bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cardiac Rod Body: Hypertrophic Z-Line in an Aged Pony
Authors: Tangkawattana P. , Karkoura A. , Muto M. , Yamano S. , Taniyama H. , Yamaguchi M.
Published: July 2008

Numerous rod bodies were found in a heart sample from a 33-year-old pony by a conventional electron-microscopic technique. The rod bodies were concentrated in localized areas of both atria and ventricles, without a specific pattern of distribution. The rods appear to have a typical crystalline-like structure which presumably contains actin backbone filaments and α-actinin as major protein constituents. Diminution, fragmentation, and disorganization of the myofibrils, random expansion of electron-dense materials, especially at the fasciae adherens of the intercalated disc, an increase of intercellular space, frequently associated with connective tissue elements, and accumulation of glycogen granules, lipofuscin, mitochondria, and nonviable organelles in the rod body-containing cells suggested that rod-containing myocytes are in a degenerating stage and that rod body formation occurs in atrophic cardiomyocytes rather than normal or hypertrophic cardiomyocytes in the aged pony heart.
Synaptogenesis in the Neocortical Anlage and Early Developing Neocortex of Rat Embryos
Authors: Balslev Y. , Saunders N.R. , Møllgård K.
Published: July 2008

The recent finding of synapses in Monodelphis domestica (South American grey short-tailed opossum) before the establishment of the cortical plate raises the question of whether this finding is species-specific. Therefore, the establishment of the first synapses in the developing neocortex has been studied in the sensorimotor cortex of rat fetuses with a gestational age ranging from embryonic day 12 (E12) to birth. At E14, we found well-defined synapses with postsynaptic thickening and containing several vesicles in the presynaptic element in the primordial plexiform layer, before the appearance of the cortical plate. The postsynaptic elements were probably dendrites of Cajal-Retzius cells in the primordial plexiform layer and/or differentiating dendrites of presumptive cortical plate neurons. At E16, in addition to the presence of axodendritic and very few axo-somatic synapses in the marginal and the subplate zones, synapses of both types were present within the cortical plate. Thus, this paper provides evidence for the presence of synapses in the developing rat brain both at an earlier stage and with a wider distribution than previously reported.
Histomorphology of the Peritendinous Tissue of the Phalangeal Extensor Apparatus
Authors: Bade H. , Koebke J.
Published: July 2008

The phalangeal extensor tendon is surrounded and fixed by connective tissue showing differently extended expansions of its intercellular spaces. This connective tissue runs in horizontal lamellae and forms connective tissue spaces around the dorsal extensor apparatus. The clinical importance of the connective tissue spaces is in the formation of gliding spaces and the diffusion of phlegmonas or purulent infection processes. The morphological differentiation of the cellular and intercellular elements of the dorsal connective tissue lamellae shows that the peritendinous gliding spaces around the dorsal aponeurosis are bordered by synovia-like cellular and noncellular structures. Besides mast cells and histiocytes many cells are seen that show all signs of activated fibroblasts. They form small groups of cells. These cells produce a mucoid dense bordering lamella that is opposite to the collagenous fibers of the dorsal aponeurosis. The intercellular matrix has importance both in fixing and mobilizing the phalangeal extensor tendons in the sheathless parts of the phalangeal extensor tendon.
Light and Electron Microscopy of Stage-Specific Features of the Transdifferentiation of Mouse Meckel’s Cartilage Chondrocytes in vitro
Authors: Ishizeki K. , Chida T. , Yamamoto H. , Nawa T.
Published: July 2008

The changes in the morphological characteristics of Meckekl’s cartilage cells in culture can be divided into five stages during their transdifferentiation to cells with an osteocyte-like phenotype, as demonstrated in this study by light and electron microscopy. Chondrocytes were isolated from day-17 embryonic mice by enzymatic digestion and inoculated at a density of 1 × 104 cells. The cultures were incubated at 37 °C and cells were harvested every week for 4 weeks and processed for light and electron microscopy, as well as an immunohistochemical analysis of type I and II collagens. The primary cultures were characterized by fibroblastic cells (stage 1) around days 2–4. Polygonal cells (stage 2) expanded on a poorly formed extracellular matrix on day 7, and then they differentiated into large, round cells (stage 3) which began to form cellular nodules. The large, round cells contained many vacuoles, which were rapidly released into the pericellular space with a significant resultant decrease in cell size. Immunostaining showed that the extracellular matrix was occupied predominantly by type II collagen after 2 weeks in culture. However, the type II collagen was gradually replaced by type I collagen. Cells that formed multiple layers gradually changed into small, round cells (stage 4) at the tops of nodules and ultimately expressed an osteocytic phenotype (stage 5) after further transdifferentiation.
Internal Control of Hurricane Intensity Variability: The Dual Nature of Potential Vorticity Mixing
Authors: Rozoff Christopher M. , Kossin James P. , Schubert Wayne H. , Mulero Pedro J.
Published: July 2008

In hurricane eyewalls, the vertical stretching effect tends to produce an annular ring of high vorticity. Idealized, unforced nondivergent barotropic model results have suggested such rings of vorticity are often barotropically unstable, leading to strong asymmetric mixing events where vorticity is mixed inward into a more stable configuration. Such mixing events most often result in weakened maximum winds. The manner in which forcing modifies these unforced simulations remains an open question.

In the current study, a forced, two-dimensional barotropic model is used to systematically study the sensitivity of vorticity rings to ring geometry and spatially and temporally varying forcing. The simulations reveal an internal mechanism that interrupts the intensification process resulting from vorticity generation in the hurricane eyewall. This internal control mechanism is due to vorticity mixing in the region of the eye and eyewall and can manifest itself in two antithetical forms—as a transient “intensification brake” during symmetric intensification or as an enhancer of intensification through efficient transport of vorticity from the eyewall, where it is generated, to the eye.
Composite Life Cycle of Maritime Tropical Mesoscale Convective Systems in Scatterometer and Microwave Satellite Observations
Authors: Mapes Brian , Milliff Ralph , Morzel Jan
Published: July 2008

This study examines scatterometer-observed surface wind divergence and vorticity, along with precipitable water (PW), across the life cycle of tropical maritime mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) as resolved in 0.5° data. Simple composites were constructed around first appearances of cold (<210 K) cloud tops in infrared (IR) data at 3-hourly resolution. Many thousands of such events from the tropical Indo-Pacific in 2000 were used. Composites of subpopulations were also constructed by subdividing the dataset according to IR event size and duration, as well as by prevailing values of PW and vorticity at a 5° scale.

The composite MCS life cycle here spans about a day and covers a few hundred kilometers, with a remarkable sameness across subpopulations. Surface wind convergence and PW buildup lead cold cloud appearance by many hours. Afterward there are many hours of divergence, indicative of downdrafts. Contrary to motivating hypotheses, the strength of this divergence relative to convergence is scarcely different in humid and dry subpopulation composites. Normalized time series of composite vorticity show an evolution that seems consistent with vortex stretching by this convergence–divergence cycle, with peak vorticity near the end of the period of convergence (3 h prior to cold cloud appearance). In rotating conditions, the common 1-day MCS life cycle is superposed on large-scale mean vorticity and convergence, approximately in proportion, which appear to be well scale-separated (covering the whole of the 48-h and 5°–10° averages) and are as strong as or stronger than the MCS signature.
Causes of Late Twentieth-Century Trends in New Zealand Precipitation
Authors: Ummenhofer Caroline C. , Sen Gupta Alexander , England Matthew H.
Published: July 2008

Late twentieth-century trends in New Zealand precipitation are examined using observations and reanalysis data for the period 1979–2006. One of the aims of this study is to investigate the link between these trends and recent changes in the large-scale atmospheric circulation in the Southern Hemisphere. The contributions from changes in Southern Hemisphere climate modes, particularly the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the southern annular mode (SAM), are quantified for the austral summer season, December–February (DJF). Increasingly drier conditions over much of New Zealand can be partially explained by the SAM and ENSO. Especially over wide parts of the North Island and western regions of the South Island, the SAM potentially contributes up to 80% and 20%–50% to the overall decline in DJF precipitation, respectively. Over the North Island, the contribution of the SAM and ENSO to precipitation trends is of the same sign. In contrast, over the southwest of the South Island the two climate modes act in the opposite sense, though the effect of the SAM seems to dominate there during austral summer. The leading modes of variability in summertime precipitation over New Zealand are linked to the large-scale atmospheric circulation. The two dominant modes, explaining 64% and 9% of the overall DJF precipitation variability respectively, can be understood as local manifestations of the large-scale climate variability associated with the SAM and ENSO.
Synoptic Forcing of Precipitation over Greenland: Climatology for 1961–99
Authors: Schuenemann Keah C. , Cassano John J. , Finnis Joel
Published: July 2008

Analysis of the synoptic climatology and precipitation patterns over the North Atlantic region allows for a better understanding of the atmospheric input to the mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet. The self-organizing map (SOM) technique was applied to the 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Re-Analysis (ERA-40) daily sea level pressure (SLP) data from 1961 to 1999 to objectively identify synoptic SLP patterns over the North Atlantic region. A total of 35 different SLP patterns were identified. Patterns common to the winter season are characterized by deep low pressure systems that approach Greenland through an active North Atlantic storm track, whereas patterns most common to the summer months are generally weaker and approach the ice sheet from the west through Baffin Bay. The blocking, splitting, and intensification of cyclones by the high elevations of the Greenland ice sheet were identified in this analysis.

Analysis of ERA-40 precipitation associated with each SLP pattern revealed that the largest precipitation events were associated with passing cyclones that created onshore flow, allowing the air to be lifted orographically by the steep margins of the ice sheet. The ERA-40 annual mean precipitation over Greenland from 1961 to 1999 was 35.8 cm yr−1. Greenland was divided into five subregions, and the preferred synoptic patterns for receiving precipitation in each region include cyclones positioned to allow dynamic and orographic lift in each region. Annual precipitation contributions from each SLP pattern were isolated to reveal that half of the annual mean precipitation over Greenland comes from only 11 of the 35 identified synoptic patterns (31.4%), highlighting the importance of studying Greenland precipitation on an event-by-event basis on a daily time scale.
Dynamics and Predictability of a Heavy Dry-Season Precipitation Event over West Africa—Sensitivity Experiments with a Global Model
Authors: Meier Florian , Knippertz Peter
Published: July 2008

In January 2002 the Cape Verde region in tropical West Africa was hit by an exceptionally heavy precipitation event. Rain rates of up to 116 mm (48 h)−1 caused harmful impacts on the local population. The rainfall was triggered by a series of two upper-level disturbances penetrating from the extratropics to the West African coast. This study investigates the dynamics and predictability of this event on the basis of simulations with the global model Global Model Europe (GME) of the German Weather Service [i.e., Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD)] initialized by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analysis data. Free forecasts satisfactorily reproduce the upper-level disturbances and the precipitation up to a lead time of 7 days. Several sensitivity experiments are conducted to unveil the reasons for this comparably high predictability and to identify dynamical precursors. The relevance of the upper-level wave structure in the extratropics is examined by modifications of the initial conditions using a quasigeostrophic potential vorticity (PV) inversion technique. While a reservoir of high PV over the North Atlantic and a PV ridge over Europe are found to be crucial for the upper-level wave amplification and the rainfall over West Africa, latent heating over the North Atlantic affects the event rather little in contrast to previous case studies. Surface properties like orography and sea surface temperature anomalies modify the precipitation quantity, but appear not to be essential for the occurrence of the extreme event on the simulated time scale.
The Healthcare-Seeking Behaviour of Schizophrenic Patients in Cambodia
Authors: Coton Xavier , Poly Sin , Hoyois Philippe , Sophal Chhit , Dubois Vincent
Published: July 2008

Aims: To understand the patterns of the schizophrenic patients' healthcare-seeking behaviour (HCSB) in the context of a post-conflict country where psychiatric facilities are scarce.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey assessing schizophrenic patients and their caregivers who consulted for the first time in four different outpatient psychiatric departments.

Results: One hundred and four schizophrenic patients were selected: 56.7% began the HCSB with traditional medicine; 22.1% with western medicine, psychiatry included, and 20.2% with religious medicine; 77.3% did not begin the HCSB with psychiatry because they did not know it was a mental problem or because they did not know mental health services existed. The patients' education was the only factor that significantly influenced the HCSB.

Conclusion: In Cambodia, traditional and religious medicine are the first pathway to mental healthcare when patient and caregiver decide to seek help due to psychotic symptoms. The lack of knowledge on mental health and facilities appears the main reason to explain the schizophrenic patients' HCSB. This suggests that the development of psychiatry in Cambodia will be facilitated by a better spreading of knowledge on mental health and will have to take traditional and religious medicine into account.
Measuring Acculturation and Symptoms of Depression of Foreign Immigrants in the Athens Area
Authors: Madianos M.G. , Gonidakis F. , Ploubidis D. , Papadopoulou E. , Rogakou E.
Published: July 2008

Background: Acculturation is the phenomenon that results when a group with one culture comes into continuous contact with a host culture and changes occur in the original culture of either one or both groups. Acculturation has also been linked with stress-related psychological disorder and depression.

Aims: This article investigates the acculturation process and the depressive state of foreign immigrants living in the greater Athens area.

Methods: All consecutive cases of 157 foreign immigrants who visited a non-governmental organization (NGO) providing consultative services to immigrants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire including the Immigrant Acculturation Scale (IAS) and the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies — Depression (CES-D) scale.

Results: Factor analysis of IAS yielded a three-factor solution and 17 items with loadings ranging from 0.74 to 0.41. This scale was also tested and proven to be reliable. The main finding is that the higher the acculturation level of the immigrant individual, the lower the CES-D scale score; the fewer the depressive symptoms are self-reported. Length of stay, existence of family in Greece, legal status of residence and employment were also found to have an effect on depressive symptomatology.

Conclusion: Acculturation could be seen as a beneficial mechanism protecting the individual to be exposed to stressful non-adaptive behaviour.
The State of Emergency
Authors: Toggia Pietro S.
Published: July 2008

This article examines how Ethiopian governments have periodically declared a state of emergency in the country; these effectively turned out to be police and carceral regimes during periods of political crisis. Each of the three Ethiopian governments claimed legitimacy for their respective body politic as a derivation of the ‘consent’ or the ‘general will’ of the Ethiopian people in the last hundred years; Haile-Selassie as the rightful successor tracing the legendary Solomonic Dynasty for his modern Christian autocracy; Mengistu as the head of a socialist state with the will of the working people; and Meles as the head of the federal democratic state with the will of nations/nationalities. Nonetheless, the mode in which they exercised their powers or the mechanism of power they applied in order to normalize their respective body politic is indistinguishable. Furthermore, this contrived idea of the ‘general will’ and its empirical derivative, that is ‘public order’ has become the ‘norm’ in modern Ethiopian politics. These governments have also utilized similar institutional and legal mechanisms that remained intact, such as the police, the criminal law, the prison and the army, as variegated power of normalization despite radical regime changes in September 1974 and May 1991.
The Civilian Left and the Radicalization of the Dergue
Authors: Kebede Messay
Published: July 2008

This article attempts to explain the radicalization of the military committee in Ethiopia known as the Dergue. The committee brought down the monarchy and initiated far-reaching socialist transformations of the country. Yet the Dergue had not initially shown any propensity to radicalism. To explain this conversion to Marxist–Leninist ideology, scholars have thus far provided three prevailing views: (i) the Dergue radicalized to steal the revolution from the civilian left; (ii) objective conditions caused its radicalization; and (iii) radical officers initiated the radicalization. The article critically evaluates these views and shows their serious short-comings. It suggests a new explanation involving the quest for legitimacy and the need for political survival.
The Post-war Border Dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea
Authors: Zegeye Abebe , Tegegn Melakou
Published: July 2008

The claims and counter-claims over the troubled border between Ethiopia and Eritrea, at the root of the crisis between the two governments, were by no means resolved by the war of 1998–2000. Indeed, when the jointly-formed post-war commission delivered its ruling on the boundaries, its terms were rejected out of hand by Ethiopia. Eritrean border claims rest largely upon the maps drawn up by Italy in 1934, while Ethiopia's claims largely rests on the treaty that Emperor Menelik entered with the Italians in 1908. And this is only to touch upon the ramifications of the tangled dispute. This article provides a critical observation of the claims made by the two governments; it assesses the validity of these claims, explores their strengths and points out their weaknesses. It also shows why the impasse continues to fester, pushing the crisis dangerously close to renewed war, and offers some tentative suggestions on how a lasting solution to the Ethio-Eritrean crisis might be found.
A Note on Short-time Response of Two-dimensional Lattices during Dynamic Loading
Authors: Mastilovic S.
Published: July 2008

The disordered 2D lattices are used extensively to study damage evolution and fracture of inhomogeneous or multi-phase systems. The present note addresses their initial elastic response during dynamic loading. Namely, a transition from short-time values of modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio to respective long-time values, which is not accompanied by the corresponding change of stiffness tensor components. The study is performed on three 2D truss-type lattices. It is demonstrated that the difference between the two sets of elastic properties is a result of combining effects of the initial lateral inertia and the disorder of the system.
Flexure Toughness of Polymer Fiber-reinforced Cementitious Materials
Authors: Punyamurtula Venkata K. , Yu Qiao
Published: July 2008

In this article, the toughening effect of polymer fibers in cementitious materials is analyzed through an energy method. When a crack front encounters a fiber array, additional fracture work is required to overcome the barrier effect. The influences of fibers, matrix, and crack length on the critical energy release rate are collectively described by a single system parameter.
Controversy
Authors: Allabadi Fadwa
Published: July 2008

This article focuses on the multilayered changes in the lives of Palestinian women over the years of the first and second Intifadas. On the one hand, women have become far more actively involved in politics, with a Women's Charter being drafted and legislation concerning women's rights being put on the political agenda. At the same time, the political shift from a Fatah- to a Hamas-dominated government has shifted understandings of whether the state should be secular or Islamist. Paradoxical developments by which Hamas has, on the one hand, fostered women's education and job training opportunities, but, on the other, insisted on women's subordinate legal status, are reflected within the Islamist women's movement. The article discusses the decline in power of the leftist and secular political forces, and the resulting political conflicts between the earlier secular feminist movement and the more recent `Islamist feminism'.
Wilfully Disempowered
Authors: Day Abby
Published: July 2008

Two cases from the UK are discussed to explore why, in the author's terms, women wilfully disempower themselves in religion and spiritual contexts. A case study of a women's prayer group shows how they resist acknowledging their own power or the idea that they are engaging in informal ritual equally important to their male counterparts. Second, qualitative data from a large study of people's beliefs are used to show how women willingly submit to a higher male power through a process of self-denigration. It is argued that the women are making rational, strategic choices in an increasingly secular and patriarchal world.
Shared Symbols
Authors: Jansen Willy , Kühl Meike
Published: July 2008

Despite the trend of secularization, pilgrimages to sacred sites flourish. Most of the pilgrims are women and the reasons for their visits often have to do with the dynamics of women's lives. Some of the pilgrims to sites dedicated to St Mary are Muslims. This is interesting in the present political context in which lines are being redrawn between Christians and Muslims and their respective religious identities. Why would Muslims go to Marian shrines and how do they negotiate their relationship to the figure of the Virgin Mary and thereby define their gender and religious position? This article describes the experiences of Muslim pilgrims at Marian sites in Germany, Portugal and Turkey, and analyses these in terms of gender and religious identity.
Framing the Mohammad cartoons issue
Authors: Strömbäck Jesper , Shehata Adam , Dimitrova Daniela V.
Published: July 2008

The purpose of this article is to investigate how Swedish and US elite newspapers framed the publication of cartoons of the Muslim prophet Mohammad in a Danish newspaper in September 2005, and the events that ensued from that publication. These cartoons proved to be very controversial, and, since the original publication has been reprinted several times, continue to stir controversy. In order to investigate how different frames emerged in the news coverage, the study includes all news articles published in the selected newspapers during a six-month period from the first publication of the Mohammad cartoons. Methodologically, the study uses quantitative and qualitative content analysis. Theoretically, the study is based on framing theory and international news determinants. The results show some interesting differences as well as similarities. In the conclusions, four propositions that might be explored in future research are offered.
Global 24/7 news providers
Authors: Cottle Simon , Rai Mugdha
Published: July 2008

The study of international and global news to date has focused on the operation of foreign news values, the unequal flows and emergent contra-flows of transnational news as well as the phenomenology of 24/7 live broadcasts. Today these debates are often played out under opposing `global dominance' and `global public sphere' positions. Each in its own way is concerned about communications democracy — whether its discerned curtailment by processes of geo-political economy or temporal-spatial extension by increased global cultural flows. In this article we contend that there is a `democratic lacuna' at the heart of these debates. This silence concerns how exactly leading world news channels — principally CNNI and BBC World but also international competitors such as Sky and Fox News — communicatively present the voices, views and values of contending interests and identities from around the world. Elaborating a new conception of `communicative frames' based on contemporary positions of social and political theory and applying this to a large corpus of news output, we begin to evaluate generalizing theoretical claims, both critical and celebratory, about the contribution of global 24/7 news to processes of global dominance or an emergent global public sphere.
Undertaking a systematic review: the road to successful completion
Authors: Shuldham Caroline , Fleming Sharon , Yorke Janelle
Published: July 2008

Abstract

The systematic review is an important research method that allows for the critical analysis of the results from a range of existing studies to answer research questions. The findings can be used to inform clinical decisions, as well as the development of protocols and guidelines. The aim of this paper is to explore the steps involved in undertaking a Cochrane systematic review and to encourage more nurses to participate in this world wide collaboration to answer questions that are relevant to nursing practice. The first stage of a review involves initiating a focussed clinical question in which the patient group or problem is identified as are the intervention, comparison and outcome, which will become the focus of study. Each review is guided by a protocol that is subject to peer review and followed by a structured search of the worldwide literature on the subject. Quality assessment and data extraction are done systematically and subject to cross-checking. The results are analysed using statistical methods, including meta-analysis. Publication is electronic in the Cochrane Library and many will also be published in other journals. As with all research, findings should be presented in a way that enables the reader to assess whether the review can be applied to their patient.
On the constitution and status of ‘evidence’ in the health sciences
Authors: Murray Stuart J , Holmes Dave , Rail Geneviève
Published: July 2008

Abstract

Drawing on the philosophy of Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze, this paper interrogates the constitution of ‘evidence’ that defines the evidence-based movement in the health sciences. What are the current social and political conditions under which scientific knowledge appears to be ‘true’? Foucault describes these conditions as state ‘science’, a regime that privileges economic modes of governance and efficiency. Today, the Cochrane taxonomy and research database is increasingly endorsed by government and public health policy makers. Although this ‘evidence-based’ paradigm ostensibly promotes the noble ideal of ‘true knowledge’ free from political bias, in reality, this apparent neutrality is dangerous because it masks the methods by which power silently operates to inscribe rigid norms and to ensure political dominance. Through the practice of critique, this paper begins to expose and to politicise the workings of this power, ultimately suggesting that scholars are in a privileged position to oppose such regimes and foremost have the duty to politicise what hides behind the distortion and misrepresentation of ‘evidence’.
Carboxypeptidase A5 identifies a novel mast cell lineage in the zebrafish providing new insight into mast cell fate determination
Authors: Dobson J. Tristan , Seibert Jake , Teh Evelyn M. , Da'as Sahar , Fraser Robert B. , Paw Barry H. , Lin Tong-Jun , Berman Jason N.
Published: July 2008

Mast cells (MCs) play critical roles in allergy and inflammation, yet their development remains controversial due to limitations posed by traditional animal models. The zebrafish provides a highly efficient system for studying vertebrate hematopoiesis. We have identified zebrafish MCs in the gill and intestine, which resemble their mammalian counterparts both structurally and functionally. Carboxypeptidase A5 (cpa5), a MC-specific enzyme, is expressed in zebrafish blood cells beginning at 24 hours post fertilization (hpf). At 28 hpf, colocalization is observed with pu.1, mpo, l-plastin, and lysozyme C, but not fms or cepbα, identifying these early MCs as a distinct myeloid population arising from a common granulocyte/monocyte progenitor. Morpholino “knock-down” studies demonstrate that transcription factors gata-2 and pu.1, but not gata-1 or fog-1, are necessary for early MC development. These studies validate the zebrafish as an in vivo tool for studying MC ontogeny and function with future capacity for modeling human MC diseases.
The molecular basis of color vision in colorful fish: Four Long Wave-Sensitive (LWS) opsins in guppies (Poecilia reticulata) are defined by amino acid substitutions at key functional sites
Authors: Ward Matthew N , Churcher Allison M , Dick Kevin J , Laver Chris RJ , Owens Greg L , Polack Megan D , Ward Pam R , Breden Felix , Taylor John S
Published: July 2008

Background

Comparisons of functionally important changes at the molecular level in model systems have identified key adaptations driving isolation and speciation. In cichlids, for example, long wavelength-sensitive (LWS) opsins appear to play a role in mate choice and male color variation within and among species. To test the hypothesis that the evolution of elaborate coloration in male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) is also associated with opsin gene diversity, we sequenced long wavelength-sensitive (LWS) opsin genes in six species of the family Poeciliidae.

Results

Sequences of four LWS opsin genes were amplified from the guppy genome and from mRNA isolated from adult guppy eyes. Variation in expression was quantified using qPCR. Three of the four genes encode opsins predicted to be most sensitive to different wavelengths of light because they vary at key amino acid positions. This family of LWS opsin genes was produced by a diversity of duplication events. One, an intronless gene, was produced prior to the divergence of families Fundulidae and Poeciliidae. Between-gene PCR and DNA sequencing show that two of the guppy LWS opsins are linked in an inverted orientation. This inverted tandem duplication event occurred near the base of the poeciliid tree in the common ancestor ofPoeciliaandXiphophorus. The fourth sequence has been uncovered only in the genusPoecilia. In the guppies surveyed here, this sequence is a hybrid, with the 5' end most similar to one of the tandem duplicates and the 3' end identical to the other.

Conclusion

Enhanced wavelength discrimination, a possible consequence of opsin gene duplication and divergence, might have been an evolutionary prerequisite for color-based sexual selection and have led to the extraordinary coloration now observed in male guppies and in many other poeciliids.
Factors associated with lack of postnatal care among Palestinian women: A cross-sectional study of three clinics in the West Bank
Authors: Dhaher Enas , Mikolajczyk Rafael T , Maxwell Annette E , Krämer Alexander
Published: July 2008

Background

Only about one-third of women in Palestine (West Bank and Gaza) obtain postpartum care. Therefore, the goal of this study was to assess factors associated with lack of postnatal care, women's reasons for not obtaining postnatal care, and their attitudes towards its importance.

Methods

In early 2006, a cross-sectional survey was conducted at three clinics run by the Ministry of Health providing Mother and Child Health Care in West Bank, Palestine. A total of 264 postpartum women attending the clinics were interviewed face-to-face, using a structured questionnaire.

Results

Although the majority of women considered postnatal care necessary (66.1%), only 36.6% of women obtained postnatal care. The most frequent reason for not obtaining postnatal care was that women did not feel sick and therefore did not need postnatal care (85%), followed by not having been told by their doctor to come back for postnatal care (15.5%). Based on a multivariable analysis, use of postnatal care was higher among women who had experienced problems during their delivery, had a cesarean section, or had an instrumental vaginal delivery than among women who had a spontaneous vaginal delivery. Use of postnatal care was also higher among women who delivered in a private hospital as compared to those who delivered in a public hospital. In addition, we found regional differences.

Conclusion

The higher use of postnatal care among high-risk women is appropriate, but some clinically dangerous conditions can also occur in low-risk women. Future efforts should therefore focus on providing postnatal care to a larger number of low-risk women.
Developmental Regulation and Function of Thyroid Hormone Receptors and 9-cis Retinoic Acid Receptors during Xenopus tropicalis Metamorphosis
Authors: Wang Xuedong , Matsuda Hiroki , Shi Yun-Bo
Published: July 2008

Amphibian metamorphosis serves as an excellent model to study T3 function during postembryonic development in vertebrate due to its total dependence on T3. Earlier molecular studies in the model species Xenopus laevis have led to a number of important in vivo findings on the function and mechanisms of T3 receptor (TR) action during vertebrate development. However, the lack of genomic sequence information, its tetraploid genome, and lengthy developmental cycle hinder further analyses on TR functions. In this regard, the highly related species, Xenopus tropicalis, is much more advantageous. Toward developing X. tropicalis for genome-wide and genetic studies of TR function, we analyzed the expression profiles of TRs and their heterodimerization partners, retinoid X receptors (RXRs) or 9-cis retinoic acid receptors. We show that their expression correlates with transformations in different organs and that TR/RXR heterodimers are capable of repressing and activating gene expression in vivo in the absence and presence of T3, respectively. We further demonstrate that TRs are bound to endogenous target genes in X. tropicalis tadpoles. Our results thus support a role of TRs in mediating the metamorphic effects of T3 in X. tropicalis. More importantly, the similarities in the expression and function between X. tropicalis and X. laevis TRs and RXRs as demonstrated by our study also pave the way to take advantages of existing morphological, molecular, and cellular knowledge of X. laevis development and the genetic and sequence superiority of X. tropicalis to dissect the molecular pathways governing tissue/organ-specific transformations during vertebrate postembryonic development.
From the Guanahatabey to the Archaic of Puerto Rico: The Nonevident Evidence
Authors: Ramos Reniel Rodríguez
Published: July 2008

Some of the early Spanish chronicles make reference to the presence of cave dwellers inhabiting the westernmost section of Cuba as well as the Guacayarima Peninsula in southwestern Haiti. These people, who supposedly lived marginal to Taino society, were named the Guanahatabey or Ciboney culture. The different descriptions of those groups shared elements that were later adopted uncritically in the construction of the social and cultural aspects of the so-called archaic culture tradition of Puerto Rico. Although half a millennium later the tendency to assign every aceramic deposit to the Ciboney or Guanahatabey culture has been overcome, most of the notions implicit in these descriptions remain current in the generalized vision of these societies. In this work, I analyze the implications that these early accounts have had on the development of our perception of the archaic culture of Puerto Rico and contrast them against the archaeological data generated thus far, which tend to indicate a much more complex scenario than that originally proposed.
From the Outcasts' Point of View: The Memoirs of the French Who Fought for Hitler
Authors: Carrard Philippe
Published: July 2008

From the Outcasts' Point of View: The Memoirs of the French Who Fought for Hitler

A few among the French who volunteered to fight alongside the Germans on the eastern front during World War II have written their memoirs. Those texts, like all memoirs, pose problems of authenticity, veracity, and writing: Was the witness “really” there? If so, is he reliable? What conventions of representation does he use when he “writes up” his experience? After answering these questions, the article examines how the volunteers justify their decisions to enlist and especially to testify. Finally, the article describes the peculiar “outcast memory” that unites these texts: the memory of people who were forced out of the French community and refused to make the gestures that could have led to their reintegration, that is, refused to express remorse or admit implication in the crimes of the Third Reich.

Du point de vue des exclus: Les mémoires des Français qui ont combattu pour Hitler

Quelques-uns des volontaires français qui ont combattu pour l'Allemagne durant la Deuxième Guerre mondiale ont écrit leurs mémoires. Ces textes, comme tous les mémoires, posent des problèmes d'authenticité, de véracité et d'écriture: le témoin était-il « vraiment là » ? S'il était là, est-il digne de confiance ? Et quelles conventions de représentation utilise-t-il pour textualiser ce qu'il a vécu ? Après avoir répondu à ces questions, l'article examine comment les volontaires justifient leurs décisions de s'engager et plus particulièrement de témoigner. Finalement, l'article analyse la « mémoire des exclus » qui unit ces textes: la mémoire d'hommes qui ont été bannis de la communauté française et qui ont refusé d'accomplir les gestes qui auraient pu conduire à leur réintégration, c'est-à-dire refusé d'exprimer des remords et de reconnaître une responsabilité dans les crimes du Troisième Reich.
A Patron of Progress: Juana Catarina Romero, the Nineteenth-Century Cacica of Tehuantepec
Authors: Chassen-López Francie R.
Published: July 2008

Despite the fact that women were barred from voting and holding public office, by 1895 Juana Catarina Romero (1837–1915) had emerged as the major textile importer, sugar refiner, and “modernizing” political boss (cacica) of the city of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico. This article traces Romero’s breathtaking transformation from humble cigarette vendor to culturally assimilated entrepreneur and behind-the-scenes politician, which paralleled and intertwined with three crucial periods of Mexican history: the Liberal Reform, the Porfiriato, and the Revolution. Her life illuminates the many ways in which women participated directly and indirectly in the construction of the nation-state and a capitalist economy, revealing how they negotiated elite efforts at gender, ethnic, and class containment in a provincial setting. The article attributes Romero’s success to her political acumen and tenacious accumulation of economic and social influence and not to a supposed early love affair with Mexican dictator Porfirio Díaz, as previous historians have suggested. Once in power and aligned with Díaz’s goals of “order and progress” and the ideals of social Catholicism, Romero sought to regulate and discipline Tehuantepec, hoping to create a more orderly, productive, and beautiful urban space. Through her influence on Tehuano dress and local fiestas, she attempted to bring local customs into line with the ideals of Porfirian modernization and mestizo identity. Her attention to education, hygiene, health, and urban reforms evidenced her role in the diffusion of national culture and the ideological reproduction of the authoritarian brand of liberalism that dominated Mexico during the Porfiriato.
Learning to Serve: Intimacy, Morality, and Violence
Authors: da Cunha Olívia Maria Gomes
Published: July 2008

Based on the administrative records of the Escola Doméstica Nossa Senhora do Amparo and trials involving cases of violence between bosses and maids in domestic space, this essay discusses the emergence of a moral consciousness and a pedagogic discourse about domestic work linked to varied representations of emancipation in Rio de Janeiro in the last decades of the nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth. The article discusses the ways in which slave emancipation and the preparation for free labor drew the attention of religious educators and families from the elite of the imperial city of Petrópolis, and how the nature of workplace relations in the domestic sphere constituted a central point of reference for the formulation of a nascent feminist rhetoric. These new rhetorics and practices, which engaged in defining and controlling the slow transformation of a complex landscape of domestic hierarchies, emerged in intimate articulation with slavery’s official end.

After describing the project of domestic education carried out by the Catholic Church in Petrópolis, I focus on various attempts to use the force of law to interpret, regulate, and order work performed in private homes, aiming to reveal how domesticity became a site of power that was subject to the interference and control of various voices and institutions of the nascent republican state.
The Great Transformation: The Double Movement in China
Authors: Shaoguang Wang
Published: July 2008

Unless otherwise indicated, all data presented in this essay come from the author's research.
The End of the Peasant? New Rural Reconstruction in China
Authors: Day Alexander
Published: July 2008

I would like to thank Gail Hershatter, Chris Connery, Arif Dirlik, Ana Candela, Angelina Chin, Matthew Hale, Charles Hayford, Wenqing Kang, and Xiaoping Sun for their comments on drafts of this essay. Errors and infelicities are, of course, my own. Unless otherwise indicated, all translations are my own.
Why Did the Cultural Revolution End?
Authors: Shaogong Han
Published: July 2008

This article was written as a preface to Chen Yi'nan's book Qingchun wuhen—yige gongren de shinian wenge [Traceless youth—A worker's ten years in the Cultural Revolution], which is published by the Hong Kong Chinese University Press.

The editor is grateful to Professor Wang Shaoguang for his help with identifying some of the references in this essay.
Heterogeneous Gold Nanoparticles Stabilized by Collagen and Their Application in Catalytic Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol
Authors: Tang Rui , Liao Xue-Pin , Shi Bi
Published: July 2008

Heterogeneous catalyst containing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was prepared by direct precipitation of collagen of type I as the stabilization reagent. The composite is fibrous and the AuNPs are found to form patterns of long wires, short wires, and dispersed patterns on collagen. The catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol by NaBH4 in the presence of the composite was satisfactory.
Stereospecific Synthesis of Alkyl Aryl Sulfides from Alcohols and 2-Sulfanylbenzothiazole Using Aryl Diphenylphosphinite and Azide Compounds by a New Type of Oxidation–Reduction Condensation
Authors: Kuroda Kiichi , Maruyama Yuji , Hayashi Yujiro , Mukaiyama Teruaki
Published: July 2008

The preparation of alkyl aryl sulfides from alcohols and 2-sulfanylbenzothiazole using phenyl diphenylphosphinite and azide compounds by a new type of oxidation–reduction condensation is described. The chiral secondary and tertiary alcohols are converted into the corresponding chiral sulfides with almost complete inversion of configurations under mild and neutral conditions.
Reversible Addition–Fragmentation Transfer Miniemulsion Polymerization of Styrene Induced by γ-Ray Irradiation
Authors: Zhou Guangtian , Ma Yi
Published: July 2008

Reversible addition–fragmentation transfer (RAFT) polymerization of styrene (St) induced by γ-ray irradiation has been successfully performed in miniemulsion using 2-phenylprop-2-yl phenyldithioacetate (PPPDTA) as chain-transfer agent (CTA). The results show that the polymerization bears all the characteristics of controlled/living free-radical polymerizations, such as the number-average molecular weight (Mn) increasing linearly with monomer conversion, molecular weight (MW) being controlled and the molecular weight distribution (MWD) being narrow (polydispersity index (PDI) ≤ 1.30). Moreover, this system does not show a significant decrease in polymerization rate as compared to a conventional miniemulsion polymerization.
Disposable Reagentless Electrochemical Immunosensor Array Based on a Biopolymer/Sol-Gel Membrane for Simultaneous Measurement of Several Tumor Markers
Authors: Wu Jie , Yan Feng , Zhang Xiaoqing , Yan Yuetian , Tang Jinhai , Ju Huangxian
Published: July 2008

Background: A reagentless sensor array for simultaneous multianalyte testing (SMAT) may enable accurate diagnosis and be applicable for point-of-care testing. We developed a disposable reagentless immunosensor array for simple immunoassay of panels of tumor markers.

Methods: We carried out SMAT with a direct capture format, in which colloidal gold nanoparticles with bound horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled antibodies were immobilized on screen-printed carbon electrodes with biopolymer/sol-gel to trap their corresponding antigens from sample solution. Upon formation of immunocomplex, the direct electrochemical signal of the HRP decreased owing to increasing spatial blocking, and the analytes could be simultaneously determined by monitoring the signal changes.

Results: The proposed reagentless immunosensor array allowed simultaneous detection of carcinoma antigen 153, carcinoma antigen 125, carbohydrate antigen 199, and carcinoembryonic antigen in clinical serum samples in the ranges of 0.4–140 kU/L, 0.5–330 kU/L, 0.8–190 kU/L, and 0.1–44 μg/L, respectively, with detection limits of 0.2 kU/L, 0.5 kU/L, 0.3 kU/L, and 0.1 μg/L corresponding to the signals 3 SD above the mean of a zero standard. The interassay imprecision of the arrays was <9.5%, and they were stable for 35 days. The positivity detection rate of panels of tumor markers was >95.5% for 95 cases of cancer-positive sera.

Conclusions: The immunosensor array provides a SMAT with short analytical time, small sampling volume, no need for substrate, and, no between-electrode cross-talk. This method not only proved the capability of the array in point-of-care testing, but also allowed simultaneous testing of several tumor markers.