bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Heritability of human cranial dimensions: comparing the evolvability of different cranial regions
Authors: Martínez‐Abadías Neus , Esparza Mireia , Sjøvold Torstein , González‐José Rolando , Santos Mauro , Hernández Miquel
Published: January 2009

Quantitative craniometrical traits have been successfully incorporated into population genetic methods to provide insight into human population structure. However, little is known about the degree of genetic and non‐genetic influences on the phenotypic expression of functionally based traits. Many studies have assessed the heritability of craniofacial traits, but complex patterns of correlation among traits have been disregarded. This is a pitfall as the human skull is strongly integrated. Here we reconsider the evolutionary potential of craniometric traits by assessing their heritability values as well as their patterns of genetic and phenotypic correlation using a large pedigree‐structured skull series from Hallstatt (Austria). The sample includes 355 complete adult skulls that have been analysed using 3D geometric morphometric techniques. Heritability estimates for 58 cranial linear distances were computed using maximum likelihood methods. These distances were assigned to the main functional and developmental regions of the skull. Results showed that the human skull has substantial amounts of genetic variation, and at‐test showed that there are no statistically significant differences among the heritabilities of facial, neurocranial and basal dimensions. However, skull evolvability is limited by complex patterns of genetic correlation. Phenotypic and genetic patterns of correlation are consistent but do not support traditional hypotheses of integration of the human shape, showing that the classification between brachy‐ and dolicephalic skulls is not grounded on the genetic level. Here we support previous findings in the mouse cranium and provide empirical evidence that covariation between the maximum widths of the main developmental regions of the skull is the dominant factor of integration in the human skull.
Growth of segment parameters and a morphological classification for children between 15 and 36 months
Authors: Van Dam M. , Hallemans A. , Aerts P.
Published: January 2009

This study is part of a research program that aims at a better understanding of the influence of individual morphological differences and physical growth on development of independent walking in toddlers. As morphometric and segment inertial parameters for toddlers aged between 15 and 36 months are indispensable for the mechanical analyses inherent to this purpose, parameter data were collected. The provided dataset of morphological and segment inertial parameters is a valuable tool for locomotor biomechanical modelling. Analysis of the parameter data showed that there are substantial changes of most segment inertial parameters across body length and body mass. In addition, a classification system was developed to categorize toddlers on the basis of morphometry, reflecting the segment inertial constitution of the child. A principal components analysis (PCA) was applied to define the variance in physique between the children. PCA resulted in three newly composed variables: the ‘Axis of chubbiness’, the ‘Axis of allometric growth’ and the ‘Axis of relative limb length’. The three axes are plotted against each other, resulting in eight morphological classes. With this classification the morphotype of toddlers between 15 and 36 months can be specified and used for further research on their walking patterns.
Small animal PET for the evaluation of an animal model of genital infection
Authors: Nanni Cristina , Marangoni Antonella , Quarta Carmelo , Di Pierro Donato , Rizzello Anna , Trespidi Silvia , D’Ambrosio Daniela , Ambrosini Valentina , Donati Manuela , Aldini Rita , Zanotti‐Fregonara Paolo , Grassetto Gaia , Rubello Domenico , Fanti Stefano , Cevenini Roberto
Published: January 2009

Background:  [18F]‐FDG is a widely used tracer for the non‐invasive evaluation of hypermetabolic processes like cancer and inflammation. However, [18F]‐FDG is considered inaccurate for the diagnosis of urinary tract and genital infections because of its urinary excretion. Since the 1970s, Gallium scintigraphy is a well established test that has been used for the evaluation of inflammation and infection in human patients.

Aim:  The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of 68Ga‐Chloride small animal PET for the analysis of an animal model of genital infection, induced after the vaginal inoculum of Chlamydia muridarum.

Material and methods:  Thirty mice were infected by placing 15 μl of sucrose phosphate glutamic acid (SPG) 107 inclusion forming units of C. muridarum into the vaginal vault. As controls of inflammation, three animals were challenged with 15 μl of SPG and one healthy animal was used to assess the tracer biodistribution. Four animals died during the experiment. Eleven animals were evaluated with 68Ga‐Chloride small animal PET (GE, eXplore Vista) 3–5, 10–12, 17–19 days after infection, as well as three controls of inflammation and one healthy animal. Infection was monitored by obtaining cervical‐vaginal swabs from all the animals on the day of each PET procedure. Moreover, five groups of three animals each were killed at 6, 13, 20, 27 and 34 days after infection were studied.

Results:  68Ga‐PET turned out positive in all the infected animals, concordantly to data obtained by the cervical swabs and by the ex vivo analysis. The tumour‐to‐background ratio (TBR) decreased over time as the inflammation tended to naturally extinguish. The controls showed a slightly increased uptake of tracer due to the aseptic inflammation caused by SPG and frequent cervical swabs. The healthy control did not show any pelvic uptake.

Conclusion:  68Ga‐Chloride is a promising tracer for the assessment of genital infection in a mouse animal model.
A NEW TRAVERSODONTID CYNODONT (THERAPSIDA, EUCYNODONTIA) FROM THE MIDDLE TRIASSIC SANTA MARIA FORMATION OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL, BRAZIL
Authors: REICHEL MÍRIAM , SCHULTZ CESAR LEANDRO , SOARES MARINA BENTO
Published: January 2009

Abstract:  Remains of a peculiar traversodontid cynodont, Protuberum cabralensis gen. et sp. nov., are described herein. The material was collected from two outcrops representing the Therapsid Cenozone (Middle Triassic) of the Santa Maria Formation, and consists of a cranium with most of its dentition preserved and an associated postcranial skeleton. The upper postcanines have two sharp cusps that are connected by a medial crest on unworn postcanines. The specimens possess several autapomorphies, including: (1) presence of thickened bone on the dorsal surface of the skull; (2) thick dorsal ribs, with remarkable processes situated on their dorsal borders that decrease in size distally; and (3) an iliac blade with a series of rugosities along its dorsal border. The lumbar ribs bear overlapping costal plates and have distally projecting rib shafts that differ from the pattern observed in Thrinaxodon, Pascualgnathus and Cynognathus.
ROTATORY COLONIES OF THE CORALSSIDERASTREA RADIANSANDSOLENASTRAEASSP. (CNIDARIA, SCLERACTINIA), FROM THE PLEISTOCENE BERMONT FORMATION, SOUTH FLORIDA, USA
Authors: SORAUF JAMES E. , HARRIES PETER J.
Published: January 2009

Abstract: Study of corallum shape inSiderastreaandSolenastraeacolonies collected from Pleistocene Bermont strata in western Palm Beach County, Florida, indicates that the corals are rotatory, formed by rolling during growth on the Pleistocene sea floor. Growth of a radial and centrifugal nature away from the corallum centre suggests that rolling was sufficiently frequent and energetic to maintain the health of individual polyps along the skeleton’s entire spherical surface with no evidence of growth stoppage. Post‐mortem sponge boring accompanied by that of sipunculid worms and boring by the bivalvesGastrochaenaandLithophagaduring coral colony life is common. Colonization by cirripeds (barnacles) on some live colonies also occurred, but these are most commonly overgrown. Boring of rotatory coralla decreased the mass of the skeleton and probably increased the ease and frequency of rolling. Comparison with modern rotatory specimens ofS. radiansfrom Rodriguez Bank indicates that the Pleistocene corals were not greatly modified during diagenesis, given their comparable densities. Diameters of both groups of corals are utilised to calculate levels of shear velocities necessary to move them, based on hydrodynamics of rounded sediment of comparable size. The presence of these rotatory coralla, by analogy, strongly suggest that Bermont sediments in the study area accumulated on shallow shelf areas populated by numerous other free‐living corals along with fewer fixed corals, accompanying a diverse molluscan assemblage, all indicative of aThalassia(turtle‐grass) community. Nearshore, wave data recorded along Florida’s present‐day east coast, in contrast to conditions along the west coast, indicate that sufficient wave‐generated velocities are present to cause regular rotation ofSiderastreaandSolenastraea, and would likely have done so during the Pleistocene.
TAXONOMY AND ZOOGEOGRAPHY OF THE MESOZOIC CYTHERURID OSTRACODA FROM WEST‐CENTRAL ARGENTINA
Authors: BALLENT SARA C. , WHATLEY ROBIN C.
Published: January 2009

Abstract:  The status of thirty four species of the cytheroidean ostracod family Cytheruridae from the Neuquén Basin, west‐central Argentina is reviewed. These species belong to the following nine genera: Eucytherura Müller, ranging in this study from Pliensbachian to Valanginian and represented by fourteen species; Kangarina Coryell and Fields, Aalenian–Bajocian, with a single species; Acrocythere Neale, Hauterivian, one species; Paranotacythere Bassiouni, Berriasian, two species; Procytherura Whatley, Pliensbachian to Hauterivian, twelve species; Cytheropteron Sars, Aalenian–Bajocian, one species: Eocytheropteron Alexander, Hauterivian, one species; Paradoxorhyncha Chapman, Aalenian–Bajocian, one species; and Paracytheridea Müller, Berriasian, one species. Of the three subfamilies of the Cytheruridae, the Cytherurinae, with thirty species are by far the most numerous and abundant throughout the study. The other two subfamilies, the Cytheropterinae are represented by three species and the Paracytherideinae by a single species of the nominative genus. Several of the species are very widely distributed geographically and have, for example, also been recorded from Europe; others indicate close links with South Africa and Australia. The stratigraphical ranges of certain genera have been extended as a result of this study. For example, Kangarina has not previously been recorded below the Cretaceous. The Cytheruridae are clearly the most diverse cytheroidean ostracodes in the Mesozoic of the Neuquén Basin and are more diverse than all other groups of ostracodes combined. Four new species, Eucytherura tessae, Eucytherura yunga, Procytherura amygdala and Eocytheropteron immodicus are described. Eucytherura guillaumeae nom. nov. for Eucytherura tuberculata Brenner and Oertli and Eucytherura paranuda nom. nov. for Eucytherura nuda (Brand) are proposed.
A NEW METHOD FOR THE EXTRACTION OF MACROFOSSILS FROM CALCAREOUS ROCKS USING SULPHURIC ACID
Authors: VODRÁŽKA RADEK
Published: January 2009

Abstract:  A new method for the extraction of calcified and/or partly pyritized macrofossils has been developed. This method is based upon the differential speeds for the dissolving of microcrystalline and macrocrystalline calcite in 38% sulphuric acid. The effectiveness of the sulphuric acid treatment is also influenced by the volume of clay minerals in the host rock. Therefore, this method is highly applicable for the extraction of macrofossils from marlstones, marly limestones, and other lithified calcareous sediments. The main advantages of this method, when compared with other chemical methods, are (1) the short treatment time, (2) the capability of dissolving the sediment on the fossil’s surface, and (3) its efficiency in dissolving calcareous rocks with low porosity. This method has been successfully applied to Upper Cretaceous macrofossils from the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin. The surface of extracted macrofossils remained undamaged, exhibiting minute skeletal details; perhaps even encrusters and bioerosions.
THE ENIGMATIC EARLY CAMBRIAN SALANYGOLINA– A STEM GROUP OF RHYNCHONELLIFORM CHILEATE BRACHIOPODS?
Authors: HOLMER LARS E , STOLK SANDRA PETTERSSON , SKOVSTED CHRISTIAN B. , BALTHASAR UWE , POPOV LEONID
Published: January 2009

Abstract:  New material of the enigmatic brachiopod Salanygolina obliqua Ushatinskaya from the Early Cambrian of Mongolia shows that it has a colleplax– a triangular plate – in the umbonal perforation, which is enlarged by resorption. This structure is otherwise only known from the equally enigmatic Palaeozoic orders Chileida and Dictyonellida (Rhynchonelliformea, Chileata). The colleplax in Salanygolina is here considered to be homologous with that of the chileates. Salanygolina is also provided with a ridge‐like pseudodeltidium, which is another chileate feature. Other characters of Salanygolina, like the radial arrangement of adductor muscle scars and postero‐medially placed internal oblique muscles are characteristic of chileates, but also found in the paterinates. In contrast, mixoperipheral dorsal valves with low rudimentary interareas are well known in paterinates, but not yet recorded from chileates. Thus, Salanygolina shows a mosaic combination of morphologic characters, known both from the paterinates and chileates, indicating that it may represent a stem group of the rhynchonelliform chileate brachiopods. The laminar phosphatic secondary shell of Salanygolina is composed of closely packed and nearly identical hexagonal prisms, oriented with their long axis normal to the laminae in a honeycomb pattern. The prism walls appear to have originally been composed of organic membranes and might represent precursors of the organic sheaths of calcite fibers that are typical of calcitic shells with a fibrous microstructure.
PATTERNS OF EVOLUTION AND EXTINCTION IN THE LAST HARPETID TRILOBITES DURING THE LATE DEVONIAN (FRASNIAN)
Authors: McNAMARA KENNETH J. , FEIST RAIMUND , EBACH MALTE C.
Published: January 2009

Abstract:  Late Devonian (Frasnian) harpetid trilobites have hitherto only been described from the western side of the Protethys Ocean, in what is now Europe and North Africa, as well as from Gondwana‐derived northwestern Kazakhstan (Mugodjar). However, late Frasnian strata in the Canning Basin, Western Australia, that were deposited on the eastern side of this ocean, contain a rich harpetid fauna. Described herein are two new harpetids: Eskoharpes gen. nov. and Globoharpes gen. nov., within which are placed six species: E. palanasus sp. nov., E. wandjina sp. nov., E. boltoni sp. nov., E. guthae sp. nov., G. teicherti sp. nov. and G. friendi sp. nov. The ontogenetic development of E. palanasus, E. wandjina and G. teicherti are described, including the first unequivocal harpetid protaspis. Globoharpes exhibits evidence of sexual dimorphism in the development of a pronounced preglabellar boss in some specimens. This structure is thought to have functioned as a brood pouch. Such structures have previously only been described in Cambrian and Ordovician trilobites, and never before in harpetids. It is suggested that the characteristic harpetid fringe functioned as a secondary respiratory structure. The Eskoharpes lineage shows evolutionary trends that mirror changes seen in ontogenetic development of the youngest species, suggesting the operation of peramorphic processes. This is the first record of heterochrony in harpetids and the first documented example of peramorphosis in Devonian trilobites. These harpetids demonstrate a stepped pattern of extinction during the late Frasnian, probably related to the effects of the two Kellwasser biocrises that have been well documented in European Frasnian sections. Highly vaulted species of Eskoharpes and the strongly vaulted Globoharpes became extinct at the Lower Kellwasser Event. The flatter species of Eskoharpes became extinct at the base of the Upper Kellwasser Event shortly prior to the Frasnian/Famennian boundary. The extinction of these harpetids, along with contemporaneous forms from Europe, which are also discussed herein, marks the end of the trilobite order Harpetida worldwide.
BILLENGSELLIDE AND ORTHIDE BRACHIOPODS: NEW INSIGHTS INTO EARLIEST ORDOVICIAN EVOLUTION AND BIOGEOGRAPHY FROM NORTHERN IRAN
Authors: POPOV LEONID E. , GHOBADI POUR MANSOUREH , BASSETT MICHAEL G. , KEBRIA‐EE MOHAMMAD
Published: January 2009

Abstract:  The eastern Alborz Mountains of Iran comprise a significant peri‐Gondwanan terrane relevant to the early evolution of late Cambrian – early Ordovician brachiopods incorporated into the emerging benthic biota of the Paleozoic Evolutionary Fauna. A low diversity brachiopod assemblage from the late Tremadocian unit of the Lashkarak Formation contains six new species including the polytoechioideans Polytoechia and Protambonites and the orthoideans Paralenorthis, Ranorthis, Tarfaya and Xianorthis. The fauna preserves the earliest records of Polytoechia, unknown previously outside Laurentia and the Uralian margin of Baltica, and of Paralenorthis and Ranorthis, which were widespread along Gondwanan margins and in Baltica from the Floian (Arenig), plus Xianorthis, known hitherto only from the Floian of South China. The enigmatic Tarfaya has an impunctate shell fabric and setigerous perforations along the posterior margin, indicating placement within the Orthoidea in a new Family Tarfayidae. New species of Polytoechia, Protambonites, Paralenorthis, Ranorthis, Tarfaya, Xianorthis are described.
ONTOGENY AND TAPHONOMY: AN EXPERIMENTAL TAPHONOMY STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BRINE SHRIMP ARTEMIA SALINA
Authors: GOSTLING NEIL J. , DONG XIPING , DONOGHUE PHILIP C. J.
Published: January 2009

Abstract:  Although the relationship between ontogeny and phylogeny has been of long‐standing interest to palaeontologists, the fossil record has provided little insight into the development of long extinct organisms. This has changed with the discovery of numerous assemblages of fossilized invertebrate embryos and larvae, but realising their evolutionary significance is hampered by a paucity of data on the relationship between ontogeny and taphonomy. We describe the results of an experimental taphonomy study of the development of the anostracan brine shrimp Artemia salina, which show that in conditions of aqueous aerobic and anaerobic autolysis and microbial decay, the developmental stages exhibit differential preservation potential. The most decay resistant developmental stage is the diapause cyst, encapulsating the gastrula, in which the gross morphology of the embryo can be maintained for 18 months or more in simple anaerobic conditions. Otherwise, the embryo shrinks within the cyst and cellular and tissue detail of breaks down as lipid droplets coalesce. Postembryonic excysted larvae decay more rapidly. The rate of decay is similar among all larval stages with the exception of the L4 larva, which resists cuticle failure for longer than later developmental stages. The larvae decay leading to liquefaction of the muscles and viscera, leaving an intact but empty and progressively shrunken and distorted cuticle that eventually loses structural integrity and collapses. Our experimental results provide an explanatory model for the phenomenal abundance of putative diapause stage embryos, in the absence of postembryonic stages, as seen in the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation of South China and the incompleteness of fossilized developmental sequences of embryos and larvae more generally. It also cautions against the association of developmental stages in fossil deposits without additional evidence. Finally, the pattern of decay seen in larvae provides an explanation for the preservation style of Orsten‐type Lagerstätten where preservation of cuticular detail can be astonishingly fine, but extends internally to muscles and viscera only rarely.
NEW ALBIAN (EARLY CRETACEOUS) OPHIUROIDS FROM THE TLAYÚA QUARRY, PUEBLA, MEXICO
Authors: MARTIN‐MEDRANO LEONORA , THUY BEN , GARCÍA‐BARRERA PEDRO
Published: January 2009

Abstract:  On the basis of six articulated individuals from the middle to late Albian lithographic limestone at Tlayúa near Tepexi de Rodríguez (Puebla, Mexico), a new species of ophiuroid, Ophiactis applegatei, is described. The material adds to the rather poor record of Early Cretaceous brittlestars and represents the oldest known member of the family Ophiactidae, being based on well‐preserved and articulated specimens and thus reasonably well defined morphologically. The rarity of ophiuroids, their complete preservation as well as the unnatural contortions of their arms suggest these specimens to be allochthonous, having been transported into a hostile environment where burial was rapid.
ICHNOLOGICAL INSIGHTS INTO MITRATE PALAEOBIOLOGY
Authors: RAHMAN IMRAN A. , JEFFERIES RICHARD P. S. , SÜDKAMP WOUTER H. , SMITH RU D. A.
Published: January 2009

Abstract:  Mitrates are a controversial group of extinct deuterostomes; there is little agreement over their affinities, functional morphology or even the orientation of their upper and lower surfaces. Four slabs of slate from the Lower Devonian Hunsrück Slate (Bundenbach, Germany) are here described, showing trace fossils (Vadichnites transversus igen. et isp. nov.) associated with the mitrate Rhenocystis latipedunculata. These new findings clearly demonstrate that the mitrate appendage was used in locomotion and that this movement took place appendage‐first. Such a functional interpretation suggests that mitrates were oriented with the flat body surface upwards in life and argues against a phylogenetic position in the echinoderm crown‐group.
The Western Ideology
Authors: Gamble Andrew
Published: January 2009

After the fall of communism the ascendancy of neoliberalism seemed assured. Democratic government and free market capitalism had been universalized and any serious alternatives to them had disappeared. Rather than the end of ideology, neoliberalism is the latest version of the western ideology, proclaiming universal values and modernity, in the form of the liberal global order and globalization. Critics argue that neoliberalism is chiefly associated with the United States and Britain, and is best understood as a form of hegemony, concerned with the projection of Anglo-American values, policies and institutions around the world, including a particular model of capitalism and military interventions, and a particular conception of the West.
Ideology, Power Orientation and Policy Drag: Explaining the Elite Politics of Britain's Bill of Rights Debate
Authors: Erdos David
Published: January 2009

This article argues that three factors have framed elite political debate and outcomes on a Bill of Rights in Britain – the degree of commitment to an ideology of social liberalism, the executive/non-executive power orientation of key actors and the phenomenon of policy drag. These factors explain not only the overall historical contours of political debate but also (1) Labour's ‘aversive’ conversion to the Bill of Rights agenda and passage of the Human Rights Act (1998); and (2) the Conservatives’ more positive recent attitude to the Bill of Rights agenda.
Still the Anomalous Democracy? Politics and Institutions in Italy
Authors: Bull Martin J. , Newell James L.
Published: January 2009

Until the early 1990s, the Italian political system was regarded as anomalous among advanced democracies because of its failure to achieve alternation in government. Since then, that problem has been overcome, but Italy has been popularly viewed as continuing to be different to other democracies because it is ‘in transition’ between regimes. However, this position itself is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain because of the length of time of this so-called transition. Rather than focus on what is rather an abstract debate, it may be more fruitful to analyse what, in substance, is distinctive about Italian politics in this period: the manner in which a debate over fundamental institutional (including electoral) reform has become entangled in day-to-day politics. This can best be exemplified through an analysis of two key electoral consultations held in 2006: the national elections and the referendum on radically revising the Italian Constitution.
Reintroducing a Local-Level Multiparty System in Uganda: Why Be in Opposition?
Authors: Muriaas Ragnhild Louise
Published: January 2009

In a referendum in July 2005 the people of Uganda voted overwhelmingly in support of reintroducing the multiparty system. As a result, one expected an increase in candidates running on party tickets other than the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) in the local elections in March 2006. However, the findings in this article reveal that politicians challenging the incumbent preferred to be non-partisan candidates rather than members of the opposition parties. Based on semi-structured interviews with 198 local leaders, this article connects local perspectives on the reintroduction of the multiparty system with well-known explanations of weak opposition in Africa, and discloses how formal institutions and people's notions of representation limit the prospects of the opposition at the local level.
Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy or Tibial Tuberosity Advancement?
Authors: BOUDRIEAU RANDY J.
Published: January 2009

Objective—To review the proposed biomechanical basis of the tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) and tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) and recommendations for these techniques.

Study Design—Literature review.

Methods—Literature search through Ovid Medline Plus, Pub Med, CAB Abstracts, and conference proceedings abstracts (August 1983 to March 2008).

Results—TPLO and TTA stabilize the cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) deficient stifle joint neutralizing tibiofemoral shear forces by altering the geometry of the proximal aspect of the tibia. Stability is attained by placing the joint in a functionally greater flexion angle so that the patellar tendon angle (PTA) remains ≤90°. Both procedures target slightly differing endpoints, the significance of which is unknown. Many of the biomechanical variables investigated appear to favor the TTA; however, TPLO appears to have more clinical versatility. The clinical ramifications of these differences remain to be determined but the reported results for both procedures are comparable. Only the early results of these techniques have been reported, which is reflected in the relatively high number of complications associated with the early learning curve for both procedures.

Conclusions—There are many similarities between TPLO and TTA although it remains to be fully elucidated if either procedure is superior and under what conditions.

Clinical Relevance—TPLO and TTA are effective at returning dogs with a CrCL‐deficient stifle joint to good limb function. Surgeon discretion and case selection drive selection of TPLO or TTA based mostly on anecdotal evidence and personal experience.
Descriptive Histomorphometric Ingrowth Analysis of the Zurich Cementless Canine Total Hip Acetabular Component
Authors: LAUER SUSANNE K. , NIEVES MARY ANN , PECK JEFFREY , POOL ROY R. , HOSGOOD GISELLE , LAZAR TIBOR , SWANSON ELISABETH
Published: January 2009

Objectives— To (1) determine bone contact with the outer surface and ingrowth into the perforated outer shell of the Kyon acetabular component at 2, 6, and 12 months after total hip replacement (THR) and (2) determine correlation between radiographic lucency surrounding the cup–bone interface and bone contact and ingrowth.

Study Design— Experimental study.

Animals— Large breed dogs (n=11) with and without hip dysplasia.

Methods— Force platform gait analysis was performed preoperatively and 2, 6, and 12 months after THR. Curvilinear length of lucency (CLL) was measured on pelvic radiographs. Tissue contact with the outer cup and ingrowth into the cup were determined histomorphometrically at 2, 6, and 12 months.

Results— Peak vertical force and vertical impulse of the treated and control hind limb were not significantly different at any time. Median bone contact with the outer cup surface was 77%, 48%, and 76% at 2, 6, and 12 months, respectively. Median bone ingrowth into the cup perforations was 50%, 20%, and 44% at 2, 6, and 12 months, respectively. Median bone ingrowth to the inner cup surface was minimal at any time. CLL did not correlate with bone ingrowth.

Conclusions— Bone ingrowth into cup perforations occurred in each dog and was already present 2 months after THR, but most of the inner cup space remained vacant.

Clinical Relevance— Radiographic lucency surrounding the cup–bone interface does not allow assessment of bone contact with the outer surface or bone ingrowth into the Kyon cup in dogs without clinical problems.
Evaluation of a Collagenase Generated Osteoarthritis Biomarker in Naturally Occurring Canine Cruciate Disease
Authors: HAYASHI KEI , KIM SUN‐YOUNG , LANSDOWNE JENNIFER L. , KAPATKIN AMY , DÉJARDIN LOÏC M.
Published: January 2009

Objective—To determine the clinical value of a novel osteoarthritis (OA) biomarker in detecting canine cruciate disease.

Study Design—Cross sectional clinical study.

Animals—Dogs (n=22) with cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture and 12 control dogs.

Methods—Concentrations of collagenase‐generated cleavage epitope of type II collagen (Col2‐3/4Clong mono, or C2C) in serum, urine, and joint fluid were compared between a group of dogs with CCL rupture and a control group. Correlation of C2C concentrations to the clinical stage of stifle OA was also evaluated.

Results—There were no significant differences in C2C concentrations in serum, urine, and joint fluid between groups (P>.05). Subjective scores of lameness, joint effusion, osteophytosis were significantly more severe in the CCL rupture group compared with the control group (P<.05). There was no significant correlation of C2C concentrations with clinical stage of stifle OA (P>.05).

Conclusion—This OA biomarker did not detect pathology associated with CCL rupture. Our results suggest that collagenase‐specific degradation of type II collagen in articular cartilage may not be involved in the early stage of naturally occurring canine cruciate disease, and that pathology associated with naturally occurring CCL rupture is different from that of experimental OA model.

Clinical Relevance—C2C is not clinically useful in detecting CCL rupture in dogs.
Validation of a Rapid Parathyroid Hormone Assay and Intraoperative Measurement of Parathyroid Hormone in Dogs with Benign Naturally Occurring Primary Hyperparathyroidism
Authors: HAM KATHLEEN , GREENFIELD CATHY L. , BARGER ANNE , SCHAEFFER DAVID , EHRHART EUGENE J. , PINKERTON MARIE , VALLI VICTOR E. O.
Published: January 2009

Objectives— To (1) validate a rapid chemiluminescent parathyroid hormone (PTH) assay, (2) determine it's usefulness locating a parathyroid nodule(s), and (3) determine if >50% decrease in PTH corresponds with excision of autonomously functioning parathyroid tissue.

Study Design— Prospective cohort study.

Animals— Dogs (n=12) with naturally occurring primary hyperparathyroidism and 25 healthy dogs.

Methods— The assay was validated with linearity, precision, and intermethod comparison. Preoperative and postoperative systemic plasma PTH concentrations, measured from saphenous venous blood, were compared. Intraoperative local PTH concentrations were measured in right and left jugular venous blood before and after surgical excision of the grossly abnormal parathyroid gland(s).

Results— Within run and day‐to‐day precisions were acceptable (coefficient of variation <15%). Dilutional parallelism was used to demonstrate high correlation between measured and calculated PTH concentrations (R2=0.99). The assay methods had good correlation but numerical results of the rapid assay were usually lower than the immunoradiometric assay. Seven of 12 dogs had uniglandular disease and five had multiglandular disease. Systemic and local PTH concentrations decreased >50% in all the dogs after excision of the parathyroid gland(s). Mean preoperative systemic plasma PTH concentrations were significantly higher than mean postoperative systemic concentrations. Local PTH concentrations could not be used reliably to differentiate the side of the autonomously functioning gland(s). Hypercalcemia resolved postoperatively in all the dogs.

Conclusion— This assay measures PTH in dogs. Rapid PTH measurement provided documentation of decreased PTH concentration after removal of autonomously functioning parathyroid tissue.

Clinical Relevance— Use of this assay allows documentation of a significant decrease in PTH concentration after excision of autonomously functioning parathyroid tissue.
Biomechanical Analysis of the Three‐Dimensional Motion Pattern of the Canine Cervical Spine Segment C4–C5
Authors: HOFSTETTER MARTIN , GÉDET PHILIPPE , DOHERR MARCUS , FERGUSON STEPHEN J. , FORTERRE FRANCK
Published: January 2009

Objective— To study the kinematics of cervical spine segment C4–C5 and its association with disc dimensions and the coupled motion (CM) in relation to primary motion (PM).

Study Design— Cadaveric biomechanical study.

Animals— Cadavers of large breed dogs (>20 kg; n=11).

Methods— Spines were freed from muscles. Radiographs were taken orthogonal to the C4–C5 disc space and disc thickness, endplate width, and height were measured. Spines were mounted on a simulator for 3‐dimensional motion analysis. Data were recorded with an optoelectronic motion analysis system. Range of motion (ROM) and neutral zone (NZ) were determined in the direction of flexion/extension, left/right lateral bending, and left/right axial rotation, as well as the ROM of CM.

Results— ROM in flexion and extension was similar; there was no CM in flexion/extension. Left/right axial rotation and left/right lateral bending were coupled to the same side. CM was 1.72 and 3.56 times the ROM of the PM in lateral bending and axial rotation, respectively. Disc dimensions were positively correlated with body weight. Flexion/extension magnitude was significantly reduced for larger endplates, but axial rotation was not influenced. Lateral bending had no correlation with weight or disc dimensions.

Conclusion— Left/right lateral bending and left/right axial rotation are coupled differently in the C4–C5 segment in dogs compared with humans.

Clinical Relevance— The canine C4–C5 spinal segment has unique motion coupling patterns that should be considered for dynamic implant designs.
Zurich Cementless Total Hip Replacement: Retrospective Evaluation of 2nd Generation Implants in 60 Dogs
Authors: GUERRERO TOMÁS G. , MONTAVON PIERRE M.
Published: January 2009

Objective— To evaluate the results of application, and identify complications, of the 2nd generation of Zurich Cementless Total Hip Replacement (ZCTHR).

Study Design— Case series.

Animals— Client‐owned dogs (n=60) that had ZCTHR (n=65).

Methods— Dogs with ZCTHR (2001–2003) with a minimum follow‐up ≥6 months were evaluated. Data included signalment, cup position, longest follow‐up, complications, management of complications and outcome.

Results— Mean follow‐up was 22.68 months. Eleven cases (17%) had postoperative complications: femoral fracture (n=1; 1.5%), prosthesis luxation (7; 11%), cup loosening (2; 3%), and implant failure (1; 1.5%); 9 cases were successfully revised. Explantation of implants was performed in 1 case because of infection, and 1 dog was euthanatized after reluxation.

Conclusions— ZCTHR can restore function in dogs affected by disabling diseases of the coxofemoral joint. The press‐fit fixation of the cup allowed for corrections in cases of incorrect positioning. Cases with aseptic loosening were revised successfully by impacting larger cups. Newer stems of this generation are shot peening treated to increase their resistance to breakage. In our cases, infection is a disastrous event, leading to implant removal. After resolution of complications, a successful final outcome was achieved in 97% of THR.

Clinical Relevance— ZCTHR offers a reliable alternative for treating dogs with disabling diseases of the hip joints.
Lateral Thoracic Artery Axial Pattern Flap in Cats
Authors: BENZIONI HADAS , SHAHAR RON , YUDELEVICH SIGAL , SHIPOV ANNA , MILGRAM JOSHUA
Published: January 2009

Objective—To describe the location of the lateral thoracic artery (LTA), determine dimensions of an axial pattern flap based on this artery, and report use of this flap in 2 cats.

Study Design—Ex vivo study and case reports.

Animals—Cat cadavers (n=8); cats (n=2) with thoracic limb skin defects.

Methods—Dissection of the LTA was carried out on 1 side of each cadaver and the contralateral side was used for injection studies. In 4 specimens, the LTA was cannulated and injected with positive contrast material and the flap was raised and radiographed. In 4 specimens, the flap was injected with methylene blue. Adequacy of flap injection was subjectively evaluated and leakage of methylene blue from the cut edge was noted.

Results—The cutaneous location of the LTA caudal to the triceps muscle was confirmed. Mean flap size was 8.7 cm × 15.5 cm for a mature, averaged‐sized cat. Perfusion of the entire flap was demonstrated and viability of the flap was confirmed in 2 clinical cases.

Conclusion—The LTA flap is useful for repair of skin defects of the brachium and antebrachium in cats.

Clinical Relevance—The LTA flap is an alternative technique for repair of skin defects involving the thoracic limb of cats.
Effect of Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy on Femorotibial Contact Mechanics and Stifle Kinematics
Authors: KIM STANLEY E. , POZZI ANTONIO , BANKS SCOTT A. , CONRAD BRYAN P. , LEWIS DANIEL D.
Published: January 2009

Objective—To evaluate the effects of tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) on femorotibial contact mechanics and 3‐dimensional (3D) kinematics in cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL)‐deficient stifles of dogs.

Study Design—In vitro biomechanical study.

Animals—Unpaired pelvic limbs from 8 dogs, weighing 28–35 kg.

Methods—Digital pressure sensors placed subjacent to the menisci were used to measure femorotibial contact force, contact area, peak and mean contact pressure, and peak pressure location with the limb under an axial load of 30% body weight and a stifle angle of 135°. Three‐dimensional static poses of the stifle were obtained using a Microscribe digitizing arm. Each specimen was tested under normal, CrCL‐deficient, and TPLO‐treated conditions. Repeated measures analysis of variance with a Tukey post hoc test (P<.05) was used for statistical comparison.

Results—Significant disturbances to all measured contact mechanical variables were evident after CrCL transection, which corresponded to marked cranial tibial subluxation and increased internal tibial rotation in the CrCL‐deficient stifle. No significant differences in 3D femorotibial alignment were observed between normal and TPLO‐treated stifles; however, femorotibial contact area remained significantly smaller and peak contact pressures in both medial and lateral stifle compartments were positioned more caudally on the tibial plateau, when compared with normal.

Conclusion—Whereas TPLO eliminates craniocaudal stifle instability during simulated weight bearing, the procedure fails to concurrently restore femorotibial contact mechanics to normal.

Clinical Relevance—Progression of stifle osteoarthritis in dogs treated with TPLO may be partly the result of abnormal stifle contact mechanics induced by altering the orientation of the proximal tibial articulating surface.
Effect of Tibial Tuberosity Advancement on Femorotibial Contact Mechanics and Stifle Kinematics
Authors: KIM STANLEY E. , POZZI ANTONIO , BANKS SCOTT A. , CONRAD BRYAN P. , LEWIS DANIEL D.
Published: January 2009

Objective— To evaluate the effects of tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) on femorotibial contact mechanics and 3‐dimensional kinematics in cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL)‐deficient stifles of dogs.

Study Design— In vitro biomechanical study.

Animals— Unpaired pelvic limbs from 8 dogs, weighing 28–35 kg.

Methods— Digital pressure sensors placed subjacent to the menisci were used to measure femorotibial contact force, contact area, peak and mean contact pressure, and peak pressure location with the limb under an axial load of 30% body weight and a stifle angle of 135°. Three‐dimensional static poses of the stifle were obtained using a Microscribe digitizing arm. Each specimen was tested under normal, CrCL‐deficient, and TTA‐treated conditions. Repeated measures analysis of variance with a Tukey post hoc test (P<.05) was used for statistical comparison.

Results— Significant disturbances to all measured contact mechanic parameters were evident after CrCL transection, which corresponded to marked cranial tibial subluxation and internal tibial rotation in the CrCL‐deficient stifle. No significant differences in any contact mechanic and kinematic parameters were detected between normal and TTA‐treated stifles.

Conclusion— TTA eliminates craniocaudal stifle instability during simulated weight‐bearing and concurrently restores femorotibial contact mechanics to normal.

Clinical Relevance— TTA may mitigate the progression of stifle osteoarthritis in dogs afflicted with CrCL insufficiency by eliminating cranial tibial thrust while preserving the normal orientation of the proximal tibial articulating surface.
A Model for Location of Capacitated Alternative‐Fuel Stations
Authors: Upchurch Christopher , Kuby Michael , Lim Seow
Published: January 2009

Increased interest in alternative fuels is attributable, in part, to rising oil prices and increasing concern about global warming. A lack of a refueling infrastructure, however, has inhibited the adoption of alternative‐fuel vehicles. Little economic incentive exists to mass‐produce alternative‐fuel vehicles until a network of stations exists that can refuel a reasonable number of trips. The flow refueling location model (FRLM) was developed to minimize the investment necessary to create a refueling infrastructure by optimizing the location of fueling stations. The original uncapacitated FRLM assumes that the presence of a refueling station is sufficient to serve all flows passing through a node, regardless of their volume. This article introduces the capacitated flow refueling location model that limits the number of vehicles refueled at each station. It also introduces a modified objective function maximizing vehicle‐miles traveled instead of trips, applies both models to an intercity network for Arizona, and formulates several other extensions.
The Normativity of Numbers: World Bank and IMF Conditionality1
Authors: Anders Gerhard
Published: January 2009

Good governance reforms aim at transforming African state bureaucracies into efficient, transparent, and accountable institutions. These policies are inserted into the national administrative apparatus by means of conditions attached to the financial support of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Although the conditions exactly match the priorities of these international financial institutions (IFIs), they are not set by them; paradoxically they are (in theory) set by the government requesting a loan. This paradox, the article argues, has to be understood primarily in legal terms. A close reading of a number of loan documents signed by the representatives of the IFIs and the government of Malawi demonstrates how responsibility for good governance reforms is ascribed to the government of Malawi, which “owns” the reforms. The article further shows that the elaborate conditionality attached to loans fuses legal logic and economics in a characteristic “normativity of numbers.” By normativity of numbers I refer to the use of economic data, and the introduction of systems of personnel management and expenditure monitoring, as conditions in the loan documents.
Negotiating Difference: Discourses of Indigenous Knowledge and Development in Ghana
Authors: Yarrow Thomas
Published: January 2009

This article examines the contested ways in which the international development concept of “indigenous knowledge” has been used and understood by a variety of actors within Ghana including both Ghanaian and non‐Ghanaian development workers, chiefs, and members of beneficiary communities. While an ostensibly simplistic opposition between “indigenous” and “western” knowledge underscores this discourse, I argue that it has acted to frame a number of complex and geographically specific debates concerning the respective roles of chiefs and elites in the development of the country. The article also explores how the assumed incommensurability of these knowledge systems creates the need for various kinds of “mediation” and “translation” in which both chiefs and development workers foreground a “dual” identity. Against the prevailing anthropological tendency to critique the opposition between “indigenous” and “western” knowledge, I suggest that it is important to understand how these terms are used by different actors in the negotiation of identities and relations that are not reducible to the binary logic of the terms themselves.
Adjudicating the Salvadoran Civil War: Expectations of the Law inRomagoza
Authors: Rubin Jonah
Published: January 2009

This article analyzes the experiences of Neris Gonzalez, one of the three Salvadoran plaintiffs who brought a successful lawsuit against the former heads of the Salvadoran military for the torture she suffered in 1979. In analyzing the presentation of the case, I focus on the specific transformations that political and historical disputes undergo as they are subsumed into the formal rules of U.S. tort litigation. Further, I pay special attention to the ways legal narratives are designed specifically to appeal to a jury comprising 10 lay U.S. citizens, who have no familiarity with Salvadoran history. I demonstrate how torts litigation requires a depoliticization of the plaintiff and a personalization of history. I argue that, due to the form of the court fails in addressing the historical disputes in question.
A Quest for Justice in Cuzco, Peru:Race and Evidence in the Case of Mercedes Ccorimanya Lavilla
Authors: Bunt Laura A.
Published: January 2009

The life of Mercedes Ccorimanya Lavilla renders a telling portrait of the pursuit of justice in Cuzco, Peru, revealing how courts of law can be key sites in the production and negotiation of racial and gender taxonomies. Mercedes (who was gang‐raped as a young woman) illustrates the near‐heroic efforts necessary to mount and pursue rape charges in Peruvian courts, where rape victims largely manage the construction of evidence in lieu of the state. In the following article, I reconstruct the social circumstances and legal institutional setting surrounding the rape trial of Mercedes Ccorimanya Lavilla through the use of historical and ethnographic materials. In arguing that race mutually defines women's sexuality in rural Peru, I show how (in order to achieve a conviction) Mercedes had to develop a strategy in which she instrumentally employed the languages of race to distance herself from her own indigeneity, as well as that of her alleged attackers.