bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
English Brutes, Eastern Enlightenment
Authors: Landry Donna
Published: March 2011

What is Enlightenment? The concept of fellow and companion species, of creaturely life, opens up new possibilities for re-asking Kant's question, and for revisiting historical definitions of the Enlightenment. These historical definitions and the genealogies they presuppose in turn raise questions about ethics and emancipation. How have relations between humans and animals been configured with regard to ethics, given gross disparities of power between species? How might alternatives to the Euroamerican ideal of political equality as the necessary ground for any ethical relation be found? A non-Eurocentric genealogy of the Enlightenment derived from European exchanges with the Ottoman empire reveals possible Eastern precedents for European Enlightenment ideas about kindness rather than cruelty in human-animal relations. The particular case of English people and imported Eastern horses during the long eighteenth century richly reveals Ottoman precedents at work. If horsemanship might be understood to mirror political governance and society at large, Ottoman horsemanship and forms of governance and sociality potentially have much to teach us since the ethics they instantiate does not presuppose political equality as a necessary ground.
The Lady, the Lapdog, and Literary Alterity
Authors: Brown Laura
Published: March 2011

This essay argues that the image of the lady and the lapdog, whose provenance can be traced to the representation of female petkeeping in the eighteenth century, can be linked to other fantasies of alterity. This image provides a formal model for the contemporary understanding of the encounter with difference, and reveals the ways in which an expansionist culture imagined a relationship with an absolutely alien other.
Joy and Pity: Reading Animal Bodies in Late Eighteenth-Century Culture
Authors: Nash Richard
Published: March 2011

This essay revisits a set of texts on farriery to examine a change in the ways that humans read and understood animal bodies as what Tobias Menely has called "somatically legible subjects." The essay identifies this change with a cultural rethinking of reading practices generally, and how these practices at the end of the eighteenth century served to privilege particular constructions of the relations of reaction and response, exteriority and interiority, animal and human, history and ethics.
Sympathy with Animals and Salvation of the Soul
Authors: Lamb Jonathan
Published: March 2011

Beginning with Elizabeth Costello's statement to her hosts in J.M. Coetzee's The Lives of Animals concerning her vegetarianism, that it is not an ethical position rather an attempt to save her soul, the essay tries to gloss what she means. Although she seems to be standing up for the fullness of animal being she calls joy, it is clear that is not what she herself experiences when she tries to inhabit a state of passionate immediacy that she believes is the condition of animals in a free state. So tracking back through seventeenth-century ideas of a reflexive sensation, and deploying the insights of Daniel Heller-Roazen's history of the sixth sense, The Inner Touch , I try to show how Coetzee solves this problem of perception, of seeing that we see, or feeling that we feel. And here, I suggest, in this hegemonic state of perception, is salvation is to be found.
Speciesism, Identity Politics, and Ecocriticism: A Conversation with Humanists and Posthumanists
Authors: Cole Lucinda , Landry Donna , Boeher Bruce , Nash Richard , Fudge Erica , Markley Robert , Wolfe Cary
Published: March 2011

A electronic conversation aimed at confronting "speciesism," and constructing what Cary Wolfe calls a "posthumanist theory of the subject."
Introduction: Human–Animal Studies and the Eighteenth Century
Authors: Cole Lucinda
Published: March 2011

The Introduction to the Special Issue of The Eighteenth Century: Theory and Interpretation titled "Animal, All Too Animal" appears at a time when debates about human reason, language, and consciousness central to postructuralist theories of the nineties are beginning to be supplemented by—and even confronted with—a recognition that humans always existed among nonhuman creatures. As this introduction describes, "Animal, All Too Animal" explores the Englightenment's rearticulation of enw and more intimate relationships with nonhumans; this history is not only populated by men of reason and women of feeling, but by the birds, dogs, apes, and horses with whom humans of different genders, ethnicities, and classes enjoyed—or suffered—increasing intimacies, and distances.
Thomas Aquinas and Cognitive Therapy: An Exploration of the Promise of the Thomistic Psychology
Authors: Butera Giuseppe
Published: March 2011

Abstract:
Although Thomas Aquinas never developed an account of the emotional disorders, he anticipated all the major principles and methods of cognitive therapy (CT) in his philosophical psychology. This fact has gone largely unnoted by philosophers and psychologists alike. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the complementarity of these two psychologies by arguing that Aquinas’s philosophical psychology (APP) can serve as a theoretical framework for CT, especially as it appears in Aaron Beck’s classic introduction to the subject, Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders . The motivation for this article is both theoretical and practical in nature: Theoretical, because Aquinas provides a profound and cogent philosophical framework for CT, which in turn is able to draw out much that is only implicit in Aquinas’s thought; practical, because APP offers useful insights and suggests interesting lines of development for CT. Finally, I suggest that the disagreements dividing the various different psychologies and their related approaches to the emotional disorders may be due to a failure to grasp the dynamic structure of the human psyche at a level that can be reached only through careful philosophical analysis, a feat I believe Aquinas to have in large measure achieved.
Only a Philosopher or a Madman: Impractical Delusions in Philosophy and Psychiatry
Authors: Reimer Marga
Published: March 2011

Abstract:
Although it is natural to regard psychiatric delusions as beliefs, there seem to be significant differences between at least some such delusions and ordinary beliefs. These differences include the comparatively weak influence of psychiatric delusions on the subject’s behavior, emotional life (affect), and “web of beliefs.” They also include the notorious resistance of psychiatric delusions (versus ordinary beliefs) to counterevidence. Such differences have led some psychiatrists and philosophers to speculate that psychiatric delusions may not be genuine beliefs. I take issue with such speculation, noting that the particular features of psychiatric delusions that motivate it, characterize the endorsement of philosophical doctrines whose epistemic status as beliefs is rarely questioned. I then draw attention to a fallacy that has led some theorists to conclude, from the fact that psychiatric delusions are not paradigmatic beliefs, that they are (probably) not genuine beliefs. I call this fallacy the “fallacy of ignoring anomalies.” It occurs whenever one concludes that x is (probably) not a case of y because x is unlike paradigmatic cases of y .
Medically Unexplained Symptoms and the Siren “Psychogenic Inference”
Authors: Sykes Richard
Published: March 2011

Abstract:
The “psychogenic inference” is the inference that if there is no known physical cause for a symptom or disorder, the cause must be psychological . Although this inference is commonly made, this paper argues that it is a Siren song; that, although superficially appealing, it faces many serious objections, leads to “overpsychologizing”—the overdiagnosis of psychological problems—does much harm and should now be finally eliminated. It should be replaced by two key diagnostic principles and an open question. Using methods of linguistic analysis, the paper shows that the inference is systematically entrenched in the key terms functional, nonorganic, and somatization and in the established criteria for somatoform disorders. The forthcoming revisions of DSM-IV-TR and ICD-10 present a unique opportunity to eliminate the inference, to introduce unambiguous, untainted, and patient-friendly terminology, and to replace defective classificatory criteria. The opportunity needs to be grasped. Decisive action taken now will bring great rewards.
Cleavage of the Vesicular GABA Transporter under Excitotoxic Conditions Is Followed by Accumulation of the Truncated Transporter in Nonsynaptic Sites
Authors: Gomes João R. , Lobo Andrea C. , Melo Carlos V. , Inácio Ana R. , Takano Jiro , Iwata Nobuhisa , Saido Takaomi C. , de Almeida Luís P. , Wieloch Tadeusz , Duarte Carlos B.
Published: March 2011

GABA is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS and changes in GABAergic neurotransmission affect the overall activity of neuronal networks. The uptake of GABA into synaptic vesicles is mediated by the vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT), and changes in the expression of the transporter directly regulate neurotransmitter release. In this work we investigated the changes in VGAT protein levels during ischemia and in excitotoxic conditions, which may affect the demise process. We found that VGAT is cleaved by calpains following excitotoxic stimulation of hippocampal neurons with glutamate, giving rise to a stable truncated cleavage product (tVGAT). VGAT cleavage was also observed after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice, a cerebral ischemia model, and following intrahippocampal injection of kainate, but no effect was observed in transgenic mice overexpressing calpastatin, a calpain inhibitor. Incubation of isolated cerebrocortical synaptic vesicles with recombinant calpain also induced the cleavage of VGAT and formation of stable tVGAT. Immunoblot experiments using antibodies targeting different regions of VGAT and N-terminal sequencing analysis showed that calpain cleaves the transporter in the N-terminal region, at amino acids 52 and 60. Immunocytochemistry of GABAergic striatal neurons expressing GFP fusion proteins with the full-length VGAT or tVGAT showed that cleavage of the transporter induces a loss of synaptic delivery, leading to a homogeneous distribution of the protein along neurites. Our results show that excitotoxicity downregulates full-length VGAT, with a concomitant generation of tVGAT, which is likely to affect GABAergic neurotransmission and may influence cell death during ischemia.
The Cytoplasmic Adaptor Protein Caskin Mediates Lar Signal Transduction duringDrosophilaMotor Axon Guidance
Authors: Weng Yi-Lan , Liu Nan , DiAntonio Aaron , Broihier Heather T.
Published: March 2011

The multiprotein complexes that receive and transmit axon pathfinding cues during development are essential to circuit generation. Here, we identify and characterize theDrosophilasterile α-motif (SAM) domain-containing protein Caskin, which shares homology with vertebrate Caskin, a CASK [calcium/calmodulin-(CaM)-activated serine-threonine kinase]-interacting protein.Drosophila caskin(ckn) is necessary for embryonic motor axon pathfinding and interacts genetically and physically with the leukocyte common antigen-related (Lar) receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase.In vivoandin vitroanalyses of a panel ofcknloss-of-function alleles indicate that the N-terminal SAM domain of Ckn mediates its interaction with Lar. Like Caskin, Liprin-α is a neuronal adaptor protein that interacts with Lar via a SAM domain-mediated interaction. We present evidence that Lar does not bind Caskin and Liprin-α concurrently, suggesting they may assemble functionally distinct signaling complexes on Lar. Furthermore, a vertebrate Caskin homolog interacts with LAR family members, arguing that the role ofcknin Lar signal transduction is evolutionarily conserved. Last, we characterize severalcknmutants that retain Lar binding yet display guidance defects, implying the existence of additional Ckn binding partners. Indeed, we identify the SH2/SH3 adaptor protein Dock as a second Caskin-binding protein and find that Caskin binds Lar and Dock through distinct domains. Furthermore, whereascknhas a nonredundant function in Lar-dependent signaling during motor axon targeting,cknanddockhave overlapping roles in axon outgrowth in the CNS. Together, these studies identifycaskinas a neuronal adaptor protein required for axon growth and guidance.
Organization of Functional Synaptic Connections between Medullary Reticulospinal Neurons and Lumbar Descending Commissural Interneurons in the Neonatal Mouse
Authors: Szokol Karolina , Glover Joel C. , Perreault Marie-Claude
Published: March 2011

The medullary reticular formation (MRF) of the neonatal mouse is organized so that the medial and lateral MRF activate hindlimb and trunk motoneurons (MNs) with differential predominance. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether this activation is polysynaptic and mediated by commissural interneurons with descending axons (dCINs) in the lumbar spinal cord. To this end, we tested the polysynapticity of inputs from the MRF to MNs and tested for the presence of selective inputs from medial and lateral MRF to 574 individual dCINs in the L2 segment of the neonatal mouse.

Reticulospinal-mediated postsynaptic Ca2+responses in MNs were reduced in the presence of mephenesin and after a midline lesion, suggesting the involvement of dCINs in mediating the responses. Consistent with this, stimulation of reticulospinal neurons in the medial or lateral MRF activated 51% and 57% of ipsilateral dCINs examined (255 and 352 dCINs, respectively) and 52% and 46% of contralateral dCINs examined (166 and 133 dCINs, respectively). The proportion of dCINs that responded specifically to stimulation of medial or lateral MRF was similar to the proportions of dCINs that responded to both MRF regions or to neither. The three responsive dCIN populations had largely overlapping spatial distributions.

We demonstrate the existence of dCIN subpopulations sufficient to mediate responses in lumbar motoneurons from reticulospinal pathways originating from the medial and lateral MRF. Differential control of trunk and hindlimb muscles by the medullary reticulospinal system may therefore be mediated in part by identifiable dCIN populations.
Resilience to Chronic Stress Is Mediated by Hippocampal Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
Authors: Taliaz Dekel , Loya Assaf , Gersner Roman , Haramati Sharon , Chen Alon , Zangen Abraham
Published: March 2011

Chronic stress is a trigger for several psychiatric disorders, including depression; however, critical individual differences in resilience to both the behavioral and the neurochemical effects of stress have been reported. A prominent mechanism by which the brain reacts to acute and chronic stress is activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, which is inhibited by the hippocampus via a polysynaptic circuit. Alterations in secretion of stress hormones and levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus were implicated in depression and the effects of antidepressant medications. However, the potential role of hippocampal BDNF in behavioral resilience to chronic stress and in the regulation of the HPA axis has not been evaluated. In the present study, Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to 4 weeks of chronic mild stress (CMS) to induce depressive-like behaviors after lentiviral vectors were used to induce localized BDNF overexpression or knockdown in the hippocampus. The behavioral outcome was measured during 3 weeks after the CMS procedure, then plasma samples were taken for measurements of corticosterone levels, and finally hippocampal tissue was taken for BDNF measurements. We found that hippocampal BDNF expression plays a critical role in resilience to chronic stress and that reduction of hippocampal BDNF expression in young, but not adult, rats induces prolonged elevations in corticosterone secretion. The present study describes a mechanism for individual differences in responses to chronic stress and implicates hippocampal BDNF in the development of neural circuits that control adequate stress adaptations.
Anatomically Defined Neuron-Based Rescue of Neurodegenerative Niemann–Pick Type C Disorder
Authors: Lopez Manuel E. , Klein Andres D. , Dimbil Ubah J. , Scott Matthew P.
Published: March 2011

Niemann–Pick type C disease is a fatal lysosomal storage disorder caused by loss of NPC1 function. The disorder severely affects multiple body systems, particularly the nervous system. To test whether rescue of NPC1 activity in neurons, astrocytes, or other cell types can correct the neurological defects, a Tet-inducibleNpc1-YFPtransgene was introduced intoNpc1−/−mice for the cell type-specific rescue of NPC1 loss. NPC1-YFP produced in neurons prevented neuron degeneration, slowed reactive glial activity, and ameliorated the disease. NPC1-YFP produced in astrocytes or in cells of visceral tissue did not. These results suggest that loss of NPC1 activity from neurons is the primary cause of the neuropathology and that rescue of NPC1 function in neurons is sufficient to mitigate the disease. The ability of neurons to survive and function in a cell-autonomous fashion allowed the use of this newly engineered rescue system to further define the brain regions or neuron populations required to ameliorate a neurological symptom. NPC1-YFP produced specifically in cerebellar Purkinje neurons reduced ataxia, increased weight, and prolonged life, but it did not prevent the eventual decline and premature death ofNpc1−/−mice. Significant increase in lifespan correlated with sustained reduction of inflammation in the thalamus. Neuron rescue of other forebrain areas provided little benefit. Future work targeting increasingly discrete neuronal networks should reveal which CNS areas are critical for survival. This work may have broad implications for understanding the anatomical and cellular basis of neurological signs and symptoms of other neurodegenerative and lysosomal disorders.
Recalibration of Auditory Space following Milliseconds of Cross-Modal Discrepancy
Authors: Wozny David R. , Shams Ladan
Published: March 2011

Basic features of objects and events in the environment such as timing and spatial location are encoded by multiple sensory modalities. This redundancy in sensory coding allows recalibration of one sense by other senses if there is a conflict between the sensory maps (Radeau and Bertelson, 1974; Zwiers et al., 2003; Navarra et al., 2009). In contrast to motor or sensorimotor adaptation, which can be relatively rapid, cross-sensory recalibration (the change in an isolated sensory representation after exposure to conflicting cross-modal information) has been reported only as a result of an extensive amount of exposure to sensory discrepancy (e.g., hundreds or thousands of trials, or prolonged durations). Therefore, sensory recalibration has traditionally been associated with compensation for permanent changes that would occur during development or after traumatic injuries or stroke. Nonetheless, the dynamics of sensory recalibration is unknown, and it is unclear whether prolonged inconsistency is required to trigger recalibration or whether such mechanisms are continuously engaged in self-maintenance. We show that in humans recalibration of perceived auditory space by vision can occur after a single exposure to discrepant auditory–visual stimuli lasting only a few milliseconds. These findings suggest an impressive degree of plasticity in a basic perceptual map induced by a cross-modal error signal. Therefore, it appears that modification of sensory maps does not necessarily require accumulation of a substantial amount of evidence of error to be triggered, and is continuously operational. This scheme of sensory recalibration has many advantages. It only requires a small working memory capacity, and allows rapid adaptation to transient changes in the environment as well as the body.
Spontaneous Glutamate Release Is Independent of Calcium Influx and Tonically Activated by the Calcium-Sensing Receptor
Authors: Vyleta Nicholas P. , Smith Stephen M.
Published: March 2011

Spontaneous release of glutamate is important for maintaining synaptic strength and controlling spike timing in the brain. Mechanisms regulating spontaneous exocytosis remain poorly understood. Extracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]o) regulates Ca2+entry through voltage-activated calcium channels (VACCs) and consequently is a pivotal determinant of action potential-evoked vesicle fusion. Extracellular Ca2+also enhances spontaneous release, but via unknown mechanisms. Here we report that external Ca2+triggers spontaneous glutamate release more weakly than evoked release in mouse neocortical neurons. Blockade of VACCs has no effect on the spontaneous release rate or its dependence on [Ca2+]o. Intracellular [Ca2+] slowly increases in a minority of neurons following increases in [Ca2+]o. Furthermore, the enhancement of spontaneous release by extracellular calcium is insensitive to chelation of intracellular calcium by BAPTA. Activation of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), a G-protein-coupled receptor present in nerve terminals, by several specific agonists increased spontaneous glutamate release. The frequency of spontaneous synaptic transmission was decreased in CaSR mutant neurons. The concentration–effect relationship for extracellular calcium regulation of spontaneous release was well described by a combination of CaSR-dependent and CaSR-independent mechanisms. Overall these results indicate that extracellular Ca2+does not trigger spontaneous glutamate release by simply increasing calcium influx but stimulates CaSR and thereby promotes resting spontaneous glutamate release.
Contribution of Different Limb Controllers to Modulation of Motor Cortex Neurons during Locomotion
Authors: Zelenin Pavel V. , Deliagina Tatiana G. , Orlovsky Grigori N. , Karayannidou Anastasia , Dasgupta Namrata M. , Sirota Mikhail G. , Beloozerova Irina N.
Published: March 2011

During locomotion, neurons in motor cortex exhibit profound step-related frequency modulation. The source of this modulation is unclear. The aim of this study was to reveal the contribution of different limb controllers (locomotor mechanisms of individual limbs) to the periodic modulation of motor cortex neurons during locomotion. Experiments were conducted in chronically instrumented cats. The activity of single neurons was recorded during regular quadrupedal locomotion (control), as well as when only one pair of limbs (fore, hind, right, or left) was walking while another pair was standing. Comparison of the modulation patterns in these neurons (their discharge profile with respect to the step cycle) during control and different bipedal locomotor tasks revealed several groups of neurons that receive distinct combinations of inputs from different limb controllers. In the majority (73%) of neurons from the forelimb area of motor cortex, modulation during control was determined exclusively by forelimb controllers (right, left, or both), while in the minority (27%), hindlimb controllers also contributed. By contrast, only in 30% of neurons from the hindlimb area was modulation determined exclusively by hindlimb controllers (right or both), while in 70% of them, the controllers of forelimbs also contributed. We suggest that such organization of inputs allows the motor cortex to contribute to the right–left limbs' coordination within each of the girdles during locomotion, and that it also allows hindlimb neurons to participate in coordination of the movements of the hindlimbs with those of the forelimbs.
The Lost Unconscious: Delusions and Dreams in Inception
Authors: Fisher Mark
Published: March 2011

An analysis of Christopher Nolan's science-fiction thriller, Inception, which relates it to Nolan's previous films and argues that the film's multilayered nest of worlds and strangely cold action sequences relate to the commodification of the psyche.
Central nervous system tuberculosis in adult patients
Authors: Lakatos Botond , Prinz Géza , Sárvári Csilla , Kamotsay Katalin , Molnár Péter , Ábrahám Anita , Budai József
Published: March 2011

Central nervous system tuberculosis is the fifth most frequent and at the same time most severe form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis diseases. It presents with no typical signs, thus early diagnosis and treatment is of high importance concerning the outcome. Authors present the characteristics, diagnostic and therapeutic alternatives of central nervous system tuberculosis through a case report and a retrospective study of 15 patients. Patients and methods: Authors performed a retrospective analysis of medical records of patients with central nervous system tuberculosis in an academic teaching hospital (Department of Neurology and Infectious Diseases, United Szent István-Szent László Hospital, Budapest, Hungary). Results: Median age of patients was 54.5 years, and 6 (40%) were females. Cerebrospinal fluid findings at admission showed elevated protein (1.54 g/l; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01–2.05), cell count (mean: 337/μl; CI: 171.9–502.5), and decreased glucose index (0.32; CI: 0.15–0.52). 14 patients (93.3%) had hyponatremia. Average duration of symptoms were 16.3 days (1–40). On physical examination meningeal irritation was absent in 9 patients (60%). On admission headache and altered consciousness was present in 53%, while headache, fever, nuchal rigidity was present in only 33.3%. Diagnosis was culture and/or PCR confirmed in 46.7% of the cases. Two third of patients were followed-up at least for one year, and nine patients presented neurological sequel. Authors found that patients with central nervous system tuberculosis present with unspecific symptoms, but later progressive disorientation, cranial nerve palsies and convulsions may develop. Headache and altered consciousness proved to be the leading symptoms among these patients. Even today, diagnostic gold standard procedure is cultivating M. tuberculosis on solid and liquid medium. The polymerase chain reaction, which is known to have sensitivity between 27% and 86%, was positive in two of eight samples. Revealing predisposing factors (immunodeficiency, HIV infection, previous tuberculosis exposure) promotes setting up early diagnosis. Co-administration of four antituberculotic drugs for 12 months cured all patients, but authors note that even in cases with early diagnosis and optimal treatment various neurological impairment and seldom death can occur. Conclusions: Central nervous system tuberculosis is a rare but regularly emerging disease with unspecific signs and symptoms. The diagnosis may be difficult. It should be considered as a differential diagnostic issue in patients with uncharacteristic subacute conditions with headache, disorientation, elevated protein and low glucose in cerebrospinal fluid. Orv. Hetil., 2011, 152, 588–596.
Thin Economics, Thick Moralising
Authors: Boer Roland
Published: March 2011

Locality, family, moral economy, virtuous elites, common popular customs – these are the buzzwords of what has come to be known as red toryism, which seeks to breath life into the conservative project in the UK. It valorises the local over the global, family over its discontents (gays, single parents, promiscuity), virtue over cynicism, common custom over bland commercial labels; in short, a return to the progressive, communal values of conservatism. The name most usually associated with red toryism – also known as communitarian civic conservatism – is Phillip Blond. Our brief in this paper is not a treatment of the whole red tory doctrine, but a critical examination of its economic policies and how they relate to theology, via morality.
Levetiracetam‐Induced Acute Generalized Exanthematous Pustulosis
Authors: Sultan Said M. , Daniels Lindsay M.
Published: March 2011

Antiepileptic drugs have been associated with many adverse effects, including different types of rashes; however, the frequency of rash varies among the drugs. The most common adverse effects associated with levetiracetam include somnolence, asthenia, headache, dizziness, and behavioral abnormalities. Until recently, rash had not been reported as an adverse effect of levetiracetam in adults. We describe a 45‐year‐old, African‐American woman who developed a desquamating rash after starting levetiracetam for a witnessed seizure. The rash improved after the drug was discontinued, but on rechallenge, the desquamating rash reappeared. The patient was hospitalized, levetiracetam was discontinued, and supportive care and treatment with triamcinolone 0.1% cream and oral prednisone were started. Her rash was biopsied, and she was diagnosed with drug‐induced acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP). With topical and oral steroid treatment the patient's rash improved, and she was discharged on hospital day 4. Use of the Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability scale indicated a probable relationship (score of 6) between the patient's development of AGEP and levetiracetam exposure. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of levetiracetam‐induced AGEP. Although levetiracetam is usually well tolerated, clinicians should be aware of this potential adverse drug reaction in patients who develop severe skin reactions while receiving this drug.
The Role of Keratinized Mucosa in Peri-Implant Health
Authors: Esper Luis Augusto , Ferreira Samuel Barros , de Oliveira Fortes Kaizer Rosane , de Almeida Ana Lúcia Pompéia Fraga
Published: March 2011

Objective

To evaluate the role of keratinized mucosa around dental implants, correlating with other clinical parameters related to the success of dental implants.

Design

Cross-section.

Setting

Institutional tertiary referral hospital.

Patients

A total of 202 dental implants fixed in the cleft area of 109 patients with cleft lip and/or palate were evaluated.

Interventions

The evaluated clinical parameters were probing depth and gingival and plaque indexes on the buccal surface (three sites).

Main Outcome Measures

All clinical parameters were correlated with the width of keratinized mucosa around the implants.

Results

The largest probing depths were detected when the width of keratinized mucosa was 2 mm or more, with a statistically significant difference between the means of the probing depth and keratinized mucosa width.

Conclusion

Even though the present results suggest that peri-implant health can be observed in areas with keratinized mucosa width under 2 mm provided an adequate oral hygiene control is performed, longitudinal randomized studies are necessary to analyze the relationship between the width of keratinized mucosa and the health of peri-implant tissues.
Total Obturation of Velopharynx for Treatment of Velopharyngeal Hypodynamism: Case Report
Authors: De Cássia RilloDutka Jeniffer , Uemeoka Érika , Aferri Homero Carneiro , Pegoraro-Krook Maria Inês , De Castro Marino Viviane Cristina
Published: March 2011

A child with microdeletion at 22q11.21 was referred to a craniofacial center due to hypernasality, unintelligible speech, and bifid uvula. Velopharyngeal dysfunction remained after surgical repair of submucous cleft palate and speech therapy. A prosthetic-behavioral treatment approach involving total obturation of the velopharynx was successfully implemented for management of velopharyngeal hypodynamism.
Evaluation of a 3D Stereophotogrammetric Technique to Measure the Stone Casts of Patients with Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate
Authors: Sforza Chiarella , De Menezes Marcio , Bresciani Elena , Cerón-Zapata Ana M. , López-Palacio Ana M. , Rodriguez-Ardila Myriam J. , Berrio-Gutiérrez Lina M.
Published: March 2011

Objective

To assess a three-dimensional stereophotogrammetric method for palatal cast digitization of children with unilateral cleft lip and palate.

Design

As part of a collaboration between the University of Milan (Italy) and the University CES of Medellin (Colombia), 96 palatal cast models obtained from neonatal patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate were obtained and digitized using a three-dimensional stereophotogrammetric imaging system.

Main Outcome Measures

Three-dimensional measurements (cleft width, depth, length) were made separately for the longer and shorter cleft segments on the digital dental cast surface between landmarks, previously marked. Seven linear measurements were computed. Systematic and random errors between operators' tracings, and accuracy on geometric objects of known size were calculated. In addition, mean measurements from three-dimensional stereophotographs were compared statistically with those from direct anthropometry.

Results

The three-dimensional method presented good accuracy error (<0.9%) on measuring geometric objects. No systematic errors between operators' measurements were found ( p > .05). Statistically significant differences ( p < 5%) were noted for different methods (caliper versus stereophotogrammetry) for almost all distances analyzed, with mean absolute difference values ranging between 0.22 and 3.41 mm. Therefore, rates for the technical error of measurement and relative error magnitude were scored as moderate for Ag-Am and poor for Ag-Pg and Am-Pm distances. Generally, caliper values were larger than three-dimensional stereophotogrammetric values.

Conclusions

Three-dimensional stereophotogrammetric systems have some advantages over direct anthropometry, and therefore the method could be sufficiently precise and accurate on palatal cast digitization with unilateral cleft lip and palate. This would be useful for clinical analyses in maxillofacial, plastic, and aesthetic surgery.
Developmental aspects of morphological disparity dynamics: a simple analytical exploration
Authors: Gerber Sylvain , Eble Gunther J. , Neige Pascal
Published: March 2011

We have devised a simple model for assessing the role of development in shaping the evolution of morphological disparity. Disparity of a clade at any given time is expressed in terms of the developmental dynamics that lead to the variety of adult morphotypes observed. We use assumed phenotypic manifestations of developmental processes, as they could be detected from allometric characterizations, to distinguish a few, nonexclusive types of evolutionary changes in ontogeny. On the basis of this formalization, we describe the diversification of hypothetical clades, using the standard curve of adult morphological disparity, the curve of juvenile disparity, and the curve of allometric disparity, the latter quantifying the diversification of clades in allometric space. Contrasts of these curves reflect the underlying developmental scheme that drives temporal changes in disparity. We then vary the parameters of the model to assess the expected signature of each metric under specific conditions: changes in the relative frequencies of the types of evolutionary developmental changes, changes in the transition magnitude attached to each of them, and effects of temporal variation in average adult size on disparity curves and patterns of morphospace occupation. Results emphasize the potential contribution of these proxies for developmental dynamics—juvenile morphological disparity, allometric disparity, and average adult size—in enriching the interpretation of standard disparity curves and the description of clade histories, with possible process-oriented inferences.
Testing the plateau: a reexamination of disparity and morphologic constraints in early Paleozoic crinoids
Authors: Deline Bradley , Ausich William I.
Published: March 2011

Studies of crinoid morphology have been pivotal in understanding the constraints on the range of morphology within a clade as well as the patterns of disparity throughout the Phanerozoic. Newly discovered and described faunas and recent study of early Paleozoic crinoid diversity provide an ideal opportunity to reanalyze Ordovician through Early Silurian crinoid disparity with more complete taxonomic coverage and finer stratigraphic resolution. Using the coarse stratigraphic binning of Foote (1999), the updated morphologic data set has a similar disparity pattern to those previously reported for the early Paleozoic. However, with the more resolved stratigraphic binning used by Peters and Ausich (2008), a significant difference exists between the original and current data sets. Both data sets have a pronounced disparity high during the late Middle Ordovician. However, the updated disparity curve has a much higher initial disparity during the Early Ordovician and a pronounced rise in disparity during the Silurian recovery. Examination of differential sampling, proportions of the crinoid orders through time, and methods of coding characters indicate these factors have little effect on the pattern of crinoid disparity. The Silurian morphospace expansion occurs primarily within disparids and coincides with the origination of the myelodactylids. These findings corroborate the rapid expansion of morphospace during the Ordovician. However, crinoid disparity did not remain static and, although less frequent than during the initial radiation, new body plans evolved following the Ordovician Extinction (e.g., the myelodactylids). These results are consistent with the hypothesis of ecology constraining the limits on morphologic disparity at the class level.
Accounting for the effects of biological variability and temporal autocorrelation in assessing the preservation of species abundance
Authors: Tomaŝových Adam , Kidwell Susan M.
Published: March 2011

Quantifying the effects of taphonomic processes on species abundances in time-averaged death assemblages (DAs) is pivotal for paleoecological inference. However, fidelity estimates based on conventional “live-dead” comparisons are fundamentally ambiguous: (1) data on living assemblages (LAs) are based on a very short period of sampling and thus do not account for biological variability in the LA, (2) LAs are sampled at the same time as the DA and thus do not necessarily reflect past LAs that contributed to the DA, (3) compositions of LAs and DAs can be autocorrelated owing to shared cohorts, and (4) fidelity estimates are cross-scale estimates because DAs are time-averaged and LAs are not. Some portion of raw (total) live-dead (LD) variation in species composition thus arises from incomplete sampling of LAs and from biological temporal variation among LAs (together = premortem component of LD variation), as contrasted withnewvariation created by interspecific variation in population turnover and preservation rates and by the time-averaging of skeletal input (together = postmortem component of LD variation). To tackle these problems, we introduce a modified test for homogeneity of multivariate dispersions (HMD) in order to (1) account for temporal autocorrelation in composition between LAs and DAs and (2) decompose total LD compositional variation into premortem and postmortem components, and we use simulations to evaluate the contribution of within-habitat time-averaging on the postmortem component. Applying this approach to 31 marine molluscan data sets, each consisting of spatial replicates of LAs and DAs in a single habitat, we find that total LD variation is driven largely by variation among LAs. However, genuinely postmortem processes have significant effects on composition in 25–65% of data sets (depending on the metric) when the effects of temporal autocorrelation are taken into account using HMD. Had we ignored the effects of autocorrelation, the effects of postmortem processes would have been negligible, inflating the similarity between LAs and DAs. Simulations show that within-habitat time-averaging does not increase total LD variation to a large degree—it increases total LD variation mainly via increasing species richness, and decreases total LD variation by reducing dispersion among DAs. The postmortem component of LD variation thus arises from differential turnover and preservation and multi-habitat time-averaging. Moreover, postmortem processes have less effect on the compositions of DAs in habitats characterized by high variability among LAs than they have on DAs in temporally stable habitats, a previously unrecognized first-order factor in estimating postmortem sources of compositional variation in DAs.
Niche conservatism along an onshore-offshore gradient
Authors: Holland Steven M. , Zaffos Andrew
Published: March 2011

Niche conservatism is increasingly recognized in diverse modern ecological settings, and it influences many aspects of modern ecosystems, including speciation mechanisms, community structure, and response to climate change. Here, we investigate the stability of niches with benthic marine invertebrates along a Late Ordovician onshore-offshore gradient on the Cincinnati Arch in the eastern United States. Using a Gaussian niche model characterized by peak abundance, preferred environment, and environmental tolerance, with these parameters estimated through weighted averaging and logistic regression, we find evidence of strong niche conservatism in peak abundance and preferred environment, particularly for abundant taxa. This conservatism is maintained in successive depositional sequences and through the nearly 9–10 Myr study interval. Environmental tolerance shows no evidence of conservatism, although numerical simulations suggest that the error rates in estimates of this parameter are so high that they could overwhelm evidence of conservatism. These numerical simulations also indicate that both weighted averaging and logistic regression produce useful estimates of peak abundance and preferred environment, with slightly better results for weighted averaging. This evidence for niche conservatism suggests that long-term shifts of higher taxa of marine invertebrates into deeper water are primarily the result of differential rates of origination and extinction. These results also add to the evidence of long periods of relatively stable ecosystems despite regional environmental perturbations, and they constrain the causes of peaked patterns in occupancy.
Fibre-reinforced roller-compacted concrete transport pavements
Authors: Neocleous Kyriacos , Angelakopoulos Harris , Pilakoutas Kypros , Guadagnini Maurizio
Published: March 2011

Concrete pavements are generally more expensive to construct than asphalt pavements, and are thus mostly used in heavily trafficked sections and to reduce maintenance. The research work presented in this paper, however, indicated that the use of rapid construction techniques (such as roller compaction) and materials with lower embodied energy (such as low-energy cements, recycled aggregates and recycled steel fibres) can lead to concrete pavements that are more economical and environmentally friendly than asphalt pavements (40% less energy consumption during the life cycle of the pavement). The first part of this paper presents an overview of this research, which was undertaken as part of the EU FP6 STREP project ‘EcoLanes' and investigated the development of long-lasting rigid pavements made with steel-fibre-reinforced roller-compacted concrete. The second part of the paper outlines the work undertaken for the development and optimisation of several trial concrete mixes. It is shown that the flexural behaviour of roller-compacted concrete, under static loads, can be enhanced by the addition of fibres. Furthermore, the results of this study demonstrated the potential of recycling concrete pavements, at the end of their life, for the construction of new pavements.
Solution‐processable double‐layered ionic p‐i‐n organic light‐emitting diodes
Authors: Park Byoungchoo , Huh Yoon Ho , Park Jongwoon , Lee Sang Woo , Han Woo Tack , Park Yung Jin , Kim In Tae
Published: March 2011

Abstract— Solution‐processed double‐layered ionic p‐i‐n organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs), comprised of an emitting material layer doped with an organometallic green phosphor and a photo‐cross‐linked hole‐transporting layer doped with photo‐initiator is reported. The fabricated OLEDs were annealed using simultaneous thermal and electrical treatments to form a double‐layered ionic p‐i‐n structure. As a result, an annealed double‐layered OLED with a peak brightness over 20,000 cd/m2 (20 V, 390 mA/cm2) and a peak efficiency of 15 cd/A (6 V, 210 cd/m2) was achieved.
Electrical characterization and modelling of top‐emitting PIN‐OLEDs
Authors: Cummins Gerard , Underwood Ian , Walton Anthony
Published: March 2011

Abstract— Positively doped, intrinsic, negatively doped organic light‐emitting diodes (PIN‐OLEDs) have been shown to exhibit high efficiency and a long lifetime compared to conventional small‐molecule OLEDs (SM‐OLEDs). The improved performance of PIN‐OLEDs makes them attractive for use in display applications. Knowledge of the electrical load exhibited by these devices is used to develop an equivalent electrical‐circuit model. Such models are used by circuit designers to assist with the precise design of active‐matrix‐display driver circuits used in such applications. In this paper, the development of a SPICE model for a top‐emitting PIN‐OLED stack is reported.
Integration of Social Epidemiology and Community-Engaged Interventions to Improve Health Equity
Authors: Wallerstein Nina B. , Yen Irene H. , Syme S. Leonard
Published: March 2011

The past quarter century has seen an explosion of concern about widening health inequities in the United States and worldwide. These inequities are central to the research mission in 2 arenas of public health: social epidemiology and community-engaged interventions. Yet only modest success has been achieved in eliminating health inequities. We advocate dialogue and reciprocal learning between researchers with these 2 perspectives to enhance emerging transdisciplinary language, support new approaches to identifying research questions, and apply integrated theories and methods. We recommend ways to promote transdisciplinary training, practice, and research through creative academic opportunities as well as new funding and structural mechanisms.
Environmental Lead Pollution and Elevated Blood Lead Levels Among Children in a Rural Area of China
Authors: Lin Sihao , Wang Xiaorong , Yu Ignatius Tak Sun , Tang Wenjuan , Miao Jianying , Li Jin , Wu Siying , Lin Xing
Published: March 2011

Objectives. We investigated environmental lead pollution and its impact on children's blood lead levels (BLLs) in a rural area of China.

Methods. In 2007, we studied 379 children younger than 15 years living in 7 villages near lead mines and processing plants, along with a control group of 61 children from another village. We determined their BLLs and collected environmental samples, personal data, and information on other potential exposures. We followed approximately 86% of the children who had high BLLs (> 15 μg/dL) for 1 year. We determined factors influencing BLLs by multivariate linear regression.

Results. Lead concentrations in soil and household dust were much higher in polluted villages than in the control village, and more children in the polluted area than in the control village had elevated BLLs (87%, 16.4 μg/dL vs 20%, 7.1 μg/dL). Increased BLL was independently associated with environmental lead levels. We found a significant reduction of 5 micrograms per deciliter when we retested children after 1 year.

Conclusions. Our data show that the lead industry caused serious environmental pollution that led to high BLLs in children living nearby.