bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Divergent selection for inherent fearfulness leads to divergent yolk steroid levels in quail
Authors: Richard-Yris  , Kotrschal  , Houdelier  , Möstl  , Richard  , Bertin  , Lumineau
Published: May 2009

Avian yolk steroid levels may vary according to maternal condition or environmental factors, causing epigenetic modulation of offspring phenotype. Here we test whether artificial selection based on divergent duration of tonic immobility (TI) in Japanese quail (i.e., divergent inherent fearfulness) is correlated with divergent levels of yolk steroids. We analysed yolk steroid levels and egg quality in quail selected for either long or short duration of TI. Yolk steroids, i.e., immunoreactive progesterone and androstenedione, were found to be significantly less concentrated in eggs of the high inherent fearfulness line compared to eggs of the low inherent fearfulness line. A similar trend was found with testosterone levels. Larger eggs with lighter eggshell were also found in more fearful quail. Hence, the selection for divergent fearfulness has led to correlated changes in yolk steroid levels and egg quality. These data suggest that hormones of maternal origin, egg quality and genetic background may all contribute to line differences in phenotype. A modulation of progesterone concentrations by selection for behaviour in egg yolk is reported here for the first time. Although the effect of this hormone on avian embryos remains unknown, we argue it may have significant effects on phenotypic outcome.
Host plant resistance to Radopholus similis in a diploid banana hybrid population
Authors: Tenkouano Abdou , De Waele Dirk , Dochez Carine , Ortiz Rodomiro , Whyte Jim
Published: May 2009

The objective of the research was to study the genetics of host plant resistance to Radopholus similis in a diploid banana population. Screening of a hybrid population and determination of the segregation ratios can provide information on the inheritance and number of alleles controlling this trait in banana. The diploid banana hybrid population used was derived by crossing the diploid hybrids TMB2x 6142-1 and TMB2x 8075-7. The diploid banana hybrid population was evaluated with the individual root inoculation method using an R. similis population from Namulonge, Uganda. Of the 81 hybrids evaluated, 37 hybrids were resistant, 13 hybrids were partially resistant and 31 hybrids were susceptible to R. similis. After chi-square analysis, the results indicated that resistance to R. similis is controlled by two dominant genes, A and B, both with additive and interactive effects, whereby recessive bb suppresses dominant A.
Surface coat proteins of the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus: profiles of stage- and isolate-specific characters
Authors: Takeuchi Yuko , Shinya Ryoji , Kuroda Kouichi , Miura Natsuko , Futai Kazuyoshi , Ueda Mitsuyoshi
Published: May 2009

The present study was made to determine the binding patterns of several lectins to the surface coat (SC) proteins of various isolates and developmental stages of the pine wood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. Also, the detailed characteristics of the SC proteins were profiled by using molecular techniques. The lectin-binding study demonstrated the stage-specific characters of SC in binding to the lectin, wheat germ agglutinin (WGA). WGA binding was observed only to the outer surfaces of third-stage propagative juveniles and to the egg shells, and this occurred more frequently in virulent than in avirulent PWN isolates. A greater variety of lectins bound to eggs than to any other life stage. For characterisation, the SC proteins extracted were separated by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and analysed by lectin blotting. The results showed that the carbohydrate and protein patterns of the SC of the PWN changed during nematode development.
Reviving the Past: al-Shartūnī's Kitāb Matāli' and the Theory of Compilation in the Nahdah
Authors: Patel Abdulrazzak
Published: May 2009

The Arab Renaissance (nahdah) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries represents one of the most crucial periods in the development of Arabic literature and culture. This period witnessed a significant revival by nineteenth-century Arab poets and critics of their own literary and cultural heritage in the wake of Western influence. This article examines Sa'īd al-Shartūnī's thesis on poetry, which is part of his larger manual on style and eloquence, Kitāb Matāli'. Studying al-Shartūnī's ideas and approach within his immediate nineteenth-century context reveals him as a compiler who synthesises for a new generation of students the tradition of Arabic criticism as found in the great classics of the medieval period. In so doing, this article exposes broader literary structures underlying writing, reading and interpretation in the nahdah.
A Victory Celebration after a Military Defeat? Al-Mutanabbī's 'Ayniyyah of 339/950
Authors: Al-Mallah Majd Yaser
Published: May 2009

This paper analyzes al-Mutanabbī's 'Ayniyyah, one of the poet's early odes in the court of Sayf al-Dawlah al-Hamdanī (d. 356/967), presented to the emir in the year 339/950. The ode in question is composed after a battle that the historical sources refer to as “ghazāt al-Musibah” (the battle of the disaster), a major military defeat that Sayf al-Dawlah suffered at the hand of the Byzantines. Taking into account the akhbār (anecdotes) and historical documents associated with this ode, the paper argues that al-Mutanabbī composes his poem in the context of celebrating victory in court ceremonial. The main purpose was to legitimize Sayf al-Dawlah's position in the community by means of his military victory despite the fact that the emir was defeated in this battle. The paper analyzes the poem's structure, rhetorical strategies and allusions, showing that al-Mutanabbī's poetic build-up is rooted in the Jāhilī pre-Islamic ethos of blood vengeance, used as a call for a new beginning and a quest for the Muslim polity's fertility and renewal.
The Procedural Rules Governing the Production of Documentary Evidence in International Arbitration – As Applied in Practice
Authors: O'Malley Nathan
Published: May 2009

This article considers the provisions of the IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Commercial Arbitration pertaining to documentary evidence, Articles 2, 3, and 9. The IBA Rules have emerged over time as a compromise set of standards appropriate for international arbitration and are widely used by tribunals throughout the world. This piece provides examples of arbitral case law in respect of the application of the Rules to issues concerning the taking and admission of documentary evidence. Moreover, the article also addresses issues regarding the role of the IBA Rules in the judicial review of arbitral awards, and their use in investor-state arbitration as opposed to international commercial arbitration. The goal of this article is to provide a thorough, case based commentary on the common approach used by tribunals in this area of procedure.
A New Challenge to International Law: The Disappearance of the Entire Territory of a State
Authors: Oliver Selma
Published: May 2009

The physical disappearance of a state's entire territory is an event forecasted to happen as a result of sea-level rise, affecting some of the smallest nation states in the world, primarily islands in the South Pacific. The focus of this article is on the human rights of the inhabitants of the disappearing states when they are forced to relocate.
Late Sovereign Diplomacy
Authors: Adler-Nissen Rebecca
Published: May 2009

Most scholars are inclined to assume that the diplomatic practices of the European Union's member states remain fundamentally unchanged. The EU's Council of Ministers is accordingly seen as a setting where sovereign states speak with one another. Yet if state interaction in the EU is only viewed from this perspective, a number of important qualitative changes will remain underexposed. This article argues that leading political forces in the European states have come to view their nations as anchored so deeply within the supranational institutions of the EU that their diplomats merge the promotion of national interests with those of the Union. In this late sovereign phase of diplomacy, political and legal authorities overlap, territorial exclusivity is replaced with functional boundaries, and states begin to speak with one voice. The article explores three interlinked aspects of late sovereign diplomacy: the teleological interpretation of the EC and EU treaties; the intense socialization of state representatives; and the negotiation process, which promotes national positions as part of a European cause, thereby delocalizing the national interest. While the EU has not rendered national diplomacy obsolete, it has profoundly changed its meaning and consequences.
Providing for European-Level Diplomacy after Lisbon: The Case of the European External Action Service
Authors: Duke Simon
Published: May 2009

The Lisbon Treaty may well be on ice, may perhaps even be moribund, but there remain compelling reasons to think through the identified shortcomings of the European Union in external relations. Many of the innovations in the area of external relations that are contained in the treaty are dependent upon ratification by the EU's member states, but some are not; the European External Action Service (EEAS) falls into the latter category. Although the actual implementation of the EEAS will face formidable hurdles, as has been outlined in this contribution, the exercise of thinking through these challenges is essential if the EU and its members are to begin grappling with many of the issues examined in this special issue — ranging from the role of national diplomats in today's world to the successful pursuit of structural diplomacy and the effectiveness of the EU in multilateral organizations.
Towards an Immortal Political Body
Authors: Ihalainen Pasi
Published: May 2009

The importance of bodily and mechanical analogies in everyday political argumentation has been seldom discussed in the academic literature. This article is based on a contextual analysis of the uses of bodily and mechanical analogies in parliamentary and public debates in eighteenth-century England, as they can be retrieved from full-text databases of printed literature. The author demonstrates the continuous use of bodily analogies for much of the century particularly in defence of traditional conceptions of a unified political community. The article considers the expanding use of mechanical analogies as well, tracing their evolution in political debates and the effect of the American and French revolutions in their usage.
Sweden and Development of the European Security and Defence Policy
Authors: Lee-Ohlsson Fredrick
Published: May 2009

Since its creation in 1999, the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) has evolved rapidly. This new policy area presented Sweden, once a neutral state, with a challenge to its security policy tradition. In responding to the challenge, the Swedish government was initially reluctant about the ESDP, but today has become one of its staunchest supporters and active members. In this article, I examine Swedish participation in the ESDP since its inception, i.e. the impact Sweden has had on the ESDP, but also the extent to which the ESDP has influenced Swedish security policy. Furthermore, I seek to shed light on why the Swedish government has become so active and supportive of the ESDP despite initial reluctance. Drawing on Reuben Wong's multidimensional model of Europeanization and new research undertaken primarily through interviews with key officials, I argue that Sweden has embarked on a journey from sceptical and hesitant participant to one of its main driving forces. Although the ESDP has had a major influence on Swedish security policy, I argue that the Swedish government has had a major impact on shaping the current character of the ESDP. I point to an interwoven relation between European and domestic levels, thus confirming the bi-directional character of the process of Europeanization.
Changing Belarus?
Authors: Bosse Giselle , Korosteleva-Polglase Elena
Published: May 2009

Since the end of the Cold War, European Union (EU) efforts in transforming Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have been enormously successful. The 2004 enlargement is widely regarded as the single most effective foreign policy strategy in the Union's history, and the recent European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) was designed to repeat that success in countries located on the EU's new Eastern borders. Although the ENP has been the subject of substantive discussion in European academia, Belarus is the one country in Eastern Europe that has largely escaped scholarly attention. This article takes stock of recent developments in EU—Belarus relations and seeks to explain the very limited leverage of the EU over the country. We first examine the EU's relations with Belarus through the theoretical lens of external governance. By taking for granted the EU's ability to transfer its norms and values, however, the governance perspective does not account for the EU's very limited success in changing Belarus. We therefore revisit Michael Smith's notion of `boundaries of order' to highlight the impact of legal/institutional, transactional, cultural and geopolitical factors on EU—Belarus relations. We argue, in particular, that the existence and the construction of boundaries between the Union and its neighbouring states are essentially mutually constitutive processes. Besides shifting its own boundaries (and thereby extending its rules to outsiders), the EU is itself subject to the boundaries enacted by neighbouring states. In our conclusion, we juxtapose the notion of external governance as `rule transfer' with `partnership' as a more suitable mode of interaction between the EU and Belarus.
Out of the Box
Authors: Marcussen Martin
Published: May 2009

The existence of the euro-area has lowered the costs emanating from the autumn 2008 financial crisis for weak euro-area economies. For the Scandinavian euro-outsiders, the financial crisis awoke a public discussion about the pros and cons of the euro. This is just natural in a situation of crisis. Owing to their good economic standing, however, the Scandinavian euro-outsiders have not, on the whole, been worse off outside the euro-area than EU member states inside it. One reason may be the level of micro-innovation. Over the past 10 years, a considerable amount of experience has been accumulated among the euro-outsiders. Innovative ways have been found to compensate for non-membership of the euro-area. In fact, it seems as if the special status of the semi-permanent euro-outsiders, such as Denmark and Sweden, initially has worked as a catalyst for innovation among civil servants and other stakeholders, thereby contributing to innovation in the entire public sector in these countries. Somehow this stands in sharp contrast to the reform rhythm among the euro-insiders.
Danish Foreign Policy and the Balance between the EU and the US
Authors: Larsen Henrik
Published: May 2009

In the international debate, it is often argued that Denmark, in its major foreign policy priorities, has sided with the United States (US) since the Cold War rather than with the European Union (EU) or its European partners. I examine whether this is correct, and if it is, why this is so, since 2001. I also ask whether a different theoretical approach, namely discourse analysis, would lead to findings different from those of the dominant approaches. I first present various ways of explaining why a country chooses the balance that it does between the EU and the US. One particular approach, post-structuralist discourse analysis, is applied. The balance between the EU and the US in the dominant Danish discourse is analysed. I outline the policy level and attempt to map where Danish policies are conducted with the EU and the US, respectively. I show that the EU is the most important partner across foreign policy areas since 2001, despite ad hoc foreign policy cooperation with the US, and that this is due to a dominant discourse articulating the EU as `our most important alliance'. However, the US is the most important partner on military security issues based on a discourse articulating cooperation with the US as a central part of Danish foreign policy identity and an `offensive foreign policy'.
Key stakeholders' experiences and views of the NHS End of Life Care Programme: findings from a national evaluation
Authors: Kennedy S , Seymour J , Almack K , Cox K
Published: May 2009

This article reports on the qualitative interview component of a national evaluation of the NHS End of Life Care Programme. It describes and discusses the views and experiences of 37 stakeholders of the Programme in relation to its development and implementation, impact and sustainability. The sample comprises individuals holding different roles in, and contrasting views and experiences of the Programme, and from various locations in England. Overall, the aims, approach and impact of the Programme were described positively, although concerns about achieving sustainability were widespread. The extent of support for the Programme's primary aim to extend and improve end of life care, and the contribution of the hardworking and skilled individuals involved with its implementation, were highlighted as key influences on its successes. The authors conclude that many of the views and experiences highlighted in the stakeholder enquiry are reflected in the development and detail of the recently announced End of Life Care Strategy.
Yahweh, the Canaanite God of Metallurgy?
Authors: Amzallag Nissim
Published: May 2009

In antiquity, south-eastern Canaan was a very important centre for copper smelting. While it is likely that there existed a patron deity of metallurgy, the identity of the Canaanite god of smelting remains unknown. Although some biblical writings suggest a south Canaanite origin of Yahweh, no details are provided concerning his worship prior to him becoming the god of Israel. This study explores whether Yahweh was formerly the Canaanite god of metallurgy. The following observations corroborate this hypothesis: (1) Yahweh was worshiped by the Edomites, and especially by the Kenites, a small tribe regarded as the Canaanite smelters; (2) the Israelite cult of Yahweh was associated with copper and with a bronze serpent, a typical symbol of metallurgy; (3) the melting of copper is considered in Exodus 4 as the specific sign of Yahweh; (4) a parallel exists between Yahweh and the god of metallurgy worshiped in Egypt (Ptah), Mesopotamia (Ea/Enki) and Elam (Napir), all of them being a mysterious lonely deity; (5) fighting the (other) gods is common to Yahwism and to ancient metallurgical traditions. These data suggest that, before becoming publicly worshipped in Israel, Yahweh was formerly the god of the Canaanite guild of metallurgists.
Circumcision and Circumstance: Male Genital Mutilation in Ancient Israel and Ugarit
Authors: Wyatt Nick
Published: May 2009

Circumcision appears in Genesis 17 as an infant rite, and mark of the covenant; Genesis 34 and Exod. 4.24-26 are written against a background of an adult rite, associated with marriage and fertility. By means of an attempted literary history of the motif, this study attempts a historical reconstruction of the evolution of the ritual tradition, from common West Semitic marital rite de passage into specifically Jewish infant rite of social integration.
Ruth and the David—Bathsheba Story: Allusions and Contrasts
Authors: Berger Yitzhak
Published: May 2009

Numerous scholars maintain that the book of Ruth alludes to the Judah—Tamar narrative in order to provide a contrasting, wholesome portrait of the ancestry of David. This study argues that the book also alludes to the related narrative of David and Bathsheba, casting David's conduct in that episode as a departure from the favorable qualities of the bloodline modeled by Ruth and Boaz. The latter half of the book of Ruth contains three subtle features, each of which bears a unique resemblance to a feature of the Bathsheba tale; and in all three instances, it is proposed that the author of Ruth seeks to underscore a contrast between the characters in the two respective stories.
Isaiah 40.13, the Masoretes, Syntax and Literary Structure: A Rejoinder to Reinoud Oosting
Authors: De Hoop Raymond
Published: May 2009

This study discusses Isa. 40.13, as interpreted in a recent article by Reinoud Oosting (JSOT 32 [2008]: 353-82). In his work, Oosting presented a new interpretation of the Isaiah text, arguing that the accentuation of the verse suggests that the Masoretes misinterpreted the text as a question and answer: `Who has directed the spirit? Yhwh!' It is demonstrated that Oosting's representation of the Masoretic accentuation and its meaning is based on a misunderstanding. Moreover it is argued that the classical interpretation of the Hebrew text, rendering the text—`Who has measured the spirit of Yhwh, and [who is] his counsellor, that has made him know?'—which is rejected by Oosting, is based on solid ground and should be preferred.
Echoes of the Book of Exodus in Ezekiel*
Authors: Idestrom Rebecca G.S.
Published: May 2009

This article examines the thematic connections made between the book of Exodus and the book of Ezekiel. Both books emphasize the theme of knowing God through his divine acts. Other themes and motifs from Exodus found in Ezekiel, including the call narrative, divine encounters, captivity, signs, plagues, judgment, redemption, tabernacle/temple, are considered. Several parallels between Moses and Ezekiel are noted, raising the question of whether Ezekiel was understood as a second Moses figure; both were Levites who became prophets and leaders of God's people in a time of crisis. Finally, some of the implications of these connections for interpreting the book of Ezekiel are explored.
India
Authors: Bhowmik Sharit K.
Published: May 2009

This article explores the history of the labor movement in India and the parallel development of labor sociology. It assesses the influence of Western models of labor, stressing their weaknesses in diagnosing the peculiarity of the Indian situation. Because of these models, and also because of the narrow concerns of trade unions, until recently labor studies overlooked the overwhelming proportion of the work force—namely, the informal workers. Despite all the hype about business process outsourcing companies and call centers, it is this sector of the labor force that has increased most rapidly during the past 15 years since the beginning of market liberalization. Although sociological studies are catching up with the transformation of the labor force, there still remain very few contacts between scholars and labor unions or labor activists.
Brazil
Authors: Santana Marco Aurélio , Braga Ruy
Published: May 2009

In this article, the authors analyze the relationship between labor sociology and trade unionism in Brazil by focusing on its three key phases. Against the backdrop of successive political and economical scenarios, the authors go from the first generation of labor sociologists to the most recent period, trying to identify the transition points in this trajectory. This study develops the hypothesis that labor sociology in Brazil was first characterized by a search for affirmation and professionalization (1950-1960). Later, it developed a strong political—social engagement, and assumed a public character, by claiming particular social identities (1970-1980). Finally, it flowed toward policy sociology (1990-2000).
Talking different heterosexualities: the permissive, the normative and the moralistic perspective — evidence from Greek youth storytelling
Authors: Archakis Argiris , Lampropoulou Sofia
Published: May 2009

The aim of this article is to investigate the construction of heterosexual identities in Greek youth talk. More specifically, we explore how Greek adolescents construct themselves as heterosexuals through storytelling. In terms of theoretical framework, our article follows a dynamic approach to identity construction. Our analysis focuses upon naturally occurring narratives produced by female and male informants. These narratives deal with incidents of the adolescents' everyday lives and are related to their perceptions towards sexual affairs. We consider storytelling as one of the forms of verbal behaviour that has proved to be significant for identity work, as it forms the means through which narrators display aspects of their identities. Taking into account the way our narrators construct their stories, in relation to the ethnographic observations we have collected concerning our informants, we propose a pattern of narrativization showing how they display their positioning towards the ethics of heteronormativity.
Religious and political discourse in Argentina: the case of reconciliation
Authors: Bonnin Juan Eduardo
Published: May 2009

This article analyzes the nominalization 'reconciliation' as a grammar metaphor that allows for the understanding of the historical relationships between religious and political discourse in Argentina. In order to do this, we will analyze the case of the publication of the Final Document of the Military Junta on the Fight against Terrorism and Subversion, in 1983, and its subsequent interpretations made by political and religious actors in terms of its adequacy or inadequacy to the Catholic proposal of reconciliation, which would later become a legal argument in the penal trials sustained against human rights violators. We will observe two relevant features: (a) a struggle about the experiential meaning concealed by the nominalization that legitimates or, on the contrary, de-legitimates the repressive action of the Military Junta; (b) an implicit consensus that attributes to Catholic discourse the power to dictate the rules of political life, which has severely restrained the autonomy of political democratic actors.
Talking the talk: policy, popular and media responses to the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade using the `Abolition Discourse'
Authors: Waterton Emma , Wilson Ross
Published: May 2009

The issue of slavery has received wide public and media attention in response to the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act of 1807. In this context, admissions of guilt and apology are potent and confronting as they threaten to disrupt the collective self-understanding of Britain and the Empire. As such, the silenced narrative of minority groups found little place within the British cultural semantics for remembering Abolition. This article will examine the rhetorical resources drawn upon in policy, media and public discourses to understand and soothe the traumatic history of the exploitation of African people, and uses critical discourse analysis to do so. The result, it will be argued, is a way of talking about the transatlantic slave trade which we have labelled the `abolition discourse'. The data used emerges from formal institutional talk (parliamentary debates and political speeches), media reporting and everyday talk (observed through a range of computer-mediated communication forums).
Meningioma and systemic lupus erythematosus: a matter of pure coincidence?
Authors: Castellino G , Rizzo N , Bernardi S , Trotta F , Govoni M
Published: May 2009

To describe three cases of meningioma observed in a large cohort of 546 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) followed at our Department in the last 15 years. We identified three cases of meningioma among 181 patients with SLE who underwent a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during their disease course (prevalence 1.65%). All three SLE cases were women with a disease onset at 47-, 18- and 42 -years-old, respectively. All patients presented neuropsychiatric (NP) symptoms and had an incidental finding of a meningioma at brain MRI. One patient presented simultaneously a breast cancer. Only one patient had the surgical removal of the mass without improvement of her symptoms while in the other two patients, the removal was not indicated. The association between meningioma and SLE may be a pure coincidence. However, it draws our attention because its detection may represent a confounding factor in the setting of a NPSLE patient.
Lupus cystitis: a case report and review of the literature
Authors: Shimizu A , Tamura A , Tago O , Abe M , Nagai Y , Ishikawa O
Published: May 2009

Lupus cystitis is a rare complication associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This rare disorder has been reported mainly from East Asia, especially from Japan. In this study, we describe a patient with lupus cystitis and review 37 reported cases in Japan. Bowel symptoms preceded urinary symptoms in 13 of 37 (35%) patients, whereas five patients complained of only bowel symptoms. Hydronephrosis was detected in 34 of 37 patients (92%). The possibility of lupus cystitis should be considered when patients complain of bowel or urinary symptoms. Examination for hydronephrosis is critical for diagnosis.
Circulating chromatin–anti-chromatin antibody complexes bind with high affinity to dermo-epidermal structures in murine and human lupus nephritis
Authors: Fismen S , Hedberg A , Fenton KA , Jacobsen S , Krarup E , Kamper AL , Rekvig OP , Mortensen ES
Published: May 2009

Murine and human lupus nephritis are characterized by glomerular deposits of electron-dense structures (EDS). Dominant components of EDS are chromatin fragments and IgG antibodies. Whether glomerular EDS predispose for similar deposits in skin is unknown. We analysed (i) whether dermo-epidermal immune complex deposits have similar molecular composition as glomerular deposits, (ii) whether chromatin fragments bind dermo-epidermal structures, and (iii) whether deposits in nephritic glomeruli predispose for accumulation of similar deposits in skin. Paired skin and kidney biopsies from nephritic (NZBxNZW)F1 and MRL-lpr/lpr mice and from five patients with lupus nephritis were analysed by immunofluorescence, immune electron microscopy (IEM) and co-localization TUNEL IEM. Affinity of chromatin fragments for membrane structures was determined by surface plasmon resonance. Results demonstrated (i) presence of EDS containing chromatin fragments and IgG in both organs in nephritic patients, (ii) chromatin fragments possessed high affinity for dermo-epidermal laminins and collagens, (iii) glomerular immune complex deposits did not predict similar interstitial deposits in skin, although such complexes were present in capillary lumina in glomeruli and skin of all nephritic individuals. Thus, chromatin-IgG complexes accounting for lupus nephritis seem to reach skin through circulation, but other undetermined factors are required for these complexes to deposit within skin membranes.
The frequency of anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies is low and these antibodies are associated with pulmonary hypertension in mixed connective tissue disease
Authors: Hasegawa EM , Caleiro MTC , Fuller R , Carvalho JF
Published: May 2009

The objective of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies, mainly anti-β2-glycoprotein I (anti-β2-GPI), and their possible clinical and laboratory relevance in mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). This study included 39 consecutive patients with MCTD (Kasukawa’s criteria) from January, 2005, to March, 2007, and compared them with 21 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. IgG and IgM anticardiolipin (aCL) and anti-β2-GPI were measured by ELISA. Lupus anticoagulant (LA) was detected by functional coagulation tests. Medium to high titres of aCL and anti-β2-GPI antibodies were found in sera from four (10.2%) MCTD patients. One of these patients was found to be positive for IgM aCL, IgM anti-β2-GPI and LA antibodies simultaneously. Additionally, this patient had a previous history of foetal loss in the second trimester and new-onset pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The other three patients had none of the manifestations of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) or PAH. The mean value of IgG anti-β2-GPI was higher among those MCTD patients with PAH than in the group without PAH (34.2 ± 46.8 vs 12.3 ± 9.1, P = 0.018). None of the controls were positive for antiphospholipid antibodies. High to moderate titres of anti-β2-GPI as well as APS were rare in MCTD, and these antibodies may be correlated with the development of PAH in these patients.
Cigarette smoking, N-acetyltransferase 2 polymorphisms and systemic lupus erythematosus in a Japanese population
Authors: Kiyohara C , Washio M , Horiuchi T , Tada Y , Asami T , Ide S , Takahashi H , Kobashi G ,   The Kyushu Sapporo SLE (KYSS) Study Group
Published: May 2009

Cigarette smoking may be associated with an increased risk of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but the underlying mechanism of this association remains unclear. N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) is highly variable and detoxifies aromatic amines, an important class of carcinogens in tobacco smoke. Individuals who possess homozygous polymorphic alleles have a slower rate of metabolic detoxification of aromatic amines. We investigated the relationship of the NAT2 polymorphism to the risk of SLE with special reference to the interaction with cigarette smoking among 152 SLE cases and 427 controls in a female Japanese population. NAT2*4, NAT2*5B, NAT2*6A and NAT2*7B alleles were detected with polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism. Individuals carrying the*4/*4 genotype are rapid acetylators, whereas those with homozygous non-*4 genotypes have a slow acetylator phenotype. Cigarette smoking was associated with an increased risk of SLE (odds ratio [OR] = 2.26; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.46–3.50). The slow acetylator genotype of NAT2 was significantly associated with an increased risk of SLE (OR = 2.34, 95% CI = 1.21–4.52) compared with the rapid acetylator genotype. A gene-environment interaction was suggested, with a combination of the NAT2 slow acetylator genotype and smoking conferring significantly higher risk (OR = 6.44, 95% CI = 3.07–13.52; attributable proportion due to interaction = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.12–0.88), compared with the NAT2 rapid acetylator genotype and no history of smoking. This study suggests that, in this Japanese population, the NAT2 slow acetylator status may be a determinant in susceptibility to SLE.
Sterile empyematous pleural effusion in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: a diagnostic challenge
Authors: Kriegel MA , Van Beek C , Mostaghimi A , Kyttaris VC
Published: May 2009

Herein we present a case of a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and a sterile empyematous pleural effusion, a complication not generally associated with SLE. A discussion of the diagnostic and treatment dilemmas follows the case presentation.
Nature Conservation and Human Well-Being in Bhutan
Authors: Rinzin Chhewang , Vermeulen Walter J. V. , Wassen Martin J. , Glasbergen Pieter
Published: May 2009

Bhutan's nature conservation policy aims to integrate nature conservation and economic development. This policy is guided by a Buddhist attitude that places coexistence with nature over exploitation of nature for economic gain. We looked at how nature conservation policy affected everyday life and economic activities of local communities and what this may imply for the country's long-term socioeconomic development. The study includes a field survey involving 210 local residents in two national parks. The results indicated that there is support for nature conservation in local communities despite the significant restrictions on the use of non—timber forest products and the loss of crops to wild animals. However, the compensation schemes are inadequate which may lead to depopulation and the abandonment of land in rural areas.
Women's Discourse on Beauty and Class in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Authors: Lee Naomi
Published: May 2009

Group-based inequalities have been explored through traditional laboratory methods using student participants, but more attention is needed at the level of people's everyday lives in cultural context. The present study looks at how people create and uphold social order through discursive practices. This dimension of social reproduction is explored in Venezuela, where the Bolivarian Revolution makes `social class' a politically salient signifier. I use the notions of interpretative repertoires (Potter & Wetherell, 1987) and carriers (Moghaddam, 2002) to analyze how women negotiate `class' and moral positions in talk about an everyday, resource-dependent practice (beauty). The analyses show how certain repertoires reproduce class positions while making equivocal the moral significance of class. I discuss how the instability of class as a carrier of moral goodness becomes a terrain on which concerns for establishing moral equality take precedence over concerns for achieving economic equality.
Developing a Multi-Dimensional Model of Hispano Attachment to and Loss of Land
Authors: Zentella Yoly
Published: May 2009

One underpinning of ties between family and culture among the Hispanos of Northern New Mexico is land. Among Hispanos land has historically symbolized a protective environment fostering survival, the development of extended family systems, a land-based culture, and a variety of land practices including spiritual/religious rituals. This, however, began to change with the initial loss of Hispano land holdings, a consequence of the annexation of New Mexico into the American Union and the disregard by the American government of Hispano landholder rights upheld in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, 1848. A grounded theory dissertation completed in 2005 addressed Northern New Mexican Hispano perspectives of attachment to and loss of land. The core concepts that emerged from the findings were, after a post-dissertation evaluation, found to parallel John Bowlby's still relevant, intertwining inner and outer rings of attachment and Setha Low's linkages between individual and place. Bowlby's ethologically based protective outer ring is a conceptual representation of the environment. The inner ring represents an organism's experience of safety and survival within the environment. Both rings intertwine as one's physiological state impacts one's view of the environment, with this view influencing one's physiological state. Setha Low pinpointed six specific types of linkages that form the basis of an interactional relationship between individuals and place. The grounded theory investigation narrative responses provided material that contributed to the development of a Multi-Dimensional Model of Hispano Attachment to and Loss of Land within the context of Northern New Mexico guided by the framework of Bowlby's and Low's models. While at this present time the model is applicable only to the respondents of the grounded theory investigation, it nevertheless contributes to a greater understanding of the process of psychological attachment and loss of land and its emotional consequences as perceived and conceived by Hispano residents in Northern New Mexico. Such psychologically based findings suggest applicability to mental health approaches for Hispanos in Northern New Mexico. Recommended are further studies with larger and more varied Hispano samples that could make this model generalizable to other Hispano or Latino populations residing in the area of the United States that was at one time a part of the Northern Mexican territories absorbed into the American Union as described in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The development of this model contributes to the growing work on place psychology, to the Chicano/Hispano psychology literature, and to literature on cultural trauma.
Commentary: Is Place Experience Culturally Specific? A Commentary on Yoly Zentella's Article
Authors: Minami Hirofumi
Published: May 2009

A dialogical commentary on Yuly Zentella' s (2009) article dealing with the cultural experiences of the loss of ties with their land among the Hispanos of Northern New Mexico is attempted firstly by referring to the psychological literature on transitions which utilizes Bowbly's theory of attachment and loss in actual incidents of relocations and displacement, and secondly by critically questioning the validity of combining concepts emerging from a grounded theory approach with general notions borrowed from attachment and place attachment theories. Although there are similarities between Zentella's study and studies of psycho-social transition that reveal stage-like processes following loss and grieving reactions of individuals, the former study is characterized by the impact's longer time-frame, which extends over generations of the population, while the latter literature deal with the loss of immediate environment by individuals, who undergo critical changes in a relatively shorter period. The cultural specificity of the multi-dimensional model proposed by Zentella is questioned on the ground that the added dimensions did not originate from the specific population under study, but are borrowed from more general theoretical abstractions. While the abductive mode of reasoning is appreciated, a possible mis-match between local concepts emerging from the grounded theory approach and the notion of attachment is discussed. As an alternative direction to value cultural specificity and phenomenological traditions, some exploration on the concept of `imprisonment' found by Zentella is attempted by adopting a symbol formation approach which takes language at a metaphorical level, and thus several examples of place metaphors, such as attached, rooted and imprisoned, are considered, with the hope of accumulating culturally specific studies of place experiences.
Perceived Intergenerational Differences in the Transmission of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in Two Indigenous Groups from Colombia and Guatemala
Authors: Cristancho Sergio , Vining Joanne
Published: May 2009

This study used the Developmental Niche (DN) framework to examine perceived intergenerational changes in the transmission of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). Under a cross-sectional and exploratory design, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample, stratified by gender and generation, of 30 Uitoto (Amazon, Colombia) and 26 Itza' Maya (Peten, Guatemala) adults about their perceptions of intergenerational variations in TEK transmission/acquisition practices. Interview data were analyzed using a grounded approach and resulting coding categories were assigned to text units. Grounded themes were then examined in light of the DN components. Both Uitoto and Itza' Maya participants perceived generational changes in the settings (from natural to school settings) and in the strategies (from experiential to conceptual learning) used for TEK transmission. These changes were attributed to various environmental (biodiversity loss, urbanization), socio-cultural (acculturation, changes in social norms) and individual factors (lack of motivation to teach and learn).
Psychopathy is the Unified Theory of Crime
Authors: DeLisi Matt
Published: May 2009

Psychopathy is an important clinical construct that has been studied for more than 200 years and has exploded in recent years as a guiding explanatory concept for a range of antisocial behaviors across a range of populations and subgroups. In this review essay, I advance that psychopathy is the purest and the best explanation of antisocial behavior. Indeed, psychopathy is the unified theory of crime because it mirrors the elemental nature and embodies the pejorative essence of antisocial behavior, accommodates dimensional and categorical conceptualizations and examinations of antisocial behavior, facilitates the study of antisocial phenotypes over the life span, accommodates the general overlap of antisocial behaviors among diverse populations, and facilitates emerging biosocial explanations of antisocial behavior.
Barriers in Diagnosing and Treating Men With Depression: A Focus Group Report
Authors: Rochlen Aaron B. , Paterniti Debora A. , Epstein Ronald M. , Duberstein Paul , Willeford Lindsay , Kravitz Richard L.
Published: May 2009

This study reports on the experiences of 45 male focus group participants with a history of depression. Men responded to questions addressing the interaction between the male role, masculinity, depression, and experiences with treatment for depression. Using a qualitative, thematic-based coding strategy, three primary themes emerged. First, participants described aspects of the male gender as being in conflict or incongruent with their experiences of depression and beliefs about appropriate help-seeking behaviors. Second, men outlined alternative symptom profiles that could interfere with the recognition of depression and willingness to seek help. Finally, men expressed a range of positive and negative reactions toward depression treatment and treatment providers. Implications for health care providers are provided.
Selling God/saving souls
Authors: Thomas Pradip
Published: May 2009

The relationship between the religious commodity market, popular culture and political economy remains under-theorized. The globalization of religion has led to a massive global trade in on-line and off-line religious commodities. This article explores the mobile Christian commodity form and its specific politics of use. Using examples from India and the US, it explores the ways in which Pentecostal and neo-Pentecostal groups use multi-media products and platforms for evangelization. The profit potential in religious fare has not gone unnoticed in corporate circles, and synergistic relationships have developed between media corporations and Christian production houses involved in creating commodities for segmented audiences. The article argues that in the context of the global expansion and export of Christian fundamentalism, the increasingly close relationship between mediated Christianity and the commodity form facilitates the extension of specific, conservative, forms of values-based capitalism.
Europe as a partner
Authors: Moreno Domínguez José Manuel , Montero David
Published: May 2009

So far, the EU has exclusively set out to define an intrinsically European audiovisual identity counterpoised against US influence. These policies have ignored that the emerging transnational cultural landscapes highlight the need to create new spaces for cooperation and product exchange that extend beyond current national and regional borders. In this respect, opening a new and effective space for audiovisual cooperation between the EU and Latin America would imply the possibility of an enriching dialogue between two culturally different actors which share both historical links and the conception of cinema as a cultural manifestation that must be protected above and beyond its industrial value. The aim of this article is to analyse the current situation and to propose different ways forward, outlining the measures that should be taken in order to lay the foundations for a future of further audiovisual cooperation between the EU and Latin America. The article argues that such cooperation is sorely needed for the future development of both regions.
Management through spiritual self-help discourse in post-socialist Slovenia
Authors: Erjavec Karmen , Volčič Zala
Published: May 2009

From the 1990s, during and after the post-communist transitions in Eastern Europe, different self-help texts advancing spiritual or personal well-being continue to be a highly popular discourse in Slovenia. In this article we examine the appropriation of self-help discourse in one of Slovenia's most influential management magazines, Manager. On the basis of a critical discourse analysis of Manager's articles, we argue that the magazine predominantly uses spiritual self-help vocabulary and accordingly transforms definitions of basic business vocabulary. It offers a spiritual self-growth discourse as a solution to any current management or social problems and in doing so supports the (neo)liberal capitalism. This discourse attempts to advise managers as to how to adapt to the new competitive business environment. It furthermore promotes the belief that solely spiritual self-growth will help managers and their business partners to resist political and economic barriers and assure the business success in times of global corporate `survival'.