bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of Renal Cell Apoptosis Induced by Cyclosporine A: A Systematic Review of in vitro Studies
Authors: Xiao Zheng , Li Chengwen , Shan Juan , Luo Lei , Feng Li , Lu Jun , Li Shengfu , Long Dan , Li Youping
Published: May 2011

Background:Chronic cyclosporine A (CsA) nephrotoxicity (CCN) is a major cause of chronic renal dysfunction and has no effective clinical interventions yet. Objective: To reveal the mechanisms of renal cell apoptosis in CCN, we analyzed all in vitro studies of such mechanisms. Methods: We collected all in vitro studies about the mechanisms of renal cell apoptosis induced by CsA in Medline (1966 to July 2010), Embase (1980 to July 2010) and ISI (1986 to July 2010), evaluated their quality according to in vitro standards and extracted data following the PICOS principles and synthesized the data. Results: First,CsA could upregulate Fas and Fas-L expression, increase FADD and apoptosis enzymes (caspase-2, -3, -4, -7, -8, -9 and -10) and downregulate the Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Second, CsA could induce oxidative stress and damage the antioxidant defense system. Third, CsA could increase the expression of HERP, GRP78 and CHOP. Fourth, CsA could induce renal cell apoptosis and increase their iNOS and p53 expression in cultured cells. Conclusions: At least four pathways are involved in renal cell apoptosis induced by CsA in different cell species. Caspases might be their final common pathway in vitro. They might all provide potential points for interventions, but these need to be confirmed in vivo.
ARB Treatment Prevents the Decrease in Endothelial Progenitor Cells and the Loss of Renal Microvasculature in Remnant Kidney
Authors: Yu Yi , Wang Yan , Zhou Li-na , Zheng Feng
Published: May 2011

Background: Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are involved in endothelium turnover and play a role in renal capillary repair. Since angiotensin II has been shown to negatively affect EPCs and blockade of angiotensin II decreases the progression of renal diseases, we investigated the effects of losartan on EPCs and renal endothelial cells in remnant kidney. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to receive losartan (25 mg/kg/day) or solvent for 15 weeks after 5/6 nephrectomy. Peripheral blood CD34+ EPCs were counted and the number of CD31+ endothelial colonies was determined. Glomerular and tubulointerstitial capillary endothelial cells were assessed and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and thrombospondin (TSP-1) expression were determined. Results: EPCs and the number of endothelial colonies were significantly reduced in 5/6 nephrectomized rats, which was associated with a decrease in glomerular and tubulointerstitial endothelial cells, a decrease in VEGF and an increase in TSP-1 expression. Losartan treatment largely prevented changes in both EPCs and remnant kidney. Conclusion: The gradual loss of renal capillaries in remnant kidney was associated with decreased EPCs and endothelial colonies, hindering capillary endothelial repair in remnant kidney. Losartan treatment largely prevented the loss of EPCs and preserved renal endothelial cells, which may be part of the mechanism of how it contributes to renal protection.
Multiple electrode aggregometry and vasodilator stimulated phosphoprotein-phosphorylation assay in clinical routine for prediction of postprocedural major adverse cardiovascular events
Authors: Freynhofer Matthias K. , Brozovic Ivan , Bruno Veronika , Farhan Serdar , Vogel Birgit , Jakl Gabriele , Willheim Martin , Hübl Wolfgang , Wojta Johann , Huber Kurt
Published: May 2011

Reduced antiplatelet effect of clopidogrel assessed with multiple electrode aggregometry (MEA) and vasodilator stimulated phosphoprotein-phosphorylation (VASP-P) assay has been proven to predict major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) after coronary stenting. So far no consecutive registry has evaluated the usefulness of different adenosine diphosphate-based platelet function tests to predict outcome in unselected patients. Hence, our objective was to determine the feasibility of MEA and VASP-P for clinical routine and whether low-response to clopidogrel as determined by MEA and/or the VASP-P assays predicts MACE in a “real-life” population undergoing coronary stenting. Threehundred consecutive patients were included in this prospective registry. Blood was sampled 6–24 hours after stenting to measure MEA and VASP-P. The use of glycoprotein-IIb/IIIa-blockers limited MEA to 196 measurements. Concerning the VASP-P assay, 300 measurements were achieved. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC)-curves of sensitivity and specificity estimates for MACE were plotted for VASP-P assay. The area under the ROC-curve was 0.683 (p=0.014) for the platelet reactivity index (PRI) calculated from median fluorescence intensities (FI) with an optimal cut-off at 60.2% PRI. Patients above 60.2% had a significantly increased risk for MACE at six months follow-up (p=0.007). Estimating the cut-offs for the PRI from mean FI (52%) or from geometric mean FI (56.6%) led to clinically relevant differences. VASP-P assay is feasible for clinical routine to measure clopidogrel effects and to predict post-procedural MACE in unselected patients. With regard to differing cut-offs, exact standardisation of the VASP-P assay is mandatory. The use of GP-IIb/IIIa-blockers prevents MEA testing and limits its usability in unselected patients.
Clinical, genetic and confounding factors determine the dynamics of the in vitro response/non response to clopidogrel
Authors: Gremmel Thomas , Panzer Simon
Published: May 2011

Platelet inhibition by clopidogrel varies from one individual to the next. Further, in vitro high on-treatment residual adenosine-diphosphate inducible platelet reactivity (HRPR) is associated with an increased risk for major adverse cardiovascular events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation. Recent studies identified numerous influencing factors for the antiplatelet effect of clopidogrel. Besides genetic predispositions, diverse clinical conditions as well as pharmacological interactions were shown to significantly impair clopidogrel-mediated platelet inhibition. Consequently, these influencing factors may affect clinical outcome after PCI and it is therefore desirable to identify cofounders of HRPR by platelet reactivity testing. It is apparent, that not all assays are sensitive to the same variables, and only cofounders of HRPR that are repeatedly identified by more than one test system may be clinically meaningful. However, treatment adjustment based on platelet function testing has not been associated with improved patients’ outcome. This summary shall provide an overview over current knowledge on influencing factors for clopidogrel-mediated platelet inhibition and aid guidance for critical interpretation of in vitro obtained data on HRPR.
Identification of the first Alu-mediated large deletion involving the F5 gene in a compound heterozygous patient with severe factor V deficiency
Authors: Guella Ilaria , Paraboschi Elvezia Maria , van Schalkwyk Willem A. , Asselta Rosanna , Duga Stefano
Published: May 2011

Factor V (FV) deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive haemorrhagic disorder associated with moderate to severe bleeding symptoms. Conventional mutational screening leads to a complete molecular genetic diagnosis only in about 80–90% of cases. Large gene rearrangements, which could explain at least part of the “missing alleles” have not been reported so far in FV-deficient patients. In this work, we investigated a family with hereditary FV deficiency, in which the proband is compound heterozygous for a 205-Kb deletion, involving the first seven exons of F5, and the entire selectin P, L, and E genes, and for a novel splicing mutation (IVS12+5G>A). The deletion breakpoints, determined by using a combination of semi-quantitative real-time PCR and long PCR assays, occurred within AluY repeat sequences, suggesting an Alu-mediated unequal homologous recombination as the mechanism responsible for the deletion. The in vitro characterisation of the IVS12+5G>A mutation demonstrated that this mutation causes the skipping of exon 12 and the activation of a cryptic splice site. Low levels of residual wild-type splicing were also detectable, in agreement with the notion that the complete absence of FV may be not compatible with life.
Prognostic importance of anaemia in patients with acute pulmonary embolism
Authors: Donzé Jacques , Labarère José , Méan Marie , Jiménez David , Aujesky Drahomir
Published: May 2011

Although associated with adverse outcomes in other cardiopulmonary diseases, limited evidence exists on the prognostic value of anaemia in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). We sought to examine the associations between anaemia and mortality and length of hospital stay in patients with PE. We evaluated 14,276 patients with a primary diagnosis of PE from 186 hospitals in Pennsylvania, USA. We used random-intercept logistic regression to assess the association between anaemia at the time of presentation and 30-day mortality and discretetime logistic hazard models to assess the association between anaemia and time to hospital discharge, adjusting for patient (age, gender, race, insurance type, clinical and laboratory variables) and hospital (region, size, teaching status) factors. Anaemia was present in 38.7% of patients at admission. Patients with anaemia had a higher 30-day mortality (13.7% vs. 6.3%; p <0.001) and a longer length of stay (geometric mean, 6.9 vs. 6.6 days; p <0.001) compared to patients without anaemia. In multivariable analyses, anaemia remained associated with an increased odds of death (OR 1.82, 95% CI: 1.60–2.06) and a decreased odds of discharge (OR 0.85, 95% CI: 0.82–0.89). Anaemia is very common in patients presenting with PE and is independently associated with an increased short-term mortality and length of stay.
Calcific Aortic Valve Stenosis: Methods, Models, and Mechanisms
Authors: Miller Jordan D. , Weiss Robert M. , Heistad Donald D.
Published: May 2011

Calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS) is a major health problem facing aging societies. The identification of osteoblast-like and osteoclast-like cells in human tissue has led to a major paradigm shift in the field. CAVS was thought to be a passive, degenerative process, whereas now the progression of calcification in CAVS is considered to be actively regulated. Mechanistic studies examining the contributions of true ectopic osteogenesis, nonosseous calcification, and ectopic osteoblast-like cells (that appear to function differently from skeletal osteoblasts) to valvular dysfunction have been facilitated by the development of mouse models of CAVS. Recent studies also suggest that valvular fibrosis, as well as calcification, may play an important role in restricting cusp movement, and CAVS may be more appropriately viewed as a fibrocalcific disease. High-resolution echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging have emerged as useful tools for testing the efficacy of pharmacological and genetic interventions in vivo. Key studies in humans and animals are reviewed that have shaped current paradigms in the field of CAVS, and suggest promising future areas for research.
Molecular Imaging Insights Into Early Inflammatory Stages of Arterial and Aortic Valve Calcification
Authors: New Sophie E.P. , Aikawa Elena
Published: May 2011

Traditional imaging modalities such as computed tomography, although perfectly adept at identifying and quantifying advanced calcification, cannot detect the early stages of this disorder and offer limited insight into the mechanisms of mineral dysregulation. This review presents optical molecular imaging as a promising tool that simultaneously detects pathobiological processes associated with inflammation and early stages of calcification in vivo at the (sub)cellular levels. Research into treatment of cardiovascular calcification is lacking, as shown by clinical trials that have failed to demonstrate the reduction of calcific aortic stenosis. Hence, the need to elucidate the pathways that contribute to cardiovascular calcification and to develop new therapeutic strategies to prevent or reverse calcification has driven investigations into the use of molecular imaging. This review discusses studies that have used molecular imaging methods to advance knowledge of cardiovascular calcification, focusing in particular on the inflammation-dependent mechanisms of arterial and aortic valve calcification.
The Wages of Failure: New Evidence on School Retention and Long-Run Outcomes
Authors: Babcock Philip , Bedard Kelly
Published: May 2011

By estimating differences in long-run education and labor market outcomes for cohorts of students exposed to differing state-level primary school retention rates, this article estimates the effects of retention on all students in a cohort, retained and promoted. We find that a 1 standard deviation increase in early grade retention is associated with a 0.7 percent increase in mean male hourly wages. Further, the observed positive wage effect is not limited to the lower tail of the wage distribution but appears to persist throughout the distribution. Though there is an extensive literature attempting to estimate the effect of retention on the retained, this analysis offers what may be the first estimates of average long-run impacts of retention on all students.
Local Demand for a School Choice Policy: Evidence from the Washington Charter School Referenda
Authors: Corcoran Sean P. , Stoddard Christiana
Published: May 2011

The expansion of charter schools—publicly funded, yet in direct competition with traditional public schools—has emerged as a favored response to poor performance in the education sector. While a large and growing literature has sought to estimate the impact of these schools on student achievement, comparatively little is known about demand for the policy itself. Using election returns from three consecutive referenda on charter schools in Washington State, we weigh the relative importance of school quality, community and school demographics, and partisanship in explaining voter support for greater school choice. We find that low school quality—as measured by standardized tests—is a consistent and modestly strong predictor of support for charters. However, variation in performance between school districts is more predictive of charter support than variation within them. At the local precinct level, school resources, union membership, student heterogeneity, and the Republican vote share are often stronger predictors of charter support than standardized test results.
Teacher Layoffs: An Empirical Illustration of Seniority versus Measures of Effectiveness
Authors: Boyd Donald , Lankford Hamilton , Loeb Susanna , Wyckoff James
Published: May 2011

School districts are confronting difficult choices in the aftermath of the financial crisis. Today, the financial imbalance in many school districts is so large that there may be few alternatives to teacher layoffs. In nearly all school districts, layoffs are currently determined by some version of teacher seniority. Yet, alternative approaches to personnel reductions may substantially reduce the harm to students from staff reductions relative to layoffs based on seniority. As a result, many school district leaders and other policy makers are raising important questions about whether~other criteria, such as measures of teacher effectiveness, should inform layoffs. This policy brief, a quick look at some aspects of the debate, illustrates the differences in New York City public schools that would result if layoffs were determined by seniority in comparison to a measure of teacher effectiveness.
Protest events in international press coverage: An empirical critique of cross-national conflict databases
Authors: Herkenrath Mark , Knoll Alex
Published: May 2011

The empirical analysis of protest events and other expressions of social conflict is one of the core tasks of the discipline of comparative sociology. The numerous international data sets and empirical country comparisons that rely exclusively on reporting in English-language newspapers such as The New York Times in surveying protest events nevertheless suffer from considerable distortions. Using the example of some 1800 protest events in Argentina, Mexico and Paraguay in the year 2006, the present study shows that there are remarkable differences between national and international (English-language) newspapers when it comes to frequency of reporting. On the one hand, a mere 5.3 percent of all protest events that are reported nationally also attract the attention of the international press. On the other hand, the percentage of international reporting depends considerably and to a statistically significant extent on the country in which the protest takes place. Besides, these country differences persist when additional protest characteristics (e.g. the number of participants, the participation of renowned personalities and the escalation of the protest into rioting) are controlled by means of multivariate logistic regressions. The measurement error that results when surveying protest events on the strength of coverage in the English-language international press is therefore not constant across countries. The frequently used data sets like the World Handbook of Political and Social Indicators or the Cross-National Time Series Data Archive launched by Arthur Banks are thus proving to be highly questionable sources for international comparisons in protest and conflict research.
Liberal reform, political corruption, and socio-economic impacts in Asia and Eastern Europe
Authors: Choi Eunjung , Woo Jongseok
Published: May 2011

How does economic liberalization — or a country’s integration into the global economy — affect its economic performance and the distribution of wealth? There have been heated debates on positive and negative sides of globalization. This article seeks to fill the existing gap in the study of globalization and its socio-economic outcomes by focusing on the mediating effect of political corruption in countries from Asia and Eastern Europe. The authors suggest that, in countries with high levels of corruption, extensive economic liberalization brings faster economic growth. However, the economic growth does not improve the corrupt countries’ distributive justice, increasing poverty and leaving the level of inequality intact after the economic development. On the other hand, economic liberalization in less corrupt countries neither generates fast economic growth, nor significantly improves the countries’ poverty and inequality. The empirical result implies that neoliberal economic reform per se does not have direct impact on a country’s distributive justice. This article studies 40 developing countries from Asia and Eastern Europe.
Social cohesion in Europe: How do the different dimensions of inequality affect social cohesion?
Authors: Vergolini Loris
Published: May 2011

This article examines the relationships between social cohesion and social inequalities in Europe by considering three interrelated issues. The first regards the definition and measurement of the concept of social cohesion. The second issue concerns the identification of the aspects of social inequality that affect the overall level of social cohesion. More precisely, I investigate two main hypotheses: the first argues the existence of a direct negative association between economic inequality and social cohesion. The second states that this relation is influenced by other aspects of social inequality such as the individuals’ position in the stratification system and the educational level. The third issue introduces the comparative analysis that has been based on the welfare regime approach. More specifically, I hypothesize that welfare state is relevant because it influences both the relationship between social position and economic inequality, and the relationship between social cohesion and economic inequality. Data from the first round of the 2002 European Social Survey have been analysed applying structural equation models in order to measure social cohesion and to estimate the effects, both direct and indirect, exerted by the different dimensions of inequalities on social cohesion. Moreover, through a multi-group analysis, I investigate the effects resulting from the different welfare regimes. It emerges that social position and welfare state are not able to fully mediate the effect played by economic condition.
Fabrication and characterization of melt-blended polylactide-chitin composites and their foams
Authors: Rizvi Reza , Cochrane Brendan , Naguib Hani , Lee Patrick C
Published: May 2011

This study details the fabrication and foaming of melt-blended polylactide (PLA) and chitin composites. The chitin used for compounding was as-received, as chitin nanowhiskers and as chitin nanowhiskers with a compatibilizing agent. The chitin nanowhiskers were produced by an acid-hydrolysis technique and their morphology was examined with transmission electron microscopy. The composite morphology was characterized with scanning electron microscopy and was related to the observed thermal, rheological, and mechanical behaviors of the composites. Chitin was found to decrease the thermal stability of the composites. Addition of chitin was also found to reduce the viscosity of the composites, which is believed to be because of the hydrolysis of PLA during melt blending of chitin in suspension. The stiffness of the composites was found to increase with increasing chitin content while the strength was found to decrease. Porous PLA—chitin composites were produced by a two-step batch-foaming technique, and the expansion behavior was correlated with the visco-elastic observations. The statistical significance of chitin type and composition dependence on the mechanical properties and foam morphologies were evaluated.
Expanded polylactic acid - an eco-friendly alternative to polystyrene foam
Authors: Parker Kate , Garancher Jean-Philippe , Shah Samir , Fernyhough Alan
Published: May 2011

A commercially viable process to manufacture low-density expanded polylactic acid (E-PLA) products with environmental-friendly blowing agents such as carbon dioxide has been developed. The resulting material is a sustainable alternative to expanded polystyrene (EPS). The E-PLA has thermal conductivity and mechanical properties comparable to EPS and can be used in many similar applications. The process involves impregnation of PLA beads with carbon dioxide and fusing with heat, including steam heating. Gel permeation chromatography indicated that the PLA polymer molecular weight was not degraded by the foaming or steam heating process. Visual characterization showed that under some circumstances, PLA precursor beads exhibited voids, which disappeared during CO2 impregnation indicating some form of rearrangement or realignment of the polymer morphology or structure. Due to the effect of CO2 on the glass transition temperature of the PLA, a linear reduction of 5.5°C per wt% of absorbed CO2 was observed.
New fabrication methods of bioactive and biodegradable scaffolds for bone tissue engineering
Authors: Jung Youngmee , Kim Su Hee , Kim Sang-Heon , Kim Soo Hyun
Published: May 2011

Bioceramic and polymers have been used as matrices for bone tissue engineering, and successful bone regeneration depends on cellular interaction with these matrices. The aim of this study was to fabricate polymer/ceramics composites with a novel sintering method. Also, we prepared homogenous porous poly(lactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) scaffolds in the supercritical CO2. These scaffolds had homogenous porous structure and high tensile and compressive mechanical properties compared to the scaffold prepared by conventional solvent casting method. This study revealed that generating bioactive and porous polymer scaffolds with novel sintering method or supercritical fluid technique could be useful for bone tissue engineering.
Evaluating the Economic Impacts of Light Rail by Measuring Home Appreciation
Authors: Chatman Daniel G. , Tulach Nicholas K. , Kim Kyeongsu
Published: May 2011

Economic benefits are sometimes used to justify transport investments. Such was the case with the River Line of southern New Jersey, USA, which broke ground in 2000 and began operating in 2004. Recently, the line has been performing near full capacity and there is evidence that it has spurred development. Disaggregate data on owned-home appreciation are used to investigate the initial economic impacts of the line, looking carefully at non-linearity in the appreciation gradient, differential effects of station ridership and parking, redistribution of property appreciation gains and differences by property and neighbourhood type. At this time, the net impact of the line on the owned housing market is neutral to slightly negative. While lower-income census tracts and smaller houses seem to appreciate near the station, this may be a value transfer from farther-away properties not favoured with access. Few studies have previously looked for such effects.
Pairwise Convergence of District-level House Prices in London
Authors: Abbott Andrew , De Vita Glauco
Published: May 2011

This paper investigates the long-run convergence of district-level house prices in Greater London using the recently developed pairwise approach. This methodology allows for unit root tests to be conducted on all N( N-1)/2 possible pairs of house price differentials across the N boroughs of London, thus avoiding the need to choose a base borough of reference or the regional average as the benchmark. It also permits the estimation, consistently, of the proportion of the pairs that are stationary and convergent. Using HM Land Registry house price data for 33 Inner and Outer London boroughs over the period 1996q1–2009q2, no overall multidistrict long-run convergence is found. Some evidence of district-level segmentation of house prices in Greater London is found, with the sub-group of the boroughs contiguous to the ‘City of London’ district and the wider ‘central’ sub-market emerging as the clubs with the highest rate of convergence.
Race, Gender, and Research
Authors: Dagaz Mari , Harger Brent
Published: May 2011

When students enter college classrooms for the first time they inevitably have preconceived images of professors. According to research on student evaluations of teaching, these preconceptions have important implications in college classrooms. This study explores one avenue through which these preconceptions are perpetuated—popular film. Using content analysis, the authors examine popular films released between 1985 and 2005 that contain professors in either primary or secondary roles. The findings show stereotypical depictions beyond glasses, bow ties, and tweed jackets. Specifically, the authors find stereotypical images of race and gender as well as an emphasis on the importance of research, sometimes at the expense of teaching or ethical behavior. This research provides instructors with knowledge of the stereotypes that students may have upon entering the college classroom, which may impact classroom interactions, and provides insight into how race and gender affect student evaluations of professors.
Evaluation of Online Instruction to Improve Medical and Dental Students’ Communication and Counseling Skills
Authors: Wagner Julie Ann , Pfeiffer Carol A. , Harrington Karen L.
Published: May 2011

Online, interactive video modules were created to demonstrate good skills in history taking, counseling, and communication. The authors evaluated the effect of the modules on students’ data gathering, counseling, and communication skills with standardized patients (SPs). A student cohort without the online modules ( n = 76 medical students and n = 43 dental students) was compared to a cohort of different students who were assigned the modules ( n = 88 medical students and n = 39 dental students). Students were evaluated by SPs using case-specific content checklists and the Master Interview Rating Scale (MIRS). Compared to their counterparts who did not use the modules, medical and dental students who used the modules showed significantly higher performance on several outcomes. The areas that showed benefit were those that were novel to students. Student accuracy in grading others was generally unrelated to their own performance. In conclusion, the online, interactive video modules were associated with improvements in a majority of clinical skills.
The Effects of Clinical Pathways on Professional Practice, Patient Outcomes, Length of Stay, and Hospital Costs
Authors: Rotter Thomas , Kinsman Leigh , James Erica , Machotta Andreas , Willis Jon , Snow Pamela , Kugler Joachim
Published: May 2011

This paper is a summary version of the previously published Cochrane review. It may increase the reach of the topic to health researchers and practitioners and encourage further discussion. The systematic review aims to summarize the evidence and assess the effect of clinical pathways on professional practice, patient outcomes, length of hospital stay, and hospital costs. The authors searched the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness, the Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and bibliographic databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, NHS EED, and Global Health. Twenty-seven studies considering a total of 11,398 participants were included for analysis. The main results were a reduction in in-hospital complications (odds ratio 0.58: 95% CI [0.36, 0.94] and improved documentation (odds ratio 11.95: 95% CI [4.72, 30.30]) associated with clinical pathways. Considerable variation in study design and settings prevented statistical pooling of results for length of stay (LOS) and hospital costs. The authors concluded that clinical pathways are associated with reduced in-hospital complications and improved documentation.
Whither democracy? Religion, politics and Islam
Authors: Dallmayr Fred
Published: May 2011

The question raised by the article is: can democracy be religious and, if so, how? Can religious faith be reconciled with modern democratic political institutions? The article takes its departure from the biblical admonition to believers to be ‘the salt of the earth’ — a phrase that militates against both world dominion and world denial. In its long history, Islam (like Christianity) has been sorely tempted by the lure of worldly power and domination. Nor is this temptation entirely a matter of the past (witness the rise of the Christian right and of ‘political Islam’ in our time). Focusing on contemporary Iran, the article makes a constitutional proposal which would strengthen the democratic character of the Iranian Republic without canceling religious faith. If adopted, the proposal would reinvigorate the ‘salt’ of Muslim faith thus enabling believers to live up to the Qur‘anic summons for freedom, justice and service in the world.
The public visibility of Islam and European politics of resentment: The minarets-mosques debate
Authors: Göle Nilüfer
Published: May 2011

The public visibility of Islam reveals new political stakes in European democracies around issues of immigration and citizenship. By focusing on the societal debates and the controversies around the construction of mosques and minarets, this article explores the ways in which Islamic difference is manifested, perceived and framed in public life. The ‘visibility’ of Islam in public is conceptualized as a form of agency, a manifestation of religious difference that cannot be thought independent of the materiality of culture, namely aesthetic forms, dress codes, or architectural genres. It is argued that the debates for or against the banning of the construction of mosques and/or minarets reveal the tumultuous transition of Muslims from the status of the invisible migrant-worker to that of visible Muslim citizenship. The public visibility is approached therefore as a radically disruptive, transgressive, provocative form of transformative agency that is intrinsically related to the political process of becoming citizens.
Religion, unity and diversity
Authors: Kalin Ibrahim
Published: May 2011

The terms ‘unity’, ‘integration’ and ‘diversity’ have multiple layers of meaning in the religious context. While religions emphasize unity and integrity, they also address the issues of diversity. When understood properly, unity does not mean uniformity and thus does not invite oppression and closure. By the same token, diversity does not mean chaos and lack of order. Both unity and diversity have a function within the larger context of things. But this context is not confined to the socio-political dimension alone. A broader understanding of these terms will help us understand the religious discourses of unity, diversity and integration. It will also lead to a more critical assessment of the Enlightenment and western modernity.
Endocanalicular, High‐Pressure Balloon Catheter, Endoscopic Dacryocystorhinostomy
Authors: Ragab Sameh M. , El‐Koddousy Mona S. , Badr Mohammed
Published: May 2011

Objectives

To conduct a prospective randomized controlled study to investigate the safety and efficacy of endocanalicular, high‐pressure, 5‐mm balloon catheter, endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) in adult patients with acquired complete nasolacrimal obstruction.

Study Design

Prospective randomized controlled study.

Setting

General hospital.

Subjects and Methods

Sixty‐six adult patients with a total of 70 procedures were recruited to undergo endoscopic DCR. They were prospectively, equally randomized into 2 groups: endocanalicular, high‐pressure, 5‐mm balloon catheter, endoscopic DCR (group I) and conventional endoscopic DCR (group II). Regular follow‐up sessions were conducted to document the patient’s subjective improvement, judge ostium patency on irrigation, and record any complications.

Results

Both groups demonstrated a success rate of 91.4%. There was a shorter mean operative time (25.7 minutes) in group I (P <. 001). The number of adverse events was significantly higher in group II (P <. 05). Group I showed statistically significantly more comfort during surgery under local anesthesia with minimal sedation (P <. 05).

Conclusion

Endocanalicular balloon catheter endoscopic DCR shares the advantages and success rate of conventional endoscopic DCR. In addition, the former is simpler, requires less manipulation, consumes a shorter operative time, has a better safety profile, and can be conducted under local anesthesia with minimal sedation.
Expression of Chitinases in Hypertrophied Adenoids of Children
Authors: Heo Kyung Wook , Hur Dae Young , Park Seong Kook , Yang Young Il , Kwak Hyun Ho , Kim Tae Yong
Published: May 2011

Objectives/Hypothesis

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), otitis media with effusion (OME), and allergic rhinitis (AR) are common conditions that have been associated with hypertrophied adenoids in children, and adenoidectomy is clinically recommended. The investigators assayed the expression level and site of acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase) and chitotriosidase (ChT) in hypertrophied adenoids of children to determine the expression levels of 2 chitinases in relation to CRS, OME, and AR.

Study Design

A prospective cohort study.

Setting

A tertiary care facility.

Methods

Hypertrophied adenoids from 41 children were harvested during adenoidectomy. Medical records were reviewed and the subjects were grouped according to the presence of CRS, OME, and AR. Messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of AMCase and ChT in adenoid tissues was assessed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. Immunohistochemical staining revealed the sites of AMCase and ChT expression.

Results

mRNA and protein of AMCase and ChT were present in adenoids of all subjects. CRS was a significant variable in AMCase mRNA and protein expression. CRS, OME, and AR were significant variables in ChT mRNA and protein expression. Both AMCase and ChT were expressed in histiocytes and vascular endothelial cells of adenoid tissues.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that chitin‐containing pathogens or dysregulated immune responses to them in the hypertrophied adenoids of children could be factors contributing to CRS, OME, and AR via AMCase or ChT overexpression.
Intervention Research
Authors: Wolery Mark
Published: May 2011

In this commentary, the issue of fidelity assessment is addressed as it relates to Strain and Bovey’s article (2011). Four reasons are provided for measuring fidelity in intervention studies. Measuring fidelity (a) potentially allows investigators to document the findings were not due to the lack of fidelity in a study; (b) presents information about how transportable interventions are to the real world; (c) provides information for replication studies; and (d) sheds light on the nature of children’s experiences in the study.
Was Yahweh Worshiped in the Aegean?
Authors: Amzallag Nissim
Published: May 2011

A comparison of Aegean and biblical sources reveals striking similarities between Dionysus and Yahweh: both are characterized by the same symbols, the same mode of action and the same theophany; both provoked a comparable doubt concerning their divine nature and/or their actual powers; and both had the same subversive effects with regard to the official pantheon. The homology between Yahweh and Dionysus is confirmed by their common vestigial link to copper metallurgy. From Greek literary sources and reflections about the continuous metallurgical influence of Canaan on the Aegean world, it is concluded that during the Bronze Age Dionysus was probably the Aegean counterpart of Yahweh, the mysterious Canaanite god of furnace metallurgy. Further examination suggests that the popularization of the cult of Dionysus in Greece, from the ninth century BCE, underwent a similar process leading in Canaan to the emergence of the Israelite alliance. These findings open new horizons of investigation, both of the ancient Aegean civilization and of the nature of the popular cult of Yahweh in Canaan prior to the monotheistic reform.
On Patterning in the Book of Samuel: ‘News of Death’ and the Kingship of David
Authors: Berger Yitzhak
Published: May 2011

Recent scholarship on Samuel has acknowledged a pattern of instances where a central figure receives ‘news of death’. This article proposes a new version of this pattern, which takes into account an additional, pivotal case—the messenger’s report of the death of Uriah—and suggests that the pattern traces the central question of the future of Davidic kingship. David’s reaction to Uriah’s death marks a shift in attitude that calls into question the fate of his royal family, an attitude that is reversed in his response to the death of Bathsheba’s infant son. The events that follow, however, continue to threaten Davidic kingship in ways underscored by the ‘news of death’ scenes relating to the fall of Amnon and Absalom.
The ‘Naked Narrative’ from Noah to Leviticus: Reassessing Voyeurism in the Account of Noah’s Nakedness in Genesis 9.22-24
Authors: Embry Brad
Published: May 2011

Recent interpretations of the scene of Noah’s nakedness in Gen. 9.22-24 have suggested that Noah’s curse, which lands on Canaan owing to what his father Ham had done, was a response to a sexually deviant act on the part of Ham, either with his father Noah (paternal incest) or with Noah’s wife (maternal incest). Evidence in support of this interpretation is marshaled from two sources: Gen. 19.30-38 and the story of Lot and his daughters, and Leviticus 18 and 20 and the prohibitions on incestuous relationships, which uses the language ‘uncovering nakedness’. This article argues for two points. First, the assertion is made that the voyeuristic position is the likely explanation for Noah’s reaction against Ham: it was simply the act of seeing Noah uncovered that warranted the cursing from Noah. This is due to the especial importance of ‘nakedness’ within the prehistory and to the fact that cursing is closely associated with it. Second, the issue of incest condemned in Leviticus 18 and 20 combines the scene of Noah’s nakedness with the story of Lot and his daughters to create a mythological support for its prohibitions on incestuous relationships. Thus, the scene of Noah’s nakedness stands at the headwaters of a ‘naked narrative’ that culminates in the legislation regarding illicit sexual unions in Leviticus.
Contemporary conservatism and medievalism
Authors: Zafirovski Milan
Published: May 2011

This article explores the historical and sociological relations between contemporary conservatism and medievalism. It first registers the reemergence and increasing prominence of conservatism in contemporary society, most notably in America during the late 20th and the early 21st centuries. It then places conservatism and medievalism and their relationship within a historical-comparative framework. The article concludes that modern conservatism originates in and continues, with some adaptations or innovations, medievalism seen as the ‘golden past’, becoming the original and persisting conservative ideal and model of society and history.
Living food diet and veganism
Authors: Arppe Tiina , Mäkelä Johanna , Väänänen Virpi
Published: May 2011

The article compares two distinctly modern dietary movements of the 20th century: the living food diet and veganism. It shows that, although food is one of the principal areas where nature and culture converge, in modern society eating is no longer a mere problem of classification (edible/non-edible); it has also become the object of strong emotional and moral investments. Both living foodism and veganism emphasize the importance of ‘natural’ foods, yet both are very much products of modern individualistic culture. Moreover, both diets involve rather extreme forms of denial that can make everyday life difficult (rejecting cooked produce, rejecting all animal products), even though the two stem from rather different motives. The data on living foodism is based on face-to-face interviews and a postal questionnaire, both conducted in Finland in 2006, whereas the data on veganism is based on existing Finnish theses, interviews from which are used selectively in this paper. The differences and the similarities between the two diets are analysed in light of the motives for following the diet, the assumptions concerning the purity and the impurity of the food, and the attitudes towards prohibitions and rules. The article shows that the stronger the role of community in the dietary movement, the more pronounced is the moral aspect of the diet and the stricter the rules defining the boundaries of the forbidden.
Singes humanisés, humains singés
Authors: Herzfeld Chris , Van Schuylenbergh Patricia
Published: May 2011

This article explores certain collective representations related to the great divide between human and animal. But rather than engage on the reassuring path of inventorying human uniqueness, it mobilizes various places where humans and the ambassadors of four particular species – chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla and orang-outan – meet, and exchange habits and skills. A careful study of the few historical milestones in the history of the relationship between humans and the great apes allows us to highlight the limitations of the Western dualistic division of the animal kingdom into poles that radically separate the human species from the other animal species. In the space where humans and apes come together, the apes show a form of ‘becoming-human’ that echoes the ‘becoming-animal’ outlined by Deleuze & Guattari. The primates in fact adopt the customs, capabilities and lineaments of human ethos, thus blurring the often too linear boundaries between human and animal, and calling into question the rigidity of several great oppositions that structure our thinking and discourse: nature and culture, wild and domestic, bestial and human.
How did the gene become a chemical compound? The ontology of the gene and the patenting of DNA
Authors: Calvert Jane , Joly Pierre-Benoît
Published: May 2011

The ability to patent is bounded by a set of conditions that define what is patentable and what is not. In the 1980s, the problem of the patentability of genes was solved by the use of an analogy between genes and chemical compounds. In this article we analyze the process of the reduction of the gene to a chemical compound, and show how this analogy made the practice of gene patenting routine long before it came to public attention. When we did eventually see public controversies surrounding gene patenting in the 1990s, the chemical analogy allowed patent offices in the US and Europe to ‘close down’ these debates by presenting the issues as merely technical.
Experimental study on bond behavior between SMPM and concrete using dual-beam speckle interferometry
Authors: Tong Guo  , Yongsheng Song  , Wenhai Chen  , Yiquan Dai
Published: May 2011

Steel stranded wire mesh and polymer mortar (SMPM) is a novel technique for structural strengthening. To study the still unknown bond behavior between SMPM composites and concrete, the dual-beam speckle interferometry with four-step phase-shifting is used in double-shear tests. Displacements of SMPM composites are obtained by unwrapping the phase pattern due to deformation, and derivation of the displacements results in the strains. Twenty-five specimens were tested with different strengthening parameters to investigate their influences on the bond behavior. It is found that the measured strain distributions are different from those in fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets, but are similar to the bond strains existed in the FRP-concrete interface. Locations of transversal wires have a significant influence on the strain distributions and the debonding loads. The maximum displacements before brittle debonding occurs are about an order of magnitude smaller than those of FRP composites. According to the test data, a bond strength model is developed to predict the debonding loads, in which a number of factors, such as interfacial roughness, concrete strength, and locations of transversal wires, etc., are taken into account. A three segment stress—displacement relationship is proposed to describe the debonding behavior of SMPM composites.
Whose regional expertise? Political geographies of knowledge in the European Union
Authors: Kuus Merje
Published: May 2011

This article examines the production of geographical expertise inside the European Union (EU) bureaucracy in Brussels. My question is not what EU policy professionals know, but how they deploy specific knowledge claims as expertise. Drawing from 62 interviews with 42 policy professionals, mostly in Brussels, I focus empirically on one facet of one policy: the eastern direction of the European Neighbourhood Policy and the efforts of the ‘new’ or post-2004 member states to project regional expertise about the eastern neighbourhood within EU institutions. In conceptual terms, I investigate the intellectual and social technologies by which expert authority is accomplished. The article illuminates the ways in which policy professionals script political space in terms of particular kinds of places to be dealt with by specific agents in specific kinds of ways. The interview material enables me to examine such processes of knowledge production in greater detail than is allowed by the conventional ‘big picture’ analyses of European integration.
Structure of Markets and Prices in Agriculture
Authors: Kumar Parmod
Published: May 2011

Using primary household survey data, this paper attempts to study the market structure and price behaviour for major crops in Punjab and Bihar. As expected, Punjab farmers were highly commercial, producing more than four-fifth of their output for the market. Bihar farmers, on the other hand, were still subsistence-oriented producing more than half their output for self-consumption. The price index, however, ruled out any discrimination against marginal or small farmers in both states. Significant variables determining marketed surplus in the regression analysis were output, farm and family size, market channels, etc. The factors determining farm price were marketed surplus/value of output, prevalence of credit and availability of formal market channels. The findings of the study present a contrasting picture of two states whereby agricultural marketing in Punjab is in an advanced stage while Bihar’s agricultural marketing set-up is still evolving.