bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differentiation of human round spermatids into motile spermatozoa through in vitro coculture with Vero cells
Authors: Tanaka Atsushi , Nagayoshi Motoi , Awata Shoichiro , Tanaka Izumi , Kusunoki Hiroshi
Published: August 2009

Purpose

This study was undertaken to examine whether human early round spermatids will differentiate in an in vitro coculture with Vero cells.

Methods

A total of 1450 and 400 isolated early round spermatids mechanically collected from two non‐obstructive and three obstructive azoospermic men with a normal karyotype were cocultured on Vero cell monolayers in minimum essential medium plus 10% fetal bovine serum, with or without 50 or 100 IU/L FSH and 1 or 10 μmol/L testosterone, at 32.5°C, in an environment of 5% CO2 in air. Morphological changes of the spermatids were observed microscopically.

Results

After 7 days of coculture, almost half (40–50%) of the round spermatids from both non‐obstructive and obstructive azoospermic men resumed spermiogenesis in vitro. Only cells from the latter patients gave rise to spermatozoa, a few of which had a motile flagellum. Low concentrations of FSH and testosterone increased the percentage of in vitro spermiogenesis.

Conclusions

Isolated round spermatids can resume spermiogenesis in vitro when cocultured on a Vero cell monolayer.
Bortezomib‐induced painful neuropathy in rats: A behavioral, neurophysiological and pathological study in rats
Authors: Meregalli Cristina , Canta Annalisa , Carozzi Valentina A. , Chiorazzi Alessia , Oggioni Norberto , Gilardini Alessandra , Ceresa Cecilia , Avezza Federica , Crippa Luca , Marmiroli Paola , Cavaletti Guido
Published: August 2009

Bortezomib is a proteasome inhibitor showing strong antitumor activity against many tumors, primarily multiple myeloma. Bortezomib‐induced neuropathic pain is the main side effect and the dose‐limiting factor of the drug in clinical practice. In order to obtain a pre‐clinical model to reproduce the characteristic pain symptoms in bortezomib‐treated patients, we developed an animal model of bortezomib‐induced nociceptive sensory neuropathy. In this study, bortezomib (0.15 or 0.20mg/kg) was administered to Wistar rats three times/week for 8 weeks, followed by a 4 week follow‐up period. At the end of the treatment period a significant decrease in weight gain was observed in the treated groups vs. controls, and hematological and histopathological parameters were evaluated. After the treatment period, both doses of bortezomib induced a severe reduction in nerve conduction velocity and demonstrated a dose‐cumulative effect of the drug. The sensory behavioral assessment showed the onset of mechanical allodynia, while no effect on thermal perception was observed.

Sciatic nerves and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) were collected at the end of the 8‐week treatment and at the end of the follow‐up period. The pathological examination revealed a dose‐dependent axonopathy of the unmyelinated fibers in nerves of treated animals. No pathological alteration in most of DRG satellite cells and neurons was observed.

Therefore, this animal model may be useful for studying the neurotoxicity and pain onset mechanisms related to bortezomib treatment.
Personality and emotional response in schizophrenics with persistent auditory hallucination
Authors: Lung F.-W. , Shu B.-C. , Chen P.-F.
Published: August 2009

Personality has been proposed as having a possible effect on the reaction that patients have toward auditory hallucination. However, this factor has not been studied previously. Thus, this study investigated the relationship among demographics, personality, cognition and emotional response in schizophrenics with persistent auditory hallucination. One-hundred and fourteen subjects with persistent auditory hallucination completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, the revised Beliefs about Voices Questionnaire and the Chinese-version Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Structural equation model showed that personality had an effect on beliefs about the hallucination (malevolent or benevolent), which then affected the reaction of patients toward these voices (engages or resists). Their reaction will further affect the anxious or depressed state of the patients. When these hallucinations were categorized into the three levels of omnipotence, beliefs and reactions, the model was more significant than that of one-level model. Persistent auditory hallucination only accounted for a portion of the emotional distress when malevolent or benevolent voices were perceived, and personality characteristics accounted for the remaining emotional distress in schizophrenics. This model helped us understand the relationship between personality, cognition and affective symptoms, such that, when therapists decide what “trait” to change, they can determine at which point to intervene.
Self-injury, psychiatric symptoms, and defense mechanisms: Findings in an Italian nonclinical sample
Authors: Sarno I. , Madeddu F. , Gratz K.L.
Published: August 2009

Introduction

This study provides data on the rates, characteristics, and correlates of self-injury (SI) in an Italian nonclinical sample, a population previously unexamined within the SI literature. This study examined the associations between SI and defense mechanisms, as well as the differences between self-injurers (episodic and recurrent) and non self-injurers with regard to the severity and variety of their psychiatric symptoms and psychological distress.

Materials and methods

Five hundred and seventy-eight university students (82.5% female; mean age = 22.3; S.D. = 3.4) were administered a battery of self-report questionnaires, including the “Deliberate Self Harm Inventory” for SI, the Response Evaluation Measure-71 for defense mechanisms, and the “Symptom Checklist-90-Revised” for psychological distress and psychiatric symptoms.

Results

One hundred and nineteen participants (20.6%) reported having engaged in SI at least once during their lifetime. Individuals with recurrent SI (SI ≥ 5) reported significantly higher levels of all psychiatric symptoms and many maladaptive defense mechanisms than individuals without SI. Results also provided evidence for differences between individuals with recurrent and episodic SI.

Conclusion

Results suggest that recurrent self-injurers are distinguished from both episodic self-injurers and non self-injurers by their greater use of maladaptive defense mechanisms, rather than their lesser use of adaptive defenses. Further, results suggest that recurrent self-injurers differ from episodic self-injurers not in terms of the severity of their psychiatric symptoms, but the variety and number of these symptoms.
Self-rated residual symptoms do not predict 1-year recurrence of depression
Authors: Bertschy G. , Haffen E. , Gervasoni N. , Gex-Fabry M. , Osiek C. , Marra D. , Aubry J.-M. , Bondolfi G.
Published: August 2009

Background

Residual depressive symptoms are generally documented as a risk factor for recurrence. In the absence of a specific instrument for the assessment of residual symptoms, a new 25-item Depression Residual Symptom Scale (DRSS) was elaborated and tested for recurrence prediction over a 1-year follow-up.

Sampling and methods

Fifty-nine patients in remission after a major depressive episode (MDE) were recruited in two centres. They were assessed with the DRSS and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) at inclusion and followed for 1 year according to a seminaturalistic design. The DRSS included specific depressive symptoms and subjective symptoms of vulnerability, lack of return to usual self and premorbid level of functioning.

Results

Severity of residual symptoms was not significantly associated with increased risk of recurrence. However, DRSS score was significantly higher among patients with three or more episodes than one to two episodes. Number of previous episodes and treatment interruption were not identified as significant predictors of recurrence.

Conclusion

The proposed instrument is not predictive of depressive recurrence, but is sensitive to increased perception of vulnerability associated with consecutive episodes. Limitations include small sample size, seminaturalistic design (no standardisation of treatment) and content of the instrument.
DnaK‐mediated association of ClpB to protein aggregates. A bichaperone network at the aggregate surface
Authors: Acebrón Sergio P. , Martín Ianire , del Castillo Urko , Moro Fernando , Muga Arturo
Published: August 2009

MINT‐7258974: DnaK (uniprotkb:P0A6Y8), ClpB (uniprotkb:P63284), DnaJ (uniprotkb:P08622) and G6PDH (uniprotkb:P0AC53) physically interact (MI:0914) by cosedimentation (MI:0027)
SHP‐2 regulates myogenesis by coupling to FAK signaling pathway
Authors: de Oliveira Michel V. , Marin Talita M. , Clemente Carolina F. , Costa Ana Paula Dalla , Judice Carla C. , Franchini Kleber G.
Published: August 2009

MINT‐7258938: Fak1 (uniprotkb:P34152) physically interacts (MI:0915) with shp2 (uniprotkb:P35235) by anti bait coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0006)
Use of thyroid scintigraphy and pituitary immunohistochemistry in the diagnosis of spontaneous hypothyroidism in a mature cat
Authors: Blois Shauna L , Abrams-Ogg Anthony CG , Mitchell Colleen , Yu Anthony , Stoewen Debbie , Lillie Brandon N , Kiupel Matti
Published: August 2009

A 12-year old, castrated male domestic shorthair cat presented with a 2-year history of poor hair coat, seborrhea, generalized pruritus and otitis externa. Low circulating concentrations of total serum thyroxine (TT4) and free thyroxine (fT4) and an elevated thyroid stimulating hormone concentration supported a diagnosis of primary hypothyroidism. Thyroid scintigraphy did not show uptake of radioactive technetium in the thyroid area. Treatment with levothyroxine resulted in clinical improvement. Recurrence of dermatitis 8 months after onset of treatment resulted in euthanasia of the cat. On post-mortem examination, thyroid tissue was not identified on gross or histological examination. Pituitary immunohistochemistry identified hyperplasia of chromophobe cells.
A diverse Rancholabrean vertebrate microfauna from southern California includes the first fossil record of ensatina (Ensatina eschscholtzii: Plethodontidae)
Authors: Wake Thomas A. , Roeder Mark A.
Published: August 2009

Analysis of late Pleistocene fossils recovered from near the Huntington Beach, California (USA), pier (site LACM 7679) has revealed a diverse fauna dating to approximately 40 14C ka BP. Extinct megafauna (three genera) are present; however, a microfauna including three genera of fish, five genera of amphibians, twelve genera of reptiles, two genera of birds, and ten genera of small mammals dominates the assemblage in terms of diversity. Additional identification of seven genera of non-marine mollusks and various macro- and microscopic plant remains including grasses, three families of herbs, and seven genera of trees provides a wealth of information concerning the past ecology of what is currently a coastal dune field complex. During the Rancholabrean Period, the LACM 7679 locality was approximately 10 km inland from the Pleistocene coastline and contained lush riparian zones interspersed with coastal sage scrub, a few trees, and grasslands teeming with a variety of small and large animals.
Late Quaternary vegetation, fire and climate history reconstructed from two cores at Cerro Toledo, Podocarpus National Park, southeastern Ecuadorian Andes
Authors: Brunschön Corinna , Behling Hermann
Published: August 2009

The last ca. 20,000 yr of palaeoenvironmental conditions in Podocarpus National Park in the southeastern Ecuadorian Andes have been reconstructed from two pollen records from Cerro Toledo (04°22'28.6"S, 79°06'41.5"W) at 3150 m and 3110 m elevation. Páramo vegetation with high proportions ofPlantago rigidacharacterised the last glacial maximum (LGM), reflecting cold and wet conditions. The upper forest line was at markedly lower elevations than present. After ca. 16,200 cal yr BP, páramo vegetation decreased slightly while mountain rainforest developed, suggesting rising temperatures. The trend of increasing temperatures and mountain rainforest expansion continued until ca. 8500 cal yr BP, while highest temperatures probably occurred from 9300 to 8500 cal yr BP. From ca. 8500 cal yr BP, páramo vegetation re-expanded with dominance of Poaceae, suggesting a change to cooler conditions. During the late Holocene after ca. 1800 cal yr BP, a decrease in páramo indicates a change to warmer conditions. Anthropogenic impact near the study site is indicated for times after 2300 cal yr BP. The regional environmental history indicates that through time the eastern Andean Cordillera in South Ecuador was influenced by eastern Amazonian climates rather than western Pacific climates.
Zoned olivine xenocrysts in a late Mesozoic gabbro from the southern Taihang Mountains: implications for old lithospheric mantle beneath the central North China Craton
Authors: YING JI-FENG , ZHANG HONG-FU , TANG YAN-JIE
Published: August 2009

Zoned olivine grains are abundant in the late Mesozoic Shatuo gabbro (southern Taihang Mountains, central North China Craton). Olivine cores are rich in MgO and NiO, rims are rich in FeO and MnO, and both cores and rims have very low CaO contents. The cores invariably have a high Mg no. (92–94), similar to olivine xenocrysts from Palaeozoic kimberlites in eastern China. The compositional features of these olivines imply that they are xenocrysts rather than phenocrysts, namely, disaggregates of mantle peridotites at the time of intrusion. The compositional similarity of olivine cores to xenocrysts from Palaeozoic kimberlites suggests that the lithospheric mantle beneath the central North China Craton is ancient and refractory in nature, and quite different from eastern China, where the mantle is mainly composed of newly accreted materials resulting from large-scale lithospheric removal and replacement. The contrasting features of the lithospheric mantle beneath the eastern and central North China Craton imply that the large-scale lithospheric removal in Phanerozoic times was mainly confined to the eastern North China Craton.
Controlling sleeping sickness – a review
Authors: WELBURN S. C. , MAUDLIN I. , SIMARRO P. P.
Published: August 2009

Following a period characterized by severe epidemics of sleeping sickness, restoration of effective control and surveillance systems has raised the question of eliminating the disease from sub-Saharan Africa. Given sufficient political and financial support, elimination is now considered a reasonable aim in countries reporting zero or less than 100 cases per year. This success may lead health authorities across the affected region to downgrade the disease from ‘neglected’ to simply being ignored. In view of the significant levels of under-reporting of sleeping sickness mortality in rural communities, this could be a short-sighted policy. Loss of capacity to deal with new epidemics, which can arise as a consequence of loss of commitment or civil upheaval, would have serious consequences. The present period should be seen as a clear opportunity for public-private partnerships to develop simpler and more cost-effective tools and strategies for sustainable sleeping sickness control and surveillance, including diagnostics, treatment and vector control.
Endogenous and exogenous transplacental transmission of Neospora caninum – how the route of transmission impacts on epidemiology and control of disease
Authors: WILLIAMS D. J. L. , HARTLEY C. S. , BJÖRKMAN C. , TREES A. J.
Published: August 2009

Vertical transmission of the protozoan parasite, Neospora caninum is highly efficient and can take two forms – endogenous transplacental transmission resulting from activation of the quiescent bradyzoite stage during pregnancy or exogenous transplacental transmission resulting from ingestion of oocysts during pregnancy. Calves born carrying infection derived from either endogenous or exogenous transplacental transmission are capable of infecting their offspring when they start to breed. This review considers firstly the frequency with which exogenous and endogenous transmission occur, secondly the role of the immune response in controlling N. caninum infection and thirdly how the parasite persists in an immune-competent host and is re-activated during pregnancy.
Confirmation of the presence of Trichobilharzia by examination of water samples and snails following reports of cases of cercarial dermatitis
Authors: SCHETS F. M. , LODDER W. J. , DE RODA HUSMAN A. M.
Published: August 2009

In case of cercarial dermatitis after exposure to fresh water lakes, managers responsible for bathing water quality wish to confirm the presence of Trichobilharzia, which substantiates taking measures to protect bathers from further exposure. A novel approach, including concentration of suspected water samples by filtration and PCR detection of the parasite, is proposed. This approach has been applied to bathing sites with a history of cercarial dermatitis, sampled from 2005 to 2008. Examination of snails, the standard procedure for confirmation of the parasite's presence, and analysis of water samples, appear to be complementary procedures that enhance the chance of parasite detection in implicated bathing water. Water analysis is particularly valuable when snails cannot be found; it confirmed the presence of Trichobilharzia on 25% of sampling days with reported skin conditions and no snails found. PCR of the ToSau3A repeat directly confirmed the parasite in the water. The application of the combination of analysis of water samples and examination of snails is suggested when cases of (presumptive) cercarial dermatitis are reported or when lakes with a history of cercarial dermatitis are inspected prior to the bathing season, in order to guide interventions to prevent (further) cases of swimmers' itch.
Progress towards understanding the immunobiology ofTheileriaparasites
Authors: IVAN MORRISON W.
Published: August 2009

The pathogenic Theileria speciesTheileria parvaandT. annulatainfect bovine leukocytes and erythrocytes causing acute, often fatal lymphoproliferative diseases in cattle. The parasites are of interest not only because of their economic importance as pathogens, but also because of their unique ability to transform the leukocytes they infect. The latter property allows parasitized leukocytes to be cultured as continuously growing cell linesin vitro, thus providing an amenablein vitrosystem to study the parasite/host cell relationship and parasite-specific cellular immune responses. This paper summarizes important advances in knowledge of the immunobiology of these parasites over the last 40 years, focusing particularly on areas of relevance to vaccination.
Schistosomiasis – a rich vein of research
Authors: HAGAN PAUL
Published: August 2009

The expansion in the volume of research activity over the last 100 years and the acceleration of technological change that underpins the nature and, to a lesser extent, the quality of the science we do, means that those in science today have little time, or indeed opportunity, for reflection on some of the pioneering efforts within their fields. From the first discovery of schistosome parasites in Egypt in 1851 by Theodor Bilharz, research on schistosomiasis has provided valuable insights into many wider aspects of biology and medicine and has attracted an array of colourful and dynamic scientists who have made major advances through elegant experimentation.
The molecular epidemiology and phylogeography of Trypanosoma cruzi and parallel research on Leishmania: looking back and to the future
Authors: MILES M. A. , LLEWELLYN M. S. , LEWIS M. D. , YEO M. , BALEELA R. , FITZPATRICK S. , GAUNT M. W. , MAURICIO I. L.
Published: August 2009

Trypanosoma cruzi is the protozoan agent of Chagas disease, and the most important parasitic disease in Latin America. Protozoa of the genus Leishmania are global agents of visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis, fatal and disfiguring diseases. In the 1970s multilocus enzyme electrophoresis demonstrated that T. cruzi is a heterogeneous complex. Six zymodemes were described, corresponding with currently recognized lineages, TcI and TcIIa-e – now defined by multiple genetic markers. Molecular epidemiology has substantially resolved the phylogeography and ecological niches of the T. cruzi lineages. Genetic hybridization has fundamentally influenced T. cruzi evolution and epidemiology of Chagas disease. Genetic exchange of T. cruzi in vitro involves fusion of diploids and genome erosion, producing aneuploid hybrids. Transgenic fluorescent clones are new tools to elucidate molecular genetics and phenotypic variation. We speculate that pericardial sequestration plays a role in pathogenesis. Multilocus sequence typing, microsatellites and, ultimately, comparative genomics are improving understanding of T. cruzi population genetics. Similarly, in Leishmania, genetic groups have been defined, including epidemiologically important hybrids; genetic exchange can occur in the sand fly vector. We describe the profound impact of this parallel research on genetic diversity of T. cruzi and Leishmania, in the context of epidemiology, taxonomy and disease control.
A β-adrenergic antagonist reduces traumatic memories and PTSD symptoms in female but not in male patients after cardiac surgery
Authors: Krauseneck T. , Padberg F. , Roozendaal B. , Grathwohl M. , Weis F. , Hauer D. , Kaufmann I. , Schmoeckel M. , Schelling G.
Published: August 2009

Background

Epinephrine enhances emotional memory whereas β-adrenoceptor antagonists (β-blockers, BBs) impair it. However, the effects of BB administration on memory are sex dependent. Therefore, we predicted differential effects of epinephrine and the BB metoprolol given to male and female patients after cardiac surgery (CS) on traumatic memories and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.

Method

We performed a prospective observational study and determined the number of standardized traumatic memories (NTRM) and PTSD symptom intensity in cardiac surgical patients at 1 day before surgery, and at 1 week and 6 months after the procedure. PTSD symptoms and NTRM were quantified using validated questionnaires. Metoprolol could be administered any time post-operatively.

Results

Baseline NTRM was not significantly different between male (n=95) and female patients (n=33). One week after CS, the NTRM in male patients was significantly higher. Metoprolol had no significant effect in either sex. At 6 months, females with metoprolol (n=18) showed a significantly lower NTRM and significantly lower PTSD symptom scores than females without BBs (n=15, p=0.02). By contrast, the totally administered dosage of epinephrine correlated with NTRM in males (r=0.33, p<0.01) but not in females (r=0.21, p=0.29).

Conclusions

β-Adrenergic stimulation with epinephrine enhances memory for adverse experiences in males but not in females whereas β-blockade selectively reduces memory for post-operative adverse events and PTSD symptoms in females.
Sexual selection does not provide an adequate theory of sex differences in aggression
Authors: Eagly Alice H. , Wood Wendy
Published: August 2009

Our social role/biosocial theory provides a more adequate account of aggression sex differences than does Archer's sexual selection theory. In our theory, these sex differences arise flexibly from sociocultural and ecological forces in interaction with humans' biology, as defined by female and male physical attributes and reproductive activities. Our comments elaborate our theory's explanations for the varied phenomena that Archer presents.
Standards of evidence for designed sex differences
Authors: Sell Aaron
Published: August 2009

At the heart of the debate between social role theorists and evolutionary psychologists is whether natural selection has designed the minds of the sexes differently to some interesting extent. In this commentary I describe the standards of evidence for both the positive and negative claims. In my opinion, Archer has met the standard for designed sex differences in intrasexual conflict.
Sex differences in human aggression: The interaction between early developmental and later activational testosterone
Authors: Terburg David , Peper Jiska S. , Morgan Barak , van Honk Jack
Published: August 2009

The relation between testosterone levels and aggressive behavior is well established. From an evolutionary viewpoint, testosterone can explain at least part of the sex differences found in aggressive behavior. This explanation, however, is mediated by factors such as prenatal testosterone levels and basal levels of cortisol. Especially regarding sex differences in aggression during adolescence, these mediators have great influence. Based on developmental brain structure research we argue that sex differences in aggression have a pre-pubertal origin and are maintained during adolescence. Evidence of prenatal, adolescent, and adult levels of testosterone in relation to aggression taken together, support Archer's argument for sexual selection as the driver of sex differences in aggression.
A quantitative genetic approach to understanding aggressive behavior
Authors: Kempenaers Bart , Forstmeier Wolfgang
Published: August 2009

Quantitative genetic studies of human aggressive behavior only partly support the claim of social role theory that individual differences in aggressive behavior are learnt rather than innate. As to its heritable component, future studies on the genetic architecture of aggressive behavior across different contexts could shed more light on the evolutionary origins of male-female versus male-male aggression.
Suspicions of female infidelity predict men's partner-directed violence
Authors: Kaighobadi Farnaz , Shackelford Todd K.
Published: August 2009

Archer's argument regarding sex differences in partner violence rests on a general account of between-sex differences in reproductive strategies and in social roles. However, men's partner-directed violence often is predicted by perceived risk of female infidelity. We hypothesize that men's partner-directed violence is produced by psychological mechanisms evolved to solve the adaptive problem of paternity uncertainty.
A history of war: The role of inter-group conflict in sex differences in aggression
Authors: Johnson Dominic D. P. , van Vugt Mark
Published: August 2009

Human aggression has two important dimensions: within-group aggression and between-group aggression. Archer offers an excellent treatment of the former only. A full explanation of sex differences in aggression will fail without accounting for our history of inter-group aggression, which has deep evolutionary roots and specific psychological adaptations. The causes and consequences of inter-group aggression are dramatically different for males and females.
An I3 Theory analysis of human sex differences in aggression
Authors: Finkel Eli J. , Slotter Erica B.
Published: August 2009

According to I3 Theory, individuals enact aggressive behaviors when (a) instigating triggers are severe, (b) impelling forces are strong, and/or (c) inhibiting forces are weak. Archer's analysis of human sex differences in aggression could be bolstered by a careful analysis of male-female discrepancies in reactivity (or exposure) to instigating triggers, proneness toward impelling forces, and/or proneness toward inhibiting forces.
Sex, aggression, and life history strategy
Authors: Figueredo Aurelio José , Gladden Paul Robert , Brumbach Barbara Hagenah
Published: August 2009

We agree that sexual selection is a more comprehensive explanation for sex differences in direct aggression than social role theory, which is an unparsimonious and vestigial remnant of human exceptionalism. Nevertheless, Archer misses several opportunities to put the theoretical predictions made by himself and by others into direct competition in a way that would further the interests of strong inference.
Differentiating defensive and predatory aggression: Neuropsychological systems and personality in sex differences
Authors: Corr Philip J. , Perkins Adam M.
Published: August 2009

We draw a distinction between defensive and predatory forms of aggression, and how these forms relate to basic neuropsychological systems, especially the Fight-Flight-Freeze-System (FFFS; putatively related to defensive aggression), and the Behavioural Approach System (BAS; putatively related to predatory aggression). These systems may help further to account for proximal brain processes and personality influences in the context of sex differences.
REFLECTIONS ON MY LIFE IN ARCHAEOLOGY
Authors: Parsons Jeffrey R.
Published: August 2009

I was born in October 1939, the oldest of three children. Dad was an agricultural economist employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Mom was a stay-at-home mother and part-time school librarian, with a vivid imagination and strong literary and historical interests, and our home was full of books. Since the 1780s, five generations of my father's family had owned and worked the same farm in western Maine, and that was where Dad was born and grew up. My mother's parents immigrated to America from Germany in 1884 and 1890; they met in Montana, worked a homestead there, and eventually became cattle ranchers in Alberta. After 1910, they took up a less rigorous life of farming in Connecticut and along the shore of Lake Cayuga in upstate New York, and it was there that Mom was born.
COBA, QUINTANA ROO, MEXICO: A RECENT ANALYSIS OF THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF A MAJOR MAYA URBAN CENTER
Authors: Folan William J. , Hernandez Armando Anaya , Kintz Ellen R. , Fletcher Laraine A. , Heredia Raymundo Gonzalez , Hau Jacinto May , Canche Nicolas Caamal
Published: August 2009

Coba represents a major Classic period Maya urban center. Archaeological investigations have suggested a complex socioeconomic integration apparent in the heterogeneity of the size, shape, and quality of architecture while demonstrating a clear demarcation between commoner and elite compounds in addition to a complex system of raised roads (sacbeob). Results of the 1974–1976 mapping efforts at Coba revealed a generalized concentric settlement pattern with elite compounds concentrated at the core. In their analysis of the settlement patterns at Tikal, Guatemala, Arnold and Ford challenged this concentric model. Their analysis of labor investment in structures within the 9 km2core area of Tikal suggested, in contrast to Coba, a scattered rather than a concentric pattern of high-status architecture. Using a geographic information system (GIS), we tested our concentric model hypothesis for Coba by applying Arnold and Ford's work investment parameters. Our results confirmed the presence of a concentric pattern of high-status architecture at Coba closest to the core that differed from Arnold and Ford's findings of a scattered pattern in Tikal. These unique and discrete findings suggest that all major cities in the Maya area may not possess identical settlement patterns. To support our findings indicating urbanism, we also make a detailed analysis of the Coba and Calakmul demographics focusing on the Late Classic period.
IMAGINING COURTLY COMMUNITIES: AN EXPLORATION OF CLASSIC MAYA EXPERIENCES OF STATUS AND IDENTITY THROUGH PAINTED CERAMIC VESSELS
Authors: Jackson Sarah E.
Published: August 2009

Painted ceramic vessels of the Late Classic Maya, depicting scenes of the royal court, provide an entry into understanding the courtly community as an institution built on relationships and embodied through lived practice. By examining these ceramics both as circulating objects, representing the materialized form of courtly values, and as vehicles for imagery that conveys idealized representations of the court hierarchy and how it was enacted, archaeologists may more profoundly integrate material and iconographic investigations. Assertions of identity and status are examined through the ways in which they are “contained” by these decorated vessels and emerge as characterized by a series of simultaneous unifications and oppositions. A focus on bodily behaviors and interactions, and the ways in which objects played courtly roles in their own right, yields an animated understanding of a dynamic court and a larger perspective on the enactment of identity and difference in Classic Maya contexts.
EXPLORING FORMATIVE PERIOD OBSIDIAN BLADE TRADE: THREE DISTRIBUTION MODELS
Authors: De León Jason P. , Hirth Kenneth G. , Carballo David M.
Published: August 2009

Obsidian prismatic blades were widely traded across Mesoamerica during the Early and Middle Formative periods. However, it was not until the Late Formative period (400b.c.—a.d. 100) that prismatic blade cores began to be exchanged extensively. Although it is generally accepted that the trading of blades preceded the trading of cores by almost 1,000 years, little is know about the structure of blade trading during the Early and Middle Formative periods. We describe three distributional models for the trade of obsidian prismatic blades: whole-blade trade, processed-blade trade, and local-blade production. These models were evaluated using obsidian consumption data from Oaxaca, the Basin of Mexico, and Tlaxcala. The results indicate that Formative period blade trade involved different forms over time and space.
OBSIDIAN BIFACE PRODUCTION AT TEOTIHUACAN: REEXAMINING A COYOTLATELCO PHASE WORKSHOP FROM HACIENDA METEPEC
Authors: Nelson Zachary
Published: August 2009

This paper provides a reanalysis of a specialized biface workshop at Coyotlatelco-phase (a.d. 650–800) Teotihuacan excavated by Evelyn Rattray in 1979. Although Teotihuacan had already declined as a major center prior to this phase, the resident population was still being serviced by a variety of craftsmen, including knappers. The remains of an obsidian workshop at Hacienda Metepec give insight into workshop production within Epiclassic-period Teotihuacan. A single workshop produced between 4,700 and 8,700 projectile points similar in shape to San Marcos points. The homogeneous workmanship indicates a single knapper, perhaps over several years of effort.
CAMBIOS EN LA ESTRATEGIA DE LA EXPLOTACIÓN DE LA OBSIDIANA DE PACHUCA: TEOTIHUACAN, TULA Y LA TRIPLE ALIANZA
Authors: Pastrana Alejandro , Domínguez Silvia
Published: August 2009

Esta es una síntesis de las principales características organizativas de la secuencia de explotación de la obsidiana verde del yacimiento de La Sierra de Las Navajas (Pachuca), de las culturas teotihuacana, tolteca y azteca. El uso de este vidrio volcánico se relaciona directamente con el desarrollo económico, militar, religioso y comercial de las organizaciones estatales del centro de Mesoamérica. En cada etapa cultural, identificamos los principales procesos de manufactura de instrumentos, armas y objetos religiosos en los talleres del yacimiento, así como la permanencia de los mineros, talladores y cargadores. El análisis diacrónico de la organización de la explotación y la distribución de la obsidiana verde con el desarrollo de la sociedad, nos permite detectar los cambios substanciales en la estrategía de obtención de esta importante materia prima.
On Families of Subsets With a Forbidden Subposet
Authors: GRIGGS JERROLD R. , LU LINYUAN
Published: August 2009

Let ⊂ 2[n] be a family of subsets of {1, 2,. . ., n}. For any poset H, we say is H-free if does not contain any subposet isomorphic to H. Katona and others have investigated the behaviour of La(n, H), which denotes the maximum size of H-free families ⊂ 2[n]. Here we use a new approach, which is to apply methods from extremal graph theory and probability theory to identify new classes of posets H, for which La(n, H) can be determined asymptotically as n → ∞ for various posets H, including two-end-forks, up-down trees, and cycles C4k on two levels.
Reliability of echocardiographic measurements of left cardiac structures in healthy children
Authors: Geelhoed Miranda J. J. , Snijders Sonja P. E. , Kleyburg-Linkers Veronica E. , Steegers Eric A. P. , van Osch-Gevers Lennie , Jaddoe Vincent W. V.
Published: August 2009

Background

Echocardiographic measurements are widely used as outcomes of different studies. The aim of this study was to assess intraobserver and interobserver reliability of echocardiographic measurements in healthy children.

Materials and methods

We studied 28 children, with a median age of 7.5 years, and inter-quartile range from 3 to 11 years. Intraobserver and interobserver reliability were assessed by repeated measurements of the diameters of the aortic root, the left atrium, and left ventricular end-diastolic structure. We also measured the ventricular end-diastolic septal thickness and the end-diastolic thickness of the left ventricular posterior wall. We calculated intraclass correlation coefficients, with corresponding 95% confidence intervals, and computed Bland and Altman plots, permitting us to derive limits of agreement plus or minus 2 standard deviations for the mean differences in cardiac measurements.

Results

We found high intraobserver and interobserver intraclass correlation coefficient, ranging from 0.91 for ventricular septal thickness, with 95% confidence intervals from 0.78 to 0.96, to 0.99 for the diameter of the aortic root, 95% confidence interval from 0.97 to 1.00. Limits of agreement in the Bland and Altman plots ranged from zero millimetres for left ventricular end-diastolic posterior wall thickness to 1.60 millimeters (6.3%) for left atrial diameter.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated good repeatability and reproducibility for ultrasonic measurements of left cardiac structures in children, showing that values obtained for measurement of these structures in both clinical and epidemiological research projects can be confidently accepted.
Defects in long chain fatty acid oxidation presenting as severe cardiomyopathy and cardiogenic shock in infancy
Authors: Dereddy Narendra R. , Kronn David , Krishnan Usha
Published: August 2009

Inborn errors of fatty acid metabolism are important causes of reversible cardiomyopathy in infancy. Disorders in long chain fatty acid oxidation can lead to cardiomyopathy, as fatty acid beta oxidation is the major source of myocardial energy after birth. We present 2 cases of such disorders with cardiac manifestations during infancy, which responded well to a diet low in long chain fatty acids.
Verbal learning in Alzheimer’s disease: Cumulative word knowledge gains across learning trials
Authors: FOSTER PAUL S. , DRAGO VALERIA , CRUCIAN GREGORY P. , RHODES ROBERT D. , SHENAL BRIAN V. , HEILMAN KENNETH M.
Published: August 2009

Research regarding learning in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients has been mixed. Learning capacity might be better indexed using a score that reflects the interaction between the learning slope and total recall, referred to as the Cumulative Word Learning (CWL) score. We compared a group of AD patients to normal participants using a traditional index of learning and the CWL score that were derived from the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test – Revised (HVLT-R). The HVLT-R is a supra-span, list-learning test containing 12 words from three semantic categories. The results indicated that the sample of AD patients performed within the average range, using the traditional learningzscore. Although mild AD patients were not found to differ from controls in the traditional learningzscore, a significant difference was noted for the CWL score. The moderate AD patients differed from the normal controls in both learning measures. Furthermore, unlike the traditional learning score, the CWL score was a significant predictor of overall cognitive functioning, as indexed using their Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score. Thus, the CWL score might be a more sensitive indicator overall of total learning capacity and may be useful in staging Alzheimer’s disease because of increased resilience to floor effects. (JINS, 2009,15, 730–739.)
Dietary patterns and home food availability during emerging adulthood: do they differ by living situation?
Authors: Nelson Laska Melissa , Larson Nicole I , Neumark-Sztainer Dianne , Story Mary
Published: August 2009

Objective

The objective of the present work was to cross-sectionally examine and compare dietary behaviours and home food environments by young adults’ living situation.

Design

Using data from Project EAT (Eating Among Teens)-II, a large diverse youth cohort originally sampled in Minnesota, linear regression was used to examine self-reported meal frequency, dietary intake and home food availability outcomes by living situation (i.e. living with parents, renting an apartment/house or living on a college campus).

Subjects

Young adults (n 1687), mean age 20·5 years.

Results

Results suggested that young adults living with their parents or in rented apartments/houses had less frequent meals, poorer dietary intake and less healthy home food availability compared with those living on campus. These findings were evident even after controlling for sociodemographic factors (e.g. race/ethnicity, socio-economic status), particularly among females.

Conclusions

Although few emerging adults consume diets that are consistent with national recommendations, those living with parents and in rented apartments/houses may represent particularly at-risk groups. These differences in dietary factors across living situations appear to exist beyond the sociodemographic differences in these populations. Effective nutrition and healthy eating promotion strategies are needed for young adults.
Sounding the subsurface of Athabasca Valles using MARSIS radar data: Exploring the volcanic and fluvial hypotheses for the origin of the rafted plate terrain
Authors: Boisson Joséphine , Heggy Essam , Clifford Stephen M. , Frigeri Alessandro , Plaut Jeffrey J. , Farrell William M. , Putzig Nathaniel E. , Picardi Giovanni , Orosei Roberto , Lognonné Philippe , Gurnett Donald A.
Published: August 2009

To test the volcanic and fluvial hypotheses for the origin of the rafted plate terrain observed in the vicinity of Athabasca Valles (5°N, 150°E, Central Elysium Planitia), we investigated the subsurface radar echo from the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) 5‐MHz band data over this area. The backscattered signal losses were compared to finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations of those arising from three hypothetical geoelectrical subsurface models, which differed in their assumed composition (percentage basalt versus ice) and assumed mode of origin (fluvial discharge/“frozen sea,” mudflow, and low‐viscosity lavas). The dielectric values used in these models are derived from laboratory measurements of Mars analog materials under Mars‐like conditions. FDTD simulations suggest that if the near‐surface environment is ice‐rich, it will result in an average loss rate of 0.053 dB/m for massive ice (having less than 1% of suspended particulates) and 0.065 dB/m for a mudflow (consisting of a 50/50 mixture of ice and basaltic dust). Whereas the losses associated with a lava flow model increase to 0.19 dB/m. In comparison, the actual signal losses experienced by MARSIS within this region were on the order of 0.18 dB/m within the first 160 m beneath the surface. This suggests that propagation characteristics of Athabasca's near‐subsurface are more consistent with a volcanic rather than a fluvial or mudflow origin of the rafted plate terrain, although limitations on radar sounding depth in this region cannot rule out the possibility of more deeply buried massive ice deposits.
Evaluation of seismic reflector slopes with a Yoyo‐CTD
Authors: Krahmann G. , Papenberg C. , Brandt P. , Vogt M.
Published: August 2009

In spring 2007 a dedicated seismic and oceanographic experiment was conducted in the Gulf of Cadiz. Employing two research vessels seismic and hydrographic observations were made contemporaneously and in close proximity. At a 12 hour long station inside a Meddy a conductivity‐temperature‐depth (CTD) probe was lowered and raised repeatedly while the seismic vessel conducted a repetitive survey on tracks nearby. Over the period 17 CTD profiles were collected covering the depth interval from 500 to 1700 m. The CTD data show the Meddy's elevated temperatures and salinities as well as varying intrusive features. When converted into reflection coefficients and convoluted with the seismic source signal the CTD data agrees well with nearby seismic data. The comparison of the temporal/spatial slopes of CTD‐derived reflectors with those of isopycnals shows a good agreement when the slopes are determined over intervals shorter than 4 hours.
On the reported magnetic precursor of the 1993 Guam earthquake
Authors: Thomas Jeremy N. , Love Jeffrey J. , Johnston Malcolm J. S. , Yumoto Kiyohumi
Published: August 2009

Using 1‐second magnetometer data recorded 67 km from the epicenter of the 1993 Mw 7.7 Guam earthquake, Hayakawa et al. (1996) and Miyahara et al. (1999) identify anomalous precursory changes in ultra‐low frequency magnetic polarization (the ratio of vertical to horizontal field components). In a check of their results, we compare their data (GAM) with 1‐second data from the Kakioka observatory (KAK) in Japan and the global magnetic activity index Kp. We also examine log books kept by USGS staff working on the Guam magnetic observatory. We find (1) analysis problems with both Hayakawa et al. and Miyahara et al., (2) significant correlation between the GAM, KAK, and Kp data, and (3) an absence of identifiable localized anomalous signals occurring prior to the earthquake. The changes we do find in polarization are part of normal global magnetic activity; they are unrelated to the earthquake.
One‐hundred‐km‐scale basins on Enceladus: Evidence for an active ice shell
Authors: Schenk Paul M. , McKinnon William B.
Published: August 2009

Stereo‐derived topographic mapping of ∼50% of Enceladus reveals at least 6 large‐scale, ovoid depressions (basins) 90–175 km across and 800‐to‐1500 m deep and uncorrelated with geologic boundaries. In contrast, the south polar depression is larger and apparently shallower and correlates with active resurfacing. The shape and scale of the basins is inconsistent with impact, geoid surface deflections, or with dynamically supported topography. Isostatic thinning of Enceladus' ice shell associated with upwellings (and tidally‐driven ice melting) can plausibly account for these basins. Thinning implies upwarping of the base of the shell of ∼10–20 km beneath the depressions, depending on total shell thickness; loss of near‐surface porosity due to enhanced heat flow may also contribute to basin lows. Alternatively, the basins may overly cold, inactive, and hence denser ice, but thermal isostasy alone requires thermal expansion more consistent with clathrate hydrate than water ice.
Microbial community genomics in eastern Mediterranean Sea surface waters
Authors: Feingersch Roi , Suzuki Marcelino T , Shmoish Michael , Sharon Itai , Sabehi Gazalah , Partensky Frédéric , Béjà Oded
Published: August 2009

Offshore waters of the eastern Mediterranean Sea are one of the most oligotrophic regions on Earth in which the primary productivity is phosphorus limited. To study the unexplored function and physiology of microbes inhabiting this system, we have analyzed a genomic library from the eastern Mediterranean Sea surface waters by sequencing both termini of nearly 5000 clones. Genome recruitment strategies showed that the majority of high-scoring pairs corresponded to genomes from the Alphaproteobacteria (SAR11-like and Rhodobacterales), Cyanobacteria (Synechococcus and high-light adapted Prochlorococcus) and diverse uncultured Gammaproteobacteria. The community structure observed, as evaluated by both protein similarity scores or metabolic potential, was similar to that found in the euphotic zone of the ALOHA station off Hawaii but very different from that of deep aphotic zones in both the Mediterranean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. In addition, a strong enrichment toward phosphate and phosphonate uptake and utilization metabolism was also observed.