bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Performance of wood treated with prospective organic surface protectants upon outdoor exposure: FTIR spectroscopic analysis of weathered surfaces
Authors: Schauwecker Christoph F. , McDonald Armando G. , Morrell Jeff J.
Published: September 2012

Visual appeal of wood is as important as its structural integrity in outdoor applications. Discoloration and checking of wood favor the utilization of alternative materials for outdoor cladding and decking. Lignin depolymerization is one of the critical processes leading to weathering. In the present paper, the potential of different classes of surface protection agents has been assessed on loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) impregnated with water repellents, organic UV inhibitors, and an organic biocide. The treated samples were exposed to predetermined doses of solar radiation in Eastern Oregon, and the chemical changes occurring on the surfaces were evaluated by FTIR spectroscopy. After 1-year exposure, lignin loss was complete on all surfaces; however, some treatments provided longer term protection than others. Organic UV light inhibitors were most effective in this regard. A petroleum-based water repellent with a melting point of 54–58°C also provided protection against lignin degradation.
Effect of silver nanoparticles on human primary keratinocytes
Authors: Szmyd Radoslaw , Goralczyk Anna Grazyna , Skalniak Lukasz , Cierniak Agnieszka , Lipert Barbara , Filon Francesca Larese , Crosera Matteo , Borowczyk Julia , Laczna Eliza , Drukala Justyna , Klein Andrzej , Jura Jolanta
Published: September 2012

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have many biological applications in biomedicine, biotechnology and other life sciences. Depending on the size, shape and the type of carrier, AgNPs demonstrate different physical and chemical properties. AgNPs have strong antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal activity, thus they are used extensively in a range of medical settings, particularly in wound dressings but also in cosmetics. This study was undertaken to examine the potential toxic effects of 15 nm polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated AgNPs on primary normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK). Cells were treated with different concentrations of AgNPs and then cell viability, metabolic activity and other biological and biochemical aspects of keratinocytes functioning were studied. We observed that AgNPs decrease keratinocyte viability, metabolism and also proliferatory and migratory potential of these cells. Moreover, longer exposure resulted in activation of caspase 3/7 and DNA damage. Our studies show for the first time, that AgNPs may present possible danger for primary keratinocytes, concerning activation of genotoxic and cytotoxic processes depending on the concentration.
Effects of cathepsin K deficiency on intercellular junction proteins, luminal mucus layers, and extracellular matrix constituents in the mouse colon
Authors: Arampatzidou Maria , Schütte André , Hansson Gunnar C. , Saftig Paul , Brix Klaudia
Published: September 2012

Cathepsin K has been shown to exhibit antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities in the mouse colon. To further elucidate its role, we used Ctsk
-/- mice and demonstrated that the absence of cathepsin K was accompanied by elevated protein levels of related cysteine cathepsins (cathepsins B, L, and X) in the colon. In principle, such changes could result in altered subcellular localization; however, the trafficking of cysteine cathepsins was not affected in the colon of Ctsk
-/- mice. However, cathepsin K deficiency affected the extracellular matrix constituents, as higher amounts of collagen IV and laminin were observed. Moreover, the localization pattern of the intercellular junction proteins E-cadherin and occludin was altered in the colon of Ctsk
-/- mice, suggesting potential impairment of the barrier function. Thus, we used an ex vivo method for assessing the mucus layers and showed that the absence of cathepsin K had no influence on mucus organization and growth. The data of this study support the notion that cathepsin K contributes to intestinal homeostasis and tissue architecture, but the lack of cathepsin K activity is not expected to affect the mucus-depending barrier functions of the mouse colon. These results are important with regard to oral administration of cathepsin K inhibitors that are currently under investigation in clinical trials.
Activation profiles of human kallikrein-related peptidases by matrix metalloproteinases
Authors: Yoon Hyesook , Blaber Sachiko I. , Li Wu , Scarisbrick Isobel A. , Blaber Michael
Published: September 2012

The 15 human kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs) are clinically important biomarkers and therapeutic targets of interest in inflammation, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease. KLKs are secreted as inactive pro-forms (pro-KLKs) that are activated extracellularly by specific proteolytic release of their amino-terminal pro-peptide, and this is a key step in their functional regulation. Physiologically relevant KLK regulatory cascades of activation have been described in skin desquamation and semen liquefaction, and work by a large number of investigators has elucidated pairwise and autolytic activation relationships among the KLKs with the potential for more extensive activation cascades. More recent work has asked whether functional intersection of KLKs with other types of regulatory proteases exists. Such studies show a capacity for members of the thrombostasis axis to act as broad activators of pro-KLKs. In the present report, we ask whether such functional intersection is possible between the KLKs and the members of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family by evaluating the ability of the MMPs to activate pro-KLKs. The results identify MMP-20 as a broad activator of pro-KLKs, suggesting the potential for intersection of the KLK and MMP axes under pathological dysregulation of MMP-20 expression.
Distinct Functional Organizations for Processing Different Motion Signals in V1, V2, and V4 of Macaque
Authors: An Xu , Gong Hongliang , Qian Liling , Wang Xiaochun , Pan Yanxia , Zhang Xian , Yang Yupeng , Wang Wei
Published: September 2012

Motion perception is qualitatively invariant across different objects and forms, namely, the same motion information can be conveyed by many different physical carriers, and it requires the processing of motion signals consisting of direction, speed, and axis or trajectory of motion defined by a moving object. Compared with the representation of orientation, the cortical processing of these different motion signals within the early ventral visual pathway of the primate remains poorly understood. Using drifting full-field noise stimuli and intrinsic optical imaging, along with cytochrome-oxidase staining, we found that the orientation domains in macaque V1, V2, and V4 that processed orientation signals also served to process motion signals associated with the axis and speed of motion. In contrast, direction domains within the thick stripes of V2 demonstrated preferences that were independent of motion speed. The population responses encoding the orientation and motion axis could be precisely reproduced by a spatiotemporal energy model. Thus, our observation of orientation domains with dual functions in V1, V2, and V4 directly support the notion that the linear representation of the temporal series of retinotopic activations may serve as another motion processing strategy in primate ventral visual pathway, contributing directly to fine form and motion analysis. Our findings further reveal that different types of motion information are differentially processed in parallel and segregated compartments within primate early visual cortices, before these motion features are fully combined in high-tier visual areas.
Vestibular Labyrinth Contributions to Human Whole-Body Motion Discrimination
Authors: Valko Yulia , Lewis Richard F. , Priesol Adrian J. , Merfeld Daniel M.
Published: September 2012

To assess the contributions of the vestibular system to whole-body motion discrimination in the dark, we measured direction recognition thresholds as a function of frequency for yaw rotation, superior–inferior translation (“z-translation”), interaural translation (“y-translation”), and roll tilt for 14 normal subjects and for 3 patients following total bilateral vestibular ablation. The patients had significantly higher average threshold measurements than normal (p< 0.01) for yaw rotation (depending upon frequency, 5.4× to 15.7× greater),z-translation (8.3× to 56.8× greater),y-translation (1.7× to 4.5× greater), and roll tilt (1.3× to 3.0× greater)—establishing the predominant contributions of the vestibular system for these motions in the dark.
Nothing Is Irrelevant in a Noisy World: Sensory Illusions Reveal Obligatory within-and across-Modality Integration
Authors: Bizley Jennifer K. , Shinn-Cunningham Barbara G. , Lee Adrian K. C.
Published: September 2012

In the “flash-beep illusion,” a single light flash is perceived as multiple flashes when presented in close temporal proximity to multiple auditory beeps. Accounts of this illusion argue that temporal auditory information interferes with visual information because temporal acuity is better in audition than vision. However, it may also be that whenever there are multiple sensory inputs, the interference caused by a to-be-ignored stimulus on an attended stimulus depends on the likelihood that the stimuli are perceived as coming from a single distal source. Here we explore, in human observers, perceptual interactions between competing auditory and visual inputs while varying spatial proximity, which affects object formation. When two spatially separated streams are presented in the same (visual or auditory) modality, temporal judgments about a target stream from one direction are biased by the content of the competing distractor stream. Cross-modally, auditory streams from both target and distractor directions bias the perceived number of events in a target visual stream; however, importantly, the auditory stream from the target direction influences visual judgments more than does the auditory stream from the opposite hemifield. As in the original flash-beep illusion, visual streams weakly influence auditory judgments, regardless of spatial proximity. We also find that perceptual interference in the flash-beep illusion is similar to within-modality interference from a competing same-modality stream. Results reveal imperfect and obligatory within- and across-modality integration of information, and hint that the strength of these interactions depends on object binding.
Mapping Human Pitch Representation in a Distributed System Using Depth-Electrode Recordings and Modeling
Authors: Kumar Sukhbinder , Schönwiesner Marc
Published: September 2012

Depth-electrode recordings from the auditory cortex of humans undergoing presurgical evaluation for epilepsy allow the recording of ensemble responses to pitch in the form of local field potentials. These recordings allow another test of the hypothesis that there is a specialized neural ensemble for pitch within auditory cortex. Moreover, the technique allows recordings from multiple sites with millisecond temporal resolution to allow modeling of the effective connectivity between these sites. Here we argue that this takes the form of a hierarchical network of pitch-sensitive regions. Activity can be understood as reflecting predictive coding, in which perceptual predictions and error messages are continuously exchanged between a higher pitch center and lower-level auditory cortex.
Mapping Pitch Representation in Neural Ensembles with fMRI
Authors: Griffiths Timothy D. , Hall Deborah A.
Published: September 2012

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in humans and macaques allows a test of the hypothesis that there is a specialized neural ensemble for pitch within auditory cortex: a pitch center. fMRI measures the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) response related to regional synaptic activity (Logothetis et al., 2001). The distinction between synaptic activity and spike firing, and species differences encourage caution when comparing BOLD activity in humans and macaques to recordings from single neurons in ferret and marmoset in the previous mini-review. The BOLD data provide support for the pitch-center concept, with ongoing debate about its location.
Capsaicin Induces Theta-Band Synchronization between Gustatory and Autonomic Insular Cortices
Authors: Saito Mitsuru , Toyoda Hiroki , Kawakami Shinpei , Sato Hajime , Bae Yong Chul , Kang Youngnam
Published: September 2012

In the insular cortex, the primary gustatory area caudally adjoins the primary autonomic area that is involved in visceral sensory-motor integration. However, it has not been addressed whether neural activity in the gustatory insula (Gu-I) is coordinated with that in the autonomic insula (Au-I). We have demonstrated that TRPV1 activation in Gu-I induces theta-band synchronization between Gu-I and Au-I in rat slice preparations. Electron-microscopic immunohistochemistry revealed that TRPV1 immunoreactivity was much higher in Gu-I than in Au-I, and was mostly detected in dendritic spines receiving asymmetrical synapses. Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings revealed that, in Gu-I, capsaicin-induced currents in layer 3 (L3) pyramidal cells (PCs) displayed no apparent desensitization, while those in layer 5 (L5) PCs displayed Ca2+-dependent desensitization, suggesting that L3 and L5 PCs respond differentially to TRPV1 activation. Voltage-sensitive dye imaging demonstrated that TRPV1 activation in Gu-I can alter an optical response with a monophasic and columnar temporospatial pattern evoked within Gu-I into an oscillatory one extending over Gu-I and Au-I. Power and cross-power spectral analyses of optical responses revealed theta-band synchronization between Gu-I and Au-I. Whole-cell current-clamp recordings demonstrated that such theta-band waves were mediated by sustained rhythmic firings at 4 and 8 Hz in L3 and L5 PCs, respectively. These results strongly suggested that theta-band oscillatory neural coordination between Gu-I and Au-I was induced by two distinct TRPV1-mediated theta-rhythm firings in L3 and L5 PCs in Gu-I. This network coordination induced by TRPV1 activation could be responsible for autonomic responses to tasting and ingesting spicy foods.
Pleiotropic functions of the transmembrane domain 6 of human melanocortin-4 receptor
Authors: Huang Hui , Tao Ya-Xiong
Published: September 2012

The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) is a critical regulator of energy homeostasis and has emerged as a premier target for obesity treatment. Numerous mutations in transmembrane domain 6 (TM6) of MC4R resulting in functional alterations have been identified in obese patients. Several mutagenesis studies also provided some data suggesting the importance of this domain in receptor function. To gain a better understanding of the structure–function relationship of the receptor, we performed alanine-scanning mutagenesis in TM6 to determine the functions of side chains. Of the 31 residues, two were important for cell surface expression, five were indispensable for α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) and β-MSH binding, and six were important for signaling in the Gs–cAMP–PKA pathway. H264A, targeted normally to the plasma membrane, was undetectable by competitive binding assay and severely defective in basal and stimulated cAMP production and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Nine mutants had decreased basal cAMP signaling. Seven mutants were constitutively active in cAMP signaling and their basal activities could be inhibited by two MC4R inverse agonists, Ipsen 5i and ML00253764. Five mutants were also constitutively active in the MAPK pathway with enhanced basal ERK1/2 phosphorylation. In summary, our study provided comprehensive data on the structure–function relationship of the TM6 of MC4R. We identified residues that are important for cell surface expression, ligand binding, cAMP generation, and residues for maintaining the WT receptor in active conformation. We also reported constitutive activation of the MAPK pathway and biased signaling. These data will be useful for rationally designing MC4R agonists and antagonists for treatment of eating disorders.
Functions of transmembrane domain 3 of human melanocortin-4 receptor
Authors: Mo Xiu-Lei , Yang Rui , Tao Ya-Xiong
Published: September 2012

The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) is a G protein-coupled receptor critical for maintaining energy homeostasis. Transmembrane domain 3 (TM3) of MC4R contains residues that were suggested to be essential in ligand binding and signaling. SeveralMC4Rmutations in TM3 are associated with human obesity. To gain a better understanding of the functions of TM3, we analyzed the functions of 26 residues in TM3 using alanine-scanning mutagenesis. We showed that all mutants had normal cell-surface expression. Four mutants were defective in ligand binding and signaling and six mutants had normal ligand binding but impaired cAMP production. L140A had increased basal cAMP level. To further characterize the function of L140, we generated 17 additional L140 mutants. Fifteen L140 mutants had significantly decreased cell-surface expression, with L140R and L140V expressed normally. Ten L140 mutants had increased basal cAMP activities. Four L140 mutants were defective in ligand-stimulated cAMP generation. Interestingly, with the ERK1/2 pathway, we showed that nine constitutively active mutants had similar levels of basal pERK1/2 as that of WT, and two signaling defective mutants had similar levels of pERK1/2 as that of WT upon agonist stimulation, different from their cAMP signaling properties, suggesting biased signaling in these mutant receptors. In summary, we identified 13 residues in TM3 that were essential for ligand binding and/or signaling. Moreover, L140 was critical for locking MC4R in inactive conformation and several mutants showed biased signaling in cAMP and ERK1/2 signaling pathways.
A produção de conhecimento sobre hipertensão gestacional na pós-graduação stricto sensu da enfermagem brasileira
Authors: Martins Marialda , Monticelli Marisa , Brüggemann Odaléa Maria , Costa Roberta
Published: September 2012

Trata-se de uma pesquisa documental que analisou a produção brasileira da pós-graduação stricto sensu em enfermagem relacionada à hipertensão gestacional. Para tal, utilizou-se como fonte de pesquisa o Banco de Teses e Dissertações da Associação Brasileira de Enfermagem. Identificaram-se 14 estudos produzidos entre 1979-2008, cuja produção concentrou-se na região sudeste, entre 1996-2008. O processo analítico revelou a preocupação com a subjetividade das gestantes e com aspectos voltados à assistência de enfermagem. Mostrou, também, que a maioria dos estudos envolveu metodologia qualitativa e sob sustentação de teorias de enfermagem. A experiência vivida pelas gestantes hipertensas é marcada por sentimentos negativos, por problemas socioeconômicos e é influenciada pela forma de organização familiar. A cultura das gestantes hipertensas é desconsiderada e elas são assistidas em um contexto no qual a doença é prioridade. Conclui-se que, apesar de alguns avanços científicos, o tema não tem despertado o interesse merecido entre os enfermeiros que cursam pós-graduação.
Representações de enfermeiras sobre o cuidado com mulheres em situação de aborto inseguro
Authors: Mortari Carmen Luiza Hoffmann , Martini Jussara Gue , Vargas Myriam Aldana
Published: September 2012

O aborto, realidade presente em nossa sociedade, é um desafio complexo para os profissionais da saúde. Este artigo objetiva relatar as representações de enfermeiras da Atenção Básica à Saúde do município de Chapecó (SC) sobre o cuidado com mulheres em situação de abortamento/aborto inseguro. Trata-se de estudo qualitativo, exploratório-descritivo. Os dados foram coletados por meio de Grupo Focal, constituído por oito enfermeiras, e depois analisados com a utilização do método do Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo. Os discursos indicam que o cuidado vem permeado de conflitos entre posicionar-se contra o aborto, apoiar as mulheres ou manter-se na imparcialidade. A representação da preservação da vida, princípio almejado pela formação profissional e tradição cristã, desencadeia tentativas de se evitar o aborto. Quando não há sucesso, mesmo desejando-se ajudar a mulher a encontrar uma saída segura, as enfermeiras apenas a orientam a ir para casa pensar, deixando claro que não é com ela a prática do aborto. Ficando a mulher abandonada...
O cuidar materno diante do filho prematuro: um estudo das representações sociais
Authors: Botêlho Sumaya Medeiros , Boery Rita Narriman Silva de Oliveira , Vilela Alba Benemérita Alves , Santos Washington da Silva , Pinto Lara de Souza , Ribeiro Vivian Mara , Machado Juliana Costa
Published: September 2012

Este estudo teve como objetivo apreender as representações sociais de mães sobre o cuidar materno diante do filho prematuro. Participaram da pesquisa 30 mães de bebês prematuros que estiveram em três serviços de estimulação precoce em Jequié-BA. O instrumento de coleta de dados foi o Teste de Associação Livre de Palavras, que solicitou às participantes que evocassem cinco palavras sobre o cuidar materno diante do filho prematuro e que atribuíssem ordem de importância para as palavras. Os dados foram processados pelo EVOC 2003, gerando um quadro de quatro casas. No quadrante superior esquerdo apareceram as palavras amor e cuidado; no superior direito, angústia, atenção, carinho, paciência; no inferior esquerdo, medo, prevenção; no inferior direito, alegria, dedicação, dependência, dificuldade, experiência, proteção, responsabilidade, superação. O amor e o cuidado aparecem como núcleo central das representações. O amor diz respeito ao papel de mãe a ser exercido. O cuidado pode representar o anseio de encontrar melhorias para seu filho.
Proceso de enfermería: ¿qué significa para las enfermeras de Santa Cruz (Bolivia)?
Authors: Granero-Molina José , Fernández-Sola Cayetano , Peredo de Gonzales Maria Hilda , Aguilera-Manrique Gabriel , Mollinedo-Mallea Judith , Castro-Sánchez Adelaida María
Published: September 2012

Las enfermeras bolivianas no han incorporado definitivamente el método científico y las taxonomías a los cuidados. Este estudio cualitativo pretende comprender el significado atribuido al proceso de enfermería por docentes y profesionales del Departamento de Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia). Recolección de datos mediante entrevistas semiestructuradas y observación participante. Análisis bajo el marco teórico y metodológico del Interaccionismo Simbólico y la Teoría Fundamentada, usando el software ATLAS.ti.6.0. De los datos emergieron los siguientes temas: dificultades de implantación del proceso de enfermería; déficit de formación e iniciativa profesional; posición de dominio del médico; carencia de registros; escaso apoyo institucional. Ventajas de implementación: unificar criterios, lenguaje y facilitar el rol propio de enfermería. Se concluye en que las enfermeras depositan sus expectativas profesionales y de mejora de los cuidados en la implementación del Proceso de Enfermería y los Planes de Cuidados, un giro cultural que involucra a docentes, auxiliares y gestores.
Crianças com fenilcetonúria: avaliação audiológica básica e supressão das otoemissões
Authors: Ribeiro Patrícia Souza , Torres Tatiana Lopes , Starling Ana Lúcia Pimenta , Iório Maria Cecília Martinelli , Mancini Patrícia Cotta
Published: September 2012

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a via auditiva de crianças com fenilcetonúria tratadas precocemente, por meio de audiometria, imitanciometria e supressão das emissões otoacústicas transientes. MÉTODOS:Estudo prospectivo transversal comparativo com amostra composta por 28 crianças, sendo 12 com fenilcetonúria e 16 sem a doença. Foi realizada a pesquisa dos limiares de audibilidade por via aérea e óssea, logoaudiometria, imitanciometria e supressão das emissões otoacústicas transientes. RESULTADOS: A audiometria e a logoaudiometria estiveram normais em todos os participantes. Foram encontrados piores resultados para o índice de reconhecimento de fala (IRF) no grupo com fenilcetonúria. A imitanciometria revelou curva normal para todas as crianças, mas a pesquisa dos reflexos estapedianos demonstrou que as crianças do grupo com fenilcetonúria apresentaram aumento nos seus limiares nas frequências de 2 e 4 kHz. A supressão das emissões otoacústicas transientes não revelou diferença na comparação entre os grupos. CONCLUSÃO: A avaliação audiológica básica não identifica alterações na audição das crianças com fenilcetonúria, mas há pior discriminação ao IRF e aumento nos limiares de reflexos estapedianos nessas crianças, podendo indicar distúrbios do processamento auditivo. O estudo da supressão das otoemissões demonstra integridade do sistema eferente olivococlear medial nas crianças com fenilcetonúria.
Processamento temporal, localização e fechamento auditivo em portadores de perda auditiva unilateral
Authors: Nishihata Regiane , Vieira Márcia Ribeiro , Pereira Liliane Desgualdo , Chiari Brasília Maria
Published: September 2012

OBJETIVO: Avaliar os comportamentos de resolução e ordenação temporal, localização sonora e fechamento auditivo e investigar queixas de dificuldades escolares, de comunicação e linguagem em indivíduos portadores de perda auditiva unilateral. MÉTODOS: Participaram 26 indivíduos com idades entre 8 e 15 anos, divididos em dois grupos: Grupo com perda auditiva unilateral; e Grupo sem perda auditiva. Cada um deles foi constituído por 13 indivíduos que foram pareados conforme gênero, idade e escolaridade. Todos foram submetidos à anamnese, avaliação auditiva periférica e aos testes comportamentais de localização, memória sequencial, teste Random Gap Detection e ao teste de fala com ruído branco da avaliação do processamento auditivo. Foram utilizados testes estatísticos não paramétricos para comparar as repostas entre os grupos, considerando presença ou não da perda auditiva e o lado da orelha com perda. RESULTADOS: O início da perda ocorreu na fase pré-escolar, com etiologias desconhecidas ou identificadas como meningite, traumas ou caxumba. A maior parte dos indivíduos relatou atraso no desenvolvimento de fala, linguagem e escolar, principalmente aqueles com perda à direita. O grupo com perda auditiva apresentou piores respostas nas habilidades de ordenação e resolução temporal, localização sonora e fechamento auditivo. Indivíduos com perda à esquerda mostraram resultados piores do que aqueles com perda à direita em todas as habilidades, exceto na localização sonora. CONCLUSÃO: Na presença da perda auditiva unilateral ocorrem dificuldades de localização, fechamento, resolução e ordenação temporal. Indivíduos com perda auditiva unilateral à direita apresentam mais queixas do que aqueles com perda à esquerda. Indivíduos com perda à esquerda mostram mais dificuldade de fechamento, resolução e ordenação temporal.
Briefing: Re-Engineering the City 2020–2050 – Urban Foresight and Transition Management
Authors: Eames Malcolm , Marvin Simon , Hodson Mike , Dixon Tim J , Guthrie Peter , Lannon Simon
Published: September 2012

Cities may be responsible for up to 70% of global carbon emissions and 75% of global energy consumption and by 2050 it is estimated that 70% of the world's population could live in cities. The critical challenge for contemporary urbanism, therefore, is to understand how to develop the knowledge, capacity and capability for public agencies, the private sector and multiple users in city regions systemically to re-engineer their built environment and urban infrastructure in response to climate change and resource constraints. Re-Engineering the City 2020–2050: Urban Foresight and Transition Management (Retrofit 2050) is a major new interdisciplinary project funded under the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council's (EPSRC) Sustainable Urban Environments Programme which seeks to address this challenge. This briefing describes the background and conceptual framing of Retrofit 2050 project, its aims and objectives and research approach.
Assessing the effects of large mobile predators on ecosystem connectivity
Authors: McCauley Douglas J. , Young Hillary S. , Dunbar Robert B. , Estes James A. , Semmens Brice X. , Micheli Fiorenza
Published: September 2012

Large predators are often highly mobile and can traverse and use multiple habitats. We know surprisingly little about how predator mobility determines important processes of ecosystem connectivity. Here we used a variety of data sources drawn from Palmyra Atoll, a remote tropical marine ecosystem where large predators remain in high abundance, to investigate how these animals foster connectivity. Our results indicate that three of Palmyra's most abundant large predators (e.g., two reef sharks and one snapper) use resources from different habitats creating important linkages across ecosystems. Observations of cross‐system foraging such as this have important implications for the understanding of ecosystem functioning, the management of large‐predator populations, and the design of conservation measures intended to protect whole ecosystems. In the face of widespread declines of large, mobile predators, it is important that resource managers, policy makers, and ecologists work to understand how these predators create connectivity and to determine the impact that their depletions may be having on the integrity of these linkages.
Shale Gas Reservoir Modeling: From Nanopores to Laboratory
Authors: Swami Vivek
Published: September 2012

It has been observed over the years that shale gas production modeled with conventional simulators/models is much lower than the actually observed field data. Generally reservoir and/or stimulated reservoir volume (SRV) parameters are modified (without much physical support) to match the production data. Instead of modifying the reservoir parameters without physical support, we aim to investigate the shale closely and see if we are missing some vital part in the flow physics.

Shale is a complex unconventional reservoir with a significant organic fraction. Traditionally, it is perceived that the gas is stored in pore space and adsorbed on pore surfaces. In this work, we postulate that significant amount of gas is also stored in the bulk of organic matter or kerogen. We show a conceptual model of one shale pore and model the flow behavior taking into account the free gas (stored in natural fractures and nanopores), adsorbed gas, and gas dissolved in kerogen. Therafter, we upscale the model to a laboratory scale sample. We propose a numerical model for the complex "quad" porosity system while also accounting for non Darcy flow in shale nanopores. We then calibrate the model against a laboratory experimental data. This laboratory scale model can be upscaled suitably for field scale simulation of shale reservoirs.
Pseudomemory Responding in Hypnotic, Task-Motivated and Simulating Subjects: Memory Distortion or Reporting Bias?
Authors: Spanos Nicholas P. , Bures Ewy
Published: September 2012

Hypnotic, task-motivated and simulating subjects were administered a suggestion for a false memory (hearing noises) while “reliving” the events of an earlier night. Simulators reported the suggested noises more frequently than hypnotic subjects, and subjects in the three conditions failed to differ in endorsing the noises as real after termination of the “reliving” procedure. Subjects in the three conditions were also equally likely to reverse their pseudomemory reports following hidden observer instructions. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that pseudomemory responding in this paradigm reflects reporting bias rather than memory distortion.
Julius Caesar in Jupiter's Prophecy, "Aeneid", Book 1
Authors: Dobbin Robert F.
Published: September 2012

The identity of the Caesar at "Aeneid", 1.286 is a long-standing problem. The prevailing opinion since Heyne favors Augustus, but a few scholars agree with Servius that the Dictator is meant. In recent years the suggestion that Vergil was being deliberately ambiguous has been advanced as a solution to the problem. I argue the case for Julius Caesar anew. The paper is in five sections. The first four deal respectively with (1) the question of nomenclature; (2) chronology; (3) the descriptive epithets applied to Caesar, especially spoliis Orientis onustum in 289; and (4) the rhetoric of the passage. The fourth section confronts the challenge posed to my reading by the well-known view of Ronald Syme, held to throughout his lifetime, that Julius Caesar was a virtual non-person in the Rome of Vergil's day because the princeps tried to avoid awkward comparison with the Dictator. But this view has been challenged, and I draw on recent work in this area. In the fifth and final section I support my reading with references to Vergil's earlier poetry, attending especially to what it can tell us about Vergil's attitude toward Julius Caesar. Of particular relevance is the use he makes of the sidus Iulium, an image found in the Eclogues and important in connection with the apocalyptic outlook abroad at the time of Caesar's assassination. This section of the paper expands on Servius' generally neglected note, which maintains that the Caesar in question is Julius.
Draupadí on the Walls of Troy: "Iliad" 3 from an Indic Perspective
Authors: Jamison Stephanie W.
Published: September 2012

Helen's "viewing" of the Greek heroes from the walls of Troy in "Iliad" 3 (the Teikhoskopia) and its relation to the duel between Menelaos and Paris later in the same book are much-discussed episodes in Homeric criticism. Comparison with a cognate epic tradition, that of ancient India, produces insight on these problematic scenes. The illegal abduction and correct reabduction of Draupadī, the wife of the heroes of the Mahābhārata, show striking parallels to the sequence of the events in "Iliad" 3, and the narrative pattern in both epics appears to reflect inherited Indo-European legal institutions that bear upon the legality and correct procedure of marriage by abduction.
Politicizing the Past: The "Atthis" of Kleidemos
Authors: McInerney Jeremy
Published: September 2012

Jacoby's influential opinion that the Atthidographers were part of the political discourse of the fourth century has been the subject of revision in recent years. His critics have argued that the genre of Atthidography is primarily antiquarian and that to look for partisan political attitudes in the Atthides is a mistake. An examination of the work of Kleidemos, however, reveals a coherent presentation of the Athenian past designed to vindicate the democratic constitution and to demonstrate the close connection between the democracy and Athens' naval power. This emerges most clearly in Kleidemos's treatment of three important democratic heroes: Theseus, Kleisthenes, and Themistokles. By the fourth century, Theseus had already emerged as the most popular Athenian hero. His accomplishments were modeled in part on the deeds of Herakles and were recorded in vase painting and relief sculpture, and on the walls of the Stoa Poikile. Kleidemos presented a distinctive account of Theseus, emphasizing his role in founding the Athenian navy in preparation for the expedition to Krete. Kleidemos portrayed him as a leader capable of defending Athens and making peace with Athens' enemies, first the Kretans and later the Amazons. This is a king in the tradition of Euripides' Theseus in the Suppliants, the ruler of a free and democratic city. The connection between democratic leadership, Athenian might, and the naval power of Athens is also underscored in Kleidemos's handling of Kleisthenes. Again, the information provided by Kleidemos is distinctive, inasmuch as he reports that it was Kleisthenes who was responsible for the system of naukrariai, which he likens to the symmories of the fourth century. Unlike the version of the Ath. Pol., which imagines the Kleisthenic demes replacing the Solonian naukrariai, Kleidemos saw the demes and naukrariai as complementary divisions, the former organizing the state's resources for the upkeep of the navy, and the latter establishing the political basis for the democracy. Themistokles is also given unique treatment. Kleidemos records the anecdote according to which Themistokles was responsible for the Battle of Salamis because he found sufficient money to man the ships when the generals had run out of funds and had ordered the abandonment of the city. He used the disappearance of the gorgoneion of the statue of Athena as an excuse to ransack the baggage of the Athenians and collect enough wealth to pay the fleet. The story is as tendentious as the account in the Ath. Pol., which gives the credit to the Areopagos. Both versions demonstrate how Athens' past had become a battleground in the political debates of the mid-fourth century. Unlike the epitaphios logos with its emphasis on the eternal and unchanging glory of Athens, the "Atthis" of Kleidemos attempted to prove that the greatness of Athens rested historically on three foundations: the heroes of the democracy, the democratic constitution, and the navy.
Pantomime Riots
Authors: Slater W. J.
Published: September 2012

It is argued that there is no simple or single reason for the riots caused by pantomimes in early imperial Rome, and especially in 14 and 15 A.D. Theatrical passion has been suggested as the main cause, but other factors must be considered: the meaning of the theater as a symbol of order, the peculiar importance of the equestrian order in the architecture of the theater; the position of the main Roman theaters in their relation to the exercise grounds of the iuvenes; the complex relationships of the equestrian iuvenes with the pantomime artists. It is pointed out that it is not always easy to define a pantomime, or to know the nature of the program; but competition was certainly involved. It is argued that the policies of Tiberius toward the theater and the iuvenes were particularly productive of discontent, which led to repeated legislation to control it. The role of Drusus is probably crucial. A central role is also played by the theater claques, and the acclamations of the equestrians, the theater being their principal venue. Various connections between the equestrian iuvenes and the theater are considered. One key is the physical training of Roman youth, which had become affected by Greek concepts of gymnasium dancing, perhaps under the influence of rhetoric. This in turn made it possible for young Romans to develop quasi-pantomime skills, which they could demonstrate in their iuvenalia. Second, it is suggested that the Baths of Agrippa and their decoration can be seen as an indication of such a change in official policy, and their position next to the theaters is stressed. Third, the personal relations between pantomimes and the nobility is documented, and the importance of the private stage in Rome. Finally, the legislation of the Tabula Larinas is considered, as it affected nobles on the stage or in the arena, and other legal implications of this conflict between the senate and the youth are sketched.
"Our Most Pious Consort Given Us by God": Dissident Reactions to the Partnership of Justinian and Theodora, A.D. 525-548
Authors: Pazdernik Charles
Published: September 2012

Examining a range of sixth-century (A.D.) literary sources, this paper explores the authors' attitudes toward the marital relationship of the Late Roman emperor Justinian I and his empress, Theodora. It emerges that the sources characteristically appeal to the agency of Theodora or to an underlying level of mutual understanding between the imperial couple in order to reconcile inconsistencies or apparent contradictions between the regime's rhetoric and its actions. Recourse to such an interior dynamic gave scope to the recognition and expression of contradiction without thereby entailing an admission of disorder: it enabled the imperial couple, and thus in an overarching sense the instrumental function of the imperial "role" in the state, to work if necessary at cross purposes while preserving an unbroken unity of purpose. Special attention is paid to the particular interests and expectations of two distinct groups: the classically-educated mandarinate of the Roman civil service, and the schismatic hierarchy of the nascent Monophysite church.
The Ideology of the Arena
Authors: Gunderson Erik
Published: September 2012

The Roman arena is often described as an exotic or peripheral institution. Alternatively, it has been seen as a culturally central institution. In this case one traditionally assumes either that the arena is used to pacify the lower classes or that it expresses themes of violence at the heart of Roman society. In the first view the arena's politics are cynical; in the second they are often described as decadent or full of despair. While none of these readings should be neglected, this essay argues that the arena can be examined as a productive institution which helps in the maintenance of Roman social relations from the top to the bottom and from the violent to the banal. When viewed in the light of Louis Althusser's idea of the ideological state apparatus, the arena can be read as political and psychological without recourse to notions of cunning calculation or psychic crisis. The arena is not only normal, but it participates in the production of normativity. This study pays particular attention to the ways in which the arena enables a specific kind of vision of the Roman world. In this vision the Roman nobiles in general and, later, the emperor in particular are reaffirmed as legitimate authorities: the rulers perhaps need the arena more than does the mob. The arena is also a locus at which the relations of domination which subsist between Rome and its subjects and between the sexes are reproduced in both the social and theatrical senses: the arena stages culturally vital spectacles. Indeed the export of the arena into the Roman provinces also entails the exportation of the Roman social structures which the arena serves. The Romanness of the arena is in fact so pervasive that even many of the hostile appraisals of the arena which come to us from antiquity reproduce the hierarchical social vision which the arena enables even as the institution itself is repudiated. Accordingly all representations of the arena need to be read within the logic of the arena itself. The ideology of the arena has no outside.
Violence, Culture, and the Workings of Ideology in Euripides' "Ion"
Authors: Hoffer Stanley E.
Published: September 2012

The uneasy relation between violence and sanctity, between oppression and culture, underlies the dramatic action of Euripides' "Ion." Ion's monody ends with his threatening to shoot the birds who would soil the temple, or in other words, to protect purity through violence and death. The earlier part of his song also shows how the forces of exclusion and domination create sacredness. Ritual silence (euphemia), restricted access to the aduton, ritual chastity, even the irreversible transformation of natural gardens into laurel brooms and jugs of water all suggest how violence and domination create culture out of nature. The rape of Creusa epitomizes the relation between culture and violence. Her meeting with Ion reveals the psychological cost of social oppression and portrays the imperfect interdependence between moral feelings and legal institutions. Various dramatic devices portray the divisions in Creusa's mind that the injustice has created, devices including self-address, riddling speech, self-restraint, and silence. Her reluctance to pose her bold question to the oracle, and her displacement of the story onto the person of a raped "friend," show her resentful awareness that social institutions (such as the Delphic oracle) collaborate in the oppression. Ion's disillusionment (429-51) echoes her resentment (especially 253-54, 442-43) more theoretically. Together their comments show how moral rules and legal institutions, though fundamentally based on personal feelings such as shame and indignation, enact these feelings only imperfectly; the resulting dissonance in turn leads to further indignation and moral reflection. Finally, the allusions to fifth-century politics in Ion's speech on Athenian politics (585-647) and elsewhere suggest that democracy itself depends on political domination and imperialism.
Ethical Contradiction and the Fractured Community in Lucan's "Bellum Civile"
Authors: Roller Matthew B.
Published: September 2012

Lucan's "Bellum Civile" is a poem filled with ethical contradictions. This paper contends that at least some of these contradictions can be traced to competing views regarding the composition of the community in civil war: the view that one's opponent is a civis (fellow-citizen, hence member of one's own community) and the view that he is a hostis (a foreign enemy) are available simultaneously. Therefore the position that it is morally wrong to attack a member of one's own community competes with the position that it is morally right to use violence against an enemy. The Pompeians tentatively and rather sporadically embrace the former view, while the latter view is more strongly characteristic of the Caesarians; the outcome of the battle of Pharsalus accords with this distribution of ethical stances. Yet these conflicting discourses and opposing views of the community are present not only in the voices of the various characters, but also in the narrative voice itself; such contradictions even within a single voice are inevitable artifacts of civil war as Lucan represents it. By portraying this competition in ethical discourses as he does, Lucan makes his civil war a context in which he can recreate and participate in the ideological struggles of Neronian Rome.
Inscripta in Fronte: Penal Tattooing in Late Antiquity
Authors: Gustafson W. Mark
Published: September 2012

The origins of tattooing are very ancient, and the modern fascination with the practice serves to remind us that it has been an enduring fixture in human history. Its functions are many and often overlap, but the particular focus here is on the tattoo as an aspect of punishment. Comparative evidence, however, is welcomed whenever it proves useful. This article first marshals and examines the late antique literary evidence (which is predominantly Christian) extending from North Africa in the third century to Constantinople in the ninth. Then that evidence is put in its legal context. From at least the time of Augustus, the penal tattoo, which was generally placed on the face or forehead, had been associated with degradation. Such remained the case in late antiquity, and it also becomes clear that the tattoo accompanied a sentence of exile and hard labor, usually in mines or quarries. The deeper meaning of the tattoo and its placement on the forehead is considered in the light of modern understandings. There follows a discussion of the actual form taken by the tattoo, which normally displayed the name of the crime, the name of the emperor, or the name of the punishment. Based on the available data, the last option appears to have been the most common penal tattoo in this period. Finally, the article hypothesizes that the Christians effected a transformation of the tattoo and subverted its original intent, so that, rather than being a sign of punishment, it became a sign of glory in which one could take pride. Thus the penal function, in some settings at least, was overtaken by a primarily religious one.