bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by BCG infection in cultured human bronchial airway epithelial cells
Authors: Lai Yi-Mu , Mohammed Kamal A. , Nasreen Najmunnisa , Baumuratov Aidos , Bellew Brendan F. , Antony Veena B.
Published: May 2007

Bronchial airway epithelial cells (BAEpC) are among the first cells to encounter M. tuberculosis following airborne infection. However, the response of BAEpC to M. tuberculosis infection has been little studied. This study investigates the response of a human BAEpC cell line (BEAS-2B) to infection with Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG). Cultured human BEAS-2B cells were experimentally infected with BCG. Uninfected BEAS-2B cultures were included as controls. Following infection, BEAS-2B cells were evaluated by various methods at various time points up to 3 days. Cell proliferation was evaluated by cellular bioreduction of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Distribution of cells along the cell cycle was evaluated by FACS analysis of cellular DNA. Apoptotic cells were identified by cell death ELISA and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end-labeling method. Eighty-four apoptosis-relevant genes were screened by PCR gene microarray. Translation of Fas, Fas ligand (Fas-L), and Fas-associated death domain (FADD) were evaluated quantitatively by real-time PCR. Expression of Fas and FADD proteins was evaluated by immunofluorescence and Western blot. Activity of caspase-3 and caspase-8 was evaluated by colorimetric assay of their enzymatic activity. BCG infection of BEAS-2B cells inhibits proliferation, induces cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1phase, causes apoptosis, modulates transcription of multiple apoptosis-relevant genes, promotes translation of Fas, Fas-L, and FADD, upregulates expression of Fas and FADD proteins, and increases activity of caspase-3 and caspase-8. Infection with BCG does not cause any significant change in the secretion of TGF-β. The roles of Fas and FADD as mediators of BCG-induced apoptosis in BEAS-2B cells were tested by partial blockade of Fas and FADD expression with silencing RNA. Partial blockade of Fas or FADD expression results in a decreased apoptotic response to BCG infection. In conclusion, BCG induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in BEAS-2B cells. BCG induced apoptosis of BEAS-2B cells via the Fas death receptor pathway.
A tissue-engineered model of fetal distal lung tissue
Authors: Mondrinos M. J. , Koutzaki S. , Lelkes P. I. , Finck C. M.
Published: May 2007

In extending our previous studies toward development of an engineered distal lung tissue construct (M. J. Mondrinos, S. Koutzaki, E. Jiwanmall, M. Li, J. P. Dechadarevian, P. I. Lelkes, and C. M. Finck. Tissue Eng 12: 717–728, 2006), we studied the effects of exogenous fibroblast growth factors FGF10, FGF7, and FGF2 on mixed populations of embryonic day 17.5 murine fetal pulmonary cells cultured in three-dimensional collagen gels. The morphogenic effects of the FGFs alone and in various combinations were assessed by whole mount immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy. FGF10/7 significantly increased epithelial budding and proliferation; however, only FGF10 alone induced widespread budding. FGF7 alone induced dilation of epithelial structures but not widespread budding. FGF2 alone had a similar dilation, but not budding, effect in epithelial structures, and, in addition, significantly enhanced endothelial tubular morphogenesis and network formation, as well as mesenchymal proliferation. The combination of FGF10/7/2 induced robust budding of epithelial structures and the formation of uniform endothelial networks in parallel. These data suggest that appropriate combinations of exogenous FGFs chosen to target specific FGF receptor isoforms will allow for control of lung epithelial and mesenchymal cell behavior in the context of an engineered system. We propose that tissue-engineered fetal distal lung constructs could provide a potential source of tissue or cells for lung augmentation in pediatric pulmonary pathologies, such as pulmonary hypoplasia and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. In addition, engineered systems will provide alternative in vitro venues for the study of lung developmental biology and pathobiology.
Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of Emtricitabine in Combination With Other Nucleoside Antivirals in Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Zong Jian , Chittick Gregory E. , Wang Laurene H. , Hui James , Begley John A. , Blum M. Robert
Published: May 2007

Emtricitabine is a potent nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor approved as a once‐daily drug in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV infection. Several phase I studies were conducted in healthy volunteers over the course of clinical development to evaluate whether pharmacokinetic drug—drug interactions exist between emtricitabine and other nucleoside antivirals that are extensively eliminated by renal excretion. Potential interactions with stavudine and famciclovir were evaluated in single‐dose studies, whereas interactions with zidovudine and its major metabolite, zidovudine glucuronide, were evaluated in a multiple‐dose study. Plasma pharmacokinetic profiles and, in some studies, urinary excretion data were evaluated when each drug was administered alone and in combination with emtricitabine. Safety and plasma pharmacokinetic profiles of each drug administered alone or with emtricitabine were consistent with historical data. Statistical analyses indicated that there were no significant interactions between emtricitabine and these 3 nucleoside antivirals.
Career Development Issues in the Former USSR
Authors: Yakushko Oksana
Published: May 2007

This article addresses the distinctive aspects of career development of people from the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The ecological model of career development is applied to understanding how political changes can influence the career trajectories of individuals within a culture. The role of the political, social, familial, and educational influences on the world of work is examined for the USSR and post-Soviet times. Special focus is given to immigrants from the former USSR, and suggestions for practitioners who are working with individuals and families are provided.
Generalized Self-Efficacy, Coping, Career Indecision, and Vocational Choices of Senior High School Students in Greece
Authors: Argyropoulou Ekaterini P. , Sidiropoulou-Dimakakou Despina , Besevegis Elias G.
Published: May 2007

The main purpose of this study is to examine the dimensions of career indecision among a sample of Greek high school students ( N = 848) and to classify the students of the sample in regard to their career decision status. A second objective is the investigation of the relationship between career decision status groups and generalized self-efficacy, coping strategies, and vocational interests. The results suggest that four factors contribute to career indecision: absence of structure, need for career guidance, diffusion of interests, and personal conflict. The clustering procedure indicates that the students of the sample could be classified in three career indecision cluster groups: decided, exploring possibilities, and undecided. These cluster groups differ in all four career indecision factors, generalized self-efficacy, coping strategies, and vocational interests. Results are discussed in terms of a career counseling framework.
A Qualitative Examination of Mexican Immigrants' Career Development
Authors: Shinnar Rachel Sheli
Published: May 2007

This study examines the variables shaping career development among Mexican immigrants. Based on qualitative interviews with 17 adult, Mexican immigrants, a model describing the barriers and motivators to career development for this sample is offered. Findings indicate that Mexican immigrants' careers are shaped by three sets of interrelated variables: individual-level variables (i.e., personal characteristics and personal goals), group-level variables (i.e., cultural value orientation, immigrant status, and workplace discrimination), and contextual variables (i.e., the state of the labor market and immigration trends). In addition, findings indicate a need to examine progression into higher level line positions separately from supervisory and/or managerial positions.
Social Cognitive Predictors of African American Adolescents' Career Interests
Authors: Quimby Julie L. , Wolfson Jane L. , Seyala Nazar D.
Published: May 2007

This study examined the influence of social cognitive variables on African American adolescents' interest in environmental science. The sample consisted of 132 (57 male, 75 female) high school seniors enrolled in an urban scientific and technical high school from which 95% of graduates continue in higher education. Results of the regression analysis found that the predictor variables, including investigative self-efficacy, outcome expectations, perceived barriers, support, and environmental concerns, contributed significant variance to the prediction of interest in environmental science. The discussion highlights implications for school guidance counselors who are in a position to increase diversity in environmental science career fields and to facilitate career decisions among African American adolescents.
Contextual Influences on the Career Development of Low-Income African American Youth
Authors: King Nicelma J. , Madsen Ella
Published: May 2007

There is a growing disconnect between the dominant view of the United States as a country of prosperous, middle-class citizens and the more difficult reality for African American youth from low-income backgrounds, who often see few options for attaining their share of prosperity. This article examines the potential of using an ecological model, phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory (PVEST), to identify the strengths and skills of low-income African American youth that will help them engage with career development activity. PVEST has been used to elaborate the impact of contextual influences on education and decision making of African American youth. The authors conclude that using an assets-based ecological model to explicate the career development process could be helpful in understanding the challenges and the potential positive and strengthening effects that contextual factors provide for low-income African American youth.
Treatment of severe aplastic anemia with antithymocyte globulin and cyclosporin A with or without G-CSF in adults: a multicenter randomized study in Japan
Authors: Teramura Masanao , Kimura Akiro , Iwase Satsuki , Yonemura Yuji , Nakao Shinji , Urabe Akio , Omine Mitsuhiro , Mizoguchi Hideaki
Published: May 2007

We report the results of a randomized study to elucidate whether addition of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) to immunosuppressive therapy is valuable for the treatment of severe aplastic anemia (SAA) in adults. A total of 101 previously untreated patients (median age, 54 years; range, 19 to 75 years) were randomized to receive antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and cyclosporin A (CyA) (G-CSF− group) or ATG, CyA, and G-CSF (G-CSF+ group). In the G-CSF+ group, the hematologic response rate at 6 months was higher (77% vs 57%; P = .03) than in the G-CSF− group. No differences were observed between the groups in terms of the incidence of infections and febrile episodes. There were no differences between the G-CSF− group and the G-CSF+ group in terms of survival (88% vs 94% at 4 years), and the development of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)/acute leukemia (AL) (1 patient vs 2 patients). However, the relapse rate was lower in the G-CSF+ group compared with the G-CSF− group (42% vs 15% at 4 years; P = .01). Further follow-up is required to elucidate the role of G-CSF in immunosuppressive therapy for adult SAA.
Lymphotoxin a-dependent and -independent signals regulate stromal organizer cell homeostasis during lymph node organogenesis
Authors: White Andrea , Carragher Damian , Parnell Sonia , Msaki Aichi , Perkins Neil , Lane Peter , Jenkinson Eric , Anderson Graham , Caamaño Jorge H.
Published: May 2007

Lymph nodes provide specialized stromal microenvironments that support the recruitment and organization of T cells and B cells, enabling them to effectively participate in immune responses. While CD4+3− lymphoid tissue inducer cells (LTic's) are known to play a key role in influencing lymph node (LN) development, the mechanisms that regulate the development of stromal organizer cells are unclear. Here, we define an ontogenetic program of lymph node stromal cell maturation in relation to the requirement for LTic's. We also describe a lymph node reaggregation assay to study cell-cell interactions and lymphocyte recruitment to these organs that reproduces the in vivo events during lymph node development. In addition, analysis of the lymph node anlagen in normal and lymphotoxin a (LTa)–deficient embryos shows that LTa-mediated signaling is required to sustain proliferation and survival of stromal cells in vivo. Our data identify LTa-independent and LTa-dependent stages of lymph node development, and provide direct evidence for the role of LTic's during LN organogenesis.
Hematopoietic stem-cell behavior in nonhuman primates
Authors: Shepherd Bryan E. , Kiem Hans-Peter , Lansdorp Peter M. , Dunbar Cynthia E. , Aubert Geraldine , LaRochelle Andre , Seggewiss Ruth , Guttorp Peter , Abkowitz Janis L.
Published: May 2007

Little is known about the behavior of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in primates because direct observations and competitive-repopulation assays are not feasible. Therefore, we used 2 different and independent experimental strategies, the tracking of transgene expression after retroviral-mediated gene transfer (N = 11 baboons; N = 7 rhesus macaques) and quantitation of the average telomere length of granulocytes (N = 132 baboons; N = 14 macaques), together with stochastic methods, to study HSC kinetics in vivo. The average replication rate for baboon HSCs is once per 36 weeks according to gene-marking analyses and once per 23 weeks according to telomere-shortening analyses. Comparable results were derived from the macaque data. These rates are substantially slower than the average replication rates previously reported for HSCs in mice (once per 2.5 weeks) and cats (once per 8.3 weeks). Because baboons and macaques live for 25 to 45 years, much longer than mice (∼2 years) and cats (12-18 years), we can compute that HSCs undergo a relatively constant number (∼80-200) of lifetime replications. Thus, our data suggest that the self-renewal capacity of mammalian stem cells in vivo is defined and evolutionarily conserved.
Cytoplasmic remodeling of erythrocyte raft lipids during infection by the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Murphy Sean C. , Fernandez-Pol Sebastian , Chung Paul H. , Prasanna Murthy S. N. , Milne Stephen B. , Salomao Marcela , Brown H. Alex , Lomasney Jon W. , Mohandas Narla , Haldar Kasturi
Published: May 2007

Studies of detergent-resistant membrane (DRM) rafts in mature erythrocytes have facilitated identification of proteins that regulate formation of endovacuolar structures such as the parasitophorous vacuolar membrane (PVM) induced by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. However, analyses of raft lipids have remained elusive because detergents interfere with lipid detection. Here, we use primaquine to perturb the erythrocyte membrane and induce detergent-free buoyant vesicles, which are enriched in cholesterol and major raft proteins flotillin and stomatin and contain low levels of cytoskeleton, all characteristics of raft microdomains. Lipid mass spectrometry revealed that phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol are depleted in endovesicles while phosphoinositides are highly enriched, suggesting raft-based endovesiculation can be achieved by simple (non–receptor-mediated) mechanical perturbation of the erythrocyte plasma membrane and results in sorting of inner leaflet phospholipids. Live-cell imaging of lipid-specific protein probes showed that phosphatidylinositol (4,5) bisphosphate (PIP2) is highly concentrated in primaquine-induced vesicles, confirming that it is an erythrocyte raft lipid. However, the malarial PVM lacks PIP2, although another raft lipid, phosphatidylserine, is readily detected. Thus, different remodeling/sorting of cytoplasmic raft phospholipids may occur in distinct endovacuoles. Importantly, erythrocyte raft lipids recruited to the invasion junction by mechanical stimulation may be remodeled by the malaria parasite to establish blood-stage infection.
Hin-mediated DNA knotting and recombining promote replicon dysfunction and mutation
Authors: Deibler Richard W , Mann Jennifer K , Sumners De Witt L , Zechiedrich Lynn
Published: May 2007

Background

The genetic code imposes a dilemma for cells. The DNA must be long enough to encode for the complexity of an organism, yet thin and flexible enough to fit within the cell. The combination of these properties greatly favors DNA collisions, which can knot and drive recombination of the DNA. Despite the well-accepted propensity of cellular DNA to collide and react with itself, it has not been established what the physiological consequences are.

Results

Here we analyze the effects of recombined and knotted plasmids in E. coli using the Hin site-specific recombination system. We show that Hin-mediated DNA knotting and recombination (i) promote replicon loss by blocking DNA replication; (ii) block gene transcription; and (iii) cause genetic rearrangements at a rate three to four orders of magnitude higher than the rate for an unknotted, unrecombined plasmid.

Conclusion

These results show that DNA reactivity leading to recombined and knotted DNA is potentially toxic and may help drive genetic evolution.
Cross-study analysis of gene expression data for intermediate neuroblastoma identifies two biological subtypes
Authors: Warnat Patrick , Oberthuer André , Fischer Matthias , Westermann Frank , Eils Roland , Brors Benedikt
Published: May 2007

Background

Neuroblastoma patients show heterogeneous clinical courses ranging from life-threatening progression to spontaneous regression. Recently, gene expression profiles of neuroblastoma tumours were associated with clinically different phenotypes. However, such data is still rare for important patient subgroups, such as patients with MYCN non-amplified advanced stage disease. Prediction of the individual course of disease and optimal therapy selection in this cohort is challenging. Additional research effort is needed to describe the patterns of gene expression in this cohort and to identify reliable prognostic markers for this subset of patients.

Methods

We combined gene expression data from two studies in a meta-analysis in order to investigate differences in gene expression of advanced stage (3 or 4) tumours without MYCN amplification that show contrasting outcomes (alive or dead) at five years after initial diagnosis. In addition, a predictive model for outcome was generated. Gene expression profiles from 66 patients were included from two studies using different microarray platforms.

Results

In the combined data set, 72 genes were identified as differentially expressed by meta-analysis at a false discovery rate (FDR) of 8.33%. Meta-analysis detected 34 differentially expressed genes that were not found as significant in either single study. Outcome prediction based on data of both studies resulted in a predictive accuracy of 77%. Moreover, the genes that were differentially expressed in subgroups of advanced stage patients without MYCN amplification accurately separated MYCN amplified tumours from low stage tumours without MYCN amplification.

Conclusion

Our findings support the hypothesis that neuroblastoma consists of two biologically distinct subgroups that differ by characteristic gene expression patterns, which are associated with divergent clinical outcome.
FROM TONGUE TO TEXT: THE TRANSMISSION OF THE SALEM WITCHCRAFT EXAMINATION RECORDS
Authors: Grund Peter
Published: May 2007

This article explores the problem of using court documents for studies of the spoken language of the past. It discusses three sets of examination records from the Salem witchcraft trials in 1692. By comparing records that exist in two or more alternative versions, the article shows that there are substantial linguistic and content-related differences between the versions. It is suggested that the recorders of the examinations paid more attention to the substance of the proceedings than to the exact language used by the participants and that the recorders reconstructed the courtroom dialogue on the basis of (shorthand) notes, mixing their own and the informants' language. The variation in the documents casts doubt on the reliability of the records as accurately reflecting the original courtroom dialogue. The use of the examination records as linguistic sources is thus called into question, especially for historical sociolinguistic studies that attempt to correlate language use and extralinguistic factors such as sex, age, and social status.
INVARIANTBEIN NEW ENGLAND FOLK SPEECH: COLONIAL AND POSTCOLONIAL EVIDENCE
Authors: Pablé Adrian , Dylewski Radosław
Published: May 2007

This article attempts to document the history of finite be in New England folk speech, a phenomenon thus far neglected in scholarly publications devoted to American historical dialectology. The authors aim at proving that even though plural indicative be had been brought to the early colonies with the first settlers, be as a singular indicative form was a New Englandism, not attested until the late seventeenth century—consequently, the authors engage in a comparative analysis of the linguistic contexts attracting the feature in focus respectively in Early Modern British English, early and late colonial New England English, and postcolonial New England English. In terms of textual selection, the authors make use of a vast array of primary sources, ranging from documents containing “close-to-oral” language through vernacular letters and comments by coeval language specialists to literary representations of the New England dialect; as for the latter, the authors have not shunned fictional portrayals but approached them with necessary caution both by means of careful selection of reliable dialect writers and comparison of the retrieved data with the ones obtained from other sources, such as the Linguistic Atlas of New England.
X-ray crystallographic and NMR studies of protein–protein and protein–nucleic acid interactions involving the KH domains from human poly(C)-binding protein-2
Authors: Du Zhihua , Lee John K. , Fenn Sebastian , Tjhen Richard , Stroud Robert M. , James Thomas L.
Published: May 2007

Poly(C)-binding proteins (PCBPs) are KH (hnRNP K homology) domain-containing proteins that recognize poly(C) DNA and RNA sequences in mammalian cells. Binding poly(C) sequences via the KH domains is critical for PCBP functions. To reveal the mechanisms of KH domain-D/RNA recognition and its functional importance, we have determined the crystal structures of PCBP2 KH1 domain in complex with a 12-nucleotide DNA corresponding to two repeats of the human C-rich strand telomeric DNA and its RNA equivalent. The crystal structures reveal molecular details for not only KH1-DNA/RNA interaction but also protein–protein interaction between two KH1 domains. NMR studies on a protein construct containing two KH domains (KH1 + KH2) of PCBP2 indicate that KH1 interacts with KH2 in a way similar to the KH1–KH1 interaction. The crystal structures and NMR data suggest possible ways by which binding certain nucleic acid targets containing tandem poly(C) motifs may induce structural rearrangement of the KH domains in PCBPs; such structural rearrangement may be crucial for some PCBP functions.
Translation of the synaptonemal complex component Sycp3 is enhanced in vivo by the germ cell specific regulator Dazl
Authors: Reynolds Nicola , Collier Brian , Bingham Victoria , Gray Nicola K. , Cooke Howard J.
Published: May 2007

DAZ-related genes are essential for gametogenesis in diverse metazoa: in human males, a loss of DAZ genes is associated with infertility. These genes, expressed only in germ cells, regulate the translation of a yet undefined set of specific transcripts, and loss of function results in numerous defects throughout the mitotic and meiotic process of germ cell development. In a mouse model, absence of the autosomal Dazl gene results in a final block at zygotene of meiotic prophase. Sycp3 is also essential for meiosis, specifically for the formation of the synaptonemal complex lateral element with a mouse knockout model displaying a block in meiotic prophase similar to the Dazl knock out. Sycp3 was identified as a potential target for translational regulation by Dazl in male mouse germ cells. This was confirmed by both RNA binding and translation assays. In the Dazl knockout mouse model, Sycp3 protein levels were decreased, indicating that Dazl is required for efficient translation of the Sycp3 mRNA in vivo. Taken together these data support Sycp3 as a biologically relevant target of Dazl-mediated translation in mammals. This suggests that azoospermia associated with a decrease in DAZ gene function in humans may in part be a consequence of failure at synapsis caused by reduced levels of SYCP3 protein.
Depletion of newly synthesized Argonaute1 impairs the RNAi response in Trypanosoma brucei
Authors: Shi Huafang , Tschudi Christian , Ullu Elisabetta
Published: May 2007

In Trypanosoma brucei, Argonaute1 (TbAGO1) is an essential component of the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. While characterizing a TbAGO1 conditional knockout cell line, we discovered that, upon blockage of TbAGO1 transcription, the RNAi response to transfected double-stranded RNA was severely inhibited, although there was no change in the TbAGO1 protein level. This observation suggested that steady-state TbAGO1 was not sufficient to fully support the RNAi response to transfected dsRNA and implicated newly synthesized Argonaute in this phenomenon. Indeed, a translational blockade of TbAGO1 mRNA with an antisense morpholino oligonucleotide resulted in inhibition of the RNAi response, even though the steady-state level of TbAGO1 remained unchanged during the time of the assay. Thus, we concluded that in T. brucei, newly synthesized TbAGO1 is required to support an efficient RNAi response. We speculate that newly processed siRNAs may be preferentially loaded onto newly synthesized TbAGO1, and this mechanism may contribute to the homeostasis of the RNAi pathway.
Genes misregulated inC. elegansdeficient in Dicer, RDE-4, or RDE-1 are enriched for innate immunity genes
Authors: Welker Noah C. , Habig Jeffrey W. , Bass Brenda L.
Published: May 2007

We describe the first microarray analysis of a whole animal containing a mutation in the Dicer gene. We used adultCaenorhabditis elegansand, to distinguish among different roles of Dicer, we also performed microarray analyses of animals with mutations inrde-4andrde-1, which are involved in silencing by siRNA, but not miRNA. Surprisingly, we find that the X chromosome is greatly enriched for genes regulated by Dicer. Comparison of all three microarray data sets indicates the majority of Dicer-regulated genes are not dependent on RDE-4 or RDE-1, including the X-linked genes. However, all three data sets are enriched in genes important for innate immunity and, specifically, show increased expression of innate immunity genes.
Generalized latent variable models with non‐linear effects
Authors: Rizopoulos Dimitris , Moustaki Irini
Published: May 2007

Until recently, item response models such as the factor analysis model for metric responses, the two‐parameter logistic model for binary responses and the multinomial model for nominal responses considered only the main effects of latent variables without allowing for interaction or polynomial latent variable effects. However, non‐linear relationships among the latent variables might be necessary in real applications. Methods for fitting models with non‐linear latent terms have been developed mainly under the structural equation modelling approach. In this paper, we consider a latent variable model framework for mixed responses (metric and categorical) that allows inclusion of both non‐linear latent and covariate effects. The model parameters are estimated using full maximum likelihood based on a hybrid integration–maximization algorithm. Finally, a method for obtaining factor scores based on multiple imputation is proposed here for the non‐linear model.
Evaluation of facial composite evidence depends on the presence of other case factors
Authors: McQuiston‐Surrett Dawn , Douglass Amy Bradfield , Burkhardt Samantha G.
Published: May 2007

Purpose. Previous research on the reliability of eyewitnesses' facial composites suggests that some scepticism is warranted when evaluating their accuracy. The current research examines the degree to which mock jurors evaluate facial composite images as a source of incriminating or exonerating evidence against a defendant, particularly when they are inconsistent with other evidence presented.

Method. Mock jurors read a fictitious criminal trial transcript of a person charged with armed robbery. Experiment 1 manipulated the facial composite evidence such that participants viewed a facial composite which was either a good or a poor match to the defendant. Experiment 2 also manipulated the quality of the facial composite evidence, as well as the other case evidence against the defendant. After reading the transcript, participants made several testimony‐relevant judgments about the case.

Results. Mock jurors reacted more favourably towards the defendant when the facial composite resembled him than when it did not, but reacted similarly when the composite did not resemble the defendant vs. no composite presented. In addition, assessments of the strength of the composite evidence varied depending on the other case evidence presented.

Conclusion. Mock jurors selectively incorporate evidence into their judgments about the credibility of the eyewitness and the culpability of the defendant. They responded to strong vs. weak facial composite evidence as one would expect: A good match composite was viewed as more favourable to the prosecution than a poor match composite. Weak facial composite evidence was largely ignored, however, participants' assessment of the strength of this evidence was adjusted to be consistent with the other evidence presented.
Challenges and Opportunities in the Anthropology of Childhoods: An Introduction to “Children, Childhoods, and Childhood Studies”
Authors: BLUEBOND‐LANGNER MYRA , KORBIN JILL E.
Published: May 2007

Anthropological attention to children and childhoods has had an uneven but lengthy history, both within the discipline and in interdisciplinary endeavors. Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest in the study of children, with work often carried out under the rubrics of “Childhood Studies” or the “Anthropology of Childhoods.” In these frameworks, children are at once developing beings, in possession of agency, and to varying degrees vulnerable. It has been a hallmark of anthropological work to recognize that these attributes manifest themselves in different times and places, and under particular social, political, economic, and moral circumstances and conditions. The five articles in this “In Focus” put forward some key challenges and opportunities for the anthropological study of children and childhoods.
Giving Voice to Children's Voices: Practices and Problems, Pitfalls and Potentials
Authors: JAMES ALLISON
Published: May 2007

In this article, I explore the lessons that the anthropological debates of the 1980s about writing culture might have for contemporary childhood research within anthropology and the social sciences more generally. I argue that the current rhetoric about “giving voice to children,” commonplace both inside and outside the academy, poses a threat to the future of childhood research because it masks a number of important conceptual and epistemological problems. In particular, these relate to questions of representation, issues of authenticity, the diversity of children's experiences, and children's participation in research, all of which need to be addressed by anthropologists in their own research practices with children. Unless anthropologists do so, childhood research risks becoming marginalized once more and will fail to provide an arena within which children are seen as social actors who can provide a unique perspective on the social world about matters that concern them as children.
Accounting for Variability in Mother–Child Play
Authors: LANCY DAVID F.
Published: May 2007

In this article, I highlight contrasting perspectives in the study of mother–child play. One contrast emerges as we use the lens offered by anthropology as opposed to the more commonly used lens of psychology. A second contrast is apparent from descriptions of childhood in the ethnographic record compared to observations of children in the upper strata of modern society. Psychologists and advocates who adopt their perspective view mother–child play—from infancy—as both necessary for normal development and an unlimited good. Its self‐evident value should be impressed on those who are unenlightened. Anthropologists frequently note the absence of mother–child play and, equally important, provide culturally nuanced explanations for why this is so. Psychologists see mother–child play as natural; anthropologists see it as cultural. I conclude by questioning the wholesale exportation of a culture‐specific child‐rearing strategy that may be quite incongruent with native belief and practice.
Sunday Lunch in Fiji: Continuity and Transformation in Ideas of the Household
Authors: TOREN CHRISTINA
Published: May 2007

In this article, I compare drawings of “Sunday lunch” produced by Fijian village children in 1990 and 2005 and their responses to prepared drawings in 1982, which show remarkable continuity over time. I suggest this continuity is largely attributable to the ritualization of eating practices. At the same time, the children's data indicate that a substantive, if subtle, change is occurring in ideas of the inclusiveness of the household; I suggest that this change may be a function of an intensification of commodity exchange in day‐to‐day village life. As the children's data demonstrate, continuity as well as transformation in ideas over time may be understood as a function of the self‐same ontogenetic process through which we make sense of our relations with others in the lived world. I argue that such ethnographic studies of ontogeny enable us both to appreciate the material validity of our informants' ideas and to render them analytical.
Child Soldiers, International Humanitarian Law, and the Globalization of Childhood
Authors: ROSEN DAVID M.
Published: May 2007

This article reviews the development of the laws and treaties regulating the use of child soldiers and the political, social, and cultural context in which these developments are grounded. Humanitarian and human rights groups have undertaken a major initiative to end the use of young combatants. These efforts are part of a larger children's human rights project designed to create a universal definition of “childhood.” Casting the proposed ban on child soldiers in the language of human rights deflects attention from the enormity of the social and cultural changes involved in the proposed transnational restructuring of age categories. Treaty‐making efforts reflect an emerging “politics of age” that shapes the concept of “childhood” in international law, and in which different international, regional, and local actors make use of age categories to advance particular political and ideological positions.
Boredom, Time, and Modernity: An Example from Aboriginal Australia
Authors: MUSHARBASH YASMINE
Published: May 2007

In this article, I explore an anthropologically underresearched topic, boredom, utilizing ethnographic data from the Australian Aboriginal settlement of Yuendumu and situating that research in a comparative perspective. I examine the concept's genesis and meaning at Yuendumu using the social‐constructivist approach to boredom as proposed in literature studies, sociology, and philosophy. That approach provides an account of how the emergence of boredom in 18th‐century Europe is linked to processes of modernity. That perspective, however, has led to claims that boredom is a Western phenomenon and that its existence elsewhere is because of “Westernization.” In this article, I argue against that perspective by linking instances of boredom at Yuendumu to perceptions of personhood and to conceptualizations of being in time—particularly socioculturally specific ways of perceiving time and postcolonial temporalities as generating the emergence of boredom. This boredom is a historically and socioculturally specific phenomenon, arising out of distinct sociocultural engagements with locally particular processes of modernity.
Rationality Wars and the War on Terror: Explaining Terrorism and Social Unrest
Authors: KUZNAR LAWRENCE A.
Published: May 2007

Terrorism is problematic at multiple levels. Social scientists debate its cause; policymakers debate what to do about it; many debate the meaning and political use of the term; and many live in fear of it. Current explanations of terrorism hinge on competing models of decision making. Anthropologists are increasingly influential in decision theory as issues of rationality, culture, and evolutionary psychology are invoked to explain patterns in human decision making. In this article, I review and critique current explanations of terrorism, I relate these explanations to larger debates in decision theory and anthropology, and I present an example of how current schisms may be transcended.
The East Indian Diaspora in Costa Rica: Inbreeding Avoidance, Marriage Patterns, and Cultural Survival
Authors: MADRIGAL L. , WARE B. , HAGEN E. , BLELL M. , OTÁROLA F.
Published: May 2007

Anthropologists have long been interested in the survival of Indian cultural traits in the New World. In this article, we present results of an ongoing project with a Costa Rican community that descends from East Indian indentured servants. We focus on the group's marriage patterns and how these patterns might have helped keep the community as a cohesive ethnic group. We investigate the group's level of inbreeding by computing the inbreeding coefficient using two different methods. We show that the community has been successful at keeping its inbreeding low, despite its small size, by allowing marriage with nonmembers of the community. We propose that unless consanguineous marriages are allowed virtually all of the community's marriages will be with noncommunity members. Absorption into tourism, as well as the community's staunch avoidance of consanguineous marriages and virtually universal marriage with noncommunity members, will likely contribute to their disappearance as a viable ethnic group.
Justice, Transaction, Translation: Blackfoot Tipi Transfers and WIPO's Search for the Facts of Traditional Knowledge Exchange
Authors: NOBLE BRIAN
Published: May 2007

In this article, I examine the complexities and politics of enrolling one socially embedded form of transaction and knowledge into the terms or practices of another. I look at the correspondences and divergences in how the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) transposed the “facts” of Blackfoot tipi‐transfer practices in efforts to harmonize global intellectual property (IP) regimes and to achieve “justice” and “empowerment.” WIPO's translation work is set against a case where Piikani Blackfoot tipi holders used relational transfer practices to effect a use arrangement, bypassing the means and ends of IP. I argue that looking at WIPO's practices helps us to see anthropology's own epistemological, instrumental, and political constraints, while looking at Piikani transfers helps us to conceive of alternatives. This has bearing across anthropology's disciplinary spectrum where problems of knowledge translation are commonplace.
Fertility Politics as “Social Viagra”: Reproducing Boundaries, Social Cohesion, and Modernity in Italy
Authors: KRAUSE ELIZABETH L. , MARCHESI MILENA
Published: May 2007

In this article, we investigate the delicacy of adopting pronatalism as a public position in Italy. Mounting scientific and political knowledge about the demographic “problem” exposes a new hegemonic formation that low fertility is dangerous. Drawing on ethnographic contexts, political debates, media publications, and policy documents, we trace the “demographic emergency” and compare two policies: a monetary baby bonus and a law restricting assisted reproduction. The coexistence of incentives to counter superlow fertility with prohibitions on high‐tech baby making reflect the contested governance of “social cohesion.” We conclude that scholarly and popular discourses serve as a sort of “social Viagra.” Ultimately, both policies sought to rejuvenate family norms. Both aimed to fortify the political terrain of a nation‐state struggling to achieve and maintain modernity against a backdrop of immigration and aging. Modernity became a weapon of the state to exert control over Italian fertility practices and of its critics to deploy orientalizing representations of backwardness.
The Art of Narritjin
Authors: DUSSART FRANÇOISE
Published: May 2007

The Art of Narritjin. H. Morphy, P. Deveson, and K. Hayne. Canberra, Australian National University Press, 2005. CD‐ROM.
Capturing the Commons: Devising Institutions to Manage the Maine Lobster Industry
Authors: OLSON JULIA
Published: May 2007

Capturing the Commons: Devising Institutions to Manage the Maine Lobster Industry. James M. Acheson. Lebanon, NH: University Press of New England, 2003. 264 pp.
Time and Complexity in Historical Ecology: Studies in the Neotropical Lowlands
Authors: OYUELA‐CAYCEDO AUGUSTO
Published: May 2007

Time and Complexity in Historical Ecology: Studies in the Neotropical Lowlands. William Baleé and Clark L. Erickson, eds. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006. 417 pp.
Yumbulyumbulmantha Ki‐Awarawu (All Kinds of Things from Country): Yanyuwa Ethnobiological Classification
Authors: NORMAN KARMA
Published: May 2007

Yumbulyumbulmantha Ki‐Awarawu
(All Kinds of Things from Country): Yanyuwa Ethnobiological Classification. John Bradley, Miles Holmes, Dinah Norman Marrngawi, Annie Isaac Karrakayn, Jemima Miller Wuwarlu, and Ida Ninganga. Brisbane: University of Queensland Press, 2006. 174 pp.
Recreating Hopewell
Authors: COBB CHARLES
Published: May 2007

Recreating Hopewell. Douglas K. Charles and Jane E. Buikstra, eds. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 2006. 657 pp.
Geographical Information Systems in Archaeology
Authors: PLUCKHAHN THOMAS
Published: May 2007

Geographical Information Systems in Archaeology. James Conolly and Mark Lake. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. 326 pp.
Holistic Darwinism: Synergy, Cybernetics and the Bioeconomics of Evolution
Authors: SCHWARTZ JEFFREY H.
Published: May 2007

Holistic Darwinism: Synergy, Cybernetics and the Bioeconomics of Evolution. Peter A. Corning. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005. 546 pp.
An Enchanted Modern: Gender and Public Piety in Shi'i Lebanon
Authors: JOSEPH SUZANNE E.
Published: May 2007

An Enchanted Modern: Gender and Public Piety in Shi'i Lebanon. Lara Deeb. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006. 263 pp.
Ethnographies of Archaeological Practice: Cultural Encounters, Material Transformations
Authors: MICHLOVIC MICHAEL G.
Published: May 2007

Ethnographies of Archaeological Practice: Cultural Encounters, Material Transformations. Matt Edgeworth, ed. Lanham: AltaMira Press, 2006. 195 pages.
The Nubian Past: An Archaeology of the Sudan
Authors: JUDD MARGARET
Published: May 2007

The Nubian Past: An Archaeology of the Sudan. David N. Edwards. New York: Routledge, 2004. 348 pp.
Intermediate Elites in Pre‐Columbian States and Empires
Authors: ZEITLIN ROBERT N.
Published: May 2007

Intermediate Elites in Pre‐Columbian States and Empires. Christina M. Elson and R. Alan Covey, eds. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2006. 312 pp.
Marcel Mauss: A Biography
Authors: NIEZEN RONALD
Published: May 2007

Marcel Mauss:. Biography. Marcel Fournier. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006. 442 pp.
Intimate Politics: Marriage, the Market, and State Power in Southeastern China
Authors: TSUI MING
Published: May 2007

Intimate Politics: Marriage, the Market, and State Power in Southeastern China. Sara L. Friedman. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2006. 344 pp.
Gender and Hide Production
Authors: STOCKETT MIRANDA
Published: May 2007

Gender and Hide Production. Lisa Frink and Kathryn Weedman, eds. Lanham: AltaMira Press, 2006. 269 pp.
Berber Culture on the World Stage: From Village to Video
Authors: KAPCHAN DEBORAH
Published: May 2007

Berber Culture on the World Stage: From Village to Video. Jane E. Goodman. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2005. 239 pp.
Nachituti's Gift: Economy, Society, and Environment in Central Africa
Authors: KRAAN MARLOES
Published: May 2007

Nachituti's Gift: Economy, Society, and Environment in Central Africa. David M. Gordon. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2006. 304 pp.
Globalization, Health, and the Environment: An Integrated Perspective
Authors: FINERMAN RUTHBETH
Published: May 2007

Globalization, Health, and the Environment: An Integrated Perspective. Greg Guest, ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2006. 274 pp.
Historical Archaeology
Authors: GILBERT ALLAN S.
Published: May 2007

Historical Archaeology. Martin Hall and Stephen W. Silliman, eds. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2006. 341 pp.
SINGLE BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: CHILDS‐HELTON SALLY
Published: May 2007

P'ungmul: South Korean Drumming and Dance. Nathan Hesselink. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006. 271 pp.
The Leopard's Tale: Revealing the Mysteries of Çatalhöyük
Authors: RUSSELL NERISSA
Published: May 2007

The Leopard's Tale: Revealing the Mysteries of Çatalhöyük. Ian Hodder. New York: Thames and Hudson, 2006. 288 pp.
The Church of Women: Gendered Encounters between Maasai and Missionaries
Authors: MIKELL GWENDOLYN
Published: May 2007

The Church of Women: Gendered Encounters between Maasai and Missionaries. Dorothy L. Hodgson. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2005.
SINGLE BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: FRINK LISA
Published: May 2007

Circumpolar Lives and Livelihood:. Comparative Ethnoarchaeology of Gender and Subsistence. Robert Jarvenpa and Hetty Jo Brumbach, eds. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. 330 pp.
The Road to Clarity: Seventh‐Day Adventism in Madagascar
Authors: SHARP LESLEY A.
Published: May 2007

The Road to Clarity: Seventh‐Day Adventism in Madagascar. Eva Keller. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2005. 286 pp.
Behavioral Ecology and the Transition to Agriculture
Authors: OLSZEWSKI DEBORAH I.
Published: May 2007

Behavioral Ecology and the Transition to Agriculture. Douglas J. Kennett and Bruce Winterhalder, eds. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006. 394 pp.
The Postclassic to Spanish‐Era Transition in Mesoamerica
Authors: PUGH TIMOTHY W.
Published: May 2007

The Postclassic to Spanish‐Era Transition in Mesoamerica. Susan Kepecs and Rani Alexander, eds. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2005. 260 pp.
After the Massacre: Commemoration and Consolation in Ha My and My Lai
Authors: HAN XIAORONG
Published: May 2007

After the Massacre: Commemoration and Consolation in Ha My and My Lai. Heonik Kwon. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006. 217 pp.
Perfect Order: Recognizing Complexity in Bali
Authors: ELLEN ROY
Published: May 2007

Perfect Order: Recognizing Complexity in Bali. J. Stephen Lansing. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006. 225 pp.
The Archaeology of Liberty in an American Capital: Excavations in Annapolis
Authors: GROOVER MARK D.
Published: May 2007

The Archaeology of Liberty in an American Capital: Excavations in Annapolis. Mark Leone. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005. 327 pp.
Archaeology, Anthropology and Cult: The Sanctuary at Gilat, Israel
Authors: HOLL AUGUSTIN F. C.
Published: May 2007

Archaeology, Anthropology and Cult: The Sanctuary at Gilat, Israel. Thomas E. Levy, ed. Oakville, CT: Equinox Publishing, 2006. 875 pp.