bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms Contributing to Tonic Release at the Cone Photoreceptor Ribbon Synapse
Authors: Innocenti Barbara , Heidelberger Ruth
Published: November 2007

Time-resolved capacitance measurements in combination with fluorescence measurements of internal calcium suggested three kinetic components of release in acutely isolated cone photoreceptors of the tiger salamander. A 45-fF releasable pool, corresponding to about 1,000 vesicles, was identified. This pool could be depleted with a time constant of a few hundred milliseconds and its recovery from depletion was quite rapid (τ ≈ 1 s). The fusion of vesicles in this pool was blocked by low-millimolar EGTA. Endocytosis was sufficiently slow that it is likely that refilling of the releasable pool occurred from preformed vesicles. A second, slower component of release (τdepletion≈ 3 s) was identified that was approximately twice the size of the releasable pool. This pool may serve as a first reserve pool that replenishes the releasable pool. Computer simulations indicate that the properties of the releasable and first reserve pools are sufficient to maintain synaptic signaling for several seconds in the face of near-maximal stimulations and in the absence of other sources of vesicles. Along with lower rates of depletion, additional mechanisms, such as replenishment from distal reserve pools and the fast recycling of vesicles, may further contribute to the maintenance of graded, tonic release from cone photoreceptors.
Development of Cochlear Amplification, Frequency Tuning, and Two-Tone Suppression in the Mouse
Authors: Song Lei , McGee JoAnn , Walsh Edward J.
Published: November 2007

It is generally believed that the micromechanics of active cochlear transduction mature later than passive elements among altricial mammals. One consequence of this developmental order is the loss of transduction linearity, because an active, physiologically vulnerable process is superimposed on the passive elements of transduction. A triad of sensory advantage is gained as a consequence of acquiring active mechanics; sensitivity and frequency selectivity (frequency tuning) are enhanced and dynamic operating range increases. Evidence supporting this view is provided in this study by tracking the development of tuning curves in BALB/c mice. Active transduction, commonly known as cochlear amplification, enhances sensitivity in a narrow frequency band associated with the “tip” of the tuning curve. Passive aspects of transduction were assessed by considering the thresholds of responses elicited from the tuning curve “tail,” a frequency region that lies below the active transduction zone. The magnitude of cochlear amplification was considered by computing tuning curve tip-to-tail ratios, a commonly used index of active transduction gain. Tuning curve tip thresholds, frequency selectivity and tip-to-tail ratios, all indices of the functional status of active biomechanics, matured between 2 and 7 days after tail thresholds achieved adultlike values. Additionally, two-tone suppression, another product of active cochlear transduction, was first observed in association with the earliest appearance of tuning curve tips and matured along an equivalent time course. These findings support a traditional view of development in which the maturation of passive transduction precedes the maturation of active mechanics in the most sensitive region of the mouse cochlea.
Positive Solutions for Boundary Value Problem of Nonlinear Fractional Differential Equation
Authors: El-Shahed Moustafa
Published: November 2007

We are concerned with the existence and nonexistence of positive solutions for the nonlinear fractional boundary value problem:D0+αu(t)+λa(t) f(u(t))=0, 0<t<1, u(0)=u′(0)=u′(1)=0,where2<α<3is a real number andD0+αis the standard Riemann-Liouville fractional derivative. Our analysis relies on Krasnoselskiis fixed point theorem of cone preserving operators. An example is also given to illustrate the main results.
Resurrecting Brinley Plots for a Novel Use: Meta‐Analyses of Functional Brain Imaging Data in Older Adults
Authors: Peiffer Ann M. , Maldjian Joseph A. , Laurienti Paul J.
Published: November 2007

By plotting response times of young and older adults across a variety of tasks, Brinley spurred investigation and debate into the theory of general cognitive slowing. Though controversial, Brinley plots can assess between‐task differences, the impact of increasing task demand, and the relationship between responses in two groups of subjects. Since a relationship exists between response times and the blood‐oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal of functional MRI (fMRI), Brinley′s plotting method could be applied as a meta‐analysis tool in fMRI studies of aging. Here, fledgling “Peiffer plots” are discussed for their potential impact on understanding general cognitive brain activity in aging. Preliminary results suggest that general cognitive slowing may be localized at the sensorimotor transformation in the precentral gyrus. Although this meta‐analysis method is naturally used with imaging studies of aging, theoretically it may be applied to other study pairs (e.g., schizophrenic versus normal) or imaging datasets (e.g., PET).
Prognostic Factors Related to Clinical Response in Patients with Metastatic Melanoma Treated by CTL-Associated Antigen-4 Blockade
Authors: Downey Stephanie G. , Klapper Jacob A. , Smith Franz O. , Yang James C. , Sherry Richard M. , Royal Richard E. , Kammula Udai S. , Hughes Marybeth S. , Allen Tamika E. , Levy Catherine L. , Yellin Michael , Nichol Geoffrey , White Donald E. , Steinberg Seth M. , Rosenberg Steven A.
Published: November 2007

Purpose: CTL-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) can inhibit T-cell activation and helps maintain peripheral self-tolerance. Previously, we showed immune-related adverse events (IRAE) and objective, durable clinical responses in patients with metastatic melanoma treated with CTLA-4 blockade. We have now treated 139 patients in two trials and have sufficient follow-up to examine factors associated with clinical response.

Experimental Design: A total of 139 patients with metastatic melanoma were treated: 54 patients received ipilimumab in conjunction with peptide vaccinations and 85 patients were treated with intra-patient dose escalation of ipilimumab and randomized to receive peptides in accordance with HLA-A*0201 status.

Results: Three patients achieved complete responses (CR; ongoing at 29+, 52+, and 53+ months); an additional 20 patients achieved partial responses (PR) for an overall objective response rate of 17%. The majority of patients (62%, 86 of 139) developed some form of IRAE, which was associated with a greater probability of objective antitumor response (P = 0.0004); all patients with CR had more severe IRAEs. Prior therapy with IFNα-2b was a negative prognostic factor, whereas prior high-dose interleukin-2 did not significantly affect the probability of response. There were no significant differences in the rate of clinical response or development of IRAEs between the two trials. The duration of tumor response was not affected by the use of high-dose steroids for abrogation of treatment-related toxicities (P = 0.23). There were no treatment-related deaths.

Conclusion: In patients with metastatic melanoma, ipilimumab can induce durable objective clinical responses, which are related to the induction of IRAEs.
Annexin XI Is Associated with Cisplatin Resistance and Related to Tumor Recurrence in Ovarian Cancer Patients
Authors: Song Jin , Shih Ie-ming , Salani Ritu , Chan Daniel W. , Zhang Zhen
Published: November 2007

Purpose: Ovarian cancer patients treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy often develop acquired cisplatin resistance and, consequently, cancer recurrence. The precise nature of chemoresistance remains unclear. In this study, a protein identified to be associated with cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer cells was investigated in ovarian cancer tissues to address its clinical significance.

Experimental Design: Antibody microarrays were used to identify proteins consistently differentially expressed across three pairs of cisplatin-sensitive and cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cell lines. Immunoblotting was used to confirm observed alteration of protein expression. The protein expression was further evaluated by immunohistochemical staining using tissue microarrays containing various human normal and malignant tissues and 164 surgical specimens derived from primary and recurrent ovarian cancer patients who underwent primary debulking surgery followed by standard chemotherapeutic regimen.

Results: Annexin XI was down-regulated in all three cisplatin-resistant cell lines as compared with their parent cells. Annexin XI expression was observed in the majority of human normal organs and decreased in some of the most common human malignancies. The expression level of Annexin XI in first recurrent ovarian cancers was much lower than that in primary ovarian cancers (P = 0.0004). Increased Annexin XI immunoreactivity in ovarian cancers seemed to prolong the disease-free interval of patients (P = 0.03). Annexin XI immunoreactivity inversely correlated with in vitro cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancers (P = 0.01).

Conclusion: Decreased expression of Annexin XI is characteristic for cisplatin-resistant cancer cells and may contribute to tumor recurrence. Annexin XI may be a potential marker for chemoresistance and earlier recurrence of ovarian cancer patients.
In vivoDiagnosis of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Expression using Molecular Imaging with a Cocktail of Optically Labeled Monoclonal Antibodies
Authors: Barrett Tristan , Koyama Yoshinori , Hama Yukihiro , Ravizzini Gregory , Shin In Soo , Jang Beom-Su , Paik Chang H. , Urano Yasuteru , Choyke Peter L. , Kobayashi Hisataka
Published: November 2007

Purpose: Epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) play an important role in tumorigenesis and, therefore, have become targets for new molecular therapies. Here, we use a “cocktail” of optically labeled monoclonal antibodies directed against EGFR-1 (HER1) and EGFR-2 (HER2) to distinguish tumors by their cell surface expression profiles.

Experimental Design: In vivo imaging experiments were done in tumor-bearing mice following s.c. injection of A431 (overexpressing HER1), NIH3T3/HER2+ (overexpressing HER2), and Balb3T3/DsRed (non-expression control) cell lines. After tumor establishment, a cocktail of optically labeled antibodies: Cy5.5-labeled cetuximab (anti-HER1) and Cy7-labeled trastuzumab (anti-HER2) was i.v. injected. In vivo and ex vivo fluorescence imaging was done. For comparison with radionuclide imaging, experiments were undertaken using 111Indium-labeled antibodies. Additionally, a “blinded” diagnostic study was done for mice bearing one tumor type.

Results: In vivo spectral fluorescent molecular imaging of 14 mice with three tumor types clearly differentiated tumors using the cocktail of optically labeled antibodies both in vivo and ex vivo. Twenty-four hours after injection, A431 and NIH3T3/HER2+ tumors were detected distinctly by their peak on Cy5.5 and Cy7 spectral images, respectively; radionuclide imaging was unable to clearly distinguish tumors at this time point. In blinded single tumor experiments, investigators were able to correctly diagnose a total of 40 tumors.

Conclusion: An in vivo imaging technique using an antibody cocktail simultaneously differentiated two tumors expressing distinct EGFRs and enabled an accurate characterization of each subtype.
Epigenetic Down-Regulation of ARF Expression Is a Selection Step in Immortalization of Human Fibroblasts by c-Myc
Authors: Benanti Jennifer A. , Wang Myra L. , Myers Hadley E. , Robinson Kristin L. , Grandori Carla , Galloway Denise A.
Published: November 2007

The transcription factor c-Myc is implicated in the pathogenesis of many cancers. Among the multiple functions of c-Myc, activation of hTert and other genes involved in cellular life span contributes to its role as an oncogene. However, the ability of c-Myc to directly immortalize human cells remains controversial. We show here that overexpression of c-Myc reproducibly immortalizes freshly isolated human foreskin fibroblasts. c-Myc–immortalized cells displayed no gross karyotypic abnormalities but consisted of an oligoclonal population, suggesting that additional events cooperated to achieve immortalization. Levels of p53 and p16 were increased, but both p53-dependent DNA damage response and growth arrest in response to p16 overexpression remained intact. A marked decrease in expression of the tumor suppressor ARF occurred in several independently established c-Myc–immortalized cell lines. Methylation-specific PCR showed that the ARF gene was methylated in immortalized but not early-passage c-Myc cells, whereas p16 was unmethylated in both cell populations. Restoration of ARF expression by treatment with a demethylating agent or overexpression by a retroviral vector coincided with inhibition of proliferation and senescence of c-Myc–immortalized cells. Our findings predict that epigenetic events play a significant role in human tumors that express high levels of c-Myc. (Mol Cancer Res 2007;5(11):1181–9)
Belgian Law on Medically Assisted Reproduction and the Disposition of Supernumerary Embryos and Gametes
Authors: Pennings Guido
Published: November 2007

Although medically assisted reproduction has been widely practiced in Belgium, it took decades before a majority was found to adopt a law to regulate this field. The new law recognises different family forms and a diversity of ethical positions. It regulates four main substantive elements: the disposition of embryos created in the context of assisted reproduction, the general rules (anonymous, free and voluntary) governing gamete and embryo donation, specific applications of assisted reproduction like post-mortem reproduction and finally the use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis for HLA typing. Beside the substantive topics, the law contains a number of rules of a more practical nature: the need for a contract, a maximum storage period, the right of physicians to refuse treatment on the basis of conscientious objections and the procedure that has to be followed when a patient is refused.
Non-Voluntary Passive Euthanasia: The Social Consequences of Euphemisms
Authors: Sayers Gwen
Published: November 2007

Non-voluntary passive euthanasia, the commonest form of euthanasia, is seldom mentioned in the UK. This article illustrates how the legal reasoning in Airedale NHS Trust v Bland contributed towards this conceptual deletion. By upholding the impermissibility of euthanasia, whilst at the same time permitting 'euthanasia' under the guise of 'withdrawing futile treatment', it is argued that the court (logically) allowed (withdrawing futile treatment and euthanasia). The Bland reasoning was incorporated into professional guidance, which extended the court's ruling to encompass patients who, unlike Anthony Bland, were sentient. But since the lawfulness of (withdrawing futile treatment and euthanasia) hinges on the futility of treatment, and since the guidance provides advice about withdrawing treatment from patients who differ from those considered in court, the lawfulness of such 'treatment decisions' is unclear. Legislation s proposed in order to redress the ambiguity that arose when moral decisions about 'euthanasia' were translated into medical decisions about 'treatment'.
Nanotechnology in Healthcare: Are Existing Laws Adequate?
Authors: Munir Abu Bakar , Yasin Siti Hajar Mohd
Published: November 2007

Nanotechnology is viewed as the next big thing and nanomedicine is its hottest application. Nanomedicine offers promising possibilities of new diagnostic, treatment and preventive methods leading to a better and longer life. The risk, real or perceived, however, as for now, is uncertain. Nevertheless, there is a need to establish measures to verify the safety of the nanomedical products.
Punish and Forgive: Causal Attribution and Positivity Bias in Response to Cat and Dog Misbehavior
Authors: Conner Travis , Rasmussen Jeffrey Lee ,   Rajecki
Published: November 2007

College students (N = 366) judged dog or cat misbehavior (soiling or predation) via questionnaire items. Common factor analysis yielded 3 dimensions of student response: (a) the sinner (including the variable of animals' intention); (b) the sin (including the variable of recommended punishment); and (c) mercy (including the variable of recommended forgiveness). Correlations among sinner, sin, and mercy factor scores supported predictions from causal attribution theory. Nevertheless, cross-tabulation analysis revealed that nearly 90% of all respondents endorsed mercy (generally high forgive ratings), regardless of the extent to which the animals were seen as sinners (high versus low intent ratings), or evaluations of the level of sin (high versus low punish ratings). Absolutely high average mercy scores indicated an animal positivity bias. Results thus evoked the adage that "the quality of mercy is not strained." That is, regarding errant companion animals, cognitive responses to punish and to forgive are not always mutually exclusive options.
The Black Bear Hunt in New Jersey: A Constructionist Analysis of an Intractable Conflict
Authors: Harker Dave , Bates Diane
Published: November 2007

The black bear hunt in New Jersey represents a symbolic clash of understandings about how human beings should live with nonhuman animals who typify intractable conflicts involving potentially dangerous mammals. Manifest and latent content analysis of newspaper editorial materials—written over a 10-year period, ending in 2005—document 2 findings. First, hunt supporters and opponents promote specific constructions of bears, hunters, and other actors in their letters and editorials. Second, these constructions are not only different but contradictory. Opponents and supporters portray bears as either menacing threats or benevolent and peaceful animals. The two groups see hunters as either bloodthirsty killers or defenders of wildlife. Contradictory constructions serve to de-legitimate other constructions and other actors. This finding highlights how public discourse has fed intractability over the conflict rather than provided common grounds for consensus about how New Jersey's residents should interact with their ursine neighbors.
Support for Animal Rights as a Function of Belief in Evolution, Religious Fundamentalism, and Religious Denomination
Authors: Aebersold Cassandra , Galen Luke , Stanton Victoria , DeLeeuw Jamie
Published: November 2007

The present study examined the relationship among religious denomination, fundamentalism, belief about human origins, gender, and support for animal rights. Eighty-two college undergraduates filled out a set of 3 questionnaires: The Religious Fundamentalism Scale (Altemeyer & Hunsberger, 2004), beliefs about human origins (creationism, intelligent design, or evolution), and the Animal Rights Scale (Wuensch, Jenkins, & Poteat, 2002). Because conservative Protestants and fundamentalists adhere to religious doctrine that espouses a discontinuity between humans and other species, the study predicted they would have lower support for animal rights. Further, proponents of evolution—who tend to view species as interconnected—would advocate animal rights more so than creationists and believers of intelligent design theory. Results supported the hypotheses. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the religious variables and gender were significant in predicting support for animal rights.
Thoughts out of Season on the History of Animal Ethics
Authors: Preece Rod
Published: November 2007

Contrary to conventional wisdom, the earlier Western tradition did not customarily deny souls per se to nonhuman animals; when it denied immortal souls to animals, it sometimes deemed that denial a reason for giving greater consideration to animals in their earthly existence. Nor has the Western tradition uniformly deemed animals intended for human use. Further, there was considerable opposition to the Cartesian view of animals as insentient machines, and—even among those who were convinced—it was not unknown for them to deem it inappropriate to rely on that conviction in the treatment of animals. Moreover, Darwin's (1874) theory of evolution had neither a novel nor a positive impact on the way in which animals were to be regarded and treated. The study of the history of animal ethics needs to be rethought in a far more nuanced manner.
Female accompaniment by male whiptail lizards: is it mate guarding?
Authors: Zaldívar-Rae Jaime , Drummond Hugh
Published: November 2007

Post-copulatory female accompaniment by males is often interpreted as mate guarding. However, several alternative hypotheses for the function of accompaniment have received little attention. We analysed potential functions of post-copulatory accompaniment in whiptail lizards, Aspidoscelis costata, by comparing 23 accompanied females and 54 unaccompanied females in the field. Male companions closely followed females for 1 to 2 days around ovulation, after which females became unreceptive. Unaccompanied females were in all stages of the reproductive cycle, including 12 nearly-ovulating females. Male companions were aggressive to other males and, on average, won 98.7% of interactions. Only pairs in accompaniment performed consensual copulations (1 to 3 per pair). Solitary males attempted opportunistic copulations but did not selectively target nearly-ovulating females. Male companions attacked rivals attempting opportunistic copulations, but did not copulate in retaliation when attempts were successful. Accompaniment reduced lunges and pursuits from other males on females, but did not reduce opportunistic copulations or predation, or increase foraging opportunities for females. Through accompaniment, males likely (1) copulate repeatedly, (2) swamp rival sperm, (3) inseminate females more and (4) monopolise access to fertile females, whereas females may receive (1) post-copulatory courtship, (2) copulations with high quality males and (3) sufficient sperm for fertilisation.
Shoaling decisions in female swordtails: how do fish gauge group size?
Authors: Wong Bob , Rosenthal Gil , Buckingham Jessica
Published: November 2007

Little is known about the mechanisms individuals might use to compare group sizes when making decisions about group membership. One possibility is that animals use ratio to determine differences in group sizes. Weber's Law states that the ease of any numerical comparison is based on the ratio between the stimuli compared; as the ratio becomes smaller the comparison becomes more difficult. We set out to test this prediction by offering female green swordtails, Xiphophorus helleri, dichotomous choices between different shoal sizes, varying both in ratios and absolute numbers of fish. Swordtails attended to the ratio of group size between stimulus shoals, rather than the numerical difference between shoals, when making shoaling decisions. Where group size ratio was 2:1, subjects showed a significant preference for the larger shoal, independent of the numerical difference between the shoals. When the ratio was 1.5:1, subjects showed no preference. The ratio between group sizes may, thus, be an important factor in shoaling decisions. More broadly, ratio could prove to be a widespread mechanism for animals to make numerical comparisons in group assessments.
Spatial distribution of oviposition sites determines variance in the reproductive rate of European bitterling (Rhodeus amarus)
Authors: Przybylski Mirosław , Smith Carl , Reichard Martin , Spence Rowena
Published: November 2007

We investigated reproductive rate in relation to oviposition site distribution and quality in the European bitterling, Rhodeus amarus, a freshwater fish that spawns on the gills of living unionid mussels. In a laboratory experiment male bitterling led females to groups of four mussels at a significantly higher rate than single mussels, irrespective of mussel species. Females spawned significantly more frequently on the gills of mussels in groups than on solitary mussels, and showed a preference for spawning on the gills of Unio pictorum in comparison with Anodonta anatina. In a field experiment the total number of eggs spawned on the gills of four mussels was significantly higher than that of single mussels, though the mean number of eggs per mussel was equivalent within species. There was a significant effect of species on the number of eggs spawned in mussels; U. pictorum and U. tumidus received more eggs than A. anatina and A. cygnea. We discuss these results in the context of mating system evolution.
A maximum likelihood approach for identifying dive bouts improves accuracy, precision and objectivity
Authors: Luque Sebastián , Guinet Christophe
Published: November 2007

Foraging behaviour frequently occurs in bouts, and considerable efforts to properly define those bouts have been made because they partly reflect different scales of environmental variation. Methods traditionally used to identify such bouts are diverse, include some level of subjectivity, and their accuracy and precision is rarely compared. Therefore, the applicability of a maximum likelihood estimation method (MLM) for identifying dive bouts was investigated and compared with a recently proposed sequential differences analysis (SDA). Using real data on interdive durations from Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella Peters, 1875), the MLM-based model produced briefer bout ending criterion (BEC) and more precise parameter estimates than the SDA approach. The MLM-based model was also in better agreement with real data, as it predicted the cumulative frequency of differences in interdive duration more accurately. Using both methods on simulated data showed that the MLM-based approach produced less biased estimates of the given model parameters than the SDA approach. Different choices of histogram bin widths involved in SDA had a systematic effect on the estimated BEC, such that larger bin widths resulted in longer BECs. These results suggest that using the MLM-based procedure with the sequential differences in interdive durations, and possibly other dive characteristics, may be an accurate, precise, and objective tool for identifying dive bouts.
Turbidity and foraging rate in threespine sticklebacks: the importance of visual and chemical prey cues
Authors: Ward  , Hart  , Webster  , Atton
Published: November 2007

In aquatic habitats turbidity can affect the foraging efficiency of visual predators, directly influencing their capacity to detect prey. In a laboratory study we tested the effect of different loads of suspended sediment upon the foraging rates of threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We compared the foraging rates of fish under a series of different turbidity treatments, testing fish originating from four habitats within a single drainage basin that differed in a number of environmental parameters including turbidity. Although we found habitat specific differences in foraging rates, these did not correspond to local turbidity levels. The findings of a follow up experiment revealed habitat-specific variation in boldness, which may be indirecly linked to the observed differences in foraging rate. The main finding of our study was that turbidity alone had no impact upon their prey capture rates, but that high turbidity in combination with saturation with prey odour extract caused prey capture rates to fall significantly. This suggests that olfactory cues can be more important than visual cues in determining foraging performance in this species, potentially influencing how they cope with naturally occurring periods of turbidity, and how they adapt to human-induced eutrophication.
Testing measures of animal social association by computer simulation
Authors: Smith V. Anne , White David
Published: November 2007

Techniques used to measure patterns of affiliation among social animals have rarely been tested for accuracy. One reason for this lack of validation is that it is often impossible to compare sample data to the true distribution of social assortment of a group of animals. Here we test some methods of assessing social assortment by using a computer simulation of organisms whose assortment patterns were under our control. We created male and female organisms that moved in a direction that was based on a social bias parameter. As the weight of this parameter increased, organisms were more likely to move in the direction of others of their sex. We then created virtual observers to sample assortment of the organisms under different social bias conditions. Observers used three different techniques of measuring assortment. These were (1) group membership: noting all organisms that were associated in the same 'group', (2) nearest neighbour: noting the nearest organism to a randomly selected individual and (3) neighbourhood: noting all organisms near a selected individual. Neighbourhood was taken either by all-occurrence sampling or by focal sampling the associations of randomly selected individuals. Some techniques emerged as more sensitive than others under different conditions and biases were revealed in some measures. For example, the group membership method was biased toward finding significant assortment differences between the sexes when no difference actually existed. Nearest neighbour was insensitive to finding a difference in assortment between sexes when one existed. Focal sampling was less sensitive to finding effects than all-occurrence sampling. The computer simulation revealed properties of each technique that would have been impossible to detect in the field.
"They Licked the Platter Clean": On the Co-Dependency of the Religious and The Secular
Authors: McCutcheon Russell
Published: November 2007

This paper argues that a methodological puzzle that stands in the way of those who critique the adequacy of a secularist perspective for studying religion is that the modern invention that goes by the name of secularism is the only means for imagining religion to exist as an item of discourse. Drawing on a variety of efforts to move beyond the limits of binary thinking—efforts that invariably function to reaffirm one or the other pole by imagining it to predate its partner—the paper concludes that, for those interested in talking about such things as religion, faith, spirit, belief, experience, etc., there is no beyond to secularism, for it constitutes the discursive conditions by means of which we in the modern world think religion into existence. us, the now common effort to critique the adequacy of secularism for studying religion not only presuppose the idea of the nation-state but reinforce and extend it as well.
Can One Be a Critical Caretaker?
Authors: Slater Michael
Published: November 2007

There is a movement in the field of religious studies today which questions whether scholars of religion should have any interest in questions regarding the truth and value of religion. In this paper I critically examine the views of one of its leading figures, Russell T. McCutcheon, and argue that his views on the nature and study of religion are problematic in several key respects. Specifically, I argue that McCutcheon's basic methodological and theoretical claims are untenable, as is his well known distinction between "critics" and "caretakers" of religion. Having called into question McCutcheon's claim that being a critical scholar of religion is incompatible with being a "caretaker" of religion, I conclude with a brief reflection on his corollary claim that there are (or should be) "discursive constraints" on inquiry in public institutions of higher learning.
Pierre Bourdieu on the Verstehende Soziologie of Max Weber
Authors: Hutt Curtis
Published: November 2007

Pierre Bourdieu was influenced by and critical of the work of Max Weber. In articles written in the early 1970's on Weber's analysis of prophets and priests in ancient Judaism, Bourdieu questioned key elements of Weber's verstehende soziologie including his predecessor's privileging of the conceptual over the non-conceptual in the understanding of human behavior and utilization of the ideal type "charisma." Bourdieu, at the same time, extended Weber's work on religious specialists and the evolution of the religious field in the West. In closing, I compare Bourdieu's advice to the Weberian sociologist of religion with that offered by Mary Douglas and Jon Elster.
Time, Habit, and Agency in English Puritanism
Authors: Engler Steven
Published: November 2007

This paper attempts to fill in a dimension of discussions of religious relations between memory and the body, time and agency, habituation and social control. Analyzing the works of seventeenth-century divine Richard Rogers, I distinguish two ways of attending to time: amount of time spent well, and continuity of attention. For Rogers, lapses in memory and moment of idleness are gaps through which Satan snares the unwary; the godly must foster correct habits "at all times." The case of English Puritanism underlines the central role that time plays in the formation of correctly habituated human activity. It points to a key site at which religious ideas and practices gain leverage over human agency. It suggests further that modernity is distinguished by the more effective means of habituation fostered by highly motivated and consistent attentiveness to time. This distinction goes beyond Weber and other work on the Protestant ethic thesis and could inform further empirical work in the area.
Phenomenology as Insider Trading: Some Stipulations for the Religious "Skin Trade"
Authors: Ryba Thomas
Published: November 2007

This paper examines some of the interpretations of the insider/outsider distinction as it is understood in the study of religion but in light of Jerry Fodor and Ernest Lepore's arguments about semantic holism and atomism. It argues that this application shows that if the outsider/insider distinction is approached as a form of global holism coupled with linguistic determinism, then it is a pseudo-problem and no further energy ought to be wasted on it. Also argued is that radically exclusive insidership or radically inclusive insidership are indefensible positions. Instead, this paper proposes that access to the inside of a worldview is, in principle, no different for a insider than for an outsider; it is a matter of degree and not kind. No variety of religious information is, per se, incommunicable, except that of the individual subject's existential subjecthood. Insidership and outsidership in the academic study of religion indicate positions with respect to agency, thematization, and explanation and should not be defined, primarily, by occupation, material, or methods.
Remarque complémentaire à mon article "Dans quel lieu le néoplatonicien Simplicius a-t-il fondé son école de mathémathiques, et où a pu avoir lieu son entretien avec un manichéen ?"
Authors: Hadot Ilsetraut
Published: November 2007

Concerning the book by R. Arnzen Abū l-'Abbās an-Nayrīzīs Exzerpte aus (Ps.-?) Simplicius' Kommentar zu den Definitionen, Postulaten und Axiomen in Euclids Elementa I, the present paper offers a survey of the way the late Neoplatonists used to conceive and compose their commentaries. Far from trying to be original, each commentary is largely based on the works of predecessors.
Exploring the Role of Parental Monitoring of Peers on the Relationship Between Family Functioning and Delinquency in the Lives of African American and Hispanic Adolescents
Authors: Dillon Frank R. , Pantin Hilda , Robbins Michael S. , Szapocznik José
Published: November 2007

This cross-sectional study explores potential mediating effects of parental monitoring of peers on three adolescent problem behaviors (externalizing behavior, drug use, sexual risk behavior) among juvenile delinquents and their families. Participants are 190 African American and Hispanic adolescents and parent guardians enrolled in a family therapy treatment efficacy study targeting delinquency. Parental monitoring of peers mediates the association between family functioning and externalizing behavior in the full sample. Comparable results are not found in post hoc analyses of each racial and ethnic sample or among drug use and sexual risk behaviors. Research and health service implications are discussed.
Overnight Stays and Children's Relationships With Resident and Nonresident Parents After Divorce
Authors: Cashmore Judy , Parkinson Patrick , Taylor Alan
Published: November 2007

This study focuses on adolescents' overnight contact with their nonresident parents. Sixty young people ages 12 to 19 and their resident parents were interviewed as part of a nationally representative study in Australia. The likelihood of overnight stays was lower when there was conflict and lack of trust between the parents. Adolescents who stayed overnight with their nonresident parents reported greater closeness and better quality relationships with their nonresident parents than did those who had daytime-only contact, an association that remained significant after taking account of the overall frequency of contact and the level of conflict between the parents (as reported by the resident parent and the child). The findings suggest that overnight stays may both reflect and change the nature of the relationship between children and their nonresident parents, with no apparent downside in this regard for the relationship between children and their resident parents.
The Rise of a Global Garment Industry and the Reimagination of Worker Solidarity
Authors: Collins Jane
Published: November 2007

In 1996, Bill Roseberry published an article in American Anthropologist entitled `The Rise of Yuppie Coffees and the Reimagination of Class in the United States'. In it, he explored the connections that linked the rise of specialty coffees marketed at Zabars and Starbucks to new class configurations of consumerism in the US and to new production arrangements in the coffee-producing countries. The article seeks to apply this approach to the analysis of another commodity chain: that of apparel. It explains how recent changes in the global apparel industry are shaped by power and experienced by workers and consumers. It seeks to bridge the divide between industrialized and developing nations by showing the commonalities (as well as differences) experienced by the industry's workers in the US and abroad. And it shows how global production patterns have given rise to global resistance strategies, as workers forge bonds with social movements outside of the factory and develop transnational alliances. In the spirit of Roseberry's work, this account seeks to meld cultural analysis with political economy, and to attend to historical contingency, without losing sight of corporate and state power.
Stoneworkers, Masons and Maids
Authors: Binford Leigh , Churchill Nancy
Published: November 2007

■ Following William Roseberry, this article treats `local facts as world historical facts' in order to discuss the contours of a conflictive and contradictory process of proletarianization among stoneworkers, masons and maids in one peri-urban community of central Mexico. We analyze the dialectic of internal and external relationships that, over time, shaped social struggles on an uneven field of power in Santo Tomás Chautla (Puebla) before and after the 1994 peso devaluation. Proletarianization in Chautla is uneven, but has in every instance entailed a wider and deeper involvement with commodity production.
Infant Feeding Practices in the First 6 Months and Associated Factors in a Rural and Semiurban Community in Mangochi District, Malawi
Authors: Kamudoni Penjani , Maleta Kenneth , Shi Zumin , Holmboe-Ottesen Gerd
Published: November 2007

This cross-sectional study aimed at investigating infant feeding practices and their sociodemographic correlates in Mangochi District, Malawi. Questionnaire data from 157 rural and 192 semiurban mother-infant pairs were obtained. Early breastfeeding (< 1 hour after delivery) was practiced among 68.2% of the rural and 63% of the semiurban mothers. Colostrum was given by 96% of the sampled mothers. Exclusive breastfeeding rates in the sample at 2, 4, and 6 months were 39.1%, 27.5%, and 7.5%, respectively. At 4 months, exclusive breastfeeding was significantly higher in the semiurban (46.8%) than in the rural (4.7%) group. Living in the rural area (OR = 1.87; 95% CI 1.26-2.76) and giving birth outside a health facility (OR = 1.36; 95% CI 1.00-1.85) were risk factors for stopping exclusive breastfeeding before 6 months. The results suggest that semiurban mothers are more likely to practice optimum breastfeeding and that health facilities have an important role in its promotion. J Hum Lact. 23(4):325-332.
Optimizing Breastfeeding Promotion and Support in Adolescent Mothers
Authors: Feldman-Winter Lori , Shaikh Ulfat
Published: November 2007

The United States has the highest teen birth rate in the industrialized world, and adolescents continue to have the lowest rates of breastfeeding. Although individual pregnancy and parenting experiences in adolescents are modified by a variety of factors, common themes of adolescent psychology and behavior may help plan effective strategies for breastfeeding promotion and support. Breastfeeding promotion and support in adolescents need to be developmentally appropriate, patient centered, and linked to multidimensional support. J Hum Lact. 23(4):362-367.
Friend or Foe?
Authors: Crowley Jocelyn Elise
Published: November 2007

A recurring methodological dilemma for ethnographers studying organizations, interest groups, and social movements is how to gain access and gather data from their members, especially if these organizations are pursuing unpopular goals or are otherwise stigmatized by the public in some way. In the United States, fathers' rights groups believe that they are stigmatized in that they are currently attempting to modify child support and custody laws to be more favorable to men; their critics point out that these gains will come at the expense of the well-being of women and children. This article analyzes the opportunities and challenges faced in conducting observational research on 8 fathers' rights groups, as well as in interviewing 158 of their leaders and members in a larger sample of 26 groups located across the country, both of which occurred from 2003-2004. I argue for the introduction of self-expansion theory—drawn from the field of social psychology—into the ethnographic methodologist's toolbox as a way of mapping out the diverse array of participant reactions to a researcher's request for entrée in studying contentious, marginalized groups.
Allies Within and Without
Authors: Gordon Hava Rachel
Published: November 2007

Most research on youth subordination and age inequality focuses on macrolevel institutions, ideologies, and discourses. While important, this macrolevel focus mystifies the ways in which young people themselves conceptualize and negotiate ageism. This article examines how adolescents collectively experience, politicize, and respond to ageism as they become active in educational justice and antiwar movements. Based on comparative ethnographic research with youth movement organizations in Portland, Oregon and Oakland, California, the author argues that adolescents' politicized understandings of ageism profoundly shape their social movement strategies. Furthermore, these understandings of ageism are rooted in young people's race and class social locations, and stand in relationship to social movement legacies. The divergent ways in which white, middle-class youth activists and young working-class activists of color collectively experience, interpret, and respond to ageism reveal the extent to which age inequality operates in conjunction with other systems of power and privilege.
Polypropylene-Layered Silicate Nanocomposites: Filler Matrix Interactions and Mechanical Properties
Authors: Mittal V.
Published: November 2007

Various alkyl ammonium cations were ionically exchanged with the sodium cations of montmorillonites with two different cation exchange capacities (CECs). The organo-montmorillonites were compounded with polypropylene (PP) and the effect of filler-matrix interactions on the intercalation-exfoliation behavior and the mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. With increasing the chain packing density, an increase in the d-spacing was observed and for the same cation, the d-spacing of the OMMT was higher for the higher CEC clay. Covering the surface with molecules of higher cross-sectional area led to large basal plane spacing which was helpful in achieving the partial delamination of the filler in the PP matrix even without the use of conventional compatibilizers. The modulus of PP organo-montmorillonite composites was significantly enhanced, but the other tensile properties decreased indicating the increased brittleness and lack of stronger attraction forces at interface. Augmenting the filler volume fraction also led to a significant increase in the stiffness which was compared to the theoretical predictions using the Halpin Tsai model and its modified versions.
Vegetation change following mid-Holocene marine transgression of the Torres Strait shelf: a record from the island of Mua, northern Australia
Authors: Rowe Cassandra
Published: November 2007

The pollen and sedimentary record from a coastal backdune swamp on the island of Mua, Torres Strait, Australia, is presented. A 4.55 m core collected from the swamp centre provides a record of vegetation and landscape change spanning the postglacial marine transgression to present. Prior to 6000 radiocarbon years before present (yr BP) results show mangrove vegetation encroaching on the core site, periodically displacing non-mangrove taxa until the establishment of an extensive mangrove forest between 6000 yr BP and 3000 yr BP. Within the mangrove community a transition from lower-tidal Rhizophora forest to an upper-intertidal Ceriops community is evident. This is followed by the development of the current herbaceous freshwater swamp in the late Holocene. The dryland vegetation record is dominated by sclerophyll and rainforest elements with strongest forest representation occurring around the mid Holocene before a decline in tree density and the establishment of open woodlands in the late Holocene. The data suggest vegetation change accompanied marine transgression and a humid mid-Holocene climate, before stabilization of sea levels and the initiation of dominant on-shore catchment processes, signalling drier climatic conditions and possible human activity.
Child Welfare Design Teams: An Intervention to Improve Workforce Retention and Facilitate Organizational Development
Authors: Caringi James C. , Strolin-Goltzman Jessica , Lawson Hal A. , McCarthy Mary , Briar-Lawson Katharine , Claiborne Nancy
Published: November 2007

Workforce turnover in public child welfare is a national problem. Individual, supervisory, and organizational factors, individually and in combination, account for some of the turnover. Complex, comprehensive interventions are needed to address these several factors and their interactions. A research and development team is field testing one such intervention. The three-component intervention encompasses management consultations, capacity building for supervisors, and a cross-role, intra-agency design team (DT). DTs consist of representative workers from pilot child welfare systems. A social worker from outside the agency facilitates team problem solving focused on retention of workers. DT problem solving combines action research and learning. DTs and their facilitators rely on specially designed tools, protocols, and social work research as they address retention-related priorities. Intervention research findings as well as successful examples of retention-related problem solving indicate the DT intervention's potential contributions to social work education, research, and practice.