bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Morphological change of natural pipe outlets in blanket peat
Authors: Holden J. , Smart R. P. , Dinsmore K. J. , Baird A. J. , Billett M. F. , Chapman P. J.
Published: September 2011

Peatlands are important carbon stores and many have natural pipes (tunnels) that transport water and carbon. Pipes are often viewed as passive and slowly changing features of peatland landscapes, particularly for sites that are relatively undisturbed by land management. However, there is a lack of data on pipe morphology change over time. This paper presents the first survey of natural pipe outlets in a peatland in which morphological changes in pipe outlets through time were measured. Three surveys of natural pipe outlets between 2007 and 2010 were conducted in a 17.4 ha, relatively undisturbed, blanket‐peat‐covered catchment in northern England. 27 of the 91 pipe outlets mapped in the first survey had perennial discharge and these outlets were significantly larger and shallower than those from ephemerally‐flowing pipes. The cross‐sectional area of 85% of pipe outlets changed (increased or decreased) during the study, with 20% of pipe outlet areas changing by more than 50 cm2 (equivalent to a median 207 % change in area for this upper fifth of pipes) up to a maximum of 312 cm2 for one pipe outlet. During the study, 18 pipe outlets completely infilled, while four new ones appeared. Mean pipe outlet area increased between August 2007 and July 2009 but decreased from July 2009 to April 2010. The largest changes in pipe morphology occurred between July 2009 and April 2010, which spanned the coldest winter for 31 years in the UK. During this period there was a significant increase in the proportion of vertically‐elongated pipes and a decrease in the proportion of circular pipes. Pipe outlet morphology in blanket peat catchments is shown to be dynamic and may respond relatively quickly to changes in flow or extreme events, linked to short‐term changes in weather and hence potentially to longer‐term changes in climate or land management. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sociocultural theory: Providing more structure to culturally responsive evaluation
Authors: McBride Dominica F.
Published: September 2011

Evaluation's “ancestors” have formed a strong foundation on which experienced, nascent, and future evaluators can build. An area for growth and cultivation is culturally responsive evaluation. The author describes sociocultural theory (ST), a comprehensive theory explaining how culture influences human development, and its potential for program evaluation. Although ST concretizes culture and provides guidelines for culturally responsive research, it has never been applied to program evaluation. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association
A bridge between basic social science and evaluation
Authors: Blagg Robert D.
Published: September 2011

The author argues that evaluators must forge a strong bridge between basic social science and evaluation. Realizing this potential will involve holding evaluation to a high standard, through advancing cutting‐edge empirical methods, balancing demands for accountability, and providing direction for basic social science. Approaches such as theory‐based evaluation and natural‐variation research designs can demonstrate the importance of evaluation, and help evaluators to ensure that traffic of ideas between basic social science and evaluation runs efficiently in both directions. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association
Using nonequivalent dependent variables to reduce internal validity threats in quasi‐experiments: Rationale, history, and examples from practice
Authors: Coryn Chris L.S. , Hobson Kristin A.
Published: September 2011

Threats to the validity of inferences and conclusions regarding the effects of applied interventions have been a major dilemma for social scientists and evaluators for several decades. One mechanism for reducing threats to internal validity and improving warrants for cause‐and‐effect conclusions in nonrandomized investigations and evaluations is the inclusion of nonequivalent dependent variables as an element of structural design. In this chapter, the rationale for, history of, and examples from practice for using nonequivalent dependent variables to reduce internal validity threats, as well as some warrants supporting their increased use, are described. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association
Eval + comm
Authors: Evergreen Stephanie D. H.
Published: September 2011

Graphic design has a role in securing the attention and engagement of the reader, a way of making complicated data a more digestible cognitive aid, but it has been almost entirely ignored until quite recently in evaluation. The author argues that the professionalism of evaluators and evaluation practice will require an evolution in the way evaluators talk about our work. The author describes a number of models and sources of inspiration for becoming more mindful communicators. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association
Focus groups in the virtual world: Implications for the future of evaluation
Authors: Galloway Kristin L.
Published: September 2011

Focus groups are an important methodology in evaluation, and with the availability of new technology in communication the options for how to perform focus groups are growing. The author describes the experience of using focus groups electronically or online, and provides an illustration of conducting a focus group in an online chat room with international participants. Various strengths and weaknesses of focus groups in alternative mediums are identified, and questions are raised for using virtual focus groups in the future. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association
Inside, outside, upside down: Challenges and opportunities that frame the future of a novice evaluator
Authors: Robinson Sheila B.
Published: September 2011

Through the lens of reflective questions and potential growth opportunities, the author uses as an extended metaphor the popular children's story Inside Outside Upside Down to illustrate challenges rooted in being a novice evaluator, working inside and outside programs. Given the plethora of evaluation theories and approaches, the author feels “upside down” with decision making, organizing, and prioritizing evaluation projects. How can prominent evaluation theorists' approaches inform a novice evaluator's work and help in developing an identity as an evaluator? Will the author, like the bear in the story, emerge from the box right side up? The author elaborates on how addressing these questions frames how her future as a practicing evaluator might be envisioned. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association
Integrating a new evaluation unit with an old institution: See no evil; hear no evil; speak no evil
Authors: Baxter Claire E.
Published: September 2011

The author focuses on issues related to the implementation and acceptance of a new evaluation unit within an organization. Specifically, the author discusses role clarity of the evaluation unit with respect to overlapping roles and the reach of the evaluation unit. The author also discusses the push‐and‐pull relationship between organization and evaluation staff. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association
Building the value of evaluation: Engaging with reflective practitioners
Authors: Derrick‐Mills Teresa M.
Published: September 2011

Evaluation use has been a focal point of the evaluation field for many years, and recent practice and theory have focused on the potentially transformative effects of the evaluation process itself. All of these efforts, however, start with practitioners who are frequently fearful or suspicious about the process mandated or imposed on them, concerned about the time it will take away from their direct service, and dubious of the value that the evaluation will impart. Although the efforts of individual evaluators attempting to partner with practitioners one program at a time to improve the evaluation process and convince practitioners of its value are important, we also need systemic approaches to cultivate the value of evaluation among practitioners. This chapter proposes a three‐pronged approach to develop and engage reflective practitioners to build the value of evaluation. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association
Evaluation of multinational programs: Value and challenges
Authors: Hoffman Kim A.
Published: September 2011

Opportunities for the evaluation of multinational projects offer potential for insights into project operations and effects across sites, cultures, nations, and regions. The author discusses the value of building robust multinational evaluations, practical considerations for gaining ethical clearances in diverse settings, and ways to accommodate projects with varied implementation processes and goals. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association
Using organizational memory directories to analyze networks
Authors: Jansen van Rensburg Madri S.
Published: September 2011

This chapter describes the value of organizational memory (OM) directories and networks to improve evaluations and monitoring activities with the use of a case study. Networking within and between organizations is considered increasingly important, and organizational memory and the directory of the memory are needed to access these networks and determine their influence. Networks—social and business—and the ability to document and map networks and their influence are progressively becoming generally more important, including in evaluation studies. Future focus on networks and OM will make it possible to identify key and more‐distant stakeholders and beneficiaries, and to examine the networks to enable reliability of impact evaluations. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association
Effectiveness engineering: Vistas of opportunity beyond merit, worth, and significance
Authors: Wilson Kurt A.
Published: September 2011

Practicing evaluators can be understood as representing the “brand” of evaluation, and as such face challenges with the negative connotations and overall confusion surrounding the field. Effectiveness engineering is presented as a sensitizing concept, a new way of seeing the subset of evaluation approaches that engage goals expanding beyond a determination of merit, worth, or significance. Emerging methodologies addressing systems and complexity, and two portals from Google that provide free data, are suggested as especially relevant resources for those that resonate with the “effectiveness engineering” concept. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association
Harnessing the power of the electronic health record data for use in program evaluation
Authors: Cohen Deborah
Published: September 2011

The adoption of the electronic health record (EHR) will play a major role in the evolution of health‐related program evaluation and applied research over the next 10 years. As we move toward meeting “meaningful use” standards, many mental health agencies will soon have the capacity to inform internal and external stakeholders about agency processes and outcomes at the click of a mouse. The EHR has become a necessity for business operations among all health‐care providers, and it will be important for evaluators to devise ways to utilize this information effectively to guide the program evaluation process. The author describes ways that these data may be used, specifically from the viewpoint of empowerment evaluation, including as a viable secondary data source. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association
Rapid testing of gene‐gene interactions in genome‐wide association studies of binary and quantitative phenotypes
Authors: Bhattacharya Kanishka , McCarthy Mark I. , Morris Andrew P.
Published: September 2011

Genome‐wide association (GWA) studies have been extremely successful in identifying novel loci contributing effects to a wide range of complex human traits. However, despite this success, the joint marginal effects of these loci account for only a small proportion of the heritability of these traits. Interactions between variants in different loci are not typically modelled in traditional GWA analysis, but may account for some of the missing heritability in humans, as they do in other model organisms. One of the key challenges in performing gene‐gene interaction studies is the computational burden of the analysis. We propose a two‐stage interaction analysis strategy to address this challenge in the context of both quantitative traits and dichotomous phenotypes. We have performed simulations to demonstrate only a negligible loss in power of this two‐stage strategy, while minimizing the computational burden. Application of this interaction strategy to GWA studies of T2D and obesity highlights potential novel signals of association, which warrant follow‐up in larger cohorts. Genet. Epidemiol. 2011.© 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.35: 800‐808, 2011
MR spectroscopy of the human prostate using surface coil at 3 T: Metabolite ratios, age‐dependent effects, and diagnostic possibilities
Authors: Weis Jan , Jorulf Håkan , Bergman Antonina , Ortiz‐Nieto Francisco , Häggman Michael , Ahlström Håkan
Published: September 2011

Purpose:

To measure prostate spectra of healthy volunteers using a surface coil, to demonstrate age‐dependent effects, and to investigate diagnostic possibilities for prostate cancer detection.

Materials and Methods:

Single‐voxel and 2D magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) spectra of 51 healthy volunteers with biopsy‐proven prostate carcinoma of 20 patients for comparison were measured and processed using the LCModel. The mean normalized spectra and mean metabolite‐to‐citrate intensity ratios were computed.

Results:

Metabolite‐to‐citrate ratios of healthy volunteers were lower in the older group (>51 years) than in the younger group (<45 years). The peripheral zone (PZ) revealed a lower metabolite‐to‐citrate intensity ratio than the central gland (CG). Age‐related differences in metabolite‐to‐citrate ratio were insignificant in the voxels with predominantly CG tissue, whereas significant differences were found in the PZ. Sensitivity in detecting prostate cancer by single‐voxel spectroscopy (SVS) and 2D MRSI was 75% and 80%, respectively.

Conclusion:

SVS and 2D MRSI of the prostate at 3 T, using a surface coil, are useful in situations when insertion of the endorectal coil into the rectum is difficult or impossible. Our findings of age‐dependent effects may be of importance for the analysis of patient spectra. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2011;. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
MRI texture analysis of femoral neck: Detection of exercise load‐associated differences in trabecular bone
Authors: Harrison Lara C.V. , Nikander Riku , Sikiö Minna , Luukkaala Tiina , Helminen Mika T. , Ryymin Pertti , Soimakallio Seppo , Eskola Hannu J. , Dastidar Prasun , Sievänen Harri
Published: September 2011

Purpose:

To assess the ability of co‐occurrence matrix‐based texture parameters to detect exercise load‐associated differences in MRI texture at the femoral neck cross‐section.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 91 top‐level female athletes representing five differently loading sports and 20 referents participated in this cross‐sectional study. Axial T1‐weighted FLASH and T2*‐weighted MEDIC sequence images of the proximal femur were obtained with a 1.5T MRI. The femoral neck trabecular bone at the level of the insertion of articular capsule was divided manually into regions of interest representing four anatomical sectors (anterior, posterior, superior, and inferior). Selected co‐occurrence matrix‐based texture parameters were used to evaluate differences in apparent trabecular structure between the exercise loading groups and anatomical sectors of the femoral neck.

Results:

Significant differences in the trabecular bone texture, particularly at the superior femoral neck, were observed between athletes representing odd‐impact (soccer and squash) and high‐magnitude exercise loading (power‐lifting) groups and the nonathletic reference group.

Conclusion:

MRI texture analysis provides a quantitative method for detecting and classifying apparent structural differences in trabecular bone that are associated with specific exercise loading. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2011;. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effect of variable‐stiffness walking shoes on knee adduction moment, pain, and function in subjects with medial compartment knee osteoarthritis after 1 year
Authors: Erhart‐Hledik Jennifer C. , Elspas Barbara , Giori Nicholas J. , Andriacchi Thomas P.
Published: September 2011

This study investigated the load‐modifying and clinical efficacy of variable‐stiffness shoes after 12 months in subjects with medial compartment knee osteoarthritis. Subjects who completed a prior 6‐month study were asked to wear their assigned constant‐stiffness control or variable‐stiffness intervention shoes during the remainder of the study. Changes in peak knee adduction moment, total Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC), and WOMAC pain scores were assessed. Seventy‐nine subjects were enrolled, and 55 completed the trial. Using an intention‐to‐treat analysis, the variable‐stiffness shoes reduced the within‐day peak knee adduction moment (−5.5%, p < 0.001) in the intervention subjects, while the constant‐stiffness shoes increased the peak knee adduction moment in the control subjects (+3.1%, p = 0.015) at the 12‐month visit. WOMAC pain and total scores for the intervention group were significantly reduced from baseline to 12 months (−32%, p = 0.002 and −35%, p = 0.007, respectively). The control group had a reduction of 27% in WOMAC pain score (p = 0.04) and no significant reduction in total WOMAC score. Reductions in WOMAC pain and total scores were similar between groups (p = 0.8 and p = 0.47, respectively). In the intervention group, reductions in adduction moment were related to improvements in pain and function (R2 = 0.11, p = 0.04). Analysis by disease severity revealed greater efficacy in adduction moment reduction in the less severe intervention group. While the long‐term effects of the intervention shoes on pain and function did not differ from control, the data suggest wearing the intervention shoe reduces the within‐day adduction moment after long‐term wear, and thus should reduce loading on the affected medial compartment of the knee. © 2011 Orthopaedic Research Society. © 2011 Orthopaedic Research Society Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 30:514–521, 2012
Prospective diagnostic performance evaluation of single‐voxel 1H MRS for typing and grading of brain tumours
Authors: Julià‐Sapé Margarida , Coronel Indira , Majós Carles , Candiota Ana Paula , Serrallonga Marta , Cos Mònica , Aguilera Carles , Acebes Juan José , Griffiths John R. , Arús Carles
Published: September 2011

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether single‐voxel 1H MRS could add useful information to conventional MRI in the preoperative characterisation of the type and grade of brain tumours. MRI and MRS examinations from a prospective cohort of 40 consecutive patients were analysed double blind by radiologists and spectroscopists before the histological diagnosis was known. The spectroscopists had only the MR spectra, whereas the radiologists had both the MR images and basic clinical details (age, sex and presenting symptoms). Then, the radiologists and spectroscopists exchanged their predictions and re‐evaluated their initial opinions, taking into account the new evidence. Spectroscopists used four different systems of analysis for 1H MRS data, and the efficacy of each of these methods was also evaluated. Information extracted from 1H MRS significantly improved the radiologists' MRI‐based characterisation of grade IV tumours (glioblastomas, metastases, medulloblastomas and lymphomas) in the cohort [area under the curve (AUC) in the MRI re‐evaluation 0.93 versus AUC in the MRI evaluation 0.85], and also of the less malignant glial tumours (AUC in the MRI re‐evaluation 0.93 versus AUC in the MRI evaluation 0.81). One of the MRS analysis systems used, the INTERPRET (International Network for Pattern Recognition of Tumours Using Magnetic Resonance) decision support system, outperformed the others, as well as being better than the MRI evaluation for the characterisation of grade III astrocytomas. Thus, preoperative MRS data improve the radiologists' performance in diagnosing grade IV tumours and, for those of grade II–III, MRS data help them to recognise the glial lineage. Even in cases in which their diagnoses were not improved, the provision of MRS data to the radiologists had no negative influence on their predictions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Migration of styrene from plastic packaging based on polystyrene into food simulants
Authors: Paraskevopoulou Despoina , Achilias Dimitris S , Paraskevopoulou Adamantini
Published: September 2011

Migration of potentially toxic substances from plastic packaging materials is very important in the food industry since it determines the suitability of polymers when used in food packaging. In this work, results are presented on the migration of styrene monomer from plastic packaging based on either rigid or foamed polystyrene. Water, ethanol/water solution and isooctane (resembling oil) were considered as food simulants. Experiments were carried out at various temperatures and migration was tested from 30 min to 30 days. Measurements were carried out using gas chromatography with external calibration and styrene standard solutions. No styrene was measured in water, except at high temperatures and long time periods, while the amount in ethanol/water was always grater than that in isooctane. Finally, the styrene diffusion coefficients for all the various experimental conditions were estimated using a rigorous model based on the Fick diffusion equation and the partitioning of the monomer between the two phases and consequently the activation energy of the migration process was evaluated. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
MicroRNA-451 Is Involved in the Self-renewal, Tumorigenicity, and Chemoresistance of Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells
Authors: Bitarte Nerea , Bandres Eva , Boni Valentina , Zarate Ruth , Rodriguez Javier , Gonzalez-Huarriz Marisol , Lopez Ines , Javier Sola Jesus , Alonso Marta M. , Fortes Puri , Garcia-Foncillas Jesus
Published: September 2011

Many antitumor therapies affect rapidly dividing cells. However, tumor proliferation may be driven by cancer stem cells (CSCs), which divide slowly and are relatively resistant to cytotoxic drugs. Thus, many tumors may progress because CSCs are not sensitive to the treatment. In this work, we searched for target genes whose expression is involved in proliferation and chemoresistance of CSCs. Both of these processes could be controlled simultaneously by cell regulators such as microRNAs (miRNAs). Therefore, colonospheres with properties of CSCs were obtained from different colon carcinoma cells, and miRNA profiling was performed. The results showed that miR-451 was downregulated in colonspheres versus parental cells. Surprisingly, expression of miR-451 caused a decrease in self-renewal, tumorigenicity, and chemoresistance to irinotecan of colonspheres. We identified cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) as an indirect miR-451 target gene involved in sphere growth. Our results indicate that miR-451 downregulation allows the expression of the direct target gene macrophage migration inhibitory factor, involved in the expression of COX-2. In turn, COX-2 allows Wnt activation, which is essential for CSC growth. Furthermore, miR-451 restoration decreases expression of the ATP-binding cassette drug transporter ABCB1 and results in irinotecan sensitization. These findings correlate well with the lower expression of miR-451 observed in patients who did not respond to irinotecan-based first-line therapy compared with patients who did. Our data suggest that miR-451 is a novel candidate to circumvent recurrence and drug resistance in colorectal cancer and could be used as a marker to predict response to irinotecan in patients with colon carcinoma.
Concise Review: Deciphering the Mechanism Behind Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Generation
Authors: Lin Shi-Lung
Published: September 2011

Regenerative medicine using spluripotent/multipotent stem cells holds a great promise in developing therapies for treating developmental abnormalities, degenerative disorders, and aging-related illness. However, supply and safety of the stem cells are two major problems with today's regenerative medicine. Recent development of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has overcome the supply shortages by allowing the reprogramming of patients' body cells to embryonic stem cell (ESC)-like pluripotent cells. Still, the potential tumorigenicity of iPSCs remains as an obstacle. During early embryogenesis ESCs can be generated without tumor formation; therefore, understanding the mechanisms underlying ESC generation may help us to prevent iPSC tumorigenicity. Previous studies have shown that an ESC-enriched noncoding RNA, miR-302, induces somatic cell reprogramming (SCR) to form iPSCs, suggesting its pivotal role in stem cell generation. Recent research further revealed that miR-302-induced SCR involves an epigenetic reprogramming mechanism similar to the natural zygotic reprogramming process in the two- to eight-cell-stage embryos. These findings indicate that miR-302, as a cytoplasmic gene silencer, inhibits the translation of multiple key epigenetic regulators, including AOF1/2, methyl-CpG binding proteins 1 and 2, and DNA (cytosine-5-)-methyltransferase 1, to induce global DNA demethylation, which subsequently triggers the activation of the previously defined factors Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog to complete the reprogramming process. The same mechanism was also found in the event of somatic cell nuclear transfer. Based on these advanced understandings, this review describes the currently established SCR mechanism—as compared to the natural process of early ESC formation—and demonstrates how stem cell researchers may use this mechanism to improve iPSC generation.
Concise Review: Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells for Vascular Medicine
Authors: Asahara Takayuki , Kawamoto Atsuhiko , Masuda Haruchika
Published: September 2011

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been isolated and shown to be effective in animal models of ischemia, and many groups involved in clinical trials have demonstrated that EPC therapy is safe and feasible for the treatment of critical limb ischemia and cardiovascular diseases. However, many issues in the field of EPC biology, especially in regards to the proper and unambiguous molecular characterization of these cells still remain unresolved, hampering not only basic research but also the effective therapeutic use and widespread application of these cells. In this review, we introduce the recent concept of EPC identification in terms of hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic EPCs along with the development of EPC biology research. Furthermore, we define the role of circulating EPCs in postnatal neovascularization to illustrate the future direction of EPC therapeutic applications. Next, we review on-going medical applications of EPC for cardiovascular and peripheral vascular diseases, introduce the practical example of therapeutic application of EPCs to patients with ischemic disease, and discuss about the feedback of clinical researches.
Increased Re-Entry into Cell Cycle Mitigates Age-Related Neurogenic Decline in the Murine Subventricular Zone
Authors: Stoll Elizabeth A. , Habibi Behnum A. , Mikheev Andrei M. , Lasiene Jurate , Massey Susan C. , Swanson Kristin R. , Rostomily Robert C. , Horner Philip J.
Published: September 2011

Although new neurons are produced in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the adult mammalian brain, fewer functional neurons are produced with increasing age. The age-related decline in neurogenesis has been attributed to a decreased pool of neural progenitor cells (NPCs), an increased rate of cell death, and an inability to undergo neuronal differentiation and develop functional synapses. The time between mitotic events has also been hypothesized to increase with age, but this has not been directly investigated. Studying primary-cultured NPCs from the young adult and aged mouse forebrain, we observe that fewer aged cells are dividing at a given time; however, the mitotic cells in aged cultures divide more frequently than mitotic cells in young cultures during a 48-hour period of live-cell time-lapse imaging. Double-thymidine-analog labeling also demonstrates that fewer aged cells are dividing at a given time, but those that do divide are significantly more likely to re-enter the cell cycle within a day, both in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, we observed that cellular survival is impaired in aged cultures. Using our live-cell imaging data, we developed a mathematical model describing cell cycle kinetics to predict the growth curves of cells over time in vitro and the labeling index over time in vivo. Together, these data surprisingly suggest that progenitor cells remaining in the aged SVZ are highly proliferative.
Iron-mediated retinal degeneration in haemojuvelin-knockout mice
Authors: Gnana-Prakasam Jaya P. , Tawfik Amany , Romej Michelle , Ananth Sudha , Martin Pamela M. , Smith Sylvia B. , Ganapathy Vadivel
Published: September 2011

Haemochromatosis is a genetic disorder of iron overload resulting from loss-of-function mutations in genes coding for the iron-regulatory proteins HFE (human leucocyte antigen-like protein involved in iron homoeostasis), transferrin receptor 2, ferroportin, hepcidin and HJV (haemojuvelin). Recent studies have established the expression of all of the five genes in the retina, indicating their importance in retinal iron homoeostasis. Previously, we demonstrated that HJV is expressed in RPE (retinal pigment epithelium), the outer and inner nuclear layers and the ganglion cell layer. In the present paper, we report on the consequences of Hjv deletion on the retina in mice. Hjv−/− mice at ≥18 months of age had increased iron accumulation in the retina with marked morphological damage compared with age-matched controls; these changes were not found in younger mice. The retinal phenotype in Hjv−/− mice included hyperplasia of RPE. We isolated RPE cells from wild-type and Hjv−/− mice and examined their growth patterns. Hjv−/− RPE cells were less senescent and exhibited a hyperproliferative phenotype. Hjv−/− RPE cells also showed up-regulation of Slc7a11 (solute carrier family 7 member 11 gene), which encodes the ‘transporter proper’ subunit xCT in the heterodimeric amino acid transporter xCT/4F2hc (cystine/glutamate exchanger). BMP6 (bone morphogenetic protein 6) could not induce hepcidin expression in Hjv−/− RPE cells, confirming that retinal cells require HJV for induction of hepcidin via BMP6 signalling. HJV is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein, and the membrane-associated HJV is necessary for BMP6-mediated activation of hepcidin promoter in RPE cells. Taken together, these results confirm the biological importance of HJV in the regulation of iron homoeostasis in the retina and in RPE.
Diet and Feeding Success of Fast‐Growing Yellow Perch Larvae and Juveniles in Perturbed Boreal Lakes
Authors: Leclerc Véronique , Sirois Pascal , Planas Dolors , Bérubé Pierre
Published: September 2011

The principal objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that enhanced early growth of yellow perch Perca flavescens in lakes affected by forest harvesting was related to favorable feeding conditions after the perturbation. Yellow perch larvae and juveniles and their zooplankton prey were sampled three times in three unperturbed lakes and in three perturbed lakes where forest harvesting had occurred in the catchment 2 years earlier. Univariate and multivariate analyses of the diets of age‐0 yellow perch from both treatments showed that fish in perturbed lakes primarily preyed upon Daphnia spp. and Polyphemus pediculus, whereas fish in unperturbed lakes preyed upon more diverse food items. Perturbed lakes showed higher dissolved organic carbon concentrations, algal biomass, and Daphnia spp. abundance. The feeding success index (number of prey items in the stomach per millimeter of fish length) and recent growth rates of age‐0 yellow perch showed a significant type II functional relationship with the abundance of Daphnia spp. We hypothesized that the increase in Daphnia spp. abundance and a darkening of water color in perturbed lakes may have favored prey detection and growth for larval and juvenile yellow perch, thereby affecting population recruitment.
Seasonal Distribution and Habitat Associations of Bull Sharks in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida: A 30‐Year Synthesis
Authors: Curtis Tobey H. , Adams Douglas H. , Burgess George H.
Published: September 2011

Many coastal shark species use shallow estuarine regions as nursery habitat, but there are considerable gaps in our understanding of the seasonal distribution and habitat use patterns of sharks within these systems. We compiled all available sampling data from the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) along Florida's central Atlantic coast to examine the distribution of bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas. The data synthesized in this study spanned the 30‐year period 1975–2005 and included information on the seasonal distribution, size structure, and habitat associations of 449 bull sharks. For comparison, data from an additional 106 bull sharks captured in shelf waters adjacent to the IRL were also examined. The IRL is dominated by young‐of‐the‐year (age‐0) and juvenile bull sharks, which were most abundant during spring, summer, and autumn. Shark captures were most often associated with shallow freshwater creeks, power plant outfalls, ocean inlets, and seagrass habitats with temperatures greater than 20°C, salinities of 10–30‰, and dissolved oxygen concentrations between 4 and 7 mg/L. Juvenile bull sharks were found in waters with higher mean salinities than were age‐0 sharks. Although the IRL is one of the most important bull shark nursery areas on the U.S. Atlantic coast, catch‐per‐unit‐effort data indicate that bull shark abundance decreases with increasing latitude within and north of the IRL, suggesting that the IRL is the northern limit of functional nursery habitat for this species in the northwest Atlantic Ocean.
Boir Ahmad Mockery: A Research Note
Authors: Friedl Erika
Published: September 2011

Although contemporary Persian folk poetry does not receive much scientific attention presently, this is not necessarily a sign that it is of little importance among renown arts in Iran. In fact, folk poetry seems to be quite alive and thriving in tents and behind mud walls—still alive, one probably has to caution, in spite of the rapidly changing channels of creativity in Iran. The ephemeral folk songs and poems can, indeed, be found everywhere, in cities as well as in camps and villages. However, it is in the countryside where they often take on special significance as the only truly “popular” art, the only means for many people to be, as we say, artistically expressive.

In Boir Ahmad, a tribal area in the Southwest, for example, a student of folk art finds himself in a void, after his initial rapture over spectacular tribal rugs has calmed. The Boir Ahmadi do not paint, do not draw, do not carve, do not play musical instruments, do not mold pots, do not embellish their tools, and rarely dance.
The National Minority Policy of Today's Yugoslavia
Authors: Gasinski Thaddeus Z.
Published: September 2011

Today's Yugoslav policy toward a score of national minorities, officially called nationalities, essentially amounts to what the ruling League of Communists of Yugoslavia publicly says and what is actually done by the appropriate organs at the federal, republic, provincial, and commune levels with respect to ethnically non-Yugoslav citizens. Although the Yugoslav national minorities (nationalities) make up only twelve percent of the entire population, their real impact on the Yugoslav multinational society is much stronger. This is due to the uneven economic and cultural development of various geographical regions in the past and to the compact settlement of national minorities in the sensitive border regions, where in some cases, they de facto enjoy the status of majority.
Nationalism and the Power of the Catholic Church in Poland*
Authors: Oliner Samuel P.
Published: September 2011

The determination with which Communism has attacked religious institutions and theology has resulted in considerable loss of power for the Church in virtually all of the satellite countries. There appears to be one notable exception to this phenomenon, namely, the Polish Church.
Neville Chamberlain and the Baltic States: A Retrospective Analysis
Authors: Kibena-Zechanowitsch Aimi
Published: September 2011

In the spring of 1939, negotiations commenced between the British and the Soviet Governments with the proffered goal of an agreement on the containment of Germany; it was essential that the negotiating powers agree on the identity of the border states to be guaranteed. The guaranteed states would then form a potential cordon sanitaire against Hitler's future expansionary policies.
The Concept of the Ruskaia Zemlia and Medieval National Consciousness from the Tenth to the Fifteenth Centuries*
Authors: Halperin Charles J.
Published: September 2011

Any society sufficiently cohesive to evolve even the most rudimentary political structure will also, as a matter of course, develop a set of shared concepts about the nature of that society and a justification of its political structure. Scholars usually ascribe the word “Ideology” only to a set of values which is highly abstract, rational, and articulated in the form of theoretical treatises, so that in the modern period liberalism or Marxism is considered as an ideology, but this is not entirely warranted. Medieval states frequently expressed their social and political myths through the medium of ceremonial and symbol, hence the considerable attention to artistic evidence given by the great scholar of medieval political theology Ernst Kantorowicz or by his student Michael Cherniavsky, whose field was Medieval Rus',1 Even in medieval western Europe, but overwhelmingly in medieval Rus', much political thought, like our current symbolic respect for the “flag,” was expressed in extremely laconic terms. Phrases, concepts, and titles served in lieu largely of theoretical treatises, and ideologues demonstrated their creativity and originality in the manipulation of these phrases, concepts, and titles, not the elaboration of intellectual definitions of their significance. Such definitions were superfluous to contemporaries who all understood the shared vocabulary of political discourse, what we might call a political culture, but their absence compels the modern-day historian to rely upon his informed imagination to decode such social and political myths in order to establish their intended meanings. This is not to imply that modern political ideologies lack overarching myths. Indeed the very opposite is exactly the case; in Russian history the myth of the “people” (narod) in Populist thought and the myths of the proletariat or (later) the Party in Marxist/Bolshevik writings spring readily to mind. The lack of elaborate theoretical discussions of comparable myths in pre-Petrine history inevitably requires different methods of study from those one can apply to subsequent centuries.
Pratiques et Théories de la Traduction en Urss: Causes et Effets Dans L'interaction des Langues des Peuples Soviétiques Dans la Période D'après-Guerre.
Authors: Bruchis Michael
Published: September 2011

De par leur but et leur destination, les traductions, dans l'Union soviétique, sont étroitement unies à la politique promue par les autorités dans le domaine de la langue, en tant que “partie composante de la politique nationale”. Sous cet aspect, elles s'encadrent de manière naturelle dans la fameuse formule-triptique de l'historiographie de l'URSS: “épanouissement — rapprochement — fusion” des nations soviétiques, et, implicitement, de leurs langues et cultures.
The Rise and Fall of Alexander Dubček*
Authors: Kalvoda Josef
Published: September 2011

Very few people outside Slovakia ever heard of Alexander Dubček prior to his elevation to the position of the First Secretary of the Communist party of Czechoslovakia in January 1968. A few years later, after a shortlived prominence, his name fell into oblivion, appearing only occasionally as a symbol of the “Prague Spring” and “socialism with a human face.”

The amount of writing relevant to the short career of Dubček and the developments in Czechoslovakia in 1968 is tremendous; yet it is not possible to write a “definitive” study on the “Prague Spring” and Dubček's role in it, for the story of those events is still unfolding. Also, interpretations of the Dubček phenomenon will continue to vary due to bias of authors and the lack of hard evidence. Finally, the archives of the Communist parties of the Soviet bloc countries and private papers of Communist party officials are not accessible. It is not possible, for political, personal, security or other reasons, to obtain the one particular piece of evidence — the one vital letter, memorandum of conversation, revealing diary, or a note of personal communication — which would explainconclusivelywhy Dubček rose and fell.
Early Ukrainian Theater and Drama*
Authors: Lewin Paulina
Published: September 2011

The earliest extant dramatic texts written in Ukraine date from the sixteenth century. I shall discuss dramatic texts that were written in Ukraine and not “Ukrainian texts” because in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and even partly in the eighteenth, works were written for the stage in Ukraine in several languages: Church Slavonic (Western version), the colloquial Ukrainian language (various dialects), and Polish. But all the dramatic works which will be our subject were written chiefly for the Ukrainian Orthodox audience and thus without doubt belong to Ukrainian culture.
Sozialstruktur und nationale Beziehungen in der UdSSR. — zur these der “Odnorodnost”' der Sozialstruktur der Sowjetischen Nationen —
Authors: Martiny Albrecht
Published: September 2011

I

Zu dem historischen Erbe, das die Sowjetmacht im Jahre 1917 antrat und mit dem sie sich auseinanderzusetzen hatte, gehörte nicht zuletzt das ungelöste Nationalitätenproblem — in rückschauender Perspektive sicherlich eines der säkularen Probleme der russischen und sowjetischen Gesellschaft. Die bolschewistische Partei hat es bei der Entwicklung ihrer Programmatik stets reflektiert, und Lenin verfügte im Gegensatz zu Marx und Engels über ein vergleichsweise feines Sensorium für die politische Bedeutung der Nationalitätenfrage. Vor dem Hintergrund der späteren Erfahrungen (vor allem im 2. Weltkrieg) erscheint die Entwicklung der sowjetischen Nationalitäten in den 20er Jahren als eine Periode der nationalen Konsolidierung: Die Politik der Bolschewiki setzte hier Kräfte frei, die lange Zeit unterdrückt waren und nun eine enorme Dynamik entfalteten. Die Mobilisierung der sowjetischen Nationalitäten verlief dabei übrigens weitgehend parallel zur allgemeinen Bildungs- und Kulturpolitik. Der zügige Aufbau des Bildungswesens, die Verbreitung der Kulturtechniken und der Medien etc. hatte allerdings mehr noch als im eigentlichen Russland neben der sozialen Mobilisierungsfunktion eine national-kompensatorische Bedeutung. Dieser Nebeneffekt war keineswegs erwünscht und die immer stärkere funktionale Ausrichtung der Bildungspolitik auf das Industrialisierungsprogramm machte sie zunehmend zu einer als eher hinderlich empfundenen Begleiterscheinung. In den 30er Jahren dienten die ehemaligen “Randgebiete” des zaristischen Russland vornehmlich als Rohstofflieferanten einer zügig aufgebauten Industrie im europäischen Teil der Sowjetunion.
L'Ukrainisation, aspect de la question nationale en Ukraine soviétique dans les années 1920*
Authors: Joukovsky Arcadie
Published: September 2011

La politique des nationalités, appelée communément la question nationale, préoccupe le parti bolchevique depuis son congrès de Bruxelles-Londres de 1903. Elle a connu une certaine évolution, liée aux circonstances politiques, pendant la longue période qui va de 1903 à 1980. Le parti bolchevique a toujours poursuivi une politique de centralisme étatique et de russification, reprenant à son compte celle qui était pratiquée du temps du tsarisme, dont la devise était “Russie une et indivisible.”
Ukrainian Writers on the Jewish Question: In the Wake of the Illiustratsiia Affair of 1858
Authors: Serbyn Roman
Published: September 2011

In November 1858, the moderate journal, Russkii vestnik, printed a letter drafted by P. Kulish and signed by N. Kostomarov, Marko Vovchok, M. Nomys, T. Shevchenko, as well as the author.
Dissent in Eastern Europe: Rudolf Bahro's Criticism of East European Communism
Authors: Schlauch Wolfgang
Published: September 2011

Since the signing of the Final Act of the Conference on Security in Europe (CSCE) in Helsinki on August 1, 1975, the communist parties of Eastern Europe have been confronted with growing human rights movements from diverse individuals and groups. In the Soviet Union, so-called Helsinki Watch Committees were founded in 1976, in order to monitor the implementation of the Helsinki human rights provisions and those of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In Czechoslovakia, the human rights movement was coordinated by the publication of “Charter 77” in January 1977, which, like its counterpart in the Soviet Union, asked its government to comply with the Helsinki human rights provisions signed earlier by the Prague government. “Charter 77” has been signed by more than a thousand individuals, many of whom have been arrested or terrorized by the Secret Police. In Poland, the “Committee for the Defense of the Workers” (KOR) was founded after the June 1976 uprising of Polish workers in Ursus and Radom. The Committee's purpose was to provide legal and financial aid to those workers subjected to the Party's repression and physical terror for having participated in the June uprisings. KOR also criticized the government's violation of fundamental rights, such as the right to work, freedom of expression, and the right to participate in meetings and demonstrations. Again in 1980 during the Polish workers’ strikes, KOR under the leadership of Jacek Kuron assisted the strikers. They denounced the decline of the Polish Communist Party's credibility and the complete collapse of communication between rulers and the ruled. Even Hungary and Rumania have experienced the emergence of individuals and small groups who either want their governments to observe the human rights provisions, or who support human rights movements in other eastern European countries.
The Problem of National Minorities Before and After the Paris Peace Treaties of 1947
Authors: Chaszar Edward
Published: September 2011

The purpose of this paper is to compare briefly the situation of national minorities in Europe before and after the Paris Peace Treaties of 1947. More particularly, to contrast the League of Nations system of minority protection with the lack of a similar system within the United Nations framework, and recent attempts to remedy this shortcoming.
Three Attempts at Federation in 17th Century Eastern Europe
Authors: Kulchycky George P.
Published: September 2011

The title is indicative of the outcome of the federative experiment in Eastern Europe between Ukraine and its strong neighbors Muscovy, Poland, and the Ottoman Empire. It should be pointed out at the outset that the idea of federation was adopted by the Ukrainian state not for the sake of federation but as a deterrent against strong neighbors, who despite serious setbacks continued to interfere with Ukrainian sovereignty. This was in effect the only option left to the Ukrainians considering the internal and external developments prior to and after the death of Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytskyi.