bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Combined Vertebral Fracture Assessment and Bone Mineral Density Measurement: A Patient-friendly New Tool with an Important Impact on the Canadian Risk Fracture Classification
Authors: Jager Pieter L. , Slart Riemer H.J.A. , Webber Colin L. , Adachi Jonathan D. , Papaioannou Alexandra L. , Gulenchyn Karen Y.
Published: March 2010

Purpose

Vertebral fractures often go unnoticed, while they constitute a significant risk factor for new fractures, independent of the bone density. Vertebral Fracture Assessment (VFA) is a new feature on DXA bone densitometry equipment. Our purpose was to determine the added value of VFA and its impact on the Canadian fracture risk classification using data from a Dutch academic cohort.

Methods

All 958 consecutive patients (64% female, mean age 53 [20–94], mean weight 75 kg [32–150]) who underwent BMD measurement at the University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands also underwent VFA in the same session.

Results

The prevalence of vertebral fractures was 26%. In 68% of these patients this fracture was unknown. The severity was “mild” (20%–25% height loss) in 43%, “moderate” (25%–35%) in 44% and “severe” (>35% height loss) in 13%. Even after excluding mild fractures, the prevalence of vertebral fractures was 17%. In the 28% with normal BMD the vertebral fracture prevalence was still 18%, in the 43% with osteopenia 23%, and in the 29% with osteoporosis 36%. The Canadian risk classification was “low fracture risk” in 68%, “moderate” in 19%, and “high” in 13%. Adding VFA altered the classification in 20% of the patients, to become 54%, 27%, and 19%, respectively.

Conclusions

VFA added to BMD is a patient friendly diagnostic tool with a high diagnostic yield, as it detected unknown vertebral fractures and altered diagnostic classification in approximately 1 out of every 5 patients. These results suggest that BMD plus VFA may become the new standard in osteoporosis testing.
LINA: A Laboratory Inventory System for Oligonucleotides, Microbial Strains, and Cell Lines
Authors: Yousef A.F. , Baggili I.M. , Bartlett G. , Kane M.D. , Mymryk J.S.
Published: March 2010

In this article, we present the Laboratory Inventory Network Application (LINA), a software system that assists research laboratories in keeping track of their collections of biologically relevant materials. This open source application uses relational Microsoft Access database technology as a back end and a Microsoft .NET application as a front end. Preconstructed table templates are provided that contain standardized and customizable data fields. As new samples are added to the inventory, each is provided with a unique laboratory identifier, which is assigned automatically and sequentially, allowing rapid retrieval when a given reagent is required. The LINA contains a number of useful search tools including a general search, which allows database searches using up to four user-defined criteria. The LINA represents an easily implemented and useful organizational tool for biological laboratories with large numbers of strains, clones, or other reagents.
A LEAN Approach toward Automated Analysis and Data Processing of Polymers using Proton NMR Spectroscopy
Authors: de Brouwer Hans , Stegeman Gerrit
Published: March 2010

To maximize utilization of expensive laboratory instruments and to make most effective use of skilled human resources, the entire chain of data processing, calculation, and reporting that is needed to transform raw NMR data into meaningful results was automated. The LEAN process improvement tools were used to identify non-value-added steps in the existing process. These steps were eliminated using an in-house developed software package, which allowed us to meet the key requirement of improving quality and reliability compared with the existing process while freeing up valuable human resources and increasing productivity. Reliability and quality were improved by the consistent data treatment as performed by the software and the uniform administration of results. Automating a single NMR spectrophotometer led to a reduction in operator time of 35%, doubling of the annual sample throughput from 1400 to 2800, and reducing the turn around time from 6 days to less than 2.
Implementation of Siemens USS Protocol into LabVIEW
Authors: Hosek P. , Diblik M.
Published: March 2010

This article gives basic overview of the USS protocol as a communication interface to drive Siemens frequency inverters. It presents our implementation of this protocol into LabVIEW, as there was permanent demand from the community of the users to have native LabVIEW implementation of the USS protocol. It also states encountered problems and their solutions.
Development of Standard Test Procedures for Quantifying Carry over from Fixed Pipetting Tips in Liquid-Handling Systems
Authors: Weibel Roland , Iten Miriam , König Iwo , Beckbissinger Rainer , Benthien Thomas , Hälg Werner , Ingenhoven Nikolaus , Lehnert Angela , Oeltjen Lars , Zaborosch Christiane
Published: March 2010

Robotic liquid-handling systems using fixed reusable pipetting tips are used not only in fully integrated in vitro clinical diagnostic analyzers, but also in open platform robotic liquid-handling systems. These are not confined to particular diagnostic assays, as customers adapt a large variety of assays on these platforms. One major problem with the use of fixed, reusable tips is the carry over (CO) of analyte from sample to sample. Despite widespread use of fixed tips in open platform systems, systematic studies on procedures to quantify CO for analytes other than nucleic acids are missing. In a consortium with three liquid-handling system suppliers and one coating specialist, we developed test procedures for the quantification of CO. The procedures were standardized and tested with the analytes fluorescein, immunoglobulin G, and hepatitis B surface antigen as model substances for small organic molecules, antibodies, and complex biomolecules. The test procedures allow the reproducible quantification of the CO with intra- and interassay precisions of less than 6% coefficient of variation. They were used to investigate the effect of different tip coatings on the CO of the three analytes. Fluoropolymers, inorganic-organic nanocomposites, sodium-silicate glass, titanium dioxide, and silicone resins, which are used in special applications, showed only small differences in CO. The CO test procedures can be easily transferred to different liquid-handling systems and used with different analytes.
Antiprecipitant Screening System for Basic Model Compounds using Bio-Relevant Media
Authors: Yamashita Taro , Kokubo Tohru , Zhao Chenhua , Ohki Yasuhiro
Published: March 2010

Drug candidates with poor physicochemical properties (such as solubility) tend to have low bioavailability. For example, basic compounds might dissolve under acidic stomach conditions but then precipitate because of a change in pH under the neutral conditions found in the intestines. Therefore, it is essential to prevent precipitation and maintain high drug concentrations in the intestines to improve in vivo plasma exposure. Substances that act as antiprecipitants have been reported as well as bio-relevant media that mimic conditions in the stomach and small intestine. This report describes the development of an antiprecipitant screening system for basic model compounds using 96-well plates and bio-relevant media. Fourteen potential antiprecipitants were screened on one plate, which resulted in the identification of four substances that maintained a supersaturation state. To confirm these results, supersaturation studies were conducted according to the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) II dissolution method, and the results of the newly developed system correlated well with those of the USP II method. This novel system is useful for small-scale formulation screening during early preclinical development. This 96-well plate system will be available for the easily automated system in comparison with the conventional USP II system.
High-Throughput Doppler Toolbox for Preclinical Drug Development
Authors: Azer Karim , Desiderio Michael C. , Tong Christopher , Bunzel Michelle , Campbell Barry R. , Shevell Diane , Walker Matthew
Published: March 2010

Quantification of hemodynamics may be invaluable in a drug development setting. However, one of the challenges in the application of imaging technologies for compound screening purposes is the large volume of data in a short amount of time. This article focuses on methods developed for large-scale hemodynamic quantification, as measured from high-frequency Doppler ultrasound in rodents. An integrative semiautomated method for processing Doppler ultrasound images is described and validated. In the context of experimental biology, this toolbox allows for a comprehensive hemodynamic evaluation of in vivo physiology as the result of medical intervention, thus enabling rapid compound screening in preclinical drug development.
Nanopore-Based Devices for Bioanalytical Applications
Authors: Mulero Rafael , Prabhu Anmiv S. , Freedman Kevin J. , Kim Min Jun
Published: March 2010

With over a decade passed since the first reported use of a Staphylococcal α-hemolysin pore to study single molecules of single-stranded DNA, research in the field of nanopores has advanced rapidly. We discuss the technological progression of nanopore-based devices from the initial use of α-hemolysin pores to the advent of solid-state nanopores to the burgeoning of organic-inorganic hybrid pores driven by the desire to achieve fast and inexpensive DNA sequencing. Additional nanopore-based efforts are also discussed that study other classes of molecules, such as proteins. We discuss the use of nanopores for protein folding and binding analysis. In addition to single-molecule analysis, we report on the introduction of nanopore arrays on thin film membranes for ultrafiltration. Owing to their reduced spatial dimensionality, such membranes offer greater control over how the pores interact with analytes thus leading to very efficient separation. With several technical hindrances yet to be overcome, the devices we report are still works in progress. The realization of these devices will enhance laboratory processes by permitting superior spatial and temporal analytical resolution at the single-molecule level resulting in laboratory capacities of great impact.
Timing and distribution of alluvial fan sedimentation in response to strengthening of late Holocene ENSO variability in the Sonoran Desert, Southwestern Arizona, USA
Authors: Bacon Steven N. , McDonald Eric V. , Caldwell Todd G. , Dalldorf Graham K.
Published: March 2010

The integration of geomorphic mapping, soil stratigraphy, and radiocarbon dating of alluvial deposits offers insight to the timing, magnitude, and paleoclimatic context of Holocene fan sedimentation near Yuma, Arizona. Mapping of 3400 km2indicates about 10% of the area aggraded in the late Holocene and formed regionally extensive alluvial fan and alluvial plain cut-and-fill terraces. Fan deposits have weakly developed gravelly soils and yielded a date of 3200–2950 cal yr BP from carbonized wood. Alluvial plain deposits have weakly developed buried sandy soils and provided a date of 2460–2300 cal yr BP from a terrestrial snail shell. Precipitation records were analyzed to form historical analogues to the late Holocene aggradation and to consider the role of climatic variability and extreme hydrologic events as drivers of the sedimentation. The historical precipitation record indicates numerous above-average events correlated to the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) in the region, but lacks any significant reactivation of alluvial fan surfaces. The timing of aggradation from 3200 to 2300 cal yr BP correlates well with other paleoclimatic proxy records in the southwestern U.S. and eastern Pacific region, which indicate an intensification of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climatic pattern and rapid climate change during this period.
Knowledge and Inquiry
Authors: Olsson Erik J.
Published: March 2010

Isaac Levi has explored the principles of American pragmatism in greater depth and more consistency than others before him. The result is a sophisticated and powerful philosophical system whose key elements stand in stark opposition not only to mainstream epistemology, but also to the positions of other contemporary authors writing in the same pragmatist tradition. The essays in this volume, written by some of philosophy's finest scholars, contribute substantially to the understanding and appraisal of Levi's work. Included in this volume are Levi's extensive and provocative replies to his critics, which offer access to his thinking on a wide range of topics. The introduction provides a concise, systematic presentation of the cornerstone of Levi's pragmatism. Suitable for students and scholars who are interested in American pragmatism in general and Isaac Levi's work in particular, this book is an ideal companion to Levi's own writings.
The Eye and Visual Optical Instruments
Authors: Smith George , Atchison David A.
Published: March 2010

There is a wide variety of optical instruments where the human eye forms an integral part of the overall system. This book provides a detailed description of the visual ergonomics of such instruments. The book begins with a section on image formation and basic optical components. The various optical instruments that can be adequately described using geometrical optics are then discussed, followed by a section on diffraction and interference, and the instruments based on these effects. There are separate sections devoted to ophthalmic instruments and aberration theory, with a final section covering visual ergonomics in depth. Containing many problems and solutions, this book will be of great use to undergraduate and graduate students of optometry, optical design, optical engineering, and visual science, and to professionals working in these and related fields.
The Gentiles and the Gentile Mission in Luke-Acts
Authors: Wilson Stephen G.
Published: March 2010

A theological and historical study of the Gentiles and the Gentile missions in Luke and Acts. Dr Wilson examines Jesus' attitude to Gentiles and concludes that not only did he fail to anticipate a historical Gentile mission, but that his eschatological expectations logically disallowed it. Luke's views are then set against the tradition on the subject from Jesus up to and including Mark, and his theology is compared in detail with that of Paul. Dr Wilson goes on to consider the historical reliability of Acts and finds that most earlier assessments have been marred by oversimplification; Luke, he concludes, does intend to write good history but for a variety of reasons is not always successful. There has in recent years been a growing interest in the theology of Luke and this is a substantial addition to the literature on the subject. It will be of interest to all theologians and New Testament scholars.
Israel in the Apostolic Church
Authors: Richardson Peter
Published: March 2010

This historical study is concerned with the adoption by Christianity of Jewish prerogatives and attributes, and in particular with its assumption of the name 'Israel'. Dr Richardson's claim is that this was not a simple development, as it is usually conceived to be, but one which took place over a long period. The equation between the Church and the 'true Israel' does not occur, Dr Richardson argues, until the mid-second century in the works of Justin Martyr. The book is concerned mainly with an exegetical study of the New Testament passages relevant to the argument, concentrating on the Pauline epistles. There are other sections on the attitude of Jesus himself towards Israel, on post-Pauline developments, on political factors and on the early Fathers to A.D. I6o. The book ends with a synthesis of conclusions, and there are appendixes on the Sects of Judaism, Paul's Use of Laos and the Apology of Aristides. This comprehensive analysis of a vital problem in the early Church's life and witness has many important implications for a theology of the Church.
MONOTONE LINDELÖF PROPERTY AND LINEARLY ORDERED EXTENSIONS
Authors: XU AI-JUN , SHI WEI-XUE
Published: March 2010

In this paper, we explore the monotone Lindelöf property of two kinds of linearly ordered extensions of monotonically Lindelöf generalized ordered spaces. In addition, we construct nonseparable monotonically Lindelöf spaces using the Bernstein set, which generalizes Corollary 4 of Levy and Matveev [‘Some more examples of monotonically Lindelöf and not monotonically Lindelöf spaces’, Topology Appl.154 (2007), 2333–2343].
SOLUTIONS OF A GOŁA̧B–SCHINZEL-TYPE FUNCTIONAL EQUATION BOUNDED ON ‘BIG’ SETS IN AN ABSTRACT SENSE
Authors: JABŁOŃSKA ELIZA
Published: March 2010

It is well known that an exponential real function, which is Lebesgue measurable (Baire measurable, respectively) or bounded on a set of positive Lebesgue measure (of the second category with the Baire property, respectively), is continuous. Here we consider bounded on ‘big’ set solutions of an equation generalizing the exponential equation as well as the Goła̧b–Schinzel equation. Moreover, we unify results into a more general and abstract case.
A NOTE ON VALUE DISTRIBUTION OF DIFFERENCE POLYNOMIALS
Authors: LIU K. , LAINE I.
Published: March 2010

In this paper, we investigate the value distribution of difference polynomials and prove some difference analogues of results of Hayman and the Brück conjecture.
Dietary fat modifications and blood pressure in subjects with the metabolic syndrome in the LIPGENE dietary intervention study
Authors: Gulseth Hanne L. , Gjelstad Ingrid M. F. , Tierney Audrey C. , Shaw Danielle I. , Helal Olfa , Hees Anneke M. J. v. , Delgado-Lista Javier , Leszczynska-Golabek Iwona , Karlström Brita , Lovegrove Julie , Defoort Catherine , Blaak Ellen E. , Lopez-Miranda Jose , Dembinska-Kiec Aldona , Risérus Ulf , Roche Helen M. , Birkeland Kåre I. , Drevon Christian A.
Published: March 2010

Hypertension is a key feature of the metabolic syndrome. Lifestyle and dietary changes may affect blood pressure (BP), but the knowledge of the effects of dietary fat modification in subjects with the metabolic syndrome is limited. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of an isoenergetic change in the quantity and quality of dietary fat on BP in subjects with the metabolic syndrome. In a 12-week European multi-centre, parallel, randomised controlled dietary intervention trial (LIPGENE), 486 subjects were assigned to one of the four diets distinct in fat quantity and quality: two high-fat diets rich in saturated fat or monounsaturated fat and two low-fat, high-complex carbohydrate diets with or without 1·2 g/d of very long-chain n-3 PUFA supplementation. There were no overall differences in systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP or pulse pressure (PP) between the dietary groups after the intervention. The high-fat diet rich in saturated fat had minor unfavourable effects on SBP and PP in males.
Le problème dynamique de l’induction
Authors: Hill Brian
Published: March 2010

RÉSUMÉ : Depuis l’ouvrage classique de Goodman (19954), on sait que toute théorie de l’induction doit comporter unecomposante non formelle.Or, la liberté théorique offerte par le recours à un tel élément implique des responsabilités. Cet article propose commedesideratumd’une théorie de l’induction qu’elle rende compte de la dynamique de sa composante non formelle. Ce desideratum, qui est nouveau, n’est pas satisfait par les principales théories existantes de l’induction. L’identification de l’importance de la dynamique a pourtant l’avantage de suggérer une voie vers une théorie plus acceptable et plus compléte de l’induction.
Signification et action
Authors: Melo Candida de sousa
Published: March 2010

RÉSUMÉ : Dans la tradition logique de la philosophie analytique, comprendre la signification d’un énoncé, c’est comprendre ses conditions de vérité. Dans la tradition du langage naturel, la signification est liée à l’usage du langage. Depuis Grice, elle est liée aux attitudes et aux actions des interlocuteurs. Selon Austin, Searle et Vanderveken, signifier c’est utiliser des mots avec l’intention d’accomplir des actes illocutoires. Pareils actes ont des conditions de félicité plutôt que des conditions de vérité. Selon nous, signifier c’est essentiellement tenter d’accomplir des actes illocutoires. Et comme toute tentative est une action intentionnelle plutôt qu’une attitude, signifier c’est agir intentionnellement.
Effect of leaflet size and number on agronomic and physiological traits of mungbean
Authors: SRIPHADET S. , KASEMSAP P. , SRINIVES P.
Published: March 2010

The current work was designed to compare 13 agronomic and four physiological traits in mungbean isogenic lines (ILs) with different leaflet sizes and numbers. The IL population was developed from a cross made in 2006 at Kasetsart University, Thailand, between two pure lines (one with five small and the other with seven large leaflets), followed by continuous selfing of the progenies until F6. The resulting four IL families each exhibited seven leaflet types, viz. three normal-sized leaflets per leaf, seven large leaflets, nine large, five small, seven small, nine small or 11 small. A trial was conducted in 2008 to compare the 28 ILs using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The large multiple-leaflet lines gave higher values for seeds/pod, pod size, seed weight, seed yield, leaf area, leaf area index and proportion of light interception, but fewer clusters of pods, branches and pods per plant than the small multiple-leaflet ILs. Seed yield/plant was positively correlated with pods/plant, seeds/pod, mean seed weight, light interception, leaf area and plant height at maturity. Leaflet size showed association with more traits than did leaflet number.
INTRA- AND INTER-HOUSEHOLD DIFFERENCES IN ANTENATAL CARE, DELIVERY PRACTICES AND POSTNATAL CARE BETWEEN LAST NEONATAL DEATHS AND LAST SURVIVING CHILDREN IN A PERI-URBAN AREA OF INDIA
Authors: GHOSH ROHINI , SHARMA ARUN KUMAR
Published: March 2010

Nearly a quarter of the world's neonatal deaths take place in India. The state of Uttar Pradesh alone accounts for one-quarter of all neonatal deaths in the country. In this study 892 married women aged less than 50 years living in a peri-urban area of Kanpur city in Uttar Pradesh were interviewed. In all, 109 women reported neonatal deaths. Characteristics of the last neonatal deaths of these 109 women were compared with those of the last surviving children. Also, characteristics of women who had a neonatal death were compared with those of 783 women who had no neonatal death. It was found that as compared with neonatal deaths, the last surviving children of the 109 women had: (a) significantly better antenatal tests during pregnancy, intake of iron/folic acid tablets and higher percentage of tetanus toxoid immunization; (b) safer delivery practices such as a higher percentage of institutional delivery, sterilization of instruments and application of antiseptic after removal of umbilical cord; (c) postnatal care, such as application of antiseptic to the navel and postnatal checkups; and (d) higher maternal age and greater birth spacing. Likewise, better antenatal care and safer delivery practices and postnatal care were observed among the 783 women with no neonatal deaths, when compared with women who had experienced neonatal death. The complexities of inter- and intra-household differences in health care are discussed. The paper concludes that to improve child survival general education and awareness regarding safe delivery should be increased. Continuing cultural stigmas and misconceptions about birth practices before, during and after childbirth should be an important part of the awareness campaigns.
DESIRE FOR MORE CHILDREN, CONTRACEPTIVE USE AND UNMET NEED FOR FAMILY PLANNING IN A REMOTE AREA OF BALI, INDONESIA
Authors: WITHERS MELLISSA , KANO MEGUMI , PINATIH GDE NGURAH INDRAGUNA
Published: March 2010

Exploring fertility preferences in relation to contraceptive use can increase the understanding of future reproductive behaviour and unmet family planning needs. This knowledge can help assist women in meeting their reproductive goals. The influences on the desire for more children and current contraceptive use were examined among 1528 married women of reproductive age in an isolated community in Bali, Indonesia, using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Women who were younger, had fewer living children, had given birth in the past year and had regular access to health services were more likely to desire children. Being older, having fewer living children, not having regular access to health services, having given birth in the past year and having the desire for more children were associated with a lower likelihood of using contraception. Women with regular access to health care are more likely to desire more children, probably because they are confident in their ability to have successful birth outcomes. However, specialized clinics or family planning outreach workers may be required to reduce barriers to service utilization among some groups. The findings of this study identify key target populations for family planning, including older women and postpartum women – groups that may not perceive themselves to be at risk for unintended pregnancy. Meeting unmet need for family planning among these groups could help women meet their fertility goals, as well as reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.
Cavernous sinus thrombosis secondary to contralateral sphenoid sinusitis: a diagnostic challenge
Authors: Eweiss A , Mukonoweshuro W , Khalil H S
Published: March 2010

Objective:

To report what we believe to be the first case in the English language literature of unilateral cavernous sinus thrombosis complicating contralateral sphenoid sinusitis.

Case report:

A 62-year-old man presented to his general practitioner with a severe, right-sided, temporal headache. He was diagnosed with temporal arteritis and treated with systemic steroids. After five days, he developed right proptosis, ophthalmoplegia and ptosis. He was referred to the neurologists. After an urgent computed tomography head scan and computed tomography angiogram, a diagnosis of carotido-cavernous fistula was made. However, this was subsequently excluded after a negative cerebral angiogram. A review of the scans enabled diagnosis of right cavernous sinus thrombosis secondary to left sphenoiditis. The patient was referred to the otolaryngology team. After an urgent endoscopic sphenoidotomy and medical treatment, all symptoms and signs improved dramatically.

Conclusions:

Sphenoiditis can lead to contralateral cavernous sinus thrombosis. Urgent surgical sphenoidotomy, with appropriate medical treatment, can be successful in this life-threatening complication.
The ongoing dilemma of residual cholesteatoma detection: are current magnetic resonance imaging techniques good enough?
Authors: Clark M P A , Westerberg B D , Fenton D M
Published: March 2010

Introduction:

There is a clear clinical need to reliably detect residual cholesteatoma after canal wall up mastoid surgery. Ideally, this would be achieved through non-invasive radiological means rather than second-look surgery, thus preventing morbidity in those patients in whom no residual disease is found.

Case report:

We describe a case in which non-echo-planar, diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging sequences were used pre-operatively, and compared with subsequent surgical findings. This case highlights both the potential of this increasingly popular magnetic resonance technique and also its current limitations.

Discussion:

Various magnetic resonance sequencing types have been employed to try to reliably detect residual cholesteatoma, each with varying success. Non-echo-planar, fast-spin echo, diffusion-weighted sequences currently appear to be the most reliable at detecting even the smallest pearl of cholesteatoma, down to 2 mm in diameter. In our unit, a propeller, diffusion-weighted image sequence is employed on a GE Signa scanner. However, both this case study and other reports show that the accuracy of the technique is not 100 per cent. This begs the question of how much one can rely on the findings of such techniques when deciding whether second-look surgery is indicated. Scan-negative patients will require continued follow up as, at the time of imaging, residual disease may not have reached a detectable size.
Nutritional developmental epigenomics: immediate and long-lasting effects
Authors: Attig L. , Gabory A. , Junien C.
Published: March 2010

The phenotype of an individual is the result of complex interactions between genome, epigenome and current, past and ancestral environment leading to a lifelong remodelling of the epigenomes. The genetic information expression contained in the genome is controlled by labile chromatin-associated epigenetic marks. Epigenetic misprogramming during development is widely thought to have a persistent effect on the health of the offspring and may even be transmitted to the next generation. The epigenome serves as an interface between the environment and the genome. Dietary factors, including folate involved in C1 metabolism, and other social and lifestyle exposures have a profound effect on many aspects of health including ageing and do so, at least partly, through interactions with the genome, which result in altered gene expression with consequences for cell function and health throughout the life course. Depending on the nature and intensity of the environmental insult, the critical spatiotemporal windows and developmental or lifelong processes involved, epigenetic alterations can lead to permanent changes in tissue and organ structure and function or to phenotypic changes that can (or cannot) be reversed using appropriate epigenetic tools. Moreover, the flexibility of epigenetic marks may make it possible for environmental, nutritional and hormonal factors or endocrine disruptors to alter, during a particular spatiotemporal window in a sex-specific manner, the sex-specific methylation or demethylation of specific CpG and/or histone modifications underlying sex-specific expression of a substantial proportion of genes. Moreover, genetic factors, the environment and stochastic events change the epigenetic landscape during the lifetime of an individual. Epigenetic alterations leading to gene expression dysregulation accumulate during ageing and are important in tumorigenesis and age-related diseases. Several encouraging trials suggest that prevention and therapy of age- and lifestyle-related diseases by individualised tailoring to optimal epigenetic diets or drugs are conceivable. However, these interventions will require intense efforts to unravel the complexity of these epigenetic, genetic and environment interactions and to evaluate their potential reversibility with minimal side effects.
The input ambiguity hypothesis and case blindness: an account of cross-linguistic and intra-linguistic differences in case errors
Authors: PELHAM SABRA D.
Published: March 2010

English-acquiring children frequently make pronoun case errors, while German-acquiring children rarely do. Nonetheless, German-acquiring children frequently make article case errors. It is proposed that when child-directed speech contains a high percentage of case-ambiguous forms, case errors are common in child language; when percentages are low, case errors are rare. Input to English and German children was analyzed for percentage of case-ambiguous personal pronouns on adult tiers of corpora from 24 English-acquiring and 24 German-acquiring children. Also analyzed for German was the percentage of case-ambiguous articles. Case-ambiguous pronouns averaged 63·3% in English, compared with 7·6% in German. The percentage of case-ambiguous articles in German was 77·0%. These percentages align with the children's errors reported in the literature. It appears children may be sensitive to levels of ambiguity such that low ambiguity may aid error-free acquisition, while high ambiguity may blind children to case distinctions, resulting in errors.
Molecular characterization ofStaphylococcus aureusin Lebanon
Authors: TOKAJIAN S. T. , KHALIL P. ABOU , JABBOUR D. , RIZK M. , FARAH M. J. , HASHWA F. A. , ARAJ G. F.
Published: March 2010

Staphylococcus aureusis an important human pathogen and is a growing public health concern. In this study, 130S. aureus, 93 methicillin-resistantS. aureus(MRSA) and 37 methicillin-sensitiveS. aureus(MSSA), clinical isolates recovered from Lebanon were typed by protein A gene (spa) sequencing and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). Forty-eight differentspatypes were identified and clustered into 30 different groups. MLST revealed 10 sequence types (STs) among the isolates. There were eight major MRSA clones defined as isolates with the same ST and the same SCCmectype. The majority of the PVL-positive isolates (53%) were ST80-MRSA-IVc. Systematic surveillance of both hospital and community isolates in Lebanon together with measures designed to limit the spread are required.
Community-associated methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureusis prevalent in wounds of community-based injection drug users
Authors: LLOYD-SMITH E. , HULL M. W. , TYNDALL M. W. , ZHANG R. , WOOD E. , MONTANER J. S. G. , KERR T. , ROMNEY M. G.
Published: March 2010

Injection drug users (IDUs) have an elevated risk for carriage ofStaphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistantS. aureus(MRSA). Cutaneous injection-related infections are common in IDUs but detailed studies are few. Based on a subsample of 218 individuals from a community-recruited cohort of IDUs at a supervised injection facility, we investigated the microbiology and related antibiotic susceptibility profiles of isolates from 59 wounds. Twenty-seven percent of subjects had at least one wound and 25 (43%) were culture positive forS. aureusalone [14 MRSA and 11 (19%) methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) isolates]. Sixteen of 18 MRSA isolates were classified as community associated (CA) by the presence of genes encoding for PVL. MRSA and MSSA occurred in mixed infection with other organisms on three and six occasions, respectively. All CA-MRSA isolates were susceptible to tetracycline, vancomycin and linezolid but only 13% were susceptible to clindamycin compared to 63% of MSSA isolates. The frequency of CA-MRSA is a cause for concern in wound infection in the IDU setting.
Viral hepatitis B, C and HIV infection in Croatian prisons
Authors: BUREK V. , HORVAT J. , BUTORAC K. , MIKULIĆ R.
Published: March 2010

Incarcerated persons comprise about 0·4% of the Croatian population, of whom 25–30% misuse drugs. We attempted to determine the structure of the prison population, prevalence of HBV, HCV, HIV markers, co-infections with HBV, HCV and HIV and acute HBV, HCV and HIV infection. In total, 25·9% of prisoners were positive for some markers for viral hepatitis (HBV 11·3%, HCV 8·3%, HBV/HCV 6·3%). Prevalence of HBV infection in intravenous drug users (IDUs) was 26·2% (highly promiscuous group 20·4%, individuals with psychiatric diseases and personality disorders 16·0%). HCV infection in IDUs was 52·0% and 4·9% in the highly promiscuous group. HBV/HCV co-infection was registered in 34·9% of prisoners positive for HBV markers (203/582). Acute HBV infection was detected in 0·5%, and HCV in 1·2%. Only 0·15% (5/3348) of prisoners were anti-HIV positive. It appears that individuals with psychiatric diseases and personality disorders could be an additional risk population for these viral infections.
Spatio-temporal epidemiology of Campylobacter jejuni enteritis, in an area of Northwest England, 2000–2002
Authors: GABRIEL E. , WILSON D. J. , LEATHERBARROW A. J. H. , CHEESBROUGH J. , GEE S. , BOLTON E. , FOX A. , FEARNHEAD P. , HART C. A. , DIGGLE P. J.
Published: March 2010

A total of 969 isolates of Campylobacter jejuni originating in the Preston, Lancashire postcode district over a 3-year period were characterized using multi-locus sequence typing. Recently developed statistical methods and a genetic model were used to investigate temporal, spatial, spatio-temporal and genetic variation in human C. jejuni infections. The analysis of the data showed statistically significant seasonal variation, spatial clustering, small-scale spatio-temporal clustering and spatio-temporal interaction in the overall pattern of incidence, and spatial segregation in cases classified according to their most likely species-of-origin.
Britten's opera about rape
Authors: HARPER-SCOTT J. P. E.
Published: March 2010

Lucretia's principal virtue is her undoing. Her chastity is vaunted as the guarantor of Collatinus's honour and standing, as the trigger for Tarquinius's lust, and its brutal loss as the symbol of the corruption of the Etruscans and thus the catalyst for Junius's ascent to power. She is established in a patriarchal system as a desexed woman, as innocent as a child, who can only exist as a chaste wife. When her virtue is polluted by rape, she has no choice but to kill herself in an attempt to restore her function as chaste wife.

Britten's opera encodes the naming of Lucretia in terms redolent of the oppressive ‘speech-acts’ of Peter Grimes. Through tonal and motivic association the projection of her innocence and the ‘stain’ introduced by her rape are worked into the opera's design at the level of long-range musical structure. Through analysis of the thematic implications of musical process in the work, this article opens to view the complex and at times conflicting moral hermeneutics of the work.
Love, Religion and Power in the Making of Marriages in Early Nineteenth-Century Rural Industrial Lancashire
Authors: KING STEVE
Published: March 2010

This article addresses the relative dearth of work on courtship and marriage motivations for early nineteenth-century England. Focusing on rural-industrial Lancashire, the article draws on a rare conjunction of sources: an autobiography, a series of love-letters and letters from friends, relating to the nascent textile entrepreneur David Whitehead and his intended wife Betty Wood. Triangulating these sources suggests that some of the seemingly dominant influences on courtship and marriage seen in other studies, such as the economic status of partners, family and kin, had little part in this drama. Rather, issues of love, destiny and, above all, religious suitability dictated the pace, content and outcome of the courtship process. Against this backdrop, it was Betty Wood, rather than David Whitehead, who held the levers of power in the courtship. The article also explores other aspects of courtship, most especially the relationship between courtship intensity/fragility and the spatial dynamics of the marriage market.
Nature Trails: The Production of Instructive Landscapes in Britain, 1960–72
Authors: MATLESS DAVID , WATKINS CHARLES , MERCHANT PAUL
Published: March 2010

This paper examines the introduction of a novel and modern form of natural history education in Britain in the 1960s, the nature trail. The rise in the number of nature reserves owned by county conservation trusts and the Nature Conservancy after the Second World War raised the issue of how they might best be used by members of the public. Reserves were initially seen by many as places from which the public should be excluded. The American concept of Nature Trails was introduced by a powerful group of nature conservationists to raise the profile of nature conservation and educate people. The role of the two National Nature Weeks of 1963 and 1966 is examined. The paper concludes with a detailed case study of the planning and management of the nature trail at East Wretham Heath, Norfolk.
The Access to Mountains Act 1939: An Essay in Compromise
Authors: SHEAIL JOHN
Published: March 2010

The Access to Mountains Act of 1939 has been ridiculed for the most part as a capitulation to landed interests. Closer reconstruction of the circumstances in which such a legislative attempt was made to extend the public recreational-use of uncultivated countryside emphasises the severe limitations of a Private Members’ Bill. Even greater skills were called for in securing sufficient consensus among the various parliamentary lobbies to convince ministers that there was sufficient accord to merit the use of legislative time and resources to expedite enactment. The Act's achievement was to ratchet forward both ramblers’ expectations and a greater preparedness on the part of landed interests to provide the recreational opportunity anticipated by a post-war, largely urban population.
LES CONSTRUCTIONS GÉOMÉTRIQUES ENTRE GÉOMÉTRIE ET ALGÈBRE: L'ÉPÎTRE D'AB AL-JD À AL-BRN
Authors: RASHED ROSHDI
Published: March 2010

Abū al-Jūd Muḥammad ibn al-Layth is one of the mathematicians of the 10th century who contributed most to the novel chapter on the geometric construction of the problems of solids and super-solids, and also to another chapter on solving cubic and bi-quadratic equations with the aid of conics. His works, which were significant in terms of the results they contained, are moreover important with regard to the new relations they established between algebra and geometry. Good fortune transmitted to us his correspondences with the mathematician and astronomer al-Bīrūnī. The questions they debated, and the answers they yielded, all offer us multiple in vivo perspectives on the research that was undertaken in that period. The reader would find in this article a critical edition and French translation of this correspondence, with historical and mathematical commentaries.
ABHARĪ ON THE LOGIC OF CONJUNCTIVE TERMS
Authors: THOM PAUL
Published: March 2010

The Persian philosopher Atīr al-Dīn al-Abharī (d. 1265), in his Revealing Thoughts, sketches out several different logics of propositions containing complex terms such as ‘writing man’. I will outline his results and the criticisms of them made by Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (d. 1274) in his Setting the Scale for an Evaluation of “Revealing Thoughts”, and I will compare Abharī’s various logics of complex terms with modern treatments.
Patriarch Timothy I and the Metropolitan of the Turks
Authors: DICKENS MARK
Published: March 2010

During the reign of Patriarch Timothy I (780–823), the Church of the East continued to expand into Asia. Metropolitans were consecrated for various places to the east of the Patriarchal see in Baghdad. One of these was the enigmatic Metropolitan of the Turks, about whose location scholars have disagreed for decades. This article seeks to answer the question “Which Turks received the Metropolitan appointed by Timothy?” by systematically examining the different Turkic groups living in Central Asia at the time. Textual and archaeological evidence is considered in support of the conclusion and the various motives and external factors that may have played a role in the conversion are discussed.
Jurisdictional Politics in Canton and the First English Translation of the Qing Penal Code (1810) Winner of the 2nd Sir George Staunton Award
Authors: ONG S. P.
Published: March 2010

This article criticises the conventional interpretation of the first English translation of the Qing penal code by George Thomas Staunton, and proposes a different reading that stresses its role in promoting a positive image of the legal order in Canton on behalf of the East India Company. It suggests that in viewing the translation as a product of growing confrontation between two incompatible legal and cultural systems, our historical literature has radically diminished the scope of Staunton's comparative enterprise and his method of translation. Not only did Staunton exploit contemporary debates on penal reform to emphasise practical arrangements which overlapped across Chinese and British jurisdictions, he more importantly sought to valorise the Company's role in maintaining the jurisdictional status quo in what was patently an unstable and hybrid legal environment in Canton. However, the latter prerogative promoted a flattering and partial conception of jurisdictional ambiguity in Canton. It elided the Company's role in proliferating instability in Canton, and presented legal accommodation as a unilateral concession by the Qing from the severity of their own laws. This article addresses the intimate connections between the pluralist and pragmatic aspects of Staunton's project. It shows how, even though its pluralism has been forgotten, its pragmatic conceits concerning the origins of extraterritoriality have left a lasting impact on the historiography of Sino-Western relations.
The development of oral fluid-based diagnostics and applications in veterinary medicine
Authors: Prickett John R. , Zimmerman Jeffrey J.
Published: March 2010

The purpose of this review was to discuss the history of the development and implementation of oral fluid diagnostics for infectious diseases of humans and domestic animals. The use of oral fluid for the assessment of health and diagnosis of disease in humans and animals has a surprisingly long history. As early as 1909, Pollaci and Ceraulo reported sensitive and specific agglutination of ‘Micrococcus melitensis’ (Brucella melitensis) by oral fluid from patients diagnosed with Malta Fever. A 1986 report of the detection of antibodies against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in oral fluid from patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) marked the start of a remarkably rapid series of developments in oral fluid-based assays. Cumulatively, the literature strongly supports implementation of oral fluid-based diagnostics in veterinary diagnostic medicine. Pathogen-specific IgA, IgM and IgG antibodies have all been demonstrated in oral fluid collected from diverse domestic animal species in response to infection. A variety of infectious agents, both local and systemic, are shed in oral fluid, including some of the most economically significant pathogens of production animals (e.g. foot-and-mouth disease virus, classical swine fever virus and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus) Ultimately, point-of-care rapid assays (i.e. cow-side, sow-side or pen-side tests) and access to real-time infectious disease data will revolutionize our delivery of health management services.
The impact of aggregate mortality risk on defined benefit pension plans
Authors: DUSHI IRENA , FRIEDBERG LEORA , WEBB TONY
Published: March 2010

We calculate the risk faced by defined benefit plan providers arising from uncertain aggregate mortality – the risk that the average participant will live longer than expected. First, comparing the widely cited Lee–Carter model to industry benchmarks that are commonly employed by plan providers, we show that these benchmarks appear to substantially underestimate longevity. The resultant understatement of liabilities may reach 12.2% for typical male participants in defined benefit plans and may reach 22.4% for male workers aged 22. Next, we consider consequences for plan liabilities if aggregate mortality declines unexpectedly faster than is predicted by a putatively unbiased projection. There is a 5% chance that liabilities of a terminated plan would be 3.1% to 5.3% higher than what is expected, depending on the mix of workers covered.