bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Symplectic real Bott manifolds
Authors: Ishida Hiroaki
Published: January 2011

A real Bott manifold is the total space of an iterated

R

P
1

\mathbb {R}P^1

-bundle over a point, where each

R

P
1

\mathbb {R}P^1

-bundle is the projectivization of a Whitney sum of two real line bundles. In this paper, we characterize real Bott manifolds which admit a symplectic form. In particular, it turns out that a real Bott manifold admits a symplectic form if and only if it is cohomologically symplectic. In this case, it admits even a Kähler structure. We also prove that any symplectic cohomology class of a real Bott manifold can be represented by a symplectic form. Finally, we study the flux of a symplectic real Bott manifold.
Beyond Constitutionalism
Authors: Krisch Nico
Published: January 2011

This book traces a fundamental transformation in law—the turn towards ‘postnational law’—which reflects the increasing enmeshment of national, regional, and international law and calls into question central legitimating principles of the different layers. Two fundamental approaches to the structure of this new legal order stand out and form the focus of this book: constitutionalism and pluralism. Postnational constitutionalism embodies the hope of integrating the order through an overarching legal framework that would tame politics by defining relations and institutionalizing key values. Yet such a constitutionalist order would require too massive a transformation of postnational institutions and society, and thinner approaches, widespread in the literature and more realistic, would sell the constitutionalist promise short. This book proposes instead to conceptualize and develop the postnational order in a pluralist vein, characterized by a multiplicity of legal sub-orders, not connected through an overarching frame but interacting in often political modes. Many areas of regional and global governance can be understood in such terms, as demonstrated here for the European human rights regime, the UN sanctions regime in its tension with human rights, and the regime complex of international trade, environment, and food safety. The pluralism on display in these examples also holds normative appeal. By reflecting diverging views on the right scope of the polity, it respects individuals’ autonomy and their right to shape their political order, thus furthering democratic values. By leaving relations between different layers of law unsettled, it allows for contestation and adaptation which helps to stabilize postnational governance and remedy power imbalances in its initial design. In the highly diverse and contested space of the postnational, breaking with domestic political traditions and going ‘beyond constitutionalism’ towards a pluralist order may be the better option.
Postnational Law in Search of a Structure
Authors: Krisch Nico
Published: January 2011

Chapter 1 analyses the turn to postnational law and the main frames for conceptualizing it. As binary distinctions of inside/outside and binding/non-binding are giving way to more gradated forms of normative authority in the practice of governance in and beyond the state, national, regional, and international law are increasingly enmeshed. The emerging postnational law puts pressure on the guiding principles and forms of legitimation of the different orders—thick domestic forms of legitimacy and thin, consent-based and diversity-oriented international ones are no longer neatly separated and come into conflict. Attempts at containing this challenge by re-domesticating global governance in national constitutional frameworks appear as both impractical and normatively problematic. For the new, postnational legal order, two structural visions—constitutionalism and pluralism—stand out; they form the focus of this book. This chapter briefly introduces them and provides an overview of the different chapters.
Pluralist Challenges
Authors: Krisch Nico
Published: January 2011

Chapter 8 inquires into pluralism's implications for democracy and the rule of law. It does not develop a full-fledged theory of postnational democracy, but analyses the ways in which a pluralist order relates to key parameters of such a theory. Pluralism's appeal lies in its ability to respond to the plurality of governance sites, the multiplicity of demoi, and the importance of contestation in a multidimensional approach to democracy adequate for the postnational space. Greater concerns often stem from pluralism's tensions with the rule of law and legal certainty. Such concerns are, however, exaggerated: also in constitutionalist settings, legal certainty is always limited and the rule of law does not represent an absolute value. As the chapter shows, the rule of law also has a place in the construction of the ‘interface norms’ through which the layers of law in a pluralist order regulate their relations. These norms should reflect the autonomy pedigree of the different layers and strive for compatibility among layers with similar pedigrees.
Conclusion: Postnational Pluralism and Beyond
Authors: Krisch Nico
Published: January 2011

Chapter 9 summarizes the argument in the preceding chapters and sketches broader implications of the turn towards pluralism in postnational law. The case for pluralism may also have repercussions for debates on domestic law and politics. It suggests that pluralism may be appealing more broadly in societies characterized by strong diversity and contestation. The rise of pluralism also affects our general understanding of the phenomenon of law as such. The multiplicity of sub-orders in the postnational legal order stands in tension with the idea of unity, often regarded as central to the idea of law. The different, often conflicting normative orientations of these sub-orders also question the image of universality and impartiality and allow the law to appear more clearly as the pursuit of very particular, and inevitably partial projects.
Freedom and Belief
Authors: Strawson Galen
Published: January 2011

There are many senses in which we can be said to be free agents, and to be morally responsible. There is also, however, a strong, fundamental, and natural sense in which these things are impossible. Very briefly: we cannot be ultimately responsible for how we act. Why not? Because when we act, we do what we do because of the way we are, all things considered, and we cannot be ultimately responsible for the way we are. Suppose this is right: ultimate responsibility is impossible. Can we nevertheless state what would be necessary and sufficient for someone to possess ultimate responsibility (as we can state the necessary and sufficiently conditions of being a round square)? One proposal is that one would have to be causa sui, truly, ultimately the cause or source of oneself, at least in fundamental mental or characteral respects. Another proposal considered in this book is that one could not really count as a free agent (even if one was somehow causa sui) unless one also experienced oneself as, or believed oneself to be, a free agent. This raises the question whether believing something to be the case could ever be a condition of its actually being the case (the idea is highly paradoxical). It also leads to a sustained discussion of the experience of agency, and of being a free agent. Generally speaking, the metaphysical possibilities seem fairly clear when it comes to the question of free will. The remaining questions of interest may have more to do with the phenomenology of freedom, and more generally, moral psychology.
Climate Change Law and Policy
Authors: Carlarne Cinnamon P.
Published: January 2011

Global climate change presents one of the most difficult problems the international community has ever faced. Recent events at the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Conference suggest that the United Nations is not yet equipped to address the issue, and national politics reveal that, in most cases, domestic politicians have neither the political will nor the regulatory tools at their disposal to structure effective policy regimes. Against this daunting backdrop, the experiences of United States and European Union climate policy over the last two decades offers instructive lessons. The historical evolution in US and EU climate policy exemplifies how climate change has risen to the top of political agendas in divergent contexts while the spans separating US and EU climate policy to date epitomize the struggles inherent in on-going global efforts to address climate change. Neither the EU nor the US offer unqualified lessons in success, but both offer many lessons, some of which reveal successes but all of which offer opportunities to learn from social, political, and regulatory experiments. Premised on the notion that US and EU efforts to address climate change are closely linked to global climate change politics, this book explores the content and process of climate change law and policymaking in the US and the EU to reveal policy convergences and divergences, and to examine how these convergences and divergences influence the ability of the global community to structure a sustainable, effective, and equitable long-term climate strategy.
Introduction
Authors: Morgan Llewelyn
Published: January 2011

This introductory chapter begins by discussing the nature of metrical form, and explaining the various ways in which metre can contribute to the meaning of poetry, before presenting the main focus of the book: the meaning possessed by metres by virtue of their history of usage. The relation of metrical meaning to genre is discussed, and the inherently negotiable nature of metrical character, which is both complex and changeable over time. Greek precedents for Roman metrical play are considered, but the claim is made for a characteristically Roman perception of metrical form, a consequence of Roman poetry's peculiarly belated and derivative nature; and related to that, for the unusually academic character of Roman metrical practice, and the consequent need to study the metrical theory of Roman metricians alongside poetic practice. The arguments are illustrated with reference to Horace Odes 4.7 and Ovid Remedia Amoris, and finally through close readings of poems by Martial and Catullus.
Language Change and Linguistic Theory, Volume I
Authors: Miller D. Gary
Published: January 2011

This book investigates a large range of changes and their motivations in all parts of the grammar and lexicon. The core argument is that, in the absence of a Grand Unification Theory in linguistics, a unified account of change is impossible without ignoring the bulk of natural language changes. Changes occur in successive formal grammars. Differences among successive I‐languages constitute a change in the E‐language, but this work rejects the customary high premium on acquisition to the near exclusion of the role of adults and adolescents in the incrementation of change. Many innovations arise from competition in contact accommodation, but contact is only a catalyst. Features determine parametric variation and structures provide evidence (cues) for features. Since changes are typically not macroscalar, this work adopts a (micro)cue theory of parametric variation. The traditional view required a categorical (off/on) value setting. Through multiple binary cuts and different microcues, the new view permits a language to have, for instance, V2 in some structures but not others. With the reduction of UG (Universal Grammar) to a universal inventory of formal features, the once extravagant role of UG has been largely replaced by principles of efficient computation to explain crosslinguistically frequent changes. Additionally, neurolinguists have concluded that some constraints have evolved over time into a multilevel representation in the nervous system. Taking this and structure‐building features into account, this work argues that some changes are grounded in synchronic cognitive constraints, a large number in principles of computation, many in extralinguistic factors, some in processing and functional motivations, and some just accidents of history.
Tribal Constitutionalism
Authors: Kirsty Gover
Published: January 2011

In settler societies, tribal self-governance creates a legal distinction between indigeneity (defined by settler governments) and tribal membership (defined by tribes). Many legally indigenous persons are not tribal members, and some tribal members are not legally indigenous. This book considers the membership rules included in the constitutions and membership codes of nearly 750 recognized tribes in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. It addresses the first-order question of tribal constitutionalism: who are the members of tribes, and how are they chosen? The question is of practical and theoretical import. A large proportion of indigenous peoples in each state are not enrolled in a recognized tribe, and the majority of indigenous peoples do not live near their tribal territories. The book's empirical study challenges many of the assumptions used to model tribalism in theories of cultural pluralism, especially those that depict tribes as distinctively insular, ascriptive, and territorially-confined. The book shows that while they are descent-based groups, tribes also self-constitute relationally, by enrolling non-descendants in accordance with cultural and social criteria, and by recruiting from other indigenous communities. The book draws on tribal law and practice, political theory, legal doctrine, policy, and demographic data to critically assess the strategies used by tribes and states to manage the jurisdictional and ideological challenges of tribal membership governance.
Macrobius and the “Pagan” Culture of his Age
Authors: Cameron Alan
Published: January 2011

Macrobius's Saturnalia is a key text for any evaluation of the intellectual interests of the elite of late 4th- and early 5th-century Rome. Modern readers have assumed the Saturnalia to be a showcase for pagan culture, according to some nothing less than a work of pagan propaganda. Indeed, study of the Saturnalia has overlapped with study of what has become known as the “pagan revival” of the late 4th century. Those gathered in Macrobius's pages have been identified as the circle of Symmachus—or (as some prefer) the circle of Praetextatus. It was long taken for granted that Macrobius was himself a member of this circle. This chapter considers whether he even was a contemporary, when he lived, and what was the purpose of his work was.
The Real Circle of Symmachus
Authors: Cameron Alan
Published: January 2011

Within the ranks of the aristocracy many scholars have identified an inner core of literary pagans, the so-called “Circle of Symmachus,” actively nurturing the classics and sponsoring pagan writers in the hope of recalling waverers to the fold. This chapter argues that it is the chance congruence of two factors—one ancient and one modern—that has saddled Symmachus with this unlikely role: Macrobius's Saturnalia, where he appears as one of the three hosts to a fictitious literary gathering; and Otto Seeck's wonderful edition of Symmachus's Letters (1883), with its massive introduction identifying every correspondent and his family. As a consequence, Symmachus has always been seen as the central figure in late 4th-century Roman society.
Pagan Scholarship: Vergil and His Commentators
Authors: Cameron Alan
Published: January 2011

Late 4th- and 5th-century western culture was dominated by Vergil. The writings, prose as well as verse, of all educated people, Christians no less than pagans, were steeped in Vergilian echoes and quotations. This chapter examines the comments of Servius and Macrobius regarding cult and ritual in Vergil. Since they are by far the best candidates for identifying any sort of specifically pagan scholarship in late antique Rome, it begins by establishing their credentials as scholars.
CNAmet: an R package for integrating copy number, methylation and expression data
Authors: Louhimo Riku , Hautaniemi Sampsa
Published: January 2011

Summary: Gene copy number and DNA methylation alterations are key regulators of gene expression in cancer. Accordingly, genes that show simultaneous methylation, copy number and expression alterations are likely to have a key role in tumor progression. We have implemented a novel software package (CNAmet) for integrative analysis of high-throughput copy number, DNA methylation and gene expression data. To demonstrate the utility of CNAmet, we use copy number, DNA methylation and gene expression data from 50 glioblastoma multiforme and 188 ovarian cancer primary tumor samples. Our results reveal a synergistic effect of DNA methylation and copy number alterations on gene expression for several known oncogenes as well as novel candidate oncogenes.

Availability: CNAmet R-package and user guide are freely available under GNU General Public License at http://csbi.ltdk.helsinki.fi/CNAmet.

Contact:  sampsa.hautaniemi@helsinki.fi

Supplementary Information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Iranian Connections in the Dead Sea Scrolls
Authors: de Jong Albert
Published: January 2011

Zurvanism is a problematic subject in the history of the study of Zoroastrianism, for it was once hailed as the greatest challenge to ‘orthodox’ Zoroastrianism and many irreconcilable aspects with ‘real’ Zoroastrianism were conveniently disposed of by labelling them as ‘Zurbanite’ and, hence, aberrations. It has since been shown that very little evidence supports the notion of Zurvanism as a Zoroastrian ‘heresy’, and that it is mainly to be understood as one of several variants of the chief cosmogony myth. This article examines this myth, which has occasionally been invoked to explain certain aspects of the ideas of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It discusses the possible channels through which Iranian ideas may have become familiar to Jews, and those Iranian elements of the Dead Sea Scrolls that have commonly been recognized as being there: loanwords and imagery.
Critical Issues in the
Investigation of the Scrolls and the New Testament
Authors: Frey Jörg
Published: January 2011

From the very earliest period after the first discoveries, the Qumran scrolls have been of major interest to New Testament (NT) scholars, and, in retrospect, the impact of the scrolls has considerably shifted the debate in central areas of NT scholarship. The debate touches the essence of history-of-religions research, the question of how to explain alleged parallels and how to prove ‘influences’ on the level of texts, authors, or religious groups. The issues discussed are most generally the Jewish, or more distinctly, the Palestinian, impact on the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles, the primitive community, or the religious language and theology of NT texts. The scrolls also provide a wealth of information that helps in the interpretation of the New Testament – on the Palestinian-Jewish ‘context’ of emerging ‘Christianity’, factions and groups, etc.
Rhetorical Criticism and the Reading of the Qumran
Scrolls
Authors: Newsom Carol A.
Published: January 2011

Since rhetorical criticism is a method that is all but absent from the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls, this article attempts to make the case for its usefulness. In order to do this, it defines the relevant terms and sets them in historical perspective, examines the distinctive features of Qumran literature that make rhetorical criticism both important and problematic, and discusses whether and in what way rhetorical criticism is in fact a method. The article presents two case studies to illustrate ways in which rhetorical criticism might be conducted. The first is on the Rule texts, which include the Damascus Document and the Community Rule. The second is on the Hodayot or Thanksgiving Hymns.
Roland Barthes and the Teacher of
Righteousness
Authors: Grossman Maxine L.
Published: January 2011

The quest of the historical Teacher of Righteousness provided scholars with a starting point for considering the social setting and historical milieu out of which the Dead Sea Scrolls originated. Accounts of the Teacher emphasize a career of prophetic preaching to his own followers and conflicts with opposing leaders. This article describes the persona of the Teacher as leader and author; critical theory and the death of the author; and the Teacher as an authorial figure. In addition, a variety of scholarly studies have contributed to the view that the Teacher was author of some or many of the sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls. In this context, the so-called ‘Teacher Hymns’ and the text of 4QMMT are particularly popular candidates for authorship by the Teacher.
Spain: The Consolidation of Strong Regional
Governments and the Limits of Local Decentralization
Authors: Colino César , Pino Eloísa del
Published: January 2011

This article discusses the consolidation of strong regional government and the limits of central decentralization in Spain. The Spanish model of subnational democracy evolved in parallel to the consolidation of the first successful experience of liberal democracy which has occurred at the national level during the last thirty years in Spain. The new constitution of Spain embraced democracy, rule of law, cultural pluralism, and the welfare state. It restructured the traditional Spanish state by identifying democracy with regional and local autonomy, hence creating new constitutionally protected local self-government and regional democracies. This newfound democracy at the subnational level has been introduced by state tradition but at the same time it was influenced by a consensus towards majoritarian model. It has provided cultural-political recognition, social integration, and economic development. It has overcome the long-standing traditional cleavages in Spain and has guaranteed political stability, improved governance, and respect for minorities. However, due to the manner with which subnational democracy emerged and due to some of the unique characteristics of the Soanish history and political culture, democracy at both the national and local level suffered from shortcomings in terms of their capacity to promote and encourage citizen participation in the public sphere.
Portugal: Local Democracy in a Small Centralized
Republic
Authors: Magone José M.
Published: January 2011

Portugal is one of the most centralized countries of the European Union. It only became a genuine democracy after the Revolution of Carnations in 1974. Only then did local authorities and autonomous regions such as Madeira and Azores became genuine local governments, despite the still existing high level of centralization. Since the transformation of Portugal from authoritarian regime into democracy, several changes have taken place. Following the revolution there came the introduction of universal adult suffrage. This was followed by the forming of the Constituent Assembly and the ratification of the new constitution. The new constitution enshrined the establishment of democratically elected administrative regions, which would replace the districts. This allowed local authorities to engage in public-private partnership and allowed for the formation of inter-municipal cooperation. In spite of the success of the new constitution and democracy, Portugal is still battered by weak social capital, clientelism and patronage, and regionalization. All of these affect Portugal' process of achieving subnational democracy.
Greece: A Case of Fragmented Centralism and
‘Behind the Scenes’ Localism
Authors: Hlepas Nikos , Getimis Panagiotis
Published: January 2011

Greece, while described as the ‘cradle of Western democracy’, remains to be one of the most centralist state in Europe. This central governance is mirrored in Greece's percentage of local expenditure in GDP which remains the lowest in Europe and in the restricted functions of local government. Centralism remains to be perceived as necessary in order to sustain national unity and distributive capacities of the state in a country that has had to cope with political instability, regional divergence, and weak economic development. This article discusses Greece's dominant model of ‘pendulum democracy’. Within the context of centralism and the ‘pendulum democracy’, civil society in Greece remains weak and fragmented. Adding to these is the clientelistic political culture of Greece. All of these resulted in the confusion of political responsibility, frustration of accountability, inefficiency, and disintegration of the public space. While reform efforts have been directed to reduce centralism and the Westminster model of pendulum democracy, these however have little effect on the political system of Greece. The persistent fragmentation and the lack of cohesion of sectoral policies continually frustrate reform processes.
Adult frogs are sensitive to the predation risks of olfactory communication
Authors: Hamer Rowena , Lemckert Francis L. , Banks Peter B.
Published: January 2011

Olfaction is a common sensory mode of communication in much of the Vertebrata, although its use by adult frogs remains poorly studied. Being part of an open signalling system, odour cues can be exploited by ‘eavesdropping’ predators that hunt by smell, making association with odour a high-risk behaviour for prey. Here, we show that adult great barred frogs (
Mixophes fasciolatus
) are highly attracted to odour cues of conspecifics and those of sympatric striped marsh frogs (
Limnodynastes peronii
). This attraction decreased significantly with the addition of odours of a scent-hunting predator, the red-bellied black snake (
Pseudechis porphyriacus
), indicating that frogs perceived predation risks from associating with frog odours. Male frogs, however, maintained some attraction to unfamiliar conspecific scents even with predator odours present, suggesting that they perceived benefits of odour communication despite the risk. Our results indicate that adult frogs can identify species and individuals from their odours and assess the associated predation risk, revealing a complexity in olfactory communication previously unknown in adult anurans.
Solutions for a local equation of anisotropic plant cell growth: an analytical study of expansin activity
Authors: Pietruszka Mariusz
Published: January 2011

This paper presents a generalization of the Lockhart equation for plant cell/organ expansion in theanisotropiccase. The intent is to take into account the temporal and spatial variation in the cell wall mechanical properties by considering the wall ‘extensibility’ (Φ), a time- and space-dependent parameter. A dynamic linear differential equation of a second-order tensor is introduced by describing the anisotropic growth process with some key biochemical aspects included. The distortion and expansion of plant cell walls initiated by expansins, a class of proteins known to enhance cell wall ‘extensibility’, is also described. In this approach, expansin proteins are treated as active agents participating in isotropic/anisotropic growth. Two-parameter models and an equation for describing α- and β-expansin proteins are proposed by delineating the extension of isolated wall samples, allowing turgor-driven polymer creep, where expansins weaken the non-covalent binding between wall polysaccharides. We observe that the calculated halftime (t1/2=εΦ0log 2) of stress relaxation due to expansin action can be described in mechanical terms.
The ‘Goldilocks’ effect: preservation bias in vertebrate track assemblages
Authors: Falkingham P. L. , Bates K. T. , Margetts L. , Manning P. L.
Published: January 2011

Finite-element analysis was used to investigate the extent of bias in the ichnological fossil record attributable to body mass. Virtual tracks were simulated for four dinosaur taxa of different sizes (Struthiomimus, Tyrannosaurus, BrachiosaurusandEdmontosaurus), in a range of substrate conditions. Outlines of autopodia were generated based upon osteology and published soft-tissue reconstructions. Loads were applied vertically to the feet equivalent to the weight of the animal, and distributed accordingly to fore- and hindlimbs where relevant. Ideal, semi-infinite elastic–plastic substrates displayed a ‘Goldilocks’ quality where only a narrow range of loads could produce tracks, given that small animals failed to indent the substrate, and larger animals would be unable to traverse the area without becoming mired. If a firm subsurface layer is assumed, a more complete assemblage is possible, though there is a strong bias towards larger, heavier animals. The depths of fossil tracks within an assemblage may indicate thicknesses of mechanically distinct substrate layers at the time of track formation, even when the lithified strata appear compositionally homogeneous. This work increases the effectiveness of using vertebrate tracks as palaeoenvironmental indicators in terms of inferring substrate conditions at the time of track formation. Additionally, simulated undertracks are examined, and it is shown that complex deformation beneath the foot may not be indicative of limb kinematics as has been previously interpreted, but instead ridges and undulations at the base of a track may be a function of sediment displacement vectors and pedal morphology.
The line of reason: Hugh Blair, spatiality and the progressive structure of language
Authors: Eddy Matthew D.
Published: January 2011

At the dawn of the nineteenth century, words were seen as artefacts that afforded insights into the mental capacities of the early humans. In this article I address the late Enlightenment foundations of this model by focusing on Professor Hugh Blair, a leading voice on the relationship between language, progressivism and culture. Whereas the writings of grammarians and educators such as Blair have received little attention in histories of nascent palaeoarchaeology and palaeoanthropology, I show that he addressed a number of conceptual themes that were of central relevance to the ‘primitive’, ‘ancient’ and ‘modern’ typology that guided the construction of ‘prehistoric minds’ during the early decades of the Victorian era. Although I address the referential power of language to a certain extent, my main point is that the rectilinear spatiality afforded by Western forms of graphic representation created an implicitly progressivist framework of disordered, ordered and reordered minds.
Information erasure without an energy cost
Authors: Vaccaro Joan A. , Barnett Stephen M.
Published: January 2011

Landauer argued that the process of erasing the information stored in a memory device incurs an energy cost in the form of a minimum amount of mechanical work. We find, however, that this energy cost can be reduced to zero by paying a cost in angular momentum or any other conserved quantity. Erasing the memory of Maxwell’s demon in this way implies that work can be extracted from a single thermal reservoir at a cost of angular momentum and an increase in total entropy. The implications of this for the second law of thermodynamics are assessed.
History matters: ecometrics and integrative climate change biology
Authors: Polly P. David , Eronen Jussi T. , Fred Marianne , Dietl Gregory P. , Mosbrugger Volker , Scheidegger Christoph , Frank David C. , Damuth John , Stenseth Nils C. , Fortelius Mikael
Published: January 2011

Climate change research is increasingly focusing on the dynamics among species, ecosystems and climates. Better data about the historical behaviours of these dynamics are urgently needed. Such data are already available from ecology, archaeology, palaeontology and geology, but their integration into climate change research is hampered by differences in their temporal and geographical scales. One productive way to unite data across scales is the study of functional morphological traits, which can form a common denominator for studying interactions between species and climate across taxa, across ecosystems, across space and through time—an approach we call ‘ecometrics’. The sampling methods that have become established in palaeontology to standardize over different scales can be synthesized with tools from community ecology and climate change biology to improve our understanding of the dynamics among species, ecosystems, climates and earth systems over time. Developing these approaches into an integrative climate change biology will help enrich our understanding of the changes our modern world is undergoing.
Habitat structure mediates biodiversity effects on ecosystem properties
Authors: Godbold J. A. , Bulling M. T. , Solan M.
Published: January 2011

Much of what we know about the role of biodiversity in mediating ecosystem processes and function stems from manipulative experiments, which have largely been performed in isolated, homogeneous environments that do not incorporate habitat structure or allow natural community dynamics to develop. Here, we use a range of habitat configurations in a model marine benthic system to investigate the effects of species composition, resource heterogeneity and patch connectivity on ecosystem properties at both the patch (bioturbation intensity) and multi-patch (nutrient concentration) scale. We show that allowing fauna to move and preferentially select patches alters local species composition and density distributions, which has negative effects on ecosystem processes (bioturbation intensity) at the patch scale, but overall positive effects on ecosystem functioning (nutrient concentration) at the multi-patch scale. Our findings provide important evidence that community dynamics alter in response to localized resource heterogeneity and that these small-scale variations in habitat structure influence species contributions to ecosystem properties at larger scales. We conclude that habitat complexity forms an important buffer against disturbance and that contemporary estimates of the level of biodiversity required for maintaining future multi-functional systems may need to be revised.
Crop Root Behavior Coordinates Phosphorus Status and Neighbors: From Field Studies to Three-Dimensional in Situ Reconstruction of Root System Architecture
Authors: Fang Suqin , Gao Xiang , Deng Yan , Chen Xinping , Liao Hong
Published: January 2011

Root is a primary organ to respond to environmental stimuli and percept signals from neighboring plants. In this study, root responses in maize (Zea mays)/soybean (Glycine max) intercropping systems recognized soil phosphorus (P) status and neighboring plants in the field. Compared to self culture, the maize variety GZ1 intercropping with soybean HX3 grew much better on low P, but not in another maize variety, NE1. This genotypic response decreased with increasing distance between plants, suggesting that root interactions were important. We further conducted a detailed and quantitative study of root behavior in situ using a gel system to reconstruct the three-dimensional root architecture. The results showed that plant roots could integrate information on P status and root behavior of neighboring plants. When intercropped with its kin, maize or soybean roots grew close to each other. However, when maize GZ1 was grown with soybean HX3, the roots on each plant tended to avoid each other and became shallower on stratified P supply, but not found with maize NE1. Furthermore, root behavior in gel was highly correlated to shoot biomass and P content for field-grown plants grown in close proximity. This study provides new insights into the dynamics and complexity of root behavior and kin recognition among crop species in response to nutrient status and neighboring plants. These findings also indicate that root behavior not only depends on neighbor recognition but also on a coordinated response to soil P status, which could be the underlying cause for the different growth responses in the field.
Chloroplast 2010: A Database for Large-Scale Phenotypic Screening of Arabidopsis Mutants
Authors: Lu Yan , Savage Linda J. , Larson Matthew D. , Wilkerson Curtis G. , Last Robert L.
Published: January 2011

Large-scale phenotypic screening presents challenges and opportunities not encountered in typical forward or reverse genetics projects. We describe a modular database and laboratory information management system that was implemented in support of the Chloroplast 2010 Project, an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) reverse genetics phenotypic screen of more than 5,000 mutants (http://bioinfo.bch.msu.edu/2010_LIMS; www.plastid.msu.edu). The software and laboratory work environment were designed to minimize operator error and detect systematic process errors. The database uses Ruby on Rails and Flash technologies to present complex quantitative and qualitative data and pedigree information in a flexible user interface. Examples are presented where the database was used to find opportunities for process changes that improved data quality. We also describe the use of the data-analysis tools to discover mutants defective in enzymes of leucine catabolism (heteromeric mitochondrial 3-methylcrotonyl-coenzyme A carboxylase [At1g03090 and At4g34030] and putative hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A lyase [At2g26800]) based upon a syndrome of pleiotropic seed amino acid phenotypes that resembles previously described isovaleryl coenzyme A dehydrogenase (At3g45300) mutants. In vitro assay results support the computational annotation of At2g26800 as hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A lyase.
Interaction of the Tobacco Lectin with Histone Proteins
Authors: Schouppe Dieter , Ghesquière Bart , Menschaert Gerben , De Vos Winnok H. , Bourque Stéphane , Trooskens Geert , Proost Paul , Gevaert Kris , Van Damme Els J.M.
Published: January 2011

The tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) agglutinin or Nictaba is a member of a novel class of plant lectins residing in the nucleus and the cytoplasm of tobacco cells. Since tobacco lectin expression is only observed after the plant has been subjected to stress situations such as jasmonate treatment or insect attack, Nictaba is believed to act as a signaling protein involved in the stress physiology of the plant. In this paper, a nuclear proteomics approach was followed to identify the binding partners for Nictaba in the nucleus and the cytoplasm of tobacco cv Xanthi cells. Using lectin affinity chromatography and pull-down assays, it was shown that Nictaba interacts primarily with histone proteins. Binding of Nictaba with histone H2B was confirmed in vitro using affinity chromatography of purified calf thymus histone proteins on a Nictaba column. Elution of Nictaba-interacting histone proteins was achieved with 1 m  N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). Moreover, mass spectrometry analyses indicated that the Nictaba-interacting histone proteins are modified by O-GlcNAc. Since the lectin-histone interaction was shown to be carbohydrate dependent, it is proposed that Nictaba might fulfill a signaling role in response to stress by interacting with O-GlcNAcylated proteins in the plant cell nucleus.
Rice Two-Pore K+ Channels Are Expressed in Different Types of Vacuoles
Authors: Isayenkov Stanislav , Isner Jean-Charles , Maathuis Frans J.M.
Published: January 2011

Potassium (K+) is a major nutrient for plant growth and development. Vacuolar K+ ion channels of the two-pore K+ (TPK) family play an important role in maintaining K+ homeostasis. Several TPK channels were previously shown to be expressed in the lytic vacuole (LV) tonoplast. Plants also contain smaller protein storage vacuoles (PSVs) that contain membrane transporters. However, the mechanisms that define how membrane proteins reach different vacuolar destinations are largely unknown. The Oryza sativa genome encodes two TPK isoforms (TPKa and TPKb) that have very similar sequences and are ubiquitously expressed. The electrophysiological properties of both TPKs were comparable, showing inward rectification and voltage independence. In spite of high levels of similarity in sequence and transport properties, the cellular localization of TPKa and TPKb channels was different, with TPKa localization predominantly at the large LV and TPKb primarily in smaller PSV-type compartments. Trafficking of TPKa was sensitive to brefeldin A, while that of TPKb was not. The use of TPKa:TPKb chimeras showed that C-terminal domains are crucial for the differential targeting of TPKa and TPKb. Site-directed mutagenesis of C-terminal residues that were different between TPKa and TPKb identified three amino acids that are important in determining ultimate vacuolar destination.
Affective disorders and anxiety disorders predict the risk of drug harmful use and dependence
Authors: Liang Wenbin , Chikritzhs Tanya , Lenton Simon
Published: January 2011

Aim  To investigate whether affective disorders, anxiety disorders and alcohol use disorders may increase the risk of subsequently developing drug (non‐alcohol‐related) dependence and/or drug (non‐alcohol‐related) harmful use.

Setting and design  A retrospective cohort study based on nationally representative household survey data collected from the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (MHW).

Measurement  The MHW survey applied the World Mental Health Survey Initiative version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH‐CIDI 3.0) to collect information on ICD‐10 mental disorder diagnoses. Ages at first onset for mental disorders and harmful drug use were used to reconstruct the cohort according to definition of exposure, time at risk and outcome.

Participants  A total of 8841 Australian adults aged 18–85 years who were included in the 2007 MHW survey.

Findings  Participants with affective disorders and anxiety disorders were at higher risk of drug harmful use and drug dependence, and the effects did not vary by the length of time respondents had been exposed to mental disorders.

Conclusion  It is uncertain whether experience of affective disorders and anxiety disorders, possibly prior to the disorder being identified by the individual or a health worker, may lead to self‐medication with psychoactive substances or whether common genetic factors linking mental disorder and drug use disorders are the underlying cause. Symptoms of mental health disorders should alert health‐care providers to the possibility of drug use disorder comorbidity and the need for early intervention, especially among young males.
Randomised clinical trial: improvement in health outcomes with certolizumab pegol in patients with active Crohn’s disease with prior loss of response to infliximab
Authors: Feagan B. G. , Sandborn W. J. , Wolf D. C. , Coteur G. , Purcaru O. , Brabant Y. , Rutgeerts P. J.
Published: January 2011

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2011; 33: 541–550

Background  Crohn’s disease (CD) is associated with impaired health‐related quality of life (HRQoL). Certolizumab pegol, administered either every 2 weeks (q2w) or q4w, maintains efficacy in patients previously failing on the anti‐TNF agent infliximab (WELCOME study).

Aim  To investigate the impact of certolizumab pegol administered q2w and q4w on work productivity and HRQoL in the WELCOME study.

Methods  Patients with loss of response to infliximab received open‐label certolizumab pegol induction and were randomised to receive double‐blind maintenance treatment with certolizumab pegol 400 mg either q4w or q2w through week 24, with a final evaluation at week 26. Work productivity and HRQoL were assessed using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment:CD questionnaire and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire respectively.

Results  Baseline HRQoL burden was representative of moderately to severely active CD. HRQoL, daily activity and work productivity improved in both treatment groups as early as week 6 and were maintained through week 26. Treatment benefits to HRQoL, daily activity and work productivity were similar between the certolizumab pegol q2w vs. q4w groups.

Conclusions  Certolizumab pegol therapy results in meaningful improvements in work productivity, daily activities and HRQoL in patients with active CD who previously responded to but either lost response or could not tolerate infliximab (ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT00308581).
Association of soluble fms‐like tyrosine kinase‐1 with pulmonary hypertension and haemolysis in sickle cell disease
Authors: Ataga Kenneth I. , Brittain Julia E. , Jones Susan K. , May Ryan , Delaney John , Strayhorn Dell , Desai Payal , Redding‐Lallinger Rupa , Key Nigel S. , Orringer Eugene P.
Published: January 2011

The pathophysiology of pulmonary hypertension (PHT) in sickle cell disease (SCD) is probably multifactorial. Soluble fms‐like tyrosine kinase‐1 (sFLT‐1) is a member of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) family. By adhering to and inhibiting VEGF and placenta growth factor, it induces endothelial dysfunction. We sought to evaluate the association of sFLT‐1 with clinical complications of SCD. We confirmed that sFLT‐1 was significantly elevated in SCD patients compared to healthy, race‐matched control subjects. The level of sFLT‐1 was significantly higher in patients with PHT, but no association was observed between sFLT‐1 and the frequency of acute pain episodes or history of acute chest syndrome. sFLT‐1 was correlated with various measures of haemolysis, erythropoietin and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1. By inducing endothelial dysfunction, sFLT‐1 may contribute to the pathogenesis of SCD‐associated PHT, although this effect does not appear to be independent of haemolysis.
Apical surgery: endoscopic findings at the resection level of 168 consecutively treated roots
Authors: von Arx T. , Steiner R. Gemmet , Tay F. R.
Published: January 2011

von Arx T, Gemmet Steiner R, Tay FR. Apical surgery: endoscopic findings at the resection level of 168 consecutively treated roots. International Endodontic Journal.

Aim  Endoscopic evaluation of the cut root face after root‐end resection during apical surgery.

Methodology  Consecutive cases undergoing apical surgery from June 2006 to May 2008 were enrolled. After root‐end resection, the cut root face was inspected with a rigid endoscope and the following findings were assessed: number of canals, presence of isthmus, presence and location of craze lines/cracks, frosted dentine, and gaps between root filling material and dentine. Craze lines/cracks, frosted dentine and gaps were further correlated with the age group of the patient (<45 vs. ≥45 years), the type of treated tooth and the presence or absence of a post/screw.

Results  The final material included 168 resected roots. The highest frequency of isthmuses was found in mesial roots of mandibular first molars (88.5%). A craze line/crack was seen in 9.5%, frosted dentine in 79.8% and gaps in 83.3% at the cut root faces. Significant differences were observed for the location of the microfindings at the resected root surfaces (buccal vs. mesial vs. lingual vs. distal, P > 0.0001). Premolars had significantly more craze lines/cracks than anterior teeth (P = 0.006) and molars (P = 0.000). Frosted dentine was significantly more frequently seen in premolars (P = 0.027) and molars (P = 0.001) compared to anterior teeth. The age groups and the presence or absence of a post/screw did not significantly influence the findings.

Conclusions  Frosted dentine and gaps were frequently observed with endoscopy at the resected root surfaces. The type of tooth appeared to affect the occurrence of a craze line/crack and of frosted dentine.