. After removal of the trap, moths continued to be attracted to the arena and to the vacated trap position. Video‐recorded tracks showed that the moths behaved anemotactically whilst on the arena. When the arena was revolved so that the vacated trap position was on the downwind edge, moths continued to fly upwind on the arena, even though they were flying away from the original trap position and down a concentration gradient.
Aggregation response of European engraver beetles of the genus Ips mediated by terpenoid pheromones
Authors: Kohnle U. , Vité J. P. , Erbacher C. , Bartels J. , Francke W.
Published: November 2011

Upon exposure to vapours of the host tree's monoterpene (‐)‐α‐pinene, Ips acuminatus produces the terpene alcohol cis‐verbenol which, besides ipsdienol and ipsenol, is a component of its aggregation pheromone. I. cembrae transforms the same monoterpene predominantly into myrtenol and trans‐verbenol but little into cis‐verbenol, which interrupts pheromone response under field conditions.

On the other hand, I. cembrae releases, upon feeding in the bark, the terpene alcohol amitinol in major amounts. Amitinol significantly enhances field response to the aggregation pheromone that also includes ipsdienol, ipsenol, and 3‐methyl‐3‐buten‐1‐ol. However, amitinol reduces pheromone response in I. acuminatus and I. erosus. Also, males of I. sexdentatus release amitinol which appears to increase response to its attractive principle pheromone component, racemic ipsdienol. There is some evidence that present knowledge of the chemical communication systems among European Ips spp. still lacks satisfactory explanation of the naturally occuring aggregation en masse, perhaps with the exception of I. erosus and I. typographus.
Temporary loss of antibiosis in plants of a lucerne cultivar selected for resistance to spotted alfalfa aphid
Authors: Hughes R. D. , Hughes M. A.
Published: November 2011

In autumn 1981 there were widespread reports of a reduced level of antibiosis in lucerne crops and field trials where cultivars selected for resistance to the aphid, Therioaphis trifolii f. maculata, had been used. On our field trial, the plot of ‘CUF 101’ lucerne was infested to a level about 40% of that on the aphid‐susceptible ‘Hunter River’, compared with an average of about 3% over the two years before and the two years after.

An experimental study of possible causes using a bioassay technique on cloned plants representing the spectrum of resistance in CUF 101 indicated that loss of resistance was temporary and occurred apparently randomly among the tests, but that certain treatments increase the frequency of its occurrence. Lowered temperatures and the use of either young regrowth or senescent lucerne, each increased the frequency of loss of resistance. Inundation of lucerne by large numbers of aphids did not affect the expression of resistance directly, but the few progeny that survived to adulthood on partly‐resistance lucerne were habituated and were then able to interact with the plants to increase the apparent frequency of breakdown of resistance. Plants which showed the loss of resistance developed aphid populations between 4× ad 25 × those when they expressed their normal resistance level.

Investigations suggest that the situation in autumn 1981 may have been the result of a prolonged and massive immigration of aphids into lucerne crops, which, on the aphid resistant cultivars allowed surviving aphids to exploit maximally the combined effects of factors causing some loss of resistance.
Composition as Identity: Part 1
Authors: Wallace Megan
Published: November 2011

Many of us think that ordinary objects – such as tables and chairs – exist. We also think that ordinary objects have parts: my chair has a seat and some legs as parts, for example. But once we are committed to the (seemingly innocuous) thesis that ordinary objects are composed of parts, we then open ourselves up to a whole host of philosophical problems, most of which center on what exactly the composition relation is. Composition as Identity (CI) is the view that the composition relation is the identity relation. While such a view has some advantages, there are many arguments against it. In this essay, I will briefly canvass three different varieties of Composition as Identity, and suggest why one of them should be preferred over the others. Then I will outline several versions of the most common objection against CI. I will suggest how a CI theorist can respond to these charges by maintaining that some of the arguments are invalid. (In part 2, I show how a CI theorist can maintain that the remaining arguments, while valid, are unsound).
The Nature of Attention
Authors: Watzl Sebastian
Published: November 2011

What is attention? Attention is often seen as a subject matter for the hard sciences of cognitive and brain processes, and is understood in terms of sub‐personal mechanisms and processes. Correspondingly, there still is a stark contrast between the central role attention plays for the empirical investigation of the mind in psychology and the neurosciences, and its relative neglect in philosophy. Yet, over the past years, several philosophers have challenged the standard conception. A number of questions concerning the nature of attention arise. This article provides an introduction to contemporary debates concerning these questions. In particular, it discusses the question of how the pre‐theoretic conception of attention might be reconciled with a scientific conception, arguments that provide support for an anti‐reductionist theory of attention, and sketches several recent anti‐reductionist theories and their inter‐relations.
Race and Racism in Foucault’s Collège de France Lectures
Authors: Taylor Chloë
Published: November 2011

While Michel Foucault’s writings have been taken up extensively to explore gender and sexuality, until recently there was little work drawing on Foucault’s writings to discuss race. In part, this was because Foucault seemed to have said almost nothing about race, aside from some comments on Nazism and eugenics in the final pages of Part V of The History of Sexuality, volume 1. With the 1997 and 1999 publication of two series of lectures that Foucault delivered at the Collège de France between 1974 and 1976, Abnormal and “Society Must Be Defended” (both appearing in English translation in 2003), Foucault scholars have, however, become aware that he made more extensive and provocative observations about race than had previously been believed. Both of these lecture series gives a genealogical account of the ways in which modern, biological forms of racism emerged at a certain point in history, stressing the contingency of this emergence and its enmeshment in power struggles and modern forms of power. This paper provides an account of what Foucault argues about race and racism in the Collège de France lectures, and, more briefly, presents two of the most extended treatments of race coming from Foucauldian perspectives that have appeared in the wake of these texts.
Endoparasitoids of larval Anomis privata (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), major pest of Hibiscus syriacus (Columniferae: Malvaceae)
Authors: KIM Youngjin , CHO Youngho , HAN Yong‐Gu , NAM Sang‐Ho
Published: November 2011

Endoparasitoids of Anomis privata larvae include five species in three families of two orders. In this work, two species of Hymenoptera Braconidae (Cotesia sp., Microplitis sp.), one species of Ichneumonidae (Mesochorus vittator) and two species of Diptera Tachinidae (Exorista (Podotachina) sorbillans, Timavia amoena) were investigated. Of the 261 larvae of A. privata examined, 32 had a parasite, so the rate of parasitism was 12.26%. Parasitism by taxon was the highest, at 10.35% (27 individuals), in Cotesia sp. in Hymenoptera Braconidae. Parasitoids of Braconidae and Ichneumonidae were larval parasitoids. A parasitic insect of Tachinidae was a larva–pupal parasitoid. Solitary parasitoids included Microplitis sp. in Braconidae and E. sorbillans in Tachinidae. Gregarious parasitoids included Cotesia sp. in Braconidae, M. vittator in Ichneumonidae and T. amoena in Tachinidae. There was also a multiparasitoid (T. amoena) and two superparasitoids (Cotesia sp., M. vittator). A larva of A. privata sought feed even after it was parasitized every parasitoid investigated in this study, so five species of parasitoids were all koinobiont.
Identifying high‐quality pond habitats for Odonata in lowland England: implications for agri‐environment schemes
Authors: RAEBEL EVA M. , MERCKX THOMAS , FEBER RUTH E. , RIORDAN PHILIP , MACDONALD DAVID W. , THOMPSON DAVID J.
Published: November 2011

Abstract.  1. Agricultural intensification has contributed to severe declines in odonate (dragonfly and damselfly) populations. The objective of our study is to benefit current measures for the conservation of odonates by establishing the conditions favourable to Odonata and focusing on ponds within agricultural land.

2. Our landscape‐scale study used exuvial counts and habitat measurements from 29 ponds across a catchment in England, over 3 years, to determine key factors affecting odonate abundance and species richness.

3. Ponds dominated by floating and submerged vegetation were the most transparent, supported the highest abundance and species richness of exuviae, and were always fully or partially surrounded by buffer strips. Ponds lacking vegetation were turbid, yielding no exuviae even if they were buffered. English agri‐environment schemes (AES) currently support pond and buffer strip creation and management.

4. Abundance of exuviae was higher in recently created ponds compared to older ponds, whereas ponds that had dried out the previous summer had fewer exuviae.

5. Species richness of exuviae decreased with increasing distance to the nearest viable pond, falling by more than 40% for distances over 100 m.

6. We conclude that odonate conservation would be more effective if AES would consider the spatial scale at which ponds are created and the location, type, and quality of ponds targeted for buffer strips.
Fuzzy Sliding Mode Control of Rigid-Flexible Multibody Systems With Bounded Inputs
Authors: Ben-Tzvi Pinhas , Bai Shengjian , Zhou Qingkun , Huang Xinsheng
Published: November 2011

This paper presents the dynamic modeling and fuzzy sliding mode control for rigid-flexible multibody systems. To investigate the dynamic stiffening of rigid-flexible systems, a first-order approximate model of a flexible spacecraft system is formulated by using Hamilton’s principles and assumed mode method, taking into account the second-order term of the coupling deformation field. For highly flexible structural models, ideal surface sliding that produces pure rigid body motion may not be achievable. In this paper, the discontinuity in the sliding mode controller is smoothed inside a thin boundary layer using fuzzy logic technique to reduce the chattering phenomenon efficiently. Sliding mode control is insensitive to parameter variations and provides complete rejection of disturbances, but these advantages only hold in the sliding mode domain. However, when the actuators’ amplitude is limited by their physical constraints, the sliding mode domain will be restricted to some local domain near zero on the switching surface. Control input saturation is also considered in the fuzzy sliding mode control approach. The new features and advantages of the proposed approach are the use of new dynamic equations for the motion of flexible spacecraft systems and the design of fuzzy sliding mode control by taking into account the control input saturation. The classical sliding mode control case is also developed for comparison. Numerical simulations are performed to validate the proposed methods and to demonstrate that rotational maneuvers and vibration suppression are accomplished in spite of the presence of model uncertainty and control saturation nonlinearity.
Interconversion Between Intestinal Stem Cell Populations in Distinct Niches
Authors: Takeda Norifumi , Jain Rajan , LeBoeuf Matthew R. , Wang Qiaohong , Lu Min Min , Epstein Jonathan A.
Published: November 2011

Two niches with distinct characteristics work in tandem.
Identification of Escherichia coli Genes Associated with Urinary Tract Infections
Authors: Mao Bin-Hsu , Chang Yung-Fu , Scaria Joy , Chang Chih-Ching , Chou Li-Wei , Tien Ni , Wu Jiunn-Jong , Tseng Chin-Chung , Wang Ming-Cheng , Chang Chao-Chin , Hsu Yuan-Man , Teng Ching-Hao
Published: November 2011

Escherichia coli
is the most common cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs).
E. coli
genes epidemiologically associated with UTIs are potentially valuable in developing strategies for treating and/or preventing such infections as well as differentiating uropathogenic
E. coli
from nonuropathogenic
E. coli
. To identify
E. coli
genes associated with UTIs in humans, we combined microarray-based and PCR-based analyses to investigate different
E. coli
source groups derived from feces of healthy humans and from patients with cystitis, pyelonephritis, or urosepsis. The
cjrABC-senB
gene cluster,
sivH
,
sisA
,
sisB
,
eco274
, and
fbpB
, were identified to be associated with UTIs. Of these,
cjrABC-senB
,
sisA
,
sisB
, and
fbpB
are known to be involved in urovirulence in the mouse model of ascending UTI. Our results provide evidence to support their roles as urovirulence factors in human UTIs. In addition, the newly identified UTI-associated genes were mainly found in members of phylogenetic groups B2 and/or D.
Inaccuracy of the Disk Diffusion Method Compared with the Agar Dilution Method for Susceptibility Testing of Campylobacter spp
Authors: Lehtopolku Mirva , Kotilainen Pirkko , Puukka Pauli , Nakari Ulla-Maija , Siitonen Anja , Eerola Erkki , Huovinen Pentti , Hakanen Antti J.
Published: November 2011

The agar dilution method has been standardized by the CLSI for the susceptibility testing of
Campylobacter
species, and according to these standards, the disk diffusion method should be used only in screening for macrolide and ciprofloxacin resistance. Nevertheless, the disk diffusion test is currently widely used, since it is easy to perform in clinical microbiology laboratories. In this study, the disk diffusion method was compared to the agar dilution method by analyzing the
in vitro
activities of seven antimicrobial agents against 174
Campylobacter
strains collected in Finland between 2003 and 2008. Recommendations of the CLSI were followed using Mueller-Hinton agar plates with 5% of sheep blood. For each strain, the disk diffusion tests were performed two to four times. Of the 33 erythromycin-resistant strains (MIC, ≥16 μg/ml), 24 (73%) constantly showed a 6-mm erythromycin inhibition zone (i.e., no inhibition), while for seven strains the inhibition zone varied from 6 to 44 mm in repeated measurements. Among the 141 erythromycin-susceptible strains (MIC, <16 μg/ml), erythromycin inhibition zones varied between 6 and 61 mm. Of the 87 ciprofloxacin-resistant strains, 47 (54%) showed 6-mm inhibition zones, while 40 strains showed inhibition zones between 6 and 60 mm. Significant differences between the repetitions were observed in the disk diffusion for all antimicrobial agents and all strains except for the macrolide-resistant strains regarding the macrolides. For 17 (10%) strains, the variation in repeated measurements was substantial. These results show that the disk diffusion method may not be a reliable tool for the susceptibility testing of
Campylobacter
spp. Further studies are needed to assess whether the disk diffusion test could be improved or whether all susceptibilities of campylobacters should be tested using an MIC-based method.
Polyclonal Diffusion of Beta-Lactamase-Producing Enterococcus faecium
Authors: Sarti Mario , Campanile Floriana , Sabia Carla , Santagati Maria , Gargiulo Raffaele , Stefani Stefania
Published: November 2011

We describe here the isolation of 8 beta-lactamase-producing multidrug-resistant
Enterococcus faecium
isolates in 2010. All strains showed diverse pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles, all belonging to the same clonal complex, CC17. By PCR and hybridization experiments, the entire
blaZ-blaI-blaR1
operon was found. The beta-lactamase activity was demonstrated at a high inoculum and in the presence of methicillin after overnight incubation.
Identification of Non-diphtheriae Corynebacterium by Use of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Alatoom Adnan A. , Cazanave Charles J. , Cunningham Scott A. , Ihde Sherry M. , Patel Robin
Published: November 2011

We evaluated the Bruker Biotyper matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry for identification of 92 clinical isolates ofCorynebacteriumspecies in comparison to identification usingrpoBor 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Eighty isolates (87%) yielded a score of ≥1.700, and all of these were correctly identified to the species level with the exception ofCorynebacterium aurimucosumbeing misidentified as the closely relatedCorynebacterium minutissimum.
Use of a Commercial PCR-Based Line Blot Method for Identification of Bacterial Pathogens and the
mecA
and
van
Genes from BacTAlert Blood Culture Bottles
Authors: Steindor Mathis , Weizenegger Michael , Harrison Nicole , Hirschl Alexander M. , Schweickert Birgitta , Göbel Ulf B. , MacKenzie Colin R.
Published: November 2011

In this study, the PCR-based DNA strip assay GenoType BC for the identification of bacteria and the resistance genes
mecA
,
vanA
,
vanB
,
vanC1
, and
vanC2/3
directly from positive BacTAlert blood culture bottles was evaluated in a multicenter study. Of a total of 511 positive blood cultures, correct identification percentages for Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria, and the
mecA
gene were 96.1%, 89.9%, and 92.9%, respectively. Results were available 4 h after growth detection.
INTERACTION BETWEEN PERIODIC ELASTIC WAVES AND TWO CONTACT NONLINEARITIES
Authors: JUNCA STÉPHANE , LOMBARD BRUNO
Published: November 2011

Propagation of elastic waves is studied in a 1D medium containing two cracks. The latter are modeled by smooth nonlinear jump conditions accounting for the finite, non-null compressibility of real cracks. The evolution equations are written in the form of a system of two nonlinear neutral delay differential equations, leading to a well-posed Cauchy problem. Perturbation analysis indicates that, under periodic excitation, the periodic solutions oscillate around positive mean values, which increase with the forcing level. This typically nonlinear phenomenon offers non-destructive means to evaluate the cracks. Existence, uniqueness and attractivity of periodic solutions is then examined. At some particular values of the ratio between the wave travel time and the period of the source, results are obtained whatever the forcing level. With a much larger set of ratios but at small forcing levels, results are obtained under a Diophantine condition. Lastly, numerical experiments are proposed to illustrate the behavior of the periodic diffracted waves.
A CLASS OF NONLOCAL MODELS FOR PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC
Authors: COLOMBO RINALDO M. , GARAVELLO MAURO , LÉCUREUX-MERCIER MAGALI
Published: November 2011

We present a new class of macroscopic models for pedestrian flows. Each individual is assumed to move towards a fixed target, deviating from the best path according to the instantaneous crowd distribution. The resulting equation is a conservation law with a nonlocal flux. Each equation in this class generates a Lipschitz semigroup of solutions and is stable with respect to the functions and parameters defining it. Moreover, key qualitative properties such as the boundedness of the crowd density are proved. Specific models are presented and their qualitative properties are shown through numerical integrations. In particular, the present model accounts for the possibility of reducing the exit time from a room by carefully positioning obstacles that direct the crowd flow.
RESIDUAL-BASED A POSTERIORI ESTIMATORS FOR THE A - φ MAGNETODYNAMIC HARMONIC FORMULATION OF THE MAXWELL SYSTEM
Authors: CREUSÉ EMMANUEL , NICAISE SERGE , TANG ZUQI , LE MENACH YVONNICK , NEMITZ NICOLAS , PIRIOU FRANCIS
Published: November 2011

This paper is devoted to the derivation of an a posteriori residual-based error estimator for the A-φ magnetodynamic harmonic formulation of the Maxwell system. The weak continuous and discrete formulations are established, and the well-posedness of both of them is addressed. Some useful analytical tools are derived. Among them, an ad hoc Helmholtz decomposition is proven, which allows to pertinently split the error. Consequently, an a posteriori error estimator is obtained, which is proven to be reliable and locally efficient. Finally, numerical tests confirm the theoretical results.
Relative Size of Auditory Pathways in Symmetrically and Asymmetrically Eared Owls
Authors: Gutiérrez-Ibáñez Cristián , Iwaniuk Andrew N. , Wylie Douglas R.
Published: November 2011

Owls are highly efficient predators with a specialized auditory system designed to aid in the localization of prey. One of the most unique anatomical features of the owl auditory system is the evolution of vertically asymmetrical ears in some species, which improves their ability to localize the elevational component of a sound stimulus. In the asymmetrically eared barn owl, interaural time differences (ITD) are used to localize sounds in azimuth, whereas interaural level differences (ILD) are used to localize sounds in elevation. These two features are processed independently in two separate neural pathways that converge in the external nucleus of the inferior colliculus to form an auditory map of space. Here, we present a comparison of the relative volume of 11 auditory nuclei in both the ITD and the ILD pathways of 8 species of symmetrically and asymmetrically eared owls in order to investigate evolutionary changes in the auditory pathways in relation to ear asymmetry. Overall, our results indicate that asymmetrically eared owls have much larger auditory nuclei than owls with symmetrical ears. In asymmetrically eared owls we found that both the ITD and ILD pathways are equally enlarged, and other auditory nuclei, not directly involved in binaural comparisons, are also enlarged. We suggest that the hypertrophy of auditory nuclei in asymmetrically eared owls likely reflects both an improved ability to precisely locate sounds in space and an expansion of the hearing range. Additionally, our results suggest that the hypertrophy of nuclei that compute space may have preceded that of the expansion of the hearing range and evolutionary changes in the size of the auditory system occurred independently of phylogeny.
Transsignaling of Interleukin-6 Crucially Contributes to Atherosclerosis in Mice
Authors: Schuett Harald , Oestreich René , Waetzig Georg H. , Annema Wijtske , Luchtefeld Maren , Hillmer Anja , Bavendiek Udo , von Felden Johann , Divchev Dimitar , Kempf Tibor , Wollert Kai C. , Seegert Dirk , Rose-John Stefan , Tietge Uwe J.F. , Schieffer Bernhard , Grote Karsten
Published: November 2011

Objective—

Transsignaling of interleukin (IL)-6 is a central pathway in the pathogenesis of disorders associated with chronic inflammation, such as Crohn disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory colon cancer. Notably, IL-6 also represents an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) in humans and is crucially involved in vascular inflammatory processes.

Methods and Results—

In the present study, we showed that treatment with a fusion protein of the natural IL-6 transsignaling inhibitor soluble glycoprotein 130 (sgp130) and IgG1-Fc (sgp130Fc) dramatically reduced atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic
Ldlr
−/−
mice without affecting weight gain and serum lipid levels. Moreover, sgp130Fc treatment even led to a significant regression of advanced atherosclerosis. Mechanistically, endothelial activation and intimal smooth muscle cell infiltration were decreased in sgp130Fc-treated mice, resulting in a marked reduction of monocyte recruitment and subsequent atherosclerotic plaque progression. Of note, patients with CAD exhibited significantly lower plasma levels of endogenous sgp130, suggesting that a compromised counterbalancing of IL-6 transsignaling may contribute to atherogenesis in humans.

Conclusion—

These data clarify, for the first time, the critical involvement of, in particular, the transsignaling of IL-6 in CAD and warrant further investigation of sgp130Fc as a novel therapeutic for the treatment of CAD and related diseases.
Effect of Ionizing Radiation Induced Damage of Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Vascular Regeneration
Authors: Lee Mi-Ok , Song Seung-Hyun , Jung Seokyun , Hur Seulgi , Asahara Takayuki , Kim Hyongbum , Kwon Sang-Mo , Cha Hyuk-Jin
Published: November 2011

Objective—

A number of studies have revealed that stress signaling and subsequent stress responses in stem/progenitor cells are responsible for attenuated regeneration or degenerative disease. Because ionizing radiation (IR), which sensitizes diverse types of stem cells, reportedly induces cardio-circulatory diseases, we hypothesized that IR-induced vascular abnormalities are associated with defects in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) that are responsible for vascular homeostasis.

Methods and Results—

We used an irradiated mouse model to mimic the IR effect on vasculogenesis. Mouse EPCs isolated from irradiated mice and human EPCs exposed to IR were used for functional analysis and gene expression study. Under IR exposure, EPCs were depleted, and their function for vasculogenesis in vitro and in vivo was significantly reduced. In such IR-mediated stress responses, upregulating p21Cip1 and downregulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were mediated by p53 transcriptional activity.

Conclusion—

The results of the present study suggest that suppression of p53 would be clinically applicable to (1) minimize the functional defects in EPCs in order to prevent the onset of vascular diseases caused by radiation therapy or radiation exposure and also to (2) provide novel insight into the mechanisms of IR-induced vascular damage and a possible strategy to minimize vascular damage by IR.
Differential Susceptibility to Axonopathy in Necrotic and Non-Necrotic Perinatal White Matter Injury
Authors: Riddle Art , Maire Jennifer , Gong Xi , Chen Kevin X. , Kroenke Christopher D. , Hohimer A. Roger , Back Stephen A.
Published: November 2011

Background and Purpose—

White matter injury (WMI) is the leading cause of brain injury in preterm survivors and results in myelination failure. Although axonal degeneration occurs in necrotic lesions, the role of axonopathy in myelination failure remains controversial for diffuse non-necrotic WMI, which is currently the major form of WMI. We determined the burden of axonopathy in diffuse lesions.

Methods—

We analyzed WMI in a preterm fetal sheep model of global cerebral ischemia that replicates the relative burden of necrotic and non-necrotic human WMI. WMI was analyzed at 1 or 2 weeks after ischemia and identified by ex vivo high-field (11.7 Tesla) magnetic resonance imaging of fixed brain tissue. Axonal integrity was analyzed by immunohistochemical detection of axon injury markers and by transmission electron microscopy to quantify axon loss and degeneration in magnetic resonance imaging-defined lesions.

Results—

Axonal degeneration, defined by staining for neurofilament protein and β-amyloid precursor protein, was restricted to discrete necrotic foci with robust microglial activation. Unexpectedly, axonal degeneration was not visualized in the major form of WMI, which comprised large non-necrotic lesions with diffuse reactive astrogliosis. In these major lesions, quantitative electron microscopy studies confirmed no significant differences in the density of intact and degenerating axons or in the distribution of axon diameters relative to controls.

Conclusions—

The mechanism of myelination failure differs significantly in perinatal WMI dependent on the burden of necrosis. Axonopathy is associated with focal necrotic injury but not with primary diffuse non-necrotic lesions, which supports that intact axons in the primary lesions are potential targets for myelination.
Role of the West African Westerly Jet in Sahel Rainfall Variations
Authors: Pu Bing , Cook Kerry H.
Published: November 2011

The West African westerly jet is a low-level feature of the summer climatology that transports moisture from the eastern Atlantic onto the African continent at 8°–11°N. This study examines the relationship between the jet and Sahel precipitation variability in August, when both the jet and rainfall reach their seasonal maxima.

Variations of the West African westerly jet are significantly positively correlated with precipitation variations over the Sahel on both interannual and decadal time scales. Three periods are identified (1958–71, 1972–87, and 1988–2009), corresponding to times with a wet Sahel–strong jet, dry Sahel–weak jet, and relatively wet Sahel–strong jet. In wet (dry) periods, enhanced (decreased) westerly moisture fluxes associated with a strong (weak) jet increase (decrease) the low-level moisture content over the Sahel, decreasing (enhancing) the stability of the atmosphere. This association between the jet and Sahel rainfall is also found in case studies of 1964, 1984, 1999, and 2007.

The southerly moisture flux associated with the West African monsoon has less pronounced decadal variability than the westerly moisture flux of the West African westerly jet and weaker correlations with Sahel rainfall. When the monsoon flow is weak, for example, 1999 and 2007, the Sahel may still experience positive precipitation anomalies in association with strong westerly moisture transport by the jet.

The West African westerly jet is also important for stabilizing the regional vorticity balance by introducing strong relative vorticity gradients. Northward flow advects low relative vorticity south of the jet to balance positive vorticity tendencies generated by midtropospheric condensation.
Synovial Lesions in Experimental Canine Lyme Borreliosis
Authors: Susta L. , Uhl E. W. , Grosenbaugh D. A. , Krimer P. M.
Published: November 2011

Borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of Lyme disease, which is mainly characterized by lameness in dogs. More than 95% of naturally infected dogs are asymptomatic or subclinical; however, in experimental studies, histologic synovial lesions are consistently observed in asymptomatic dogs inoculated with B. burdgorferi. This study investigates the ability of a synovial histopathologic scoring system, clinicopathologic data, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing to differentiate between B. burgdorferi–infected and uninfected dogs. Eighteen 18-week-old beagles were subject to challenge with B. burgdorferi–infected wild-caught ticks ( Ixodes scapularis), and 4 uninfected dogs served as controls. Infection was confirmed by serology (ELISA) and PCR amplification of B. burgdorferi–specific DNA of skin biopsies taken at the tick attachment site. A synovial scoring system from human medicine was adapted and implemented on postmortem synovial samples to discriminate infected and noninfected animals. Application of this system to elbows and stifles with a cumulative joint score cutoff  > 4 showed a sensitivity of 88.2% and a specificity of 100%, with a positive likelihood ratio of infinity and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.12. Complete blood count, serum biochemistry, urinalysis, urine protein:creatinine, urine PCR, synovial and lymph node cytology, and synovial PCR were evaluated but were not reliable indicators of clinical disease.
Organizational democracy, ethics and leadership: The mediating role of organizational politics
Authors: Clarke Martin
Published: November 2011

There has been a growing concern amongst commentators about the disconnection between the apparent pluralisation of society and the relatively limited adoption of democratic practices in the corporate workplace. This paper examines the experience of employees in an international broking company in order to explore the extent to which a political leadership perspective can provide insight into furthering organizational democratisation. Attention is given to the integral relationship between democracy, ethics and a political mindset, and the influence this has upon others. In the account reported here, the ethical and developmental agenda of one influential senior manager is central to both the enactment of politics and the form of democratisation which it enables.
Transfusion in the absence of inflammation induces antigen-specific tolerance to murine RBCs
Authors: Smith Nicole H. , Hod Eldad A. , Spitalnik Steven L. , Zimring James C. , Hendrickson Jeanne E.
Published: November 2011

Most human transfusion recipients fail to make detectable alloantibodies to foreign RBC antigens (“nonresponders”). Herein, we use a murine model to test the hypothesis that nonresponders may be immunologically tolerant. FVB mice transfused with RBCs expressing transgenic human glycophorin A (hGPA) antigen in the absence of inflammation produced undetectable levels of anti-hGPA immunoglobulins, unlike those transfused in the presence of polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid–induced inflammation. Mice in the nonresponder group failed to produce anti-hGPA after subsequent transfusions in the presence of polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid, whereas anti-hGPA levels increased in the responder group. This tolerance was antigen specific, because nonresponders to hGPA produced alloantibodies to RBCs that expressed a different transgenic antigen. This tolerance was not an idiosyncrasy of the hGPA antigen nor of the recipient strain, because B10.BR mice transfused with membrane-bound hen egg lysozyme antigen–transgenic RBCs also demonstrated induced nonresponsiveness. These data demonstrate that RBCs transfused in the absence of inflammation can induce tolerance.
Association of an ACSL1 gene variant with polyunsaturated fatty acids in bovine skeletal muscle
Authors: Widmann Philipp , Nuernberg Karin , Kuehn Christa , Weikard Rosemarie
Published: November 2011

Background

The intramuscular fat deposition and the fatty acid profiles of beef affect meat quality. High proportions of unsaturated fatty acids are related to beef flavor and are beneficial for the nutritional value of meat. Moreover, a variety of clinical and epidemiologic studies showed that particularly long-chain omega-3 fatty acids from animal sources have a positive impact on human health and disease.

Results

To screen for genetic factors affecting fatty acid profiles in beef, we initially performed a microsatellite-based genome scan in a F2 Charolais × German Holstein resource population and identified a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for fatty acid composition in a region on bovine chromosome 27 where previously QTL affecting marbling score had been detected in beef cattle populations. The long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 1 (ACSL1) gene was identified as the most plausible functional and positional candidate gene in the QTL interval due to its direct impact on fatty acid metabolism and its position in the QTL interval. ACSL1 is necessary for synthesis of long-chain acyl-CoA esters, fatty acid degradation and phospholipid remodeling. We validated the genomic annotation of the bovine ACSL1 gene by in silico comparative sequence analysis and experimental verification. Re-sequencing of the complete coding, exon-flanking intronic sequences, 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) and partial promoter region of the ACSL1 gene revealed three synonymous mutations in exons 6, 7, and 20, six noncoding intronic gene variants, six polymorphisms in the promoter region, and four variants in the 3' UTR region. The association analysis identified the gene variant in intron 5 of the ACSL1 gene (c.481-233A>G) to be significantly associated with the relative content of distinct fractions and ratios of fatty acids (e.g., n-3 fatty acids, polyunsaturated, n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, trans vaccenic acid) in skeletal muscle. A tentative association of the ACSL1 gene variant with intramuscular fat content indicated that an indirect effect on fatty acid composition via modulation of total fat content of skeletal muscle cannot be excluded.

Conclusions

The initial QTL analysis suggested the ACSL1 gene as a positional and functional candidate gene for fatty acid composition in bovine skeletal muscle. The findings of subsequent association analyses indicate that ACSL1 or a separate gene in close proximity might play a functional role in mediating the lipid composition of beef.
Classic Kaposi's sarcoma in morocco: clinico -epidemiological study at the national institute of oncology
Authors: Errihani Hassan , Berrada Narjisse , Raissouni Soundouss , Rais Fadoi , Mrabti Hind , Rais Ghizlane
Published: November 2011

Background

Classic Kaposi's sarcoma (CKS) is a rare disease likely associated with human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) infection, and occurs predominantly in Jewish, Mediterranean and middle eastern men .There is a dearth of data in Moroccan patients with CKS regarding epidemiology, clinical characteristics and outcomes. This report examines a cohort of patients with CKS evaluated at the national institute of oncology over 11-year period.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of patients referred to the national institute of oncology with classical Kaposi sarcoma, between January 1998 and February 2008, was performed. Reviewed information included demographics, clinical and pathological staging, death or last follow-up.

Results

During the study period, 56 patients with a diagnosis of CKS have been referred to our hospital. There were 11(19,7%) females and 45 (80,3%) males (male-to-female ratio: 4:1). Mean age at diagnosis was 61,7 ± 15 (range: 15- 86 years). Nodules and/or plaques were the most frequent type of lesion. The most common location was the lower limbs, particularly the distal lower extremity (90%). In addition to skin involvement, visceral spread was evident in 9 cases. The most common visceral involvement sites were lymph nodes (44%), lung (22%), and gastrointestinal tract (22%). Associated lymphoedema was seen in 24 (42%) of the patients. There were 18 stage I patients (32,14%), 8: stage II (14,28%), 21 stage III(37,5%) and 9 stage IV (16,07%). A second primary malignancy was diagnosed in 6 cases (10,7%), none of the reticuloendothelial system.

With a median follow-up of 45 months, 38 (67,8) patients are alive, of whom 25 (65,78%) patients with stable disease, five with progressive disease currently under systemic chemotherapy and 8(21,05%) are alive and free of disease, over a mean interval of 5 years.

Conclusion

This is the largest reported series in our context. In Morocco, CKS exhibits some special characteristics including a disseminated skin disease at diagnosis especially in men, a more common visceral or lymph node involvement and a less frequent association with second malignancies.
The chronic care for age-related macular degeneration study (CHARMED): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Frei Anja , Woitzek Katja , Wang Mathyas , Held Ulrike , Rosemann Thomas
Published: November 2011

Background

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in people 50 years of age or older in the developed world. As in other chronic diseases, several effective treatments are available, but in clinical daily practice there is an evidence performance gap. The Chronic Care Model represents an evidence-based framework for the care of chronically ill patients and aims at closing that gap. However, no data are available regarding patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Methods/Design

CHARMED is a multicenter randomized controlled trial. The study challenges the hypothesis that the implementation of core elements of the Chronic Care Model (patient empowerment, delivering evidence based information, clinical information system, reminder system with structured follow up and frequent monitoring) via a specially trained Chronic Care Coach in Swiss centres for neovascular age-related macular degeneration results in better visual acuity (primary outcome) and an increased disease specific quality of life (secondary outcome) in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. According to the power calculation, a total sample size of 352 patients is needed (drop out rate of 25%). 14 specialised medical doctors from leading ophtalmologic centres in Switzerland will include 25 patients. In each centre, a Chronic Care Coach will provide disease specific care according to the Chronic Care Model for intervention group. Patients from the control group will be treated as usual. Baseline measurements will be taken in month III - XII, starting in March 2011. Follow-up data will be collected after 6 months and 1 year.

Discussion

Multiple studies have shown that implementing Chronic Care Model elements improve clinical outcomes as well as process parameters in different chronic diseases as osteoarthritis, depression or e.g. the cardiovascular risk profile of diabetes patients. This study will be the first to assess this approach in neovascular age-related macular degeneration. If our hypothesis will be confirmed, the implementation of this approach in routine care for patients with with neovascular age-related macular degeneration should be considered.

Trial Registration

Current controlled trials ISRCTN32507927.
Molecular imaging of potential bone metastasis from differentiated thyroid cancer: a case report
Authors: Sandu Nora , Pöpperl Gabriele , Toubert Marie-Elisabeth , Arasho Belachew , Spiriev Toma , Orabi Mikael , Schaller Bernhard J
Published: November 2011

Introduction

Molecular imaging of the spine is a rarely used diagnostic method for which only a few case reports exist in the literature. Here, to the best of our knowledge we present the first case of a combination of molecular imaging by single photon emission computer tomography and positron emission tomography used in post-operative spinal diagnostic assessment.

Case presentation

We present the case of a 50-year-old Caucasian woman experiencing progressive spinal cord compression caused by a vertebral metastasis of a less well differentiated thyroid cancer. Following tumor resection and vertebral stabilization, total thyroidectomy was performed revealing follicular thyroid carcinoma pT2 pNxM1 (lung, bone). During follow-up our patient underwent five radioiodine therapy procedures (5.3 to 5.7 GBq each) over a two-year period. Post-therapeutic I-131 scans showed decreasing uptake in multiple Pulmonary metastases. However, following an initial decrease, stimulated thyroglobulin remained at pathologically increased levels, indicating further neoplastic activity. F18 Fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, which was performed in parallel, showed remaining hypermetabolism in the lungs but no hypermetabolism of the spinal lesions correlating with the stable neurological examinations. While on single photon emission computer tomography images Pulmonary hyperfixation of I-131 disappeared (most likely indicating dedifferentiation), there was persistent spinal hyperfixation at the operated level and even higher fixation at the spinal process of L3. Based on the negative results of the spinal F18 fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, a decision was made not to operate again on the spine since our patient was completely asymptomatic and the neurological risk seemed to be too high. During further follow-up our patient remained neurologically stable.

Conclusions

Molecular imaging by F18 fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography helps to exclude metabolically active spinal metastases and to spare further risky surgery.