bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FLP recombinase‐mediated site‐specific recombination in rice
Authors: Hu Qian , Kononowicz‐Hodges Halina , Nelson‐Vasilchik Kimberly , Viola David , Zeng Peiyu , Liu Haibo , Kausch Albert P. , Chandlee Joel M. , Hodges Thomas K. , Luo Hong
Published: November 2007

The feasibility of using the FLP/FRT site‐specific recombination system in rice for genome engineering was evaluated. Transgenic rice plants expressing the FLP recombinase were crossed with plants harbouring the kanamycin resistance gene (neomycin phosphotransferase II, nptII) flanked by FRT sites, which also served to separate the corn ubiquitin promoter from a promoterless gusA. Hybrid progeny were tested for excision of the nptII gene and the positioning of the ubiquitin promoter proximal to gusA. While the hybrid progeny from various crosses exhibited β‐glucuronidase (GUS) expression, the progeny of selfed parental rice plants did not show detectable GUS activity. Despite the variable GUS expression and incomplete recombination displayed in hybrids from some crosses, uniform GUS staining and complete recombination were observed in hybrids from other crosses. The recombined locus was shown to be stably inherited by the progeny. These data demonstrate the operation of FLP recombinase in catalysing excisional DNA recombination in rice, and confirm that the FLP/FRT recombination system functions effectively in the cereal crop rice. Transgenic rice lines expressing active FLP recombinase generated in this study provide foundational stock material, thus facilitating the future application and development of the FLP/FRT system in rice genetic improvement.
Turning the Tide? Why Development Will Not Stop Migration
Authors: De Haas Hein
Published: November 2007

Restrictive immigration policies and the militarization of external border controls by the US and the EU have failed to significantly curb immigration from Latin America and Africa. Rather, they have led to greater reliance on increasingly risky and costly irregular migration and have paradoxically encouraged permanent settlement. A commonly presented ‘smart solution’ to curb immigration is to address the perceived root causes of migration through increasing aid or liberalizing trade with origin countries. Recently, policies to stimulate remittances and to promote temporary and circular migration have also been advocated as enhancing home country development, so that these forms of migration become a medicine against illegal and permanent migration. However, besides the limited scope and credibility of such policies, empirical and theoretical evidence strongly suggests that economic and human development increases people's capabilities and aspirations and therefore tends to coincide with an increase rather than a decrease in emigration, at least in the short to medium term. Under unfavourable conditions, trade, aid and remittances can be complements to, rather than substitutes for, migration also in the longer term. At the same time, demand for both skilled and unskilled migrant labour is likely to persist. Trade, aid, return migration and remittances are no short‐cut ‘solutions’ to migration, and sustained immigration therefore seems likely.
AGENCY COSTS OF THIRD‐PARTY FINANCING AND THE EFFECTS OF REGULATORY CHANGE ON UTILITY COSTS AND FACTOR CHOICES
Authors: CRONIN Francis J. , MOTLUK Stephen A.
Published: November 2007

ABSTRACT**:  Beginning in 1999, the Canadian Province of Ontario undertook restructuring and tried to implement performance based regulation for local electricity distribution utilities. Regulatory parameters were based on productivity research covering 1988–1997 that found little productivity difference by size, but wide variations in costs, factor mix, financing, and returns to capital among utilities. While some utilities questioned their ability to improve efficiency, other observers maintained many utilities were over‐capitalized, especially from third‐party financing paid by customers for connection/development charges; these observers noted that rates, profits, and valuations would be inflated. Despite its pervasive use, we can find no literature dealing with the implications of third‐party funding. We assess the effects and adjustment dynamics of regulatory and financing changes on costs, factor mix, and performance.
LES BANQUES COOPÉRATIVES FRANÇAISES DANS LES ANNÉES 1990–2000: SPÉCIALISATION DES ACTIVITÉS ET PERFORMANCES
Authors: SIFAKIS‐KAPETANAKIS Catherine
Published: November 2007

RESUME**:  Cet article porte sur les transformations et les stratégies d'adaptation des banques coopératives françaises induites par la réforme du système financier français et la globalisation financière. Il examine l'ampleur de la banalisation au niveau des activités de crédit des réseaux bancaires coopératifs ainsi que leurs performances. Il est montré que les réseaux bancaires coopératifs maintiennent une spécialisation assez importante de leurs propres activités de crédit, dont le corollaire est une diversification au niveau des groupes coopératifs. Ces réseaux ont également un pouvoir de marché croissant et une rentabilité meilleure que les banques commerciales pendant la période 1992–1999 et comparable pour la période suivante. Enfin, les banques coopératives présentent l'avantage de permettre aux pouvoirs publics de conserver, compte tenu du caractère «non opéable» de ces réseaux, leur capacité d'influence sur les stratégies bancaires tout en respectant les règles du jeu de l'Espace financier européen et de la globalisation financière.
Ultima Thule: anthropology and the call of the unknown
Authors: Hastrup Kirsten
Published: November 2007

This article discusses the way in which the constitutive condition of anthropology, often dismissed as ‘colonial’, is still inherent in anthropological practice. It is argued that anthropologists are still answering a ‘call of the unknown’ by which to expand the horizon of the modern social imaginary. The vehicle of this discussion is found in early Arctic ethnography, not least in the works of (Danish) Knud Rasmussen. It is shown how ancient images of the far northern world and its people persistently infiltrated the ethnographic descriptions, and how the ‘unknown’ is perceived through ‘known’ images. Nevertheless, the relationship between the known and the unknown is far from stable, because new horizons open and close in the process of understanding and description. This is still the case, and the result is a fluid field of knowledge that serves as a repository of doubt about canonical categories.

Le présent article discute la manière dont la condition constitutive de l'anthropologie, souvent récusée comme « coloniale », est demeurée inhérente à la pratique anthropologique. L'auteur affirme que les anthropologues répondent encore à un « appel de l'inconnu » qui pousse àélargir l'horizon de l'imaginaire social moderne. Sa discussion se base sur les premiers travaux d'ethnographie arctique, en particulier ceux du Danois Knud Rasmussen. L'article montre comment les anciennes images du Grand Nord et de ses peuples ont imprégné durablement les descriptions ethnographiques, et comment « l'inconnu » est perçu au travers d'images connues. Pourtant, la relation entre le connu et l'inconnu est loin d'être stable car de nouveaux horizons s'ouvrent ou s'effacent au fil du processus de compréhension et de description. C'est encore le cas aujourd'hui, et il en résulte un champ mouvant de connaissance susceptible de remettre en cause les catégories canoniques.
Rights violations, rumour, and rhetoric: making sense of cannibalism in Mambasa, Ituri (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Authors: Pottier Johan
Published: November 2007

In January 2003, in the midst of civil war, Mbuti pygmies from Mambasa, Ituri, informed human rights organizations and the media that relatives had been killed, cooked, and eaten by soldiers of the Mouvement pour la Libération du Congo (MLC). Nearly two years later, spectacularly, the accusers withdrew their testimonies. This article tries to make sense of the allegation and subsequent retraction by reviewing how the Congolese print media covered the story. Against the backdrop of turbulent politics and moral crisis, it is argued that ‘Cannibalism in Mambasa’ needs to be understood first and foremost as a politically driven metaphor of extreme violence and suffering, even though acts of cannibalism cannot be ruled out.

En janvier 2003, en pleine guerre civile dans l'Ituri, des Pygmées Mbuti de Mambasa informèrent les organisations humanitaires et les médias que des membres de leur tribu avaient été tués, cuits et dévorés par les soldats du Mouvement pour la Libération du Congo (MLC). Deux ans plus tard, les accusateurs se rétractaient spectaculairement. Le présent article tente de donner un sens à ces accusations puis aux rétractations, à travers la couverture de cette affaire par la presse congolaise. L'auteur affirme que dans ce contexte de grave crise politique et morale, le « cannibalisme à Mambasa » doit être d'abord, et avant tout, compris comme une métaphore politique de violence et de souffrance extrêmes, bien que l'on ne puisse pas exclure la possibilité que des actes de cannibalisme aient bien été commis.
Close encounters: UFO beliefs in a remote Australian Aboriginal community
Authors: Saethre Eirik
Published: November 2007

Although UFOs, flying saucers, and extraterrestrials are traditionally considered to be concepts associated with the ‘West’, indigenous people are also familiar with these ideas. In a remote Aboriginal community in Central Australia, Warlpiri residents regularly sight and discuss UFOs. In addition to reflecting attributes of extraterrestrials found in film and television portrayals, Warlpiri descriptions of ‘the aliens’ also emphasize an involvement with the environment, local cosmological themes, and the engagement between Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal Australians. Consequently, Warlpiri UFO narratives are one way in which the boundedness of, and interplay between, Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal realms can be explored.

Alors que les soucoupes volantes et les extraterrestres sont habituellement considérés comme des concepts « occidentaux », ils ne sont pas complètement inconnus des peuples indigènes. Les membres de la communauté aborigène de Warlpiri, isolée dans le centre de l'Australie, voient régulièrement des ovnis et en discutent. Tout en reproduisant les attributs des « aliens » tels que les représentent le cinéma et la télévision, les descriptions des Warlpiri expriment aussi un intérêt pour l'environnement, les thèmes cosmologiques locaux et la relation entre Australiens aborigènes et non aborigènes. Les récits de visions d'ovnis des Warlpiri constituent donc un moyen d'explorer les délimitations des sphères aborigène et non aborigène et les interactions entre celles‐ci.
How a plantation became paradise: changing representations of the homeland among displaced Chagos islanders
Authors: Jeffery Laura
Published: November 2007

This article explores how representations of a homeland are transformed through experiences of displacement and resettlement, and asks how such transformed representations help or hinder political and legal struggles in exile. It compares songs composed by islanders while living on the colonial Chagos Archipelago with those composed by displaced Chagossians now living in Mauritius and Seychelles, which form part of an emergent collective historical imagination motivated by political and legal struggles for compensation and the right to return. The article demonstrates that a romanticized and standardized collective historical narrative has successfully elicited support for the Chagossian cause from diverse sources, but has unexpectedly posed major problems for the legal struggle.

L'article explore la manière dont la représentation de la terre natale est transformée par l'expérience du déplacement et de la réinstallation, et interroge la manière dont ces représentations transformées favorisent ou gênent les luttes politiques et judiciaires en exil. L'auteur compare les chants des insulaires vivant dans l'archipel colonial de Chagos avec ceux composés par les Chagossiens déplacés et vivant désormais dans l'île Maurice et aux Seychelles. Ces derniers font émerger un imaginaire historique collectif motivé par les luttes politique et judiciaire pour l'obtention d'un dédommagement et du droit au retour. L'article démontre qu'une narration historique collective romancée et standardisée a provoqué l'adhésion à la cause chagossienne de la part de différents acteurs, mais a, de manière inattendue, posé des problèmes considérables dans le combat judiciaire.
To cross or not to cross? Subjectivization and the absent state in Cyprus
Authors: Demetriou Olga
Published: November 2007

This article is an ethnographic exploration of the process through which citizens come to conceptualize their identities as political subjects in rapidly changing contexts. The focus of the article is the lifting, in 2003, of a ban on crossing between the northern and southern parts of the island of Cyprus, which had been instituted in 1974. The article examines how this new political change affected state rhetoric, and concentrates on the reactions of Greek‐Cypriot citizens to this shift. These data are related to the wider discussion on the political theory of subjectivity and the concept of ‘event’, where, it is argued, anthropology has a significant contribution to make.

Le présent article est une exploration ethnographique des processus par lequel les citoyens en viennent à conceptualiser leurs identités comme sujets politiques dans des contextes de changements rapides. Il est centré sur l'abolition, en 2003, de l'interdiction de passage imposée en 1974 entre les parties Nord et Sud de l'île de Chypre. L'auteur examine la manière dont ce nouveau changement politique a affecté la rhétorique étatique, et se concentre sur les réactions des Chypriotes Grecs à cette évolution. Ces données sont replacées dans un cadre de discussion plus large sur la théorie politique de la subjectivité et le concept « d'événement », auquel l'anthropologie peut, selon l'auteur, apporter une contribution importante.
Dynamic Efficiency of Supervisory Board Codetermination in Germany
Authors: Renaud Simon
Published: November 2007

Abstract.  The aim of this paper is to consider the implications of structural changes, e.g. changing skill composition of the labour force, on the economic advantages and disadvantages of supervisory board codetermination in Germany. Theoretical considerations and an overview of the empirical literature on supervisory board codetermination are given in the first section of the paper. The second section deals with the empirical evidence of the theoretical effects. The basic idea is to compare the long‐term differences in productivity and profitability of companies with quasi‐parity codetermination to companies that are only obliged to give one‐third of their supervisory board seats to labour representatives. Interestingly, the switch from one‐third to parity codetermination seems to increase both productivity and profits. In the longer term, the productivity effect does not seem to change, whereas the profit effect shows an improving path.
Immigrants in a Booming Economy: Analysing Their Earnings and Welfare Dependence
Authors: Barrett Alan , McCarthy Yvonne
Published: November 2007

Abstract.  Ireland's exceptional economic growth in recent years has led to an influx of immigrants. Given the favourable economic climate into which these immigrants are arriving, it is interesting to ask how their earnings and welfare dependence compare with the native population. Using data from a nationally representative sample drawn in 2004 immigrants are found to earn 18 per cent less than natives, controlling for education and years of work experience. However, this single figure hides differences across immigrants from English‐speaking and non‐English‐speaking countries. On average, immigrants are half as likely to have been in receipt of social welfare payments in the previous 12 months relative to natives.
What Underpins Occupational Success? Race, Access, and Reward in Professional and Managerial Jobs in Australia
Authors: Borooah Vani K. , Mangan John
Published: November 2007

Abstract.  The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors underpinning occupational success. This is defined, first, in terms of the chances of obtaining professional and managerial jobs and then, having secured such jobs, in terms of the monetary rewards received. The study is based on unit record data from the Australian Census of Population for 2001 and it places particular emphasis on the role of race and ethnicity in determining occupational success. It argues that the role of race in determining labour market advantage in Australia changed significantly between 1996 and 2001. In 1996, being born in Australia, or in one of the old Commonwealth countries, was very important in conferring advantage in the labour market. In 2001, this was no longer a factor. Asian men and women outperformed Australian and (old) Commonwealth born persons, sometimes in terms of access to professional and managerial jobs, sometimes in terms of the rewards attached to such jobs, and sometimes in terms of both access and rewards.
Do Satisfactory Working Conditions Contribute to Explaining Earning Differentials in Italy? A Panel Data Approach
Authors: Poggi Ambra
Published: November 2007

Abstract.  The aim of the present paper is to analyse the wage differentials associated with non‐pecuniary working conditions using objective and subjective data. In some situations a worker can be compensated for unsatisfactory working conditions via a higher wage; conversely, in the presence of segmented labor markets, higher wages can be associated with favorable non‐monetary working conditions. Moreover, a positive correlation between wages and satisfactory working conditions exists when there is efficient union bargaining regarding both wages and working conditions. In the present study, we estimate a wage equation with variables that capture workers’ subjective views regarding their current non‐pecuniary working conditions, allowing for unobserved individual heterogeneity. Our results reveal a positive wage differential associated with satisfactory non‐pecuniary working conditions. This result supports the segmentation labor market hypothesis. The focus of the study is on Italian workers, but we compare the core results the those obtained for other Mediterranean countries.
The Cost of Flexibility at the Margin. Comparing the Wage Penalty for Fixed‐term Contracts in Germany and Spain using Quantile Regression
Authors: Mertens Antje , Gash Vanessa , McGinnity Frances
Published: November 2007

Abstract.  Germany and Spain are typically regarded as ‘rigid’ economies, yet both have had different experiences of fixed‐term jobs. Using quantile regression we find that in West Germany the earnings of permanent and fixed‐term workers are most similar among high earners and most dissimilar among low earners. In Spain, the wage penalty shows little variation across the distribution of wages. This pattern was also found for different occupational groups, although there are clear differences in the absolute wage penalty across occupations. In conclusion we caution against generalizing findings from Spain to other ‘rigid’ European labour markets.
Labour Market in Motion: Analysing Regional Flows in a Multi‐accounting System
Authors: Haas Anette , Rothe Thomas
Published: November 2007

Abstract.  The analysis of labour market dynamics is essential for labour market research and policy advice. We develop a flexible flow approach system — a multi‐accounting system (MAS) — dealing with flows and stocks on regional labour markets. Combining administrative data at the micro level with various macro data, the MAS describes the dynamic transition process of the 180 local labour market areas in Germany. We use a new algorithm, related to entropy optimization, to estimate unknown transitions. Compared with conventional methods, the main advantage of our proceeding is that additional information from different data sources can be included that is of an inherently fuzzy character.
HEURISTIC EXPECTATION FORMATION AND BUSINESS CYCLES: A SIMPLE LINEAR MODEL
Authors: Westerhoff Frank H.
Published: November 2007

We develop a Keynesian business cycle model to study how extrapolative and regressive expectation formation rules may affect fluctuations in economic activity. We find that simple expectation formation rules may have an impact on the level and the stability of the equilibrium income, the size of the multiplier and the resulting adjustment process after an exogenous shocks. Our model also reveals that national income may be influenced by how agents perceive their long‐run average income.
THE PRICE OF VIRTUE
Authors: BAXLEY ANNE MARGARET
Published: November 2007

Abstract:  Aristotle famously held that there is a crucial difference between the person who merely acts rightly and the person who is wholehearted in what she does. He captures this contrast by insisting on a distinction between continence and full virtue. One way of accounting for the important difference here is to suppose that, for the genuinely virtuous person, the requirements of virtue “silence” competing reasons for action. I argue that the silencing interpretation is not compelling. As Aristotle rightly saw, virtue can have a cost, and a mark of the wise person is that she recognizes it.
CAN AN APPEAL TO CONSTITUTION SOLVE THE EXCLUSION PROBLEM?
Authors: NEY ALYSSA
Published: November 2007

Abstract:  Jaegwon Kim has argued that unless mental events are reducible to subvening physical events, they are at best overdeterminers of their effects. Recently, nonreductive physicalists have endorsed this consequence claiming that the relationship between mental events and their physical bases is tight enough to render any such overdetermination nonredundant, and hence benign. I focus on instances of this strategy that appeal to the notion of constitution. Ultimately, I argue that there is no way to understand the relationship between irreducible mental events and their physical bases such as to both eliminate causal redundancy and preserve the efficacy of mental events.
A PUZZLE ABOUT INCONGRUENT COUNTERPARTS AND THE CRITIQUE OF PURE REASON
Authors: SEVERO ROGÉRIO PASSOS
Published: November 2007

Abstract:  Kant uses incongruent counterparts in his work before and after 1781, but not in the first Critique. Given the relevance that incongruent counterparts had for his thought on space, and their persistence in his work during the 1780s, it is plausible to think that he had a reason for leaving them out of both editions of the Critique. Two implausible conjectures for their absence are here considered and rejected. A more plausible alternative is put forth, which explains that textual absence as a result of the synthetic method of presentation intended for the Critique.
Setting up an Email Peer Support Scheme
Authors: HUTSON NICKY , COWIE HELEN
Published: November 2007

This article opens with a review of current research on peer interventions and their capacity to impact on school climate and bystander behaviour, as well as to meet the aims of fostering altruism. The main focus of the article is a study of an email support group in an all‐boys school in the United Kingdom. It was set up in response to an incident of physical bullying and after consultation it was found that email was the preferred mode of support. The article discusses the reasons for this and presents details of how the support system was set up and operated, and reports the outcomes. The authors conclude that email provides a good medium for peer support schemes in schools, as it increases anonymity, and reduces concerns about ‘grassing’.
More than Just Worksheets?: A Study of the Confidence of Newly Qualified Teachers of English in Teaching Personal, Social and Health Education in Secondary Schools
Authors: EVANS CAROL , EVANS BETHAN
Published: November 2007

This paper addresses concerns regarding the preparedness of newly qualified teachers to deliver Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) in the United Kingdom in relation to the training received during Initial Teacher Education and through early Continuing Professional Development. The paper is situated not only within a context where OfSTED has questioned the adequacy of some non‐specialist PSHE teachers but also one where, due to a range of social and health concerns centred on young people, schools and teachers are being expected to play an increasingly important role in the social and health education of their pupils. As such, PSHE is increasingly seen as important across all curriculum areas. This paper relates specifically to the confidence of trainee and newly qualified teachers of English in teaching PSHE in secondary schools in the United Kingdom. Drawing on questionnaire data collected from recent Professional Graduate Certificate in Education graduates, the paper suggests that trainee and newly qualified teachers have the skills and knowledge drawn from their main subject (English) to deliver PSHE; however, many lack confidence and awareness to acknowledge these skills. The paper suggests that this situation may be addressed through increased opportunity to deliver and receive feedback on PSHE teaching during initial teacher training.
The impact of the Second World War on US productivity growth1
Authors: FIELD ALEXANDER J.
Published: November 2007

This paper considers the productivity impact on the US economy of the period of war mobilization and demobilization lasting from 1941 to 1948. Optimists have pointed to learning by doing in military production and spin‐offs from military R & D as the basis for asserting a substantial positive effect of military conflict on potential output. Productivity data for the private non‐farm economy are not consistent with this view, as they show slower total factor productivity (TFP) growth between 1941 and 1948 than before or after. The paper argues for adopting a less rosy perspective on the supply side effects of the war.
Salesmen and the transformation of selling in Britain and the US in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries1
Authors: CHURCH ROY
Published: November 2007

Was a ‘transformation of selling’ in the US between the 1880s and 1930 exceptional? Archives of three leading British consumer goods companies reveal that a comparable transformation in selling methods was effected through the changing role for salesmen. Unlike the explanation offered for the transformation in the US, developments in Britain cannot be explained by a structural model in which the dynamics are mass production, size, corporate structure, and strategy. Consumer theory based on product characteristics and consumer behaviour provides a superior explanation. The history of marketing by the British companies also justifies a challenge to the production‐driven interpretation of business development and corporate growth.
ALS patients and caregivers communication preferences and information seeking behaviour
Authors: Chiò A. , Montuschi A. , Cammarosano S. , De Mercanti S. , Cavallo E. , Ilardi A. , Ghiglione P. , Mutani R. , Calvo A.
Published: November 2007

To evaluate information preferences and information seeking behaviour in ALS patients and caregivers. Sixty ALS patients and caregivers couples were interviewed using a structured questionnaire about the content of diagnosis communication and their information seeking behaviour. The patients (35 men and 25 women) had a mean age of 63.4 years (SD 9.5). The caregivers (21 men and 39 women) had a mean age of 53.3 years (SD 14.9). The overall satisfaction with bad news communication and the impression that the physician had understood their feelings were higher amongst patients. Both parties indicated that the most important aspects to be informed were current researches, disease‐modifying therapies and ALS outcome. Approximately 55% of patients and 83.3% of caregivers searched for information from sources outside the healthcare system. The most frequently checked source was internet, although its reliability was rated low. The caring neurologist should better attune the content of communication to patients’ and caregivers’ preferences, trying to understand what they want to know and encouraging them to make precise questions. Health professionals should be aware that ALS patients and caregivers often use internet to obtain information and should help them to better sort‐out and interpret the news they found.
High‐performance liquid chromatographic determination of arbutin in skin‐whitening creams and medicinal plant extracts
Authors: Thongchai Wisanu , Liawruangrath Boonsom , Liawruangrath Saisunee
Published: November 2007

A high‐performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for quantitative analysis of arbutin. The arbutin was separated on an ODS Hypersil® C18 column with a mobile phase of water: methanol: 0.1 M hydrochloric acid (89:10:1, v/v/v). The level of arbutin was measured by means of UV detection at 222 nm. The optimum conditions for arbutin quantitative analysis were investigated. The calibration curve was found to be linear up to 1000 μg/ml‐1 of arbutin concentration, and the working calibration curve for arbutin determination over the range 0.5–30.0 μg/ml‐1 of arbutin (r2 = 0.9999) was established. The relative standard deviations for intraday and interday were found to be 0.98% and 1.15%, respectively. A detection limit (3σ) and quantitation limit (10σ) of 0.02 μg/ml‐1 and 0.2 μg/ml‐1, respectively, and a mean percentage recovery of the spiked arbutin of 99.88 ± 1.12% were obtained. The proposed method has been applied to the determination of arbutin in commercial skin‐whitening creams (Arbuwhite® cream, Super Whitening® cream, and Shiseido® cream) with average contents of 7.60, 5.30, and 57.90 mg/g‐1, respectively. It was also applied to the determination of arbutin in medicinal plant extracts from Betula alnoides Buch. Ham., Clerodendrum petasites S. Moore, Curculigo latifolia Dryand. Var. latifolia, and Hesperethusa crenulata (Roxb.) Roem, levels of which were found to be 3.50, 1.50, 1.10, and 0.12 μg/g‐1, respectively (no article reported in the literature about arbutin analysis). The proposed HPLC method is rapid, simple, and selective for routine analysis.
Vascular Compression as a Potential Cause of Occipital Neuralgia: A Case Report
Authors: White JB , Atkinson PP , Cloft HJ , Atkinson JLD
Published: November 2007

Vascular compression is a well-established cause of cranial nerve neuralgic syndromes. A unique case is presented that demonstrates that vascular compression may be a possible cause of occipital neuralgia. A 48-year-old woman with refractory left occipital neuralgia revealed on magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomographic imaging of the upper cervical spine an atypically low loop of the left posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA), clearly indenting the dorsal upper cervical roots. During surgery, the PICA loop was interdigitated with the C1 and C2 dorsal roots. Microvascular decompression alone has never been described for occipital neuralgia, despite the strong clinical correlation in this case. Therefore, both sectioning the dorsal roots of C2 and microvascular decompression of the PICA loop were performed. Postoperatively, the patient experienced complete cure of her neuralgia. Vascular compression as a cause of refractory occipital neuralgia should be considered when assessing surgical options.
Migrainous Corpalgia: Body Pain and Allodynia Associated with Migraine Attacks
Authors: Cuadrado ML , Young WB , Fernández-de-las-Peñas C , Arias JA , Pareja JA
Published: November 2007

Cephalic and extracephalic allodynia are recognized as a common sign of sensory sensitization during migraine episodes. However, the occurrence of body pain in migraine has not been thoroughly explored. Here we report three patients presenting with spontaneous body pain in association with migraine attacks. A 41-year-old woman experienced face and limb pain along with migraine headaches; it started before, during or after headache, was usually ipsilateral to head pain, and could last from minutes to days. A 39-year-old woman had pain in her right limbs, back and neck for 30-60 min prior to right-sided migraine headaches. A 30-year-old woman perceived pain in her left upper limb for 24-48 h prior to left-sided migraine headaches. All patients had allodynia to mechanical stimuli over the painful areas. Spontaneous body pain may be associated with migraine attacks. Together with allodynia, this might be a consequence of central sensitization.
Different Gene Expressions on the Left and the Right: A Genotype/Phenotype Mismatch in Need of Attention
Authors: Mittwoch Ursula
Published: November 2007

Discordance in monozygotic twins has traditionally been explained in terms of environmental influences. A recent investigation has found a difference in epigenetic markers in older but not in younger twins. However, phenotypic differences that depend on an individual's postnatal life style do not address the problem of discordance in congenital malformations, or the reason why malformations are frequently unilateral, often with a preference for one or the other side. One such condition, cleft lip with or without cleft palate, which is preferentially expressed on the left, is a multifactorial condition, that is caused by a failure of the critical timing necessary for different groups of cells to meet and develop into a normal face. This process is dependent on cell proliferation and migration, which are energy‐dependent, while the additional requirement for apoptosis to allow cell fusion suggests the involvement of mitochondria. Recent progress in two separate areas of research could lead to a better understanding of the problem of facial clefts: (1) the recognition of an interaction between gene products and mitochondria in the aetiology of neurodegenerative diseases and (2) the discovery of an increasing number of genes, including transcription factors, growth factors and members of the TGF‐β signalling family, that are differentially expressed on the left and right side, thus pointing to a difference in their micro‐environment. These findings emphasize the importance of investigating the activity of candidate genes for complex developmental processes separately on the left and right sides. Data presented in this review suggest that differential growth rates may lead to an inversion of laterality. A method is described to test for a possible mitochondrial difference between left and right sides, using a mouse model with cleft lip.
Pollen limitation and natural selection on floral characters in the yellow monkeyflower, Mimulus guttatus
Authors: Fishman Lila , Willis John H.
Published: November 2007

Commentary p 576
Chondroitinase ABC has a long‐lasting effect on chondroitin sulphate glycosaminoglycan content in the injured rat brain
Authors: Lin Rachel , Kwok Jessica C. F. , Crespo Damaso , Fawcett James W.
Published: November 2007

Chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans (CSPGs) are axon growth inhibitory molecules present in the glial scar that play a part in regeneration failure after damage to the CNS and which restrict CNS plasticity. Removal of chondroitin sulphate glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains with chondroitinase‐ABC (chABC) in models of CNS injury promotes both axon regeneration and plasticity. We have analysed the immediate and long‐term effects of a single injection of chABC on CSPGs, GAGs and axon regeneration. We made unilateral nigrostriatal lesions in adult rats accompanied by an adjacent infusion of either chABC or a bacterial‐derived control enzyme (penicillinase). Within 24 h of chABC treatment there was digestion of GAGs, including hyaluronan, and a reduction in neurocan in an area extending 1.5 mm around the injection site. Around 50% of GAG is inaccessible to chABC digestion, even in tissue digested in vitro, which probably represents intracellular stores. In control penicillinase treated animals, total GAGs recovered from the lesioned brains were up‐regulated by 4‐fold 7 days after injury and gradually decreased to normal at 28 days post‐lesion. In chondroitinase‐treated animals, the total GAG remained at low level throughout the 28‐day experimental period. This suggests the persistence of active chABC for at least 10 days after injection which is able to digest CSPGs released from cells during this time. This was confirmed by immunological detection of enzyme for 10 days and by retrieval of active enzyme from the brain at 10 days after injection. Our results suggest that a single injection of chABC can produce an environment conducive to CNS repair for over 10 days.
Calcium carbonate precipitation in cyanobacterial mats from sandy tidal flats of the North Sea
Authors: KREMER B. , KAZMIERCZAK J. , STAL L. J.
Published: November 2007

Precipitated calcium carbonate was found in annual cyanobacterial mats developing on the beaches of the North Sea barrier island Schiermonnikoog (the Netherlands). A variety of different calcium carbonate morphs were found in the cyanobacterial mucous secretions and identified by light‐ and scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction. Most of the calcium carbonate seemed to be associated with degrading extracellular polymer. It is conceived that supersaturation of calcium carbonate resulted from the periodic evaporation of the mats and from the release of calcium from the cyanobacterial mucous as a result of its degradation. The analysis of the carbon stable isotopic composition of the calcium carbonate showed only a slight depletion of 13C, indicating that it did not in major part originated from the decomposition of organic matter. The δ18O values of the calcium carbonate confirmed the temperature differences between spring and summer but excluded the possibility that excessive evaporative events controlled precipitation. The precipitation of calcium carbonate could represent a potential factor enhancing the stabilization of intertidal siliciclastic sediments through cementing the sand. The discovery of massive calcium carbonate precipitation in these cyanobacterial mats was unexpected and hitherto unknown.
Dissolved and total organic and inorganic carbon in some British rivers
Authors: Baker Andy , Cumberland Sue , Hudson Naomi
Published: November 2007

Rivers transport both organic and inorganic carbon from their sources to the sea. Results of ~800 organic and inorganic analyses from various British rivers of contrasting size and land use are presented here: (1) the headwater River Tern, a rural river of 852 km2 catchment; (2) the Ouseburn, a small urban 55 km2 catchment; (3) the River Tyne, a larger river system of ~3000 km2 catchment; (4) a spatial survey from 205 sample sites on ~60 rivers from SW England. We found that, with the exception of peat‐rich headwaters, DIC concentration is always greater than DOC. DIC is primarily in the form HCO3
−
, with DIC concentrations highest in highly urbanised catchments, typically greater than those observed in catchments with carbonate bedrock, demonstrating a significant and previously unrecognised anthropogenic inorganic carbon input to urban rivers.
The Civil Rights Movement and the Presidency in the Hot Years of the Cold War: A Historical and Historiographical Assessment
Authors: Catsam Derek
Published: November 2007

The two most important phenomena that the United States confronted in the quarter century after the end of World War II were the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement. Four presidents, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson had to deal with the most critical years of both the struggle for racial justice and the challenge of Communist totalitarianism. This historiographical article seeks to situate each of these presidents within the context of the explosion of literature on the presidency and the fight for black equality and to provide suggestive assessments of these presidencies and their successes and failures in addressing black demands.
Perineal Outcomes and Maternal Comfort Related to the Application of Perineal Warm Packs in the Second Stage of Labor: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Dahlen Hannah G. , Homer Caroline S.E. , Cooke Margaret , Upton Alexis M. , Nunn Rosalie , Brodrick Belinda
Published: November 2007

ABSTRACT:  Background:
Perineal warm packs are widely used during childbirth in the belief that they reduce perineal trauma and increase comfort during late second stage of labor. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of applying warm packs to the perineum on perineal trauma and maternal comfort during the late second stage of labor.
Methods:
A randomized controlled trial was undertaken. In the late second stage of labor, nulliparous women (n = 717) giving birth were randomly allocated to have warm packs (n = 360) applied to their perineum or to receive standard care (n = 357). Standard care was defined as any second‐stage practice carried out by midwives that did not include the application of warm packs to the perineum. Analysis was on an intention‐to‐treat basis, and the primary outcome measures were requirement for perineal suturing and maternal comfort. Results: The difference in the number of women who required suturing after birth was not significant. Women in the warm pack group had significantly fewer third‐ and fourth‐degree tears and they had significantly lower perineal pain scores when giving birth and on “day 1” and “day 2” after the birth compared with the standard care group. At 3 months, they were significantly less likely to have urinary incontinence compared with women in the standard care group. Conclusions: The application of perineal warm packs in late second stage does not reduce the likelihood of nulliparous women requiring perineal suturing but significantly reduces third‐ and fourth‐degree lacerations, pain during the birth and on days 1 and 2, and urinary incontinence. This simple, inexpensive practice should be incorporated into second stage labor care. (BIRTH 34:4 December 2007)
Early Postpartum Breastfeeding and Acculturation among Hispanic Women
Authors: Gorman Jessica R. , Madlensky Lisa , Jackson Debra J. , Ganiats Theodore G. , Boies Eyla
Published: November 2007

ABSTRACT:  Background:
Exclusive breastfeeding in the hospital is predictive of postpartum breastfeeding patterns. Although breastfeeding rates are similar for Hispanic and white women in the United States, evidence shows that more acculturated Hispanic mothers have lower rates of breastfeeding than those less acculturated. To date, no studies have examined whether this pattern exists in the immediate postpartum period.
Methods:
We used medical record data from 1,635 participants in the San Diego Birth Center Study, a cohort study of low‐income, low‐risk pregnant women. We applied a proxy measure of acculturation to categorize participants into a low acculturation (Hispanic, Spanish speaking [n = 951]); high acculturation (Hispanic, English speaking [n = 408]); or white, English speaking (n = 276) group. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between acculturation and exclusive breastfeeding at the time of hospital discharge while controlling for potential confounders.Results: Exclusive breastfeeding rates were significantly different across acculturation groups (p < 0.01). After adjusting for available confounding variables, women in the low acculturation group were more likely to breastfeed exclusively at discharge than those in the high acculturation group (OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.01–1.84). Women in the white, English‐speaking group also had greater odds of exclusive breastfeeding when compared with those in the high acculturation group (OR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.02–2.19).Conclusions: This cross‐sectional study provides evidence of a correlation between acculturation and immediate postpartum breastfeeding, where higher acculturation is associated with lower odds of exclusive breastfeeding. Additional research is needed to understand how the process of acculturation may affect short‐ and long‐term breastfeeding behavior. (BIRTH 34:4 December 2007)
Persistent ischemia impairs myofibroblast development in wound granulation tissue: A new model of delayed wound healing
Authors: Alizadeh Navid , Pepper Michael Sean , Modarressi Ali , Alfo Katia , Schlaudraff Kai , Montandon Denys , Gabbiani Giulio , Bochaton‐Piallat Marie‐Luce , Pittet Brigitte
Published: November 2007

We describe a new animal model designed to assess the impact of ischemia on wound healing. Eight patterns of arterial lesion in the limb were first tested in 24 Wistar rats. Resection of the external iliac artery down to the femoral artery at the level of the knee was chosen as the reference model and performed on the left limb of 45 rats; the right limb was used as the control. Skin wounds measuring 1.2 × 0.8 cm were created on both feet. Ischemia was assessed by blood flow measurement, which decreases dramatically in the ischemic limb. A significant delay in wound closure with a decrease in wound contraction was observed in the ischemic limb. Myofibroblast quantification showed a significant delay in appearance as well as a decrease in the number of these cells in the ischemic wound. Vascular endothelial growth factor‐A appearance and evolution were qualitatively similar in both situations. However, collagen type I mRNA was markedly decreased in ischemic granulation tissue 10 days after wounding. These findings suggest that decreased wound contraction plays an important role in delayed ischemic wound healing, probably due to reduced myofibroblast development and activity.
Mouse chromosome 9 quantitative trait loci for soft tissue regeneration: Congenic analysis and fine mapping
Authors: Yu Hongrun , Baylink David J. , Masinde Godfred L. , Li Runzhi , Nguyen Bay , Davidson Heather M. , Xu Shizhong , Mohan Subburaman
Published: November 2007

Development of gene therapies for wound healing will depend on the identification of the genes involved in wound healing and tissue regeneration. Previous quantitative trait loci (QTL) studies in mice using the ear punch model have shown that major QTL exist on chromosome (Chr) 9 for soft tissue regeneration. In this study, we have developed a congenic line that contains the Chr 9 QTL chromosomal region from super healer MRL/MpJ in the genomic background of poor‐healing SJL/J. The phenotypic effect of this QTL was confirmed in male mice, where the congenic line has shown significant healing improvement over SJL. Fine mapping of the Chr 9 QTL region with 23 markers at an average distance of 4.2 Mb using a total of 1,564 MRL/MpJ × SJL/J F2 mice revealed the presence of at least three QTL peaks, implying that three separate loci may contribute to the phenotypic effect of this QTL. Based on the 2‐LOD intervals, the total QTL region was confined to a combined length of no more than 28.2 Mb. Application of a Bayesian shrinkage estimation indicated that a major locus was located in a region of just 1.3 Mb.