bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analogs in Luce’s Global Psychophysical Theory of Stevens’s Psychophysical Regression Effect
Authors: Luce R. Duncan
Published: March 2013

This article is based on the magnitude production representation in Luce’s (2004, 2011) global psychophysical theories for subjective intensity of both binary and unary continua. It is shown that the slopes of certain predicted linear relationships for magnitude production and estimation differ when, in the two procedures, the respondent-generated reference signals differ. This contrasts with Stevens’s (1975) regression effect, which arises because the exponents of the psychophysical scale differs with procedural changes. Four experiments are suggested to evaluate these predictions, which, importantly, should be analyzed for individual respondents, not data averaged over respondents.
Musical Experience Influences Statistical Learning of a Novel Language
Authors: Shook Anthony , Marian Viorica , Bartolotti James , Schroeder Scott R.
Published: March 2013

Musical experience may benefit learning of a new language by increasing the fidelity with which the auditory system encodes sound. In the current study, participants with varying degrees of musical experience were exposed to two statistically defined languages consisting of auditory Morse code sequences that varied in difficulty. We found an advantage for highly skilled musicians, relative to lower-skilled musicians, in learning novel Morse code-based words. Furthermore, in the more difficult learning condition, performance of lower-skilled musicians was mediated by their general cognitive abilities. We suggest that musical experience may improve processing of statistical information and that musicians’ enhanced ability to learn statistical probabilities in a novel Morse code language may extend to natural language learning.
Effectiveness of mixtures of vivianite and organic materials in preventing iron chlorosis in strawberry
Authors: De Santiago A. , Carmona E. , Quintero J. M. , Delgado A.
Published: March 2013

La aplicación de sales de hierro con materia orgánica de diferentes fuentes ha demostrado ser efectiva en la prevención de la clorosis férrica. El principal objetivo de este trabajo fue estudiar la efectividad de distintas fuentes de Fe formadas a partir de la mezcla de sustancias húmicas o compost con vivianita, en la prevención de este desorden nutricional en fresa (Fragaria x ananassa cv Camarosa). Para ello, se dispuso en un invernadero un experimento diseñado en bloques al azar, con 4 repeticiones (3 plantas por repetición) y un solo factor (la fuente de Fe), usando un medio calcáreo como soporte para las plantas. Las fuentes de Fe estudiadas fueron: (i) testigo sin Fe, (ii) testigo con una fuente efectiva de Fe en medios calcáreos (EDDHA-Fe, 0.1g kg-1), (iii) vivianita (1 g kg-1 medio, dosis recomendada), (iv) vivianita (1 g kg-1) + sustancias húmicas (–SH– 0.06 g kg-1), (v) vivianita (0.5 g kg-1) + SH (0.06 g kg-1) y (vi) una mezcla de corcho compostado y vivianita en una relación 6:1 en peso (CORVIV) aplicada a una dosis de 6 g kg-1 medio. Todas las fuentes de Fe fueron efectivas incrementando las medidas de clorofila SPAD cuando se compararon con el testigo sin Fe. Los tratamientos basados en vivianita no produjeron diferencias significativas respecto a aquellos obtenidos con EDDHA-Fe. Sin embargo, solo el CORVIV no mostró diferencias significativas con respecto al quelato de Fe en cuanto a la producción de materia seca (MS), el área foliar y el contenido en Fe total presente en la parte aérea. Las sustancias húmicas y la vivianita aplicadas en la dosis recomendada (1 g kg–1) incrementaron la producción de MS en las plantas con respecto a la vivianita sin sustancias húmicas. Además la vivianita aplicada sin mezclar con materia orgánica resultó comportarse de forma similar a la dosis inferior de vivianita (0.5 g kg–1) aplicada junto con sustancias húmicas. Se podría concluir que las fuentes de materia orgánica estudiadas incrementaron la eficiencia de la vivianita en la prevención de la clorosis en fresa, especialmente cuando la vivianita se enriqueció con compost de corcho, siendo tan efectiva como el EDDHA-Fe.
Short communication. Dietary supplementation effects of zinc acetate and magnesium sulfate on performance and antioxidant status of broilers under continuous heat stress
Authors: Nourozi E. , Danesyar M. , Farhoomand P.
Published: March 2013

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different dietary levels of zinc acetate (Zn; 0, 30 and 60 mg kg-1) and of magnesium sulphate (Mg; 0, 300 and 600 mg kg-1) on performance and blood antioxidant status of broilers under continuous heat stress. For this purpose, four hundred and fifty one-day-old male chicks were used in a 3 × 3 factorial experiment from day 1 to day 42 of age. The inclusion of 30 mg Zn kg-1 increased the body weight gain and the average feed intake and declined the feed conversion ratio (FCR). Although there were no differences between the treatments for FCR, the supplementation with 30 and 60 mg Zn kg-1 decreased the FCR regardless the Mg level. The dietary supplementation with 30 mg Zn kg-1 decreased both blood glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities regardless the Mg level. In addition, neither Zn nor Mg influenced the blood total antioxidant capacity content at the end of the experiment. Blood malondialdehyde (MDA) decreased as dietary Zn supplementation increased. The MDA reduction when diet was supplemented with Zn was not obvious at higher Mg level (interaction Zn × Mg, p<0.05). In conclusion, dietary addition of Mg does not significantly influence either the performance or the antioxidant status of broiler at 42 d of age under heat stress but supplementation of 30 mg Zn kg-1 decrease the blood MDA concentration and improves the performance.
Comparative tree growth, phenology and fruit yield of several Japanese plum cultivars in two newly established orchards, organic and conventionally managed
Authors: Arroyo F. T. , Jiménez-Bocanegra J. A. , García-Galavís P. A. , Santamaría C. , Camacho M. , Castejon M. , Pérez-Romero L. F. , Daza A.
Published: March 2013

The growth, phenology and fruit yield of 14 Japanese plum cultivars (Prunus salicina Lindl) were studied in two newly established experimental orchards under organic and conventional management. The experiment was conducted during 2005-2011 in the province of Seville (SW Spain), an important region of Japanese plum culture. Trunk cross-section areas (TCSA), flowering, yield and tree defoliation before winter dormancy were analysed over several years. After one year, TCSA were larger in the organically managed orchard (OMO) for most of the cultivars, in the next two years they were equal, and from the fourth year, several cultivars showed significantly larger TCSA in the conventionally managed orchard (CMO). Flowering in the conventional orchard started from 2 to 6 days before and lasted for 3 to 5 days more than in the OMO. Several cultivars produced significantly more fruit in the CMO, being the average fruit yield in the organic orchard about 72% of the conventionally managed orchard. Autumn defoliation was significantly advanced in the organic orchard, especially in cultivars highly susceptible to rust (Tranzschelia pruni spinosae), a disease not adequately controlled in the organic orchard.
Short communication. An improved intersubspecific genetic map in Lens including functional markers
Authors: De la Puente R. , García P. , Polanco C. , Pérez de la Vega M.
Published: March 2013

A previous Lens genetic map was improved by adding 31 molecular genetic markers, reaching a total of 190 markers with undistorted segregation. Data were obtained from the segregational analysis of 113 F2 plants generated from a single hybrid of Lens culinaris ssp. culinaris × L. c. ssp. orientalis. The added markers are predominantly codominant (15 SSRs, five CAPSs, four presence-absence polymorphisms, three length polymorphisms, two RAPDs, and two SRAPs). At a LOD score of 3.0, the 190 markers were grouped into eight linkage groups (LG) covering 2,234.4 cM, with an average distance between markers of 12.28 cM. This linkage map has reduced the numbers of linkage groups from ten in the previous map to eight. Most of the added markers must be functional markers since primers were mostly designed to amplify transcribed sequences. Some of the amplicons were sequenced to test if they were functional markers. One of the sequences showed homology with the Pisum TFL1a gene, involved in the transition from vegetative to flowering stages. This lentil gene was located in the LG 1 thanks to the presence of a polymorphic microsatellite in the first intron of the gene. Since L. culinaris ssp. orientalis is the primary source of additional genetic variability for lentil, this improved map could help in the use of such variability in lentil breeding programs.
Growth performance and gut health parameters of finishing broilers supplemented with plant extracts and exposed to daily increased temperature
Authors: Akbarian A. , Golian A. , Kermanshahi H. , Farhoosh R. , Raji A. R. , De Smet S. , Michiels J.
Published: March 2013

The effects of three plant extracts, i.e. lemon peel extract (LPE), orange peel extract (OPE) and Curcuma xanthorrhiza essential oil (CXEO), on the performance and gut health parameters of broilers exposed to high temperature was investigated. A total of 336 unsexed Ross 308 broilers were distributed to seven dietary treatments, a control diet and six diets containing 200 or 400 mg kg-1 feed of one of the three products between d 25-38 (12 chicks per pen, four replicates). To induce chronic heat stress, the temperature was increased to 34°C with 50% relative humidity for 5 h daily starting from d 28 until d 38. At d 38, four animals per pen were sampled for morphological characteristics (duodenum, jejunum and ileum) and microbial counts (ileo-cecal contents). Plant extracts did not affect the bird performance. The bursa weight of the control birds was lower (p<0.05) comparing to those fed 400 mg kg-1 OPE and 200 and 400 mg kg-1 CXEO diets. Feeding 400 mg kg-1 of LPE decreased the duodenal villus:crypt ratio compared to control and 200 mg kg-1 OPE fed birds. Plant extracts did not have effect on ileal histo-morphology. Feeding with 400 mg kg-1 of LPE and CXEO caused a decrease in coliform counts in ileum and feeding of 400 mg kg-1 CXEO diet decreased coliform counts in caecum compared to control birds (p<0.05). These results elucidate that CXEO, OPE and LPE might modify some microbial and intestinal traits, but without beneficial effect on performance of broilers under heat stress.
Spatial variability more influential than soil pH and land relief on thermophilous vegetation in overgrown coppice oak forests
Authors: Szymura Tomasz H. , Szymura Magdalena
Published: March 2013

The overgrown coppice oak forests that cover the southern slopes beneath the foothills of the Sudetes (Silesia, Central Europe) are considered to be Euro-Siberian steppic woods with a Quercus sp. habitat (91I0): a priority habitat in the European Union, according to the Natura 2000 system. In subcontinental parts of Central Europe, thermophilous oak forest vegetation is found extrazonally; its presence, in the study site, is related to previous coppice management. In this paper we explore the differentiation of the vegetation caused both by land-relief derived variables (potential heat load, slope inclination and exposition, soil depth) and soil pH, as well as spatial processes. The data on the vegetation were collected from 117 regularly arranged sampling plots, located in three mountain ranges. The vegetation consisted of a mixture of species considered as typical for different habitats (mesophilous forests, acidophilous forests, thermophilous oak forests, grassland, thermophilous fringes and mesophilous mantle) and was relatively rich in species. Many of the species found were rare and are protected in Poland. The results of the bioindication, on the basis of Ellenberg indicator values, suggest the pH gradient to be the most important, followed by the insolation/moisture gradient, to the differentiation of the studied vegetation. The thermophilous oak forests seem to occupy the niche between acidophilous and mesophilous forest. However the decomposition of spatial variation, assessed on the basis of semivariance values of the vegetation similarity coefficient (frequency index), emphasizes a strong differentiation of vegetation between sites and mountain ranges.

The results of canonical correspondence analysis, performed on a spatially stratified sub-set of the data, revealed a stronger effect caused by spatial variation (32.7% of explained species variation) than environmental variables, such as soil pH and potential heat load (13.1%). Since the shared variation was low (1.8%), it showed a strong influence of spatial processes, revealing the effect of the local species pool.
Sound Off!: Least Common Denominators and the Common Core
Authors: Burkman J. Bradford
Published: March 2013

The Common Core State Standards do not expect students to make connections between the greatest common factor, least common multiple, and least common denominator. The author discusses implications for student learning, including at the high school level, and makes a suggestion for higher expectations in interpreting and implementing the CCSS.
Visible Thinking in High School Mathematics
Authors: Sliman Emily
Published: March 2013

Chalk Talk and Claim-Support-Question are two routines for developing students' ability to use multiple representations and encouraging classroom discussion.
Using Aviation to Change Math Attitudes
Authors: Wood Jerra
Published: March 2013

A flight simulator presents a new STEM slant on students' knowledge of linear equations.
Becoming a Mathematical Problem Solver
Authors: Rigelman Nicole R.
Published: March 2013

Take a page from the humanities and have your students investigate mathematics in writing.
« Art de dire » Rastafari : créativité musicale et dagga dans les townships sud-africains
Authors: Laplante Julie
Published: March 2013

Le mouvement rastafari, et son expansion à l’échelle mondiale, est un témoignage du succès d’un « art de dire » par l’expression musicale. Technique du corps et des sens, la création de la musique peut se lier à l’éthos d’un peuple. Il s’agit dans cet article de comprendre les conditions de créativité musicale au sein du quotidien rastafari destownshipsdu Cap en Afrique du Sud. Ainsi, comment la création musicale s’insère-t-elle au coeur du mouvement rastafari sud-africain, en quoi ce processus est-il porteur de signification, voire gage de survie au quotidien ? Et plus particulièrement, quelle est la place de la plante sacréedagga(cannabis, marijuana) dans ce processus, dont l’usage hors du mouvement est légiféré comme criminel, et dont l’usage en son sein apparaît libérateur, voire thérapeutique ? Voilà le défi de cet article qui pourra être relevé grâce à une famille musicienne/herboriste rastafari sud-africaine et à une anthropologie des sens. Dans le mouvement rastafari qui s’est érigé explicitement contre l’oppression d’un monde colonial en Jamaïque dans les années 1930, le processus de créativité musicale apparaît comme un mode de « mieux-être dans le monde », mode où les mots et les sons sont nettement privilégiés comme médium de changement social. En ce qui concerne son Herbe, ladagga, ses fonctions y sont multiples, tant sur le plan culturel que biologique, s’entrelaçant à la créativité musicale selon les ancrages positionnels particuliers des acteurs.
Censorial Interferences in the Dubbing of Foreign Films in Fascist Italy: 1927-1943
Authors: Mereu Carla
Published: March 2013

Drawing insights from the project of Italia Taglia and its study on visual censorship and screening certifications in Italy, this contribution sets out to explore the censorial interferences in the Italian dubbed versions of foreign films that were publicly screened during Fascism. This study looks at practices behind the exclusion of verbal text in the target versions and highlights the rewriting of translated dialogues which contained uncomfortable political, moral and religious references. It will account for the influence of the film censorship commissions over the dubbing studios and show how the censors interfered with the process of translation, adjusting or negotiating the contents of the Italian dubbed versions.
Ingmar Bergman, maternidad y Franquismo: Traducción y censura de En el umbral de la vida
Authors: Garnemark Rosario
Published: March 2013

La politique culturelle développée en Espagne pendant le régime franquiste (1939-1975) était caractérisée par un contrôle strict des répertoires culturels en circulation. Une manifestation très visible de ce protectionnisme culturel était l’établissement d’une censure d’État, qui réglait la production et la diffusion culturelles. En analysant les pratiques de censure étatiques dans En el umbral de la vida (Nära livet, 1958), d’Ingmar Bergman, notre article prétend contribuer à l’étude des façons de traduire de l’époque franquiste. S’inspirant du tournant culturel des études descriptives en traduction, et notamment des notions de mécénat et traduction comme réécriture, développées par Lefevere (1992), notre analyse veut montrer certains partis pris idéologiques qui guidaient la manipulation franquiste du discours filmique bergmanien. Tandis que l’original En el umbral de la vida présentait la maternité de façon ambigüe, la censure effaçait toute référence négative de ce film, favorisant ainsi le tendancieux discours franquiste sur ce phénomène.
Censorship of Anime in Italian Distribution
Authors: Parini Ilaria
Published: March 2013

Editing of anime – Japanese cartoons – is a process through which the product is altered in order to make it appropriate for the public. Such a practice is quite common all over the Western world, and Italy is no exception. Japanese anime are not designed only for an audience of children, and there exist different types of products aimed at viewers of different ages; consequently, in Japan anime are shown at various time slots according to their characteristics. In Italy, on the contrary, cartoons are generally considered a product targeted exclusively at children, and even those anime which were originally designed for an older audience are broadcast during the protected time slot and therefore have to comply to certain standards regarding their content and the type of language spoken. Censorship thus tends to take place both on the visual and the verbal levels: scenes considered inappropriate are removed from the story, the plot is often changed, the text is frequently domesticated in its references to the Japanese culture, and the language is flattened. Italian translators take an active part in the editing of anime: as they are the first ones to actually see the episodes, they are supposed to report to their commissioners any ambiguous element they come across, and they perform (self)censorship on the verbal level, manipulating the dialogue exchanges as is expected by the translation company.
Censorship and Digital Games Localisation in China
Authors: Zhang Xiaochun
Published: March 2013

Censorship and translation is a topic that has received substantial attention in academic circles in recent years. Although much of the research has focused on the interrelationship between these two areas, censorship systems and their influence on audiovisual translation, especially digital games localisation, has not been fully examined within the scope of translation studies. This article aims to fill that gap by investigating censorial operations on digital games against the socio-cultural background of Mainland China. It will provide an overview of the Chinese censorship system, with a particular focus on the censoring authorities, their reviewing procedures and methods, including the regulations and standards on game content. It questions the extent to which censorship influences games localisation in practice and concludes that game localisers tend to perform stringent self-censorship when the censorship system itself lacks transparency.
Gayspeak and Gay Subjects in Audiovisual Translation: Strategies in Italian Dubbing
Authors: Ranzato Irene
Published: March 2013

The purpose of this article is to analyse the fictional language of homosexuals as portrayed on the screen, as well as the way in which Italian translators and dubbing adapters have dealt with gayspeak. It means to explore whether the words of the gay lexicon in the English and the Italian languages cover similar semantic areas and whether any lack of balance between the two languages in this particular field may create problems for the translator. On the other hand, various examples from dubbed films and TV programmes will help to investigate whether some of the features of gayspeak are substantially altered in the Italian adaptations and whether these modifications are due to constraints determined by the vocabulary used to define the idiolect of this speech community or, rather, to overt and covert constraints imposed by a culture, the Italian, which has opened up to homosexual themes much more slowly than the Anglosaxon world.
Audiovisual Translation in the Basque Country: The Case of Basque Television-Euskal Telebista (ETB)
Authors: Barambones Josu , Merino Raquel , Uribarri Ibon
Published: March 2013

Recent historical translation research done on Basque state-owned television shows that while the Basque-speaking channel has used dubbed translation of children’s programmes to promote and standardize the use of Basque, the Spanish-speaking channel has competed in the wider market of Spanish broadcasting channels with fiction for adults. The choice of products to be broadcast for diverse target audiences clearly reflects a diglossic situation in terms of language distribution but it also serves to illustrate government language planning policies. Since Basque television is controlled by political instances (power), manipulation and ideology clearly have an influence both selecting the programmes and controlling the type of (Basque) language used when translating and dubbing imported products.
Three Lives of The Saint in Polish Voiceover Translation
Authors: Hołobut Agata
Published: March 2013

The article adopts a diachronic perspective on Polish screen translation. It compares the voiceover version of the British series The Saint broadcast on public television under the old regime with more recent ones, released twenty-five and thirty years later. The main aim is to analyse traces of socio-cultural manipulation in the consecutive portrayals of the Western reality, with special emphasis on translation practice in the communist era. The first section provides historical background for the research, discussing the role of translated programmes in the first decades of the Polish Television. The second section focuses on manipulative techniques, such as projection, caricature, generalisation and omission, used by the earliest translators of the series to adapt the audiovisual message to the needs of communist propaganda. Specific examples illustrate how the Western reality was distorted to criticise materialism and individualism, promote selfless collectivism and class struggle and shape appropriate civic attitudes. The final section presents a brief overview of symptoms of socio-cultural manipulation in the more recent versions of the series, used to adapt it to the changed socio-political situation in Poland.
Ideology and Subtitling: South African Soap Operas
Authors: Kruger Jan-Louis
Published: March 2013

This article investigates the ideological component of patronage in the subtitling of four South African soap operas: Generations, 7de Laan, Muvhango, and Isidingo. Taking the concepts introduced by Lefevere as point of departure, the article first discusses the various ways in which audiovisual translation (AVT) is subject to manipulation. This manipulation is shown to be a result of the fact that subtitles, as text superimposed onto the image during post-editing, thereby obscuring a small part of the screen, constantly foregrounds itself to the audience. This foregrounding is also affected by the linguistic background of the audience – whether or not they understand the original dialogue. The argument then turns to a discussion of AVT, and specifically subtitling, as rewriting. The link between language and ideology is discussed as it pertains to issues of power, particularly related to the role of English in the media, also in South Africa, where, in Gottlieb’s terminology, South Africa can be described as a multilingual anglophile context. The language policy of the South African Broadcasting Corporation is then discussed in terms of patronage and ideology followed by a discussion of the role of ideology in these four locally-produced soap operas. In this discussion the different ways in which the subtitling practices of the soap operas reflect ideology are investigated. The article concludes that accessibility plays a smaller role in subtitling in South Africa than the ideology of multilingualism and multiculturalism.
BBC English with an Accent: “African” and “Asian” Accents and the Translation of Culture in British Broadcasting
Authors: Steffensen Kenn Nakata
Published: March 2013

Foreign accents acted by Anglophone actors are a ubiquitous but politically and theoretically problematic feature of many audiovisual productions in the English-speaking world. This paper investigates the use of Tswana and Japanese accents in two BBC productions as acts of audiovisual translation (AVT) which are illustrative of a more general problematic of Western representations of non-Western languages and cultures. It argues that the phonological features of speech, which are classified as accents, divide the community of native speakers into different social groups and that they create and maintain boundaries between native and non-native speakers. Language discrimination is recognised by the BBC as a problem in relation to its domestic audience and the Corporation actively attempts to become more inclusive and representative of British society by broadcasting non-standard accents. On the other hand, when representing foreign, and especially post-colonial and non-Western languages and cultures, accent is used to define the boundary between the native English-speaking community and its outside. Accents are used to represent and translate the outside in stereotyping ways that tend towards racialisation and towards actors using generic “Southern African” and “East Asian” accents that bear little resemblance to the actual phonological profile of native speakers of Tswana and Japanese.
« Respecte pourtant sa vie » (Jb 2,6)
Authors: Tshikendwa Matadi Ghislain
Published: March 2013

L’article traite de la valeur de la vie en Afrique noire en partant du livre de Job (Jb 2,6) où Yahvé intime au Satan l’ordre de respecter la vie de Job. Au-delà de la souffrance évidente qu’endurent les Africains depuis des siècles, leur amour pour la vie est un fait presque banal. Cette attitude ne diffère pas beaucoup de celle de Job qui, au-delà de ses différentes épreuves et peut-être à cause d’elles, continue de croire en la vie et en Celui qu’il croit en être l’auteur : Yahvé. Job devient ainsi un paradigme, celui d’une personne qui, en s’adressant à Dieu pendant l’épreuve, privilégie sa relation avec Celui qui est capable de donner à l’homme non seulement des richesses matérielles, mais aussi et surtout la vie — et qui est capable de la faire respecter à tout prix.
Vie et mort en Afrique noire
Authors: Anganga Marcel
Published: March 2013

En Afrique, continent-Mère de l’homme et source de notre civilisation, vie et mort, depuis plus de 200 000 ans avant notre ère, sont liées. Inséparables. Elles constituent, ensemble, les deux faces de l’existence humaine et, par ce fait, la mort se veut la conséquence de la vie. Dès lors, dans la cosmogonie négro-africaine dont les traces sont visibles dans le judaïsme et le christianisme, l’idéologie de la vie prime sur celle de la thanatologie, car la vie ne finit pas avec la mort. A contrario, elle la dépasse, la transcende et continue dans l’Au-delà. Ainsi, la mort n’est pas le dernier mot de la vie pour l’Africain. Celle-ci est, reste et demeurera une phrase en pointillés qui s’achèvera au village des ancêtres lors du retour final.
La conception de la vie en Afrique à la lumière de Jésus-Christ
Authors: Museka Ntumba Lambert
Published: March 2013

Cet article est une contribution africaine-luba à l’échange interculturel et chrétien sur des données aussi fondamentales que la conception de la vie et la foi en Jésus-Christ. Il présente donc, au départ, solidement appuyée sur des proverbes, dictons, prières, mythes et légendes traditionnels, cette conception africaine-luba de la vie, marquée du sceau de la sacralité, de la naissance du petit d’homme jusque dans l’au-delà des ancêtres et de Dieu, en passant par tous les combats contre les forces de mort qui pullulent ici-bas. C’est sur une telle conception que vient passer la lumière de Jésus-Christ, dans une rencontre féconde, faite d’accueil bienveillant et de nécessaire dépassement.
Annihilation anthropologique et anthropologie de la vie
Authors: Heyer René
Published: March 2013

L’annihilation et la paupérisation anthropologiques désignent les crimes de la traite esclavagiste et les méfaits du colonialisme en Afrique. La discussion de la pertinence de ces expressions, aujourd’hui fort répandues dans la théologie africaine, sert de cadre à l’exploration de ce que signifie l’anthropologie africaine de la vie telle que l’expose le père Engelbert Mveng, comme responsabilité de faire triompher la vie dans le monde humain et cosmique.
Vivre sa mort dans les traditions initiatiques d’Afrique noire
Authors: Mupaya Kapiten Didier
Published: March 2013

Vivre sa mort est une réalité complexe, voire paradoxale qui échappe à l’expérience immédiate. L’article l’aborde à la lumière de l’expérience religieuse fondamentale de l’Afrique noire. En partant des rites funéraires et des rites initiatiques en tant que morts symboliques, on établit un parallélisme systématique, une homologie suggestive, entre la dynamique africaine de la mort initiatique qui fait avancer sur l’axe dialectique d’accroissement de la vie et l’économie du salut par la croix qui ouvre à l’homme l’accès à Dieu. Cette caractéristique partagée permet de voir dans la croix du Christ une réalisation concrète devant laquelle la tradition initiatique peut se redécouvrir comme dans un miroir, tout en y découvrant quelque chose de facilement crédible. La réalité du vivre sa mort est donc saisie, au point où logique chrétienne et logique africaine se rencontrent. Elle apparaît comme une disposition religieuse et une marche de la personne humaine dans l’élévation spirituelle vers Dieu.
Kinesin-1 regulates dendrite microtubule polarity in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Yan Jing , Chao Dan L , Toba Shiori , Koyasako Kotaro , Yasunaga Takuo , Hirotsune Shinji , Shen Kang
Published: March 2013

In neurons, microtubules (MTs) span the length of both axons and dendrites, and the molecular motors use these intracellular ‘highways' to transport diverse cargo to the appropriate subcellular locations. Whereas axonal MTs are organized such that the plus-end is oriented out from the cell body, dendrites exhibit a mixed MTs polarity containing both minus-end-out and plus-end-out MTs. The molecular mechanisms underlying this differential organization, as well as its functional significance, are unknown. Here, we show that kinesin-1 is critical in establishing the characteristic minus-end-out MT organization of the dendrite in vivo. In unc-116 (kinesin-1/kinesin heavy chain) mutants, the dendritic MTs adopt an axonal-like plus-end-out organization. Kinesin-1 protein is able to cross-link anti-paralleled MTs in vitro. We propose that kinesin-1 regulates the dendrite MT polarity through directly gliding the plus-end-out MTs out of the dendrite using both the motor domain and the C-terminal MT-binding domain.
Mutual inhibition among postmitotic neurons regulates robustness of brain wiring in Drosophila
Authors: Langen Marion , Koch Marta , Yan Jiekun , De Geest Natalie , Erfurth Maria-Luise , Pfeiffer Barret D , Schmucker Dietmar , Moreau Yves , Hassan Bassem A
Published: March 2013

Brain connectivity maps display a delicate balance between individual variation and stereotypy, suggesting the existence of dedicated mechanisms that simultaneously permit and limit individual variation. We show that during the development of the Drosophila central nervous system, mutual inhibition among groups of neighboring postmitotic neurons during development regulates the robustness of axon target choice in a nondeterministic neuronal circuit. Specifically, neighboring postmitotic neurons communicate through Notch signaling during axonal targeting, to ensure balanced alternative axon target choices without a corresponding change in cell fate. Loss of Notch in postmitotic neurons modulates an axon's target choice. However, because neighboring axons respond by choosing the complementary target, the stereotyped connectivity pattern is preserved. In contrast, loss of Notch in clones of neighboring postmitotic neurons results in erroneous coinnervation by multiple axons. Our observations establish mutual inhibition of axonal target choice as a robustness mechanism for brain wiring and unveil a novel cell fate independent function for canonical Notch signaling.
Serum Urate Levels and Consumption of Common Beverages and Alcohol Among Chinese in Singapore
Authors: Teng Gim Gee , Tan Chuen Seng , Santosa Amelia , Saag Kenneth G. , Yuan Jian‐Min , Koh Woon‐Puay
Published: March 2013

Objective

Western studies suggest that beverages may affect serum urate (SU) levels, but data from Asian populations are scarce. We evaluated the associations between beverages and SU levels in Singaporean Chinese.

Methods

The study population consisted of 483 subjects ages 45–74 years from the Singapore Chinese Health Study cohort, recruited between 1993 and 1998. Lifestyle factors, medical histories, and diet were collected through in‐person interviews. SU levels and other biomarkers were measured from blood collected between 1994 and 1996.

Results

The mean age was 57.6 years and 44% were men. The geometric mean SU level was 321 μmoles/liter (range 157–719). Mean SU levels increased with alcohol consumption (P= 0.024 for trend). The mean SU level of daily alcohol drinkers was 42.6 μmoles/liter higher than that of nondrinkers. Similarly, increasing frequency of green tea intake was associated with rising SU levels. The highest mean SU level was observed in daily green tea drinkers (difference of 25.0 μmoles/liter) relative to nondrinkers (P= 0.009 for trend). Compared to nondrinkers, daily alcohol drinkers had an almost 5‐fold increase in association with hyperuricemia (odds ratio [OR] 4.83, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.10–21.23), whereas daily green tea drinkers had a 2‐fold increase in association with hyperuricemia (OR 2.12, 95% CI 1.03–4.36). The present study did not show elevated levels of SU in individuals who consumed black tea, coffee, fruit juice, or soda.

Conclusion

Alcohol consumption increases SU levels. The finding that daily drinking of green tea is associated with hyperuricemia needs validation in future studies.
Mechanics of Pharyngeal Teeth of Black Carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) Crushing Mollusk Shells
Authors: He Chong , Zhou Wu , Wang Hongtao , Shi San‐Qiang , Yao Haimin
Published: March 2013

Mollusks such as snail and mussels adopt hard shells to protect their vulnerable bodies. Recent studies on biomaterials have revealed that these shells especially the nacre layers exhibit excellent mechanical properties, inspiring a number of biomimetic endeavors. Nevertheless, in nature, there is a species of fish called Mylopharyngodon piceus or black carp, whose main diet is exactly snails and mussels. Does such unique diet imply that the pharyngeal teeth of black carp, its major masticatory apparatus, are superior to the mollusk shells in mechanical properties? In this paper, structural and mechanical characterizations are conducted on the pharyngeal teeth of black carp, showing that enameloid, the outermost layer of black carp teeth, possesses similar elastic modulus and hardness in comparison to those of the pond snail shells. To shed light on the mechanics underlying the capability of pharyngeal teeth to crush mollusk shells, parametric studies on the geometry of the shells are conducted by means of finite element method. It is found that whether a mollusk shell is crushable or not, for given pharyngeal teeth, depends on the radius (R) and thickness (t) of the shell. A predation map for black carp teeth is constructed by delimiting the t–R plane into three phasic regions corresponding to three possible consequences of the mechanical competition between pharyngeal teeth and shells. It is interesting to notice that all the freshwater shells chosen at random fall in the crushable regime while the seashells do not necessarily. This feature of black carp teeth can be speculated as a result of evolution in response to its freshwater diet.
Multiple and differentiated contributions to the male gene pool of pastoral and farmer populations of the African Sahel
Authors: Bučková Jana , Černý Viktor , Novelletto Andrea
Published: March 2013

The African Sahel is conducive to studies of divergence/admixture genetic events as a result of its population history being so closely related with past climatic changes. Today, it is a place of the co‐existence of two differing food‐producing subsistence systems, i.e., that of sedentary farmers and nomadic pastoralists, whose populations have likely been formed from several dispersed indigenous hunter‐gatherer groups. Using new methodology, we show here that the male gene pool of the extant populations of the African Sahel harbors signatures of multiple and differentiated contributions from different genetic sources. We also show that even if the Fulani pastoralists and their neighboring farmers share high frequencies of four Y chromosome subhaplogroups of E, they have drawn on molecularly differentiated subgroups at different times. These findings, based on combinations of SNP and STR polymorphisms, add to our previous knowledge and highlight the role of differences in the demographic history and displacements of the Sahelian populations as a major factor in the segregation of the Y chromosome lineages in Africa. Interestingly, within the Fulani pastoralist population as a whole, a differentiation of the groups from Niger is characterized by their high presence of R1b‐M343 and E1b1b1‐M35. Moreover, the R1b‐M343 is represented in our dataset exclusively in the Fulani group and our analyses infer a north‐to‐south African migration route during a recent past. Am J Phys Anthropol 151:10–21, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
New information on the modifications of the neandertal suprainiac fossa during growth and development and on its etiology
Authors: Balzeau Antoine , Rougier Hélène
Published: March 2013

The question of whether suprainiac depressions observed on Neandertals and in other human samples are homologous is widely discussed. Recently (Balzeau and Rougier, 2010), we ascertained the autapomorphic status of the Neandertal suprainiac fossa as a depression showing specific external bone features together with a thinning of the diploic layer with no substantial remodeling nor variation in the external table thickness. A suprainiac fossa with these characteristics is systematically present on Neandertals from the earliest developmental stages on, and since the beginning of the differentiation of the Neandertal lineage. Here, we present a detailed analysis of the micro‐CT dataset (resolution of 50 μm) of the occipital bone of the La Ferrassie 8 Neandertal child, whose proposed age‐at‐death is around 2 years, and we compare it to the adult condition as represented by La Chapelle‐aux‐Saints 1 (resolution of 122 μm). We describe and quantify the boundaries between the different structural layers of the occipital bone, namely the external and internal tables and the diploic layer. We also describe very fine details of the diploic layer structure that had never before been observed on fossil hominins. This study illustrates for the first time that the internal particularities that make the suprainiac fossa a Neandertal autapomorphy are evident early during growth and development. Moreover, we demonstrate that the developmental pattern and causes of expression for the features observed in modern humans and Neandertals are certainly different, indicating that these features are not homologous traits from evolutionary and functional perspectives. Consequently, we confirm the autapomorphic status of the Neandertal suprainiac fossa. Am J Phys Anthropol 151:38–48, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Preparation and property of poly(vinyl alcohol) grafted with butyl glycidyl ether
Authors: Wei Lixia , Ye Lin
Published: March 2013

The crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol (CPVA) and alkyl chain grafted CPVA (CPVA‐g‐BGE) were prepared through the addition reaction of epoxy group of epichlorohydrin and butyl glycidyl ether (BGE) with the hydroxyl group of PVA. By FTIR and 1HNMR analysis, BGE was confirmed to be grafted onto the molecular chain of PVA successfully. By grafting with BGE, the area of the stress–strain curves of CPVA increased, and the elongation at break increased remarkably with little drop of the tensile strength. Much rougher fractured surface with folds was observed, indicating the increased toughness of CPVA. The relaxation peak corresponding to the glass transition temperature (Tg) of CPVA shifted to low temperature with increasing grafting ratio of BGE. When compared with CPVA, the crystallization ability of CPVA‐g‐BGE decreased, indicating that although the intermolecular hydrogen bonding of PVA was weakened by grafting with alkyl chain, appropriate intermolecular association of alkyl chain facilitated the formation of physical entanglement of molecular chains to strengthen and toughen the PVA matrix. Ink contact angles of CPVA‐g‐BGE decreased with increasing grafting ratio of BGE, indicating the increasing compatibility of CPVA with ink, which was advantageous for PVA to be used as surface sizing agent in papermaking. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Influence of MMT nanoclay on impedance spectroscopy analysis of naturally woven coconut sheath/polyester hybrid composite
Authors: Rajini Nagarajan , Jappes Jebas Thangiah Winowlin , Rajakarunakaran Sivaprakasam , Prabu Moni , Bennet Chellam
Published: March 2013

In this work, the impedance spectroscopy study has been carried out for the naturally woven coconut sheath fiber reinforced composite with the effect of adding different weight percentages of montmorillonite nanoclay and chemical activation of fiber. The dispersion mechanism of nanoclay with polyester, and the modification of the fiber surface have been studied by using X–ray diffractogram, transmission electron microscope and scanning electron microscope respectively. Infra‐red spectra have also been taken to study the reactive compounds of treated fibers. The impedance spectrum shows significant improvement in A.C. conductivity, dielectric constant and loss tangent values by the fiber modification, using alkali and silane treatments, due to the structural topography changes at the fiber surface. The highest dielectric strength was found in alkali‐treated coconut sheath/polyester composite due to increase in orientation polarization by the absorption of moisture content at fiber surface. The addition of different weight percentages of nanoclay with coconut sheath in all the treated conditions shows significant changes in the dielectric properties. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Neuropathic Pain in Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Psychophysics and Brain Imaging Study
Authors: Wu Qi , Inman Robert D. , Davis Karen D.
Published: March 2013

Objective

To determine whether there is a neuropathic component in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) back pain and to delineate gray matter brain abnormalities associated with AS.

Methods

Seventeen patients with back pain secondary to AS who were not receiving biologic agents and 17 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls consented to participate in the study and were assessed using the painDETECT instrument (scores of ≤12 indicating low probability of neuropathic pain) and the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Mechanical and thermal thresholds were determined in all subjects, and brain gray matter was assessed by 3T magnetic resonance imaging.

Results

Eleven of the 17 AS patients had painDETECT scores of >12. The patients had decreased mechanical and cold sensitivity on the dorsum of their feet but did not have altered pain thresholds. Compared to controls, the AS patients exhibited cortical thinning in the primary somatosensory, insular, anterior cingulate, and anterior mid‐cingulate cortices and the supplemental motor area, and increased gray matter volume in the thalamus and putamen. Scores on the painDETECT in AS patients were correlated with decreased gray matter in the primary somatosensory cortex and with increased gray matter in the motor cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, thalamus, and striatum.

Conclusion

The present findings indicate that neuropathic pain occurs in AS. Furthermore, abnormal brain gray matter and neural correlates of neuropathic pain are concordant with the clinical picture of AS, which includes sensorimotor and mood deficits as well as neuropathic pain symptoms. These results suggest that back pain in AS is a mixed pain condition that includes a neuropathic pain component.
Rac1 Is Required for Matrix Metalloproteinase 13 Production by Chondrocytes in Response to Fibronectin Fragments
Authors: Long David L. , Willey Jeffrey S. , Loeser Richard F.
Published: March 2013

Objective

Matrix fragments, including fibronectin (FN) fragments, accumulate during the development of osteoarthritis (OA), stimulating the production of chondrocyte matrix metalloproteinase (MMP). The objective of this study was to determine the role of the small GTPase Rac1 in chondrocyte signaling stimulated by FN fragments, which results in MMP‐13 production.

Methods

Normal human cartilage was obtained from tissue donors and OA cartilage from knee arthroplasty specimens. Rac1 activity was modulated with a chemical inhibitor, by knockdown with small interfering RNA (siRNA), or with constitutively active Rac or dominant‐negative Rac adenovirus. Cells were treated with FN fragments, with or without epidermal growth factor (EGF) or transforming growth factor α (TGFα), which are known activators of Rac. Rac1 activity was measured with a colorimetric activity enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, a pulldown assay, and immunostaining with a monoclonal antibody against active Rac.

Results

Chemical inhibition of Rac1, as well as knockdown by siRNA and expression of dominant‐negative Rac, blocked FN fragment–stimulated MMP‐13 production, while expression of constitutively active Rac increased MMP‐13 production. Inhibition of Rho‐associated kinase had no effect. EGF and TGFα, but not FN fragments, increased Rac1 activity and promoted the increase in MMP‐13 above that achieved by stimulation with FN fragments alone. Active Rac was detected in OA cartilage by immunostaining.

Conclusion

Rac1 is required for FN fragment–induced signaling that results in increased MMP‐13 production. EGF receptor ligands, which activate Rac, can promote this effect. The presence of active Rac in OA cartilage and the ability of Rac to stimulate MMP‐13 production suggest that it could play a role in the cartilage matrix destruction seen in OA.