bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of structural, architectural and mechanical aspects of cellular and acellular bone in two teleost fish
Authors: Cohen Liat , Dean Mason , Shipov Anna , Atkins Ayelet , Monsonego-Ornan Efrat , Shahar Ron
Published: May 2012

The histological diversity of the skeletal tissues of fishes is impressive compared with that of other vertebrate groups, yet our understanding of the functional consequences of this diversity is limited. In particular, although it has been known since the mid-1800s that a large number of fish species possess acellular bones, the mechanical advantages and consequences of this structural characteristic – and therefore the nature of the evolution of this feature – remain unclear. Although several studies have examined the material properties of fish bone, these have used a variety of techniques and there have been no direct contrasts of acellular and cellular bone. We report on a comparison of the structural and mechanical properties of the ribs and opercula between two freshwater fish – the common carp Cyprinus carpio (a fish with cellular bone) and the tilapia Oreochromis aureus (a fish with acellular bone). We used light microscopy to show that the bones in both fish species exhibit poor blood supply and possess discrete tissue zones, with visible layering suggesting differences in the underlying collagen architecture. We performed identical micromechanical testing protocols on samples of the two bone types to determine the mechanical properties of the bone material of opercula and ribs. Our data support the consensus of literature values, indicating that Young’s moduli of cellular and acellular bones are in the same range, and lower than Young’s moduli of the bones of mammals and birds. Despite these similarities in mechanical properties between the bone tissues of the fish species tested here, cellular bone had significantly lower mineral content than acellular bone; furthermore, the percentage ash content and bone mineral density values (derived from micro-CT scans) show that the bone of these fishes is less mineralized than amniote bone. Although we cannot generalize from our data to the numerous remaining teleost species, the results presented here suggest that while cellular and acellular fish bone may perform similarly from a mechanical standpoint, there are previously unappreciated differences in the structure and composition of these bone types.
Molt–breeding overlap alters molt dynamics and behavior in zebra finches,Taeniopygia guttata castanotis
Authors: Echeverry-Galvis Maria A. , Hau Michaela
Published: May 2012

Costly events in the life history cycle of organisms such as reproduction, migration and pelage/plumage replacement are typically separated in time to maximize their outcome. Such temporal separation is thought to be necessitated by energetical trade-offs, and mediated through physiological processes. However, certain species, such as tropical birds, are able to overlap two costly life history stages: reproduction and feather replacement. It has remained unclear how both events progress when they co-occur over extended periods of time. Here we determined the consequences and potential costs of such overlap by comparing molt and behavioral patterns in both sexes of captive zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata castanotis) that were solely molting or were overlapping breeding and molt. Individuals overlapping the early stages of breeding with molt showed a roughly 40% decrease in the growth rate of individual feathers compared with birds that were molting but not breeding. Further, individuals that overlapped breeding and molt tended to molt fewer feathers simultaneously and exhibited longer intervals between shedding consecutive feathers on the tail or the same wing as well as delays in shedding corresponding flight feathers on opposite sides. Overlapping individuals also altered their time budgets: they devoted more than twice the time to feeding while halving the time spent for feather care in comparison to molt-only individuals. These data provide experimental support for the previously untested hypothesis that when molt and reproduction overlap in time, feather replacement will occur at a slower and less intense rate. There were no sex differences in any of the variables assessed, except for a tendency in females to decline body condition more strongly over time during the overlap than males. Our data indicate the existence of major consequences of overlapping breeding and molt, manifested in changes in both molt dynamics and time budgets of both sexes. It is likely that under harsher conditions in natural environments such consequences will be more severe and may result in fitness consequences.
Growth and development of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in response to chronic food restriction throughout the nestling period
Authors: Killpack Tess L. , Karasov William H.
Published: May 2012

Birds have evolved phenotypic plasticity in growth and developmental patterns in order to respond to fluctuating environmental conditions and to mitigate the impact of poor feeding on fitness. Chronic food shortage can occur during chick development in the wild, and the responses of altricial birds have not been thoroughly studied. House sparrow (Passer domesticus) nestlings were raised in the laboratory on age-specific meal sizes (controls) or meal sizes 25% less than age-specific amounts (food-restricted) and analyzed at 6, 9 and 12 days post-hatch for differences in growth and development. Food-restricted birds had significantly reduced body mass and body temperature, but skeletal growth was maintained with respect to controls. Muscle mass was significantly reduced and muscle water content was slightly, though not significantly, higher in food-restricted birds, which may reflect slight developmental immaturity. Assimilation organ masses, summed enzymatic capacity of the intestine and lipid content of the liver were significantly reduced in food-restricted birds. Findings from this study indicate that altricial birds experiencing chronic, moderate food restriction throughout the nestling period may allocate resources to structural growth through energy-saving reductions in mass of assimilation organs and body temperature.
Proprioceptive feedback reinforces centrally generated stepping patterns in the cockroach
Authors: Fuchs Einat , Holmes Philip , David Izhak , Ayali Amir
Published: May 2012

The relative importance of sensory input for the production of centrally generated motor patterns is crucial to our understanding of how animals coordinate their body segments to locomote. In legged locomotion, where terrain heterogeneity may require stride-by-stride changes in leg placement, evidence suggests that sensory information is essential for the timing of leg movement. In a previous study we showed that in cockroaches, renowned for rapid and stable running, a coordinated pattern can be elicited from the motor centres driving the different legs in the absence of sensory feedback. In the present paper, we assess the role of movement-related sensory inputs in modifying this central pattern. We studied the effect of spontaneous steps as well as imposed transient and periodic movements of a single intact leg, and demonstrate that, depending on the movement properties, the resulting proprioceptive feedback can significantly modify phase relationships among segmental oscillators of other legs. Our analysis suggests that feedback from front legs is weaker but more phasically precise than from hind legs, selectively transferring movement-related information in a manner that strengthens the inherent rhythmic pattern and modulates local perturbations.
Simulating transoceanic migrations of young loggerhead sea turtles: merging magnetic navigation behavior with an ocean circulation model
Authors: Putman Nathan F. , Verley Philippe , Shay Thomas J. , Lohmann Kenneth J.
Published: May 2012

Young loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from eastern Florida, USA, undertake a transoceanic migration in which they gradually circle the Sargasso Sea before returning to the North American coast. Loggerheads possess a ‘magnetic map’ in which regional magnetic fields elicit changes in swimming direction along the migratory pathway. In some geographic areas, however, ocean currents move more rapidly than young turtles can swim. Thus, the degree to which turtles can control their migratory movements has remained unclear. In this study, the movements of young turtles were simulated within a high-resolution ocean circulation model using several different behavioral scenarios, including one in which turtles drifted passively and others in which turtles swam briefly in accordance with experimentally derived data on magnetic navigation. Results revealed that small amounts of oriented swimming in response to regional magnetic fields profoundly affected migratory routes and endpoints. Turtles that engaged in directed swimming for as little as 1–3 h per day were 43–187% more likely than passive drifters to reach the Azores, a productive foraging area frequented by Florida loggerheads. They were also more likely to remain within warm-water currents favorable for growth and survival, avoid areas on the perimeter of the migratory route where predation risk and thermal conditions pose threats, and successfully return to the open-sea migratory route if carried into coastal areas. These findings imply that even weakly swimming marine animals may be able to exert strong effects on their migratory trajectories and open-sea distributions through simple navigation responses and minimal swimming.
Challenging zebrafish escape responses by increasing water viscosity
Authors: Danos Nicole , Lauder George V.
Published: May 2012

Escape responses of fishes have long been studied as a model locomotor behavior in which hypothesized maximal or near-maximal muscle power output is used to generate rapid body bending. In this paper we present the results of experiments that challenged zebrafish (Danio rerio) to perform escape responses in water of altered viscosity, to better understand the effects that the fluid mechanical environment exerts on kinematics. We quantified escape kinematics using 1000 frames s–1 high-speed video, and compared escape response kinematics of fish in three media that differed in viscosity: 1 mPa s (normal water), 10 mPa s and 20 mPa s (20 times normal water viscosity). We hypothesized that because viscosity is increased but not density there will be a different effect on kinematic variables resulting from unsteady (acceleration-dependent) hydrodynamic forces and steady (velocity-dependent) ones. Similarly, we hypothesized that the kinematics of stage 1 will be less affected by viscosity than those of stage 2, as higher angular velocities are reached during stage 1 resulting in higher Reynolds numbers. Our results showed a significant overall effect of viscosity on escape response kinematics but the effect was not in accordance with our predictions. Statistical tests showed that increasing viscosity significantly decreased displacement of the center of mass during stage 1 and after 30 ms, and decreased maximum velocity of the center of mass, maximum angular velocity and acceleration during stage 1, but increased time to maximum angular acceleration and time to maximum linear velocity of the center of mass. Remarkably, increasing water viscosity 20 times did not significantly affect the duration of stage 1 or stage 2.
Changes in extreme cold tolerance, membrane composition and cardiac transcriptome during the first day of thermal acclimation in the porcelain crabPetrolisthes cinctipes
Authors: Ronges Daria , Walsh Jillian P. , Sinclair Brent J. , Stillman Jonathon H.
Published: May 2012

Intertidal zone organisms can experience transient freezing temperatures during winter low tides, but their extreme cold tolerance mechanisms are not known. Petrolisthes cinctipes is a temperate mid–high intertidal zone crab species that can experience wintertime habitat temperatures below the freezing point of seawater. We examined how cold tolerance changed during the initial phase of thermal acclimation to cold and warm temperatures, as well as the persistence of cold tolerance during long-term thermal acclimation. Thermal acclimation for as little as 6 h at 8°C enhanced cold tolerance during a 1 h exposure to –2°C relative to crabs acclimated to 18°C. Potential mechanisms for this enhanced tolerance were elucidated using cDNA microarrays to probe for differences in gene expression in cardiac tissue of warm- and cold-acclimated crabs during the first day of thermal acclimation. No changes in gene expression were detected until 12 h of thermal acclimation. Genes strongly upregulated in warm-acclimated crabs represented immune response and extracellular/intercellular processes, suggesting that warm-acclimated crabs had a generalized stress response and may have been remodelling tissues or altering intercellular processes. Genes strongly upregulated in cold-acclimated crabs included many that are involved in glucose production, suggesting that cold acclimation involves increasing intracellular glucose as a cryoprotectant. Structural cytoskeletal proteins were also strongly represented among the genes upregulated in only cold-acclimated crabs. There were no consistent changes in composition or the level of unsaturation of membrane phospholipid fatty acids with cold acclimation, which suggests that neither short- nor long-term changes in cold tolerance are mediated by changes in membrane fatty acid composition. Overall, our study demonstrates that initial changes in cold tolerance are likely not regulated by transcriptomic responses, but that gene-expression-related changes in homeostasis begin within 12 h, the length of a tidal cycle.
The impact of gender on urine C-peptide creatinine ratio interpretation
Authors: Thomas Nicholas J , Shields Beverley M , Besser Rachel E J , Jones Angus G , Rawlingson Andrew , Goodchild Emily , Leighton Christopher , Bowman Pamela , Shepherd Maggie , Knight Bridget A , McDonald Timothy J , Hattersley Andrew T
Published: May 2012

Background

Urinary C-peptide creatinine ratio (UCPCR) is a non-invasive and convenient way of assessing endogenous insulin production. Adjusting for urine creatinine levels allows for differences in urine concentration. Creatinine excretion is known to be higher in men due to gender differences in muscle mass. We investigated the impact of gender on UCPCR.

Methods

One hundred and seventy-six subjects underwent a mixed meal tolerance test (MMTT). We looked at the relationship between UCPCR on urine C-peptide and creatinine excretion rates using timed post-meal urine samples. A further 415 subjects had two-hour post-meal UCPCR measurements in order to derive gender-specific percentiles for different diabetes subgroups and controls.

Results

UCPCR was 1.48-fold higher in women ( n= 78) than men ( n= 98), median (interquartile range [IQR]): 1.88 (0.49–3.49) men versus 2.88 (1.58–4.91) nmol mmol−1 women, P= 0.01. This reflects a gender difference in creatinine excretion rates (11.5 [8.3–13.7] men versus 8.2 [5.6–9.1] women μmol min−1 P < 0.001). C-peptide excretion rate was similar in men and women (19.8 [5.2–37.0] versus 22.1 [7.4–40.5] pmol min−1, P = 0.7). UCPCR was higher in women in all subgroups defined by diabetes classification and treatment, except long-term type 1 diabetes in whom C-peptide secretion was minimal.

Conclusions

Gender affects UCPCR, with higher values found in women. This results from lower urine creatinine reflecting gender differences in muscle mass. This necessitates gender-specific ranges for accurate interpretation of UCPCR results.
The Social Care Component of Multidisciplinary Mental Health Teams: A Review and National Survey
Authors: Evans Sherrill , Huxley Peter , Baker Christine , White Jo , Madge Sally , Onyett Steve , Gould Nick
Published: May 2012

Background

The study reviewed the disciplinary composition of community mental health teams (CMHTs) and conducted a national survey of mental health providers in England and Wales to explore the determinants of the social care component of CMHTs.

Methods

A comprehensive literature review and a national survey of NHS mental health Trusts in England and Wales.

Results

The literature review showed that team composition was rarely well justified with regard to effectiveness, despite some evidence that greater professional diversity (i.e. inclusion of social workers) was associated with higher effectiveness. Forty-two mental health Trusts responded (53.2%) to the survey. There were no staffing differences between responding and non-responding Trusts. Social workers accounted for 19.3% of the staffing total. Nurses formed a third of the workforce and social support workers made up a further 10%. We found that there continues to be a shortage (compared to policy targets and previous research) of psychiatrists, psychologists and occupational therapists, whereas the numbers of nurses employed far exceeds their target numbers. Total staffing numbers appeared to be slightly higher in Trusts citing ‘financial resources’ as a determining factor of team composition. Despite being statistically non-significant, the ‘financial resource’ effect was of medium magnitude. Similarly, there was a non-significant but approaching medium-sized effect of higher numbers of social care support staff when guidance was cited as a rationale for CMHT composition. There was a non-significant (P = 0.076) medium magnitude (η2p 5 0.067) trend towards higher staff numbers in more integrated trusts that did not cite financial resources as a driver of team composition.

Conclusions

If service recipients are to gain equal access to appropriately staffed services, further attention needs to be paid to supporting an adequately skilled multidisciplinary workforce. The workforce needs to be organised in a way that best provides for local needs rather than a service based largely on the existing supply of different professionals and disjointed workforce planning.
From Reliability Block Diagrams to Fault Tree Circuits
Authors: Bhattacharjya Debarun , Deleris Léa A.
Published: May 2012

Reliability block diagrams (RBDs) depict the functional relationships between components comprising a system, whereas Bayesian networks (BNs) represent probabilistic relationships between uncertain variables. Previous research has described how one can transform an RBD into a BN. In parallel, developments in the artificial intelligence literature have shown how a BN can be transformed into another graphical representation, an arithmetic circuit, which can subsequently be used for efficient inference. In this paper, we introduce a new graphical representation that we call a fault tree circuit, which is a special kind of arithmetic circuit constructed specifically for an RBD. A fault tree circuit can be constructed directly from an RBD and is more efficient than an arithmetic circuit that is compiled from the BN corresponding to that RBD. We develop several methods for fault tree circuits, highlighting how they can aid the analyst in efficient diagnosis, sensitivity analysis, and decision support for many typical reliability problems. The circuit framework can complement tools that are popular in the reliability analysis community. We use a simple pump system example to illustrate the concepts.
Markdown Pricing with Unknown Fraction of Strategic Customers
Authors: Mersereau Adam J. , Zhang Dan
Published: May 2012

A growing segment of the revenue management and pricing literature assumes “strategic” customers who are forward-looking in their pursuit of utility. Recognizing that such behavior may not be directly observable by a seller, we examine the implications of seller uncertainty over strategic customer behavior in a markdown pricing setting. We assume that some proportion of customers purchase impulsively in the first period if the price is below their willingness to pay, while other customers strategically wait for lower prices in the second period. We consider a two-period selling season in which the seller knows the aggregate demand curve but not the proportion of customers behaving strategically. We show that a robust pricing policy that requires no knowledge of the extent of strategic behavior performs remarkably well. We extend our model to a setting with stochastic demand, and show that the robust pricing policy continues to perform well, particularly as capacity is loosened or the problem is scaled up. Our results underscore the need to recognize strategic behavior, but also suggest that in many cases effective performance is possible without precise knowledge of strategic behavior.
Robust Design and Control of Call Centers with Flexible Interactive Voice Response Systems
Authors: Tezcan Tolga , Behzad Banafsheh
Published: May 2012

We consider the robust design and control of call center systems with flexible interactive voice response (IVR) systems. In a typical call center equipped with an IVR system, customers are handled first by the IVR system, which is a computerized system that often enables customers to self-serve. Those customers whose service cannot be handled by the IVR system are sent to the second stage to be served by agents. To address the design of a call center with a flexible IVR system, we consider a call center whose IVR system can operate in two different service delivery modes that have statistically different outcomes. We formulate a stochastic program to determine the number of agents needed in the second stage as well as the proportion of customers that should be selected for each IVR service mode under different demand levels with the objective of minimizing the total staffing and abandonment costs. We also propose dynamic control policies to achieve the optimal proportions without the knowledge of the exact arrival rate. We show that the staffing levels found by the stochastic program combined with the proposed routing policies are asymptotically optimal in large systems. We present extensive numerical and simulation results to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed solutions.
The Impact of Airline Flight Schedules on Flight Delays
Authors: Deshpande Vinayak , Arıkan Mazhar
Published: May 2012

Airline flight delays have come under increased scrutiny lately in the popular press, with the Federal Aviation Administration data revealing that airline on-time performance was at its worst level in 13 years in 2007. Flight delays have been attributed to several causes such as weather conditions, airport congestion, airspace congestion, use of smaller aircraft by airlines, etc. In this paper, we examine the impact of the scheduled block time allocated for a flight, a factor controlled by airlines, on on-time arrival performance. We analyze empirical flight data published by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to estimate the scheduled on-time arrival probability of each commercial domestic flight flown in the United States in 2007 by a major carrier. The structural estimation approach from econometrics is then used to impute the overage to underage cost ratio of the newsvendor model for each flight. Our results show that airlines systematically “underemphasize” flight delays, i.e., the flight delay costs implied by the newsvendor model are less than the implied costs of early arrivals for a large fraction of flights. Our results indicate that revenue drivers (e.g., average fare) and competitive measures (e.g., market share) have a significant impact on the scheduled on-time arrival probability. We also show that the scheduled on-time arrival probability is not positively affected by the total number of passengers on the aircraft rotation who could be affected by a flight delay, or the number of incoming and outgoing connecting passengers on a flight. Operational characteristics such as the hub and spoke network structure also have a significant impact on the scheduled on-time arrival probability. Finally, full-service airlines put a higher weight on the cost of late arrivals than do low-cost carriers, and flying on the lowest fare flight on a route results in a drop in the scheduled on-time arrival probability.
Physician Workload and Hospital Reimbursement: Overworked Physicians Generate Less Revenue per Patient
Authors: Powell Adam , Savin Sergei , Savva Nicos
Published: May 2012

We study the impact of physician workload on hospital reimbursement utilizing a detailed data set from the trauma department of a major urban hospital. We find that the proportion of patients assigned a “high-severity” status for reimbursement purposes, which maps, on average, to a 47.8% higher payment for the hospital, is substantially reduced as the workload of the discharging physician increases. This effect persists after we control for a number of systematic differences in patient characteristics, condition, and time of discharge. Furthermore, we show that it is unlikely to be caused by selection bias or endogeneity in either discharge timing or allocation of discharges to physicians. We attribute this phenomenon to a workload-induced reduction in diligence of paperwork execution. We estimate the associated monetary loss to be approximately 1.1% (95% confidence interval, 0.4%–1.9%) of the department's annual revenue.
Assessing the Potential Adverse Consequences of Supplemental Calcium on Cardiovascular Outcomes: Should We Change Our Approach to Bone Health?
Authors: Rojas-Fernandez Carlos H , MacLaughlin Eric J , Dore Naomi L , Ebsary Sally
Published: May 2012

Objective:

To assess cardiovascular risks associated with supplemental calcium use to assist clinicians with evidence-based recommendations for patients who have, or who are at risk for, osteoporosis or osteopenia.

Data Sources:

Literature was accessed through December 2011 using MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts using the terms calcium compounds and cardiovascular disease. In addition, reference citations from the publications identified were reviewed.

Study Selection And Data Extraction::

All English-language articles were evaluated. Randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and metaanalyses were included.

Data Synthesis:

While supplemental calcium and vitamin D have been demonstrated to improve bone mineral density and decrease the risk of fractures, there have been recent reports that calcium supplements may increase the risk for cardiovascular events. Nine clinical trials and/or meta-analyses were reviewed; 3 documented increases in cardiovascular risk associated with calcium supplements, and 6 did not. No studies were designed to assess cardiovascular outcomes as primary end points. Balancing the evidence from these analyses with the results of randomized controlled trials assessing the effect of calcium on fracture prevention suggests that the benefits of calcium outweigh the cardiovascular risk.

Conclusions:

At this time, there is no cause to change routine practice surrounding supplemental calcium use in patients who have, or are at risk for, osteoporosis or osteopenia.
Contribution of Renal Impairment to Potentially Preventable Medication-Related Hospital Admissions
Authors: Leendertse Anne J , van Dijk Elisabeth A , De Smet Peter AGM , Egberts Toine CG , van den Bemt Patricia MLA
Published: May 2012

Background:

Medication errors and renal impairment contribute to severe adverse drug events, which may lead to hospital admission.

Objective:

To determine whether medication errors and renal impairment contribute to hospital admission and examine these errors for strategies to prevent admissions.

Methods:

The 714 medication-related hospital admissions reported in the prospective multicenter study HARM (Hospital Admissions Related to Medication) were analyzed. The patients were divided into 3 groups based on the availability of creatinine levels: group A, the home-monitored group (n = 227); group B, the hospital-monitored group (n = 420); and group C, the unmonitored group (n = 67).

Results:

After assessment, 70 admissions (10%) were considered to be related to a medication error and renal impairment (A, 29; B, 41; C, none). In these 70 patients, 85 errors occurred in group A, 66 errors in group B, and none in group C. Dosing errors were identified in 46 patients (A, 14; B. 32), a drug-drug interaction in 22 patients (A. 13; B, 9), and a drug-disease interaction in 17 patients (A, 10; B, 7).

Conclusions:

Renal impairment and medication errors may lead to medication-related hospital admissions. Monitoring renal function and adjusting pharmacotherapy according to renal function might help to prevent hospital admissions. This can be a strategy for research on how to decrease the number of medication-related hospital admissions.
Generic Immunosuppression: Deciphering the Message Our Patients are Receiving
Authors: Hulbert Amanda L , Pilch Nicole A , Taber David J , Chavin Kenneth D , Baliga Prabhakar K
Published: May 2012

Background:

The introduction of generic immunosuppressants elicited controversy within the transplant community and it is unknown whether patient attitudes mirror the ambiguity of provider perceptions. With the current health care economic crisis, it is necessary to consider generic immunosuppression as an option. A greater understanding of patient perceptions would enhance vital communication between providers and patients to facilitate education and appropriate monitoring.

Objective:

To evaluate transplant recipients’ perceptions of generic versus brand immunosuppressants based on experience with these agents and the willingness of patients to convert treatment from brand to generic formulations based on socioeconomic variables and baseline demographics.

Methods:

Key informant interviews were conducted to inform the development of the survey instrument. The survey was distributed to solid organ transplant recipients at a large, academic medical center from October to December 2010. RESULTS: Nine patients participated in key informant interviews. Financial considerations and provider recommendations were the most commonly identified factors to influence perceptions of generic immunosuppressants. A total of 255 patients completed the survey; treatment in 81 (32%) participants had been converted to a generic immunosuppressant. Those currently receiving a generic immunosuppressant expressed higher beliefs of generic and brand equivalency (75% vs 54%, p = 0.006) and an increased willingness to convert treatment to a generic given equivalent cost (51 % vs 32%, p = 0.024). African American participants were found to have a decreased belief of generic and brand equivalency compared to other ethnicities (60% vs 75%, p = 0.013). Participants with an annual income of less than $30,000 had higher beliefs of generic and brand equivalency (60% vs 40%, p = 0.0001). Education level and age did not impact beliefs of generic efficacy or willingness to convert therapy.

Conclusions:

Patient ethnicity, income, and experience with generic immunosuppressants appear to contribute to perceptions of generic immunosuppressants. The prevalence of generic immunosuppressant use supports the importance of communication of this issue between providers and patients.
“My Eyes Ended Up At My Fingertips”: Antoine, Autobiographical Documentary, and the Cinematic Depiction of a Blind Child Subject
Authors: Pedersen Isabel , Aspevig Kristen
Published: May 2012

Antoine, an independent film by Canadian Laura Bari, gives voice to a blind, five-year-old boy, Antoine Houang, who narrates his life with stories, memories, and imaginative compositions. We argue that because of its basis in collaboration, Antoine extends the genre of autobiographical documentary. It is an autobiography by Houang, but it is also a documentary by Bari. The film uses tactics of each genre to construct a portrait of a blind subject that is enabling rather than constraining. Ultimately, Antoine affords both Houang and Bari the opportunity to create a film that pushes the boundaries of these genres to portray the life of a differently-abled subject who might have been barred from such a practice.
Andy Warhol’s Deaths and the Assembly-Line Autobiography
Authors: Reeve Charles
Published: May 2012

By examining Andy Warhol’s autobiographical publications in relation to his other literary and artistic production, his entourage’s memoirs, and the larger historical/cultural context, this article shows that he constructed his written self as a precursor to coming notions of the distributed, fragmented and saturated subject.
The Dynamics of Organizational Change in Small Developing Islands: The Case of Curaçao
Authors: Goede Miguel
Published: May 2012

Le but principal de cet article est de présenter une étude des processus de changements au niveau des organisations de Curaçao, en vue de considérer les changements en général d’un point de vue théorique et de les voir au regard du développement des petites îles. Le but secondaire est d’examiner si les modèles de changements dédiés aux problèmes d’ordre organisationnel peuvent être appliqués aux petites îles. L’article présente une description du contexte théorique tout en considérant une synthèse des différents modèles de transformation et changements d’organisation. L’étude empirique dont on prend en compte dans cet article se base sur 39 études de cas qui on été méticuleusement choisis. Les cas sont analysés qualitativement, basés sur des publications antérieures, des archives et commentaires d’intéressés, y compris des directeurs, des actionnaires, des membres du comité de surveillance, des politiciens, des spécialistes et des dirigeants syndicaux. Aussi les changements constitutionnels de Curaçao ont-ils été analysés comme un cas de changement qui touche toute l’île.
Latitude and Longitude of the Past: Place, Negritude and French Caribbean Identity in Aimé Césaire’s Poetry
Authors: Clément Vincent
Published: May 2012

Césaire est l’un des plus grands poètes français du 20éme siècle et son œuvre a été étudiée dans les moindres recoins par de nombreux universitaires. En quoi une analyse géographique pourrait-elle conduire vers une meilleure compréhension de la poésie de Césaire et de son processus de construction identitaire ? En réalité, la dimension géographique de ses écrits n’a jamais été profondément analysée, bien qu’elle constitue l’une des principales toiles de fond de sa poésie. Césaire invente sa propre géographie imaginaire comme il l’a proclamé. Quelles sont les trames de sa carte du monde à usage personnel ? L’objectif de Césaire est de retrouver sa latitude et sa longitude perdues dans le sillage des navires d’esclaves. Pour exister, une personne déracinée, comme Césaire l’était, doit écrire une nouvelle relation avec la Terre selon la philosophie de la géographie développée par Eric Dardel. L’auteur de cet article analyse l’influence de la poésie de Césaire et de sa vision du monde dans le processus de construction identitaire. La poésie de Césaire est d’abord une révolte personnelle contre la domination coloniale. Mais grâce à la force de son écriture, il dépasse sa blessure intérieure pour bâtir une nouvelle identité caribéenne.
Pedro Henríquez Ureña: Utopía del silencio
Authors: Valerio-Holguín Fernando
Published: May 2012

Dans cet essai, j’examinerai comment Pedro Henríquez Ureña, prestigieux intellectuel dominicain, a développé dans ses textes les plus importants, une stratégie d’écriture portant à «réduire au silence» les cultures indigènes et africaines, comme un plaidoyer en faveur de sa condition d’intellectuel mulâtre postcolonial. La rupture de ces silences révèle clairement comment, par le moyen des interstices de ses écrits, une idéologie de classe, raciste et patriarcale a prédominé. La réduction au silence ou la négation de certains aspects de la culture populaire latino-américaine conduira Henríquez Ureña vers une voie hispanophile, puisqu’il montrera non seulement de la fierté mais aussi de l’admiration pour la conquête et la colonisation du continent américain par l’Empire espagnol. Ses opinions au sujet de la colonie de Santo Domingo représentent un mode nostalgique à travers lequel il essaie de lier son ascendance avec la nation dominicaine, le pays où il a été élevé, et, par procuration, avec l’Espagne, le pays dont il attendait la reconnaissance. En tant qu’intellectuel mulâtre post-colonial, Henríquez Ureña eut à lutter non seulement contre l’anxiété liée à la reconnaissance partielle d’une hégémonie mais aussi contre une image illusoire de lui-même en tant que «blanc», fondée sur ses noms de famille et sur son prestige social, identifiés à un idéal européen.
En el cincuentenario de Caribbean Studies: algunas notas sobre las universidades del Caribe y sus revistas académicas
Authors: Muñiz Humberto García , Natal Betsaida Vélez
Published: May 2012

Ces notes commémoratives du cinquantenaire de Caribbean Studies sont une approximation au sujet des revues académiques publiées dans les institutions universitaires dans la région de la Caraïbe. Dans la première partie on explique, de manière succincte, l’origine et le développement des institutions universitaires et la fondation des revues académiques universitaires dans la Caraïbe hispano- et anglophones jusqu’à la décennie des années 1960. Dans la section suivante, l’essai discute les premières revues qui présentent une approche régionale - Caribbean Quarterly et Social and Economic Studies – et leur évaluation jusqu’à leur arbitrage. La section suivante se concentre sur l’origine et le développement de Caribbean Studies , avec une analyse biométrique de plusieurs aspects comme la provenance des auteurs, les sujets d’étude, entre autres. La dernière partie réalise un regard sommaire sur le panorama actuel des revues consacrées à la Caraïbe, et se finit par de brèves conclusions.
Caribbeans in New York: Political Participation, Strategic Cooperation and the Prospect for Pan-ethnic Political Mobilization in the Diaspora
Authors: Vargas-Ramos Carlos
Published: May 2012

Ce travail propose d’examiner une atmosphère peu favorable à la formation des coalitions stratégiques pan-caribéennes et leur intégration politique dans la diaspora. Les caribéens vivant à New York laissent dessiner un profil distinct en ce qui a trait à une intégration politique, lequel résulte de leur faible participation aux affaires politiques, mais surtout de l’impact que les caribéens d’origine hispanique exercent sur la collectivité y compris les afro-caribéens. Les études portant sur la coopération législative entre représentants caribéens élus et ceux “d’entreprises” politiques- favorables à la promotion d’identités alternatives- démontrent qu’au delà de la fourgue d’acteurs stratégiques, les caribéens possèdent une variété d’identités et certaines d’entre elles sont susceptibles de correspondre à une marque de compétence, de contradiction ou simplement aident a résister les attaques identitaires aussi bien articulées et fortes que des alliances politiques bien connues.
Género, estructuras familiares y segregación de la fuerza laboral puertorriqueña y dominicana en Puerto Rico
Authors: Warren Alice Colón
Published: May 2012

L’article suggère quelques hypothèses et axes de recherche investiguant jusqu’à quel point la force de travail portoricaine et dominicaine se bat pour les mêmes espaces ou se trouve divisée sur le marche du travail portoricain. Ces hypothèses et axes de recherche s’intéressent aussi aux niches communes a la force de travail portoricaine et dominicaine Les données publiques du Sondage d’Opinion de la Communauté à Porto Rico de 2005 à 2009 ont permis de décrire la population portoricaine et dominicaine atteignant entre 20 et 64 ans, leur proportion dans la force de travail en termes d’expériences, leurs espaces de concentration communs et leurs taux d’emploi. Il faut souligner que des questions portant sur la notion de «genre», d’état civil, relations structurelle du ménage, d’éducation, de la composition professionnelle et industrielle et du secteur d’emploi ont été prises en compte.
A Tale of Three Patriots in a Revolutionary World: Théophile Cazenove, Jacques-Pierre Brissot, and Joel Barlow (1788–1811)
Authors: Jourdan Annie
Published: May 2012

This essay is about three trans-Atlantic patriots living during the Revolutionary era who were involved in the sale of American lands in Europe. Besides the problems caused by land speculation, these men confronted (directly or indirectly) revolutionary politics. The vagaries of commerce and politics presented everyday problems and illustrate how difficult it was for actors to fulfill their objectives. The topic permits an exploration of the nature of trans-Atlantic networks and enables us to assess the validity of actor network theory using historical data. It reveals the mobility and dynamic character of trans-Atlantic connections while stressing the importance of images of America as stock-jobbing and as a utopia in eighteenth-century Europe.

This essay is about three trans-Atlantic patriots living during the Revolutionary era who were involved in the sale of American lands in Europe. Besides the problems involved in land speculation, these men confronted (directly or indirectly) revolutionary politics. The vagaries of commerce and politics presented everyday problems and illustrate how difficult it was for actors to fulfill their objectives. The topic permits an exploration of the nature of trans-Atlantic networks and enables us to assess the validity of actor network theory using historical data. It reveals the mobility and dynamic character of trans-Atlantic networks while stressing the importance of images of America as stock-jobbing and as a utopia in eighteenth-century Europe.’
Conversations with the Classics: Ancient Political Virtue and Two Modern Revolutions
Authors: Velema Wyger R. E.
Published: May 2012

Since R. R. Palmer formulated his influential thesis about the Age of the Democratic Revolution half a century ago, historians have criticized and revised his views on the nature of the late eighteenth-century political revolutions in the Western world. They have, among other things, pointed out that whereas Palmer treated those revolutions as a sharp break with the past, revolutionary political thought in fact remained significantly rooted in classical republicanism. Departing from such insights, this article discusses some of the ways in which the classical heritage remained relevant to the late eighteenth-century revolutions in both America and the Dutch Republic. After reviewing the various ways in which the Palmer thesis has been revised over the past decades, this article focuses on the immense importance of the classical notion of virtuous participatory citizenship for revolutionaries on both sides of the ocean. It demonstrates how this notion not only was of crucial consequence in the initial assault on the established order, but also remained conspicuously present in the constructive phase of both the American and the Dutch revolutions, particularly in the substantial debates over the proper size of a republic and the nature of political representation.
“That Abominable Nest of Pirates”: St. Eustatius and the North Americans, 1680–1780
Authors: Enthoven Victor
Published: May 2012

The aim of this essay is to depict the long-standing trade relations between St. Eustatius and the thirteen British North American colonies between 1680 and 1780. For Americans, the otherwise virtually unknown Caribbean island of St. Eustatius is intimately linked to the history of the American Revolution. Indeed, the enduring relationship between them was instrumental to the growth of both sets of colonies and ultimately to the success of the American Revolution. Yet the connection that linked the tiny Dutch island with the mainland Anglo-American colonies was far deeper than is often realized in the existing historiography, which focuses predominantly on the Revolutionary years. St. Eustatius and the thirteen North American colonies were natural allies in the war against protectionism.
Dutch-Irish Cooperation in the Mid-Eighteenth-Century Wartime Atlantic
Authors: Truxes Thomas M.
Published: May 2012

Dutch and Irish commercial interests cooperated during the Anglo-French wars of the middle decades of the eighteenth century to supply the French West Indies with salted provisions and other Irish foodstuffs. The informal Dutch-Irish relationship was best developed during the Seven Years’ War, when British warships drove French merchantmen from the sea-lanes of the Atlantic, effectively cutting off the French Caribbean from Bordeaux, Nantes, and other ports in France. The flow of Irish produce into the French islands was facilitated by an Irish commercial presence in the Netherlands, the Dutch West Indies, and the French West Indies, where Franco-Irish trading houses—with names such as McCarty and Company and Kavanagh, Belloc and Company—did a large business exchanging expensive Irish beef, pork, and butter for French sugar, indigo, coffee, and cotton then available at bargain prices. Wartime Dutch-Irish collaboration underscores the opportunistic and adaptive character of Atlantic commerce in the decades before the American Revolution.
Did Dutch Smugglers Provoke the Boston Tea Party?
Authors: Carp Benjamin L.
Published: May 2012

The people of Boston dramatically rejected the Tea Act of 1773. This article imbricates Boston within the intercolonial, trans-Atlantic, and global networks that sustained its commerce. Like New Yorkers and Philadelphians, Bostonians smuggled tea and other commodities (sometimes called the “Dutch trade”) and joined the colonial nonimportation agreements. Unlike their counterparts, however, some Boston merchants had also violated the agreements by continuing to import British tea. This article argues that Atlantic smugglers trading with the Netherlands and other European nations helped create the conditions for the Boston Tea Part and helped provoke it.

The Boston Tea Party was a dramatic rejection of the Tea Act of 1773. Yet of the four seaports where the East India Company sent its tea, Boston should have been the least likely to host the destruction of the tea shipments. To understand why, it is helpful to imbricate Boston within the intercolonial and trans-Atlantic (even global) networks that sustained it. Had it not been for pressure from smugglers in the “Dutch trade” operating in New York City and Philadelphia, Boston might have been disinclined to participate in such a dramatic protest. Atlantic smugglers trading with the Netherlands and other European nations helped create the conditions for the Boston Tea Party and helped provoke it.
Dickinson’s Delight
Authors: Zapedowska Magdalena
Published: May 2012

Although Dickinson’s writings explore a variety of affects and psychological states, she is often seen as a poet of pain, lack, and despair. By contrast, this essay argues that Dickinson views delight as the primary affect that creates the basis for all other feelings. Throughout her career Dickinson tests the expressive and representational limits of language against an excess of happiness, and she meditates on happiness when it eludes her. Emmanuel Levinas’s idea that selfhood originates in happiness helps to elucidate both the importance of delight in Dickinson’s poetry and Dickinson’s insistence that poetic subjectivity originates in amplitude rather than lack. Her early poems of delight reveal a subjectivity happily immersed in the elemental world, secure in its happiness, drawing strength from the most basic, physical level of being. This happy, empowered subjectivity never entirely disappears from Dickinson’s poetry. While scholars of female sentimentalism have demonstrated that physical pain offers nineteenth-century American women a culturally acceptable opportunity for embodiment, Dickinson shows that delight provides an alternative opportunity to experience the body through sensual satisfaction. Moreover, Dickinson asserts that female creativity arises from an emotional, intellectual, and verbal abundance that demands to be expressed in language. This insistence on delight allows Dickinson to affirm female poetic subjectivity, which many of her female contemporaries found problematic.