bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How Impulsivity Relates to Compulsive Buying and the Burden Perceived by Caregivers after Moderate-to-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Rochat Lucien , Beni Catia , Billieux Joël , Annoni Jean-Marie , Van der Linden Martial
Published: March 2011

Background: Impulsivity is a core feature in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The aim of the study is to investigate how a specific dimension of impulsivity, namely urgency (the tendency to act rashly when distressed), might shed new light on the aetiology of compulsive buying proneness in patients with TBI and to explore how urgency and compulsive buying relate to the burden perceived by the caregivers. Sampling and Methods: Caregivers of 74 patients with TBI were given 3 questionnaires in order to assess their subjective burden as well as patients’ impulsivity and compulsive buying proneness. Results: Both urgency and compulsive buying tendencies significantly increased after TBI. Furthermore, path analyses revealed that current urgency was both directly and indirectly related to the subjective burden perceived by the caregivers, and this indirect pathway was mediated by compulsive buying. Conclusion: Urgency plays a central role in understanding specific problematic behaviours after TBI and their impact on caregivers. These findings are discussed in light of the cognitive processes underlying the urgency component of impulsivity in relation to the occurrence of compulsive buying behaviours after TBI.
Patterns of Th1/Th2 Cytokines Predict Clinical Response in Multiple Sclerosis Patients Treated with Glatiramer Acetate
Authors: Tumani Hayrettin , Kassubek Jan , Hijazi Mohammed , Lehmensiek Vera , Unrath Alexander , Süssmuth Sigurd , Lauda Florian , Kapfer Tamara , Fang Lubin , Senel Makbule , Brettschneider Johannes
Published: March 2011

The patterns of Th1/Th2 cytokines in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis were analyzed to evaluate their relevance as biomarkers of therapy response to glatiramer acetate (GA). Serum interferon-γ (IFN-γ), osteopontin and interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, and IL-10 were measured in 19 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients treated with GA in a prospective study over 3 years. The quotient (IL-2 + IFN-γ)/(IL-4 + IL-10) was elevated in patients with relapses as compared to relapse-free patients after 12 (p = 0.04), 24 (p = 0.02) and 36 months (p = 0.04). Our study indicates that specific patterns of Th1/Th2 cytokines predict the response to GA therapy.
Effects of Bevacizumab (Avastin®) on the Electroretinogram of Isolated Rat Retina
Authors: Cia David , Cluzel Jacques , Jacquemot Nathalie , Doly Michel
Published: March 2011

Aim: To evaluate the in vitro effects of bevacizumab (Avastin®) on the electroretinogram (ERG) in rats using a model of isolated perfused retina ERG recording. Methods: Retinas were isolated from rat eyes and placed in a chamber continuously perfused with a nutrient solution. The ERG was recorded every 3 min. Once the ERG b-wave amplitude was at a steady state, bevacizumab was added at concentrations of 0.25 and 0.5 mg/ml to the perfusion medium for 3 h. Results: We observed no effect on ERG amplitudes or kinetics when bevacizumab was added to the perfusion medium. In addition, we found no significant differences in the survival curves of the b-wave and PIII wave during the application of bevacizumab between bevacizumab-exposed retinas and control retinas. Conclusions: We demonstrate that bevacizumab has no in vitro toxic effects on the ERG of isolated perfused rat retina. Our study supports the retinal safety of bevacizumab with respect to retinal function.
Proteomic Approach to the Study of Statin Pleiotropy in Kidney Transplant Patients
Authors: Pérez Vanessa , Navarro-Muñoz Maribel , Mas Sebastián , Bayés Beatriz , Pastor Mari Cruz , Martínez-Cáceres Eva , Lauzurica Ricardo , Egido Jesús , Romero Ramón
Published: March 2011

Background/Aims: Statins are prescribed in kidney transplant recipients in order to manage dyslipidemia, a common complication in these patients. The efficacy of statins in reducing cholesterol levels has been accompanied by pleiotropic effects. Fifty-four kidney transplant patients were included in the present study, the objective of which was to ascertain the effect of 12 weeks of atorvastatin therapy (10 mg/day) on the patients’ lipid profile, renal function, markers of inflammation and plasma peptide profile. Methods: Biochemical variables were determined with a routine clinical laboratory analyzer, and the proteomic approach was based on magnetic particle-assisted sample processing coupled to mass spectrometry readout. Results: Atorvastatin therapy improved the lipid profile of patients and caused significant changes in their plasma peptide profile; peptides with m/z 1063 and 1898 decreased after treatment and were identified as fragments derived from molecules involved in vascular inflammation, i.e. high-molecular-weight kininogen and complement factor C4, respectively. Conclusion: These findings may contribute to the growing body of evidence of the anti-inflammatory actions attributed to statins, by which these drugs could improve these patients’ clinical status.
Using Performance in Multiple Simulated Scenarios to Assess Bronchoscopy Skills
Authors: Konge Lars , Arendrup Henrik , von Buchwald Christian , Ringsted Charlotte
Published: March 2011

Background: International guidelines suggest that trainees should perform at least 100 flexible bronchoscopies in a supervised setting, but this number is not evidence based. An objective assessment method could provide educational feedback to trainees and help supervisors decide when basic competency is established. No former assessment instrument has been able to distinguish between trainees and experts. Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the validity and reliability of a new assessment procedure relating to testing operators across multiple tasks with increasing difficulty using a standardized scoring form. Methods: The test was administered on a virtual reality bronchoscopy simulator to a total of 42 test subjects (14 senior consultants, 14 trainees and 14 medical students). The inter-rater reliability of the test procedure was explored according to examination of test results from 10 subjects using 3 raters (2 blinded). Results: We found a high inter-rater reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.90). The assessment procedure sufficiently differentiated the performance of the 3 groups (p < 0.001). Assessment of 6 procedures was necessary to secure a generalizability coefficient >0.80. Conclusions: The new assessment procedure proved both valid and reliable.
Attenuation of Glomerular Injury in Diabetic Mice with Tert-Butylhydroquinone through Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-Related Factor 2-Dependent Antioxidant Gene Activation
Authors: Li Hang , Zhang Lianshan , Wang Fuxu , Shi Yonghong , Ren Yunzhuo , Liu Qingjuan , Cao Yanping , Duan Huijun
Published: March 2011

Background/Aims: Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a positive regulator of the expression of antioxidant genes. This study is aimed at examining the effect of tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ), an activator of Nrf2, on hyperglycemia-related diabetic nephropathy. Methods: CD-1 mice were induced with streptozotocin and treated with 1% tBHQ, or omitting it, in their diet for 12 weeks. Four and twelve weeks later, the levels of serum and glomerular malondialdehyde (MDA), blood glucose, kidney and body weights, and proteinuria were measured. The pathogenic process in the kidney was examined histologically and by transmission electron microscopy. The relative levels of Nrf2, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), γ-glutamylcysteine synthethase (γ-GCS) expression and nuclear accumulation of Nrf2 in the glomeruli were determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot assays. Results: In the glomeruli of diabetic mice, treatment with tBHQ significantly reduced the levels of serum and glomerular MDA, kidney weight and proteinuria, decreased fibronectin accumulation and mitigated the pathogenic processes. It also enhanced Nrf2, HO-1 and γ-GCS expression and Nrf2 nuclear accumulation. Conclusions: tBHQ has beneficial effects on reducing hyperglycemia-induced kidney injury, which is associated with the enhanced expression of Nrf2, and its downstream antioxidant HO-1 and γ-GCS in the glomeruli of diabetic mice.
Transcriptomic Biomarkers for the Accurate Diagnosis of Myocarditis
Authors: Heidecker Bettina , Kittleson Michelle M. , Kasper Edward K. , Wittstein Ilan S. , Champion Hunter C. , Russell Stuart D. , Hruban Ralph H. , Rodriguez E. Rene , Baughman Kenneth L. , Hare Joshua M.
Published: March 2011

Background—

Lymphocytic myocarditis is a clinically important condition that is difficult to diagnose and distinguish. We hypothesized that the transcriptome obtained from an endomyocardial biopsy would yield clinically relevant and accurate molecular signatures.

Methods and Results—

Microarray analysis was performed on samples from patients with histologically proven lymphocytic myocarditis (n=16) and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (n=32) to develop accurate diagnostic transcriptome-based biomarkers using multiple classification algorithms. We identified 9878 differentially expressed genes in lymphocytic myocarditis versus idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (fold change >1.2; false discovery rate <5%) from which a transcriptome-based biomarker containing 62 genes was identified that distinguished myocarditis with 100% sensitivity (95% confidence interval, 46 to 100) and 100% specificity (95% confidence interval, 66 to 100) and was generalizable to a broad range of secondary cardiomyopathies associated with inflammation (n=27), ischemic cardiomyopathy (n=8), and the normal heart (n=11). Multiple classification algorithms and quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis further reduced this subset to a highly robust molecular signature of 13 genes, which still performed with 100% accuracy.

Conclusions—

Together, these findings demonstrate that transcriptomic biomarkers from a single endomyocardial biopsy can improve the clinical detection of patients with inflammatory diseases of the heart. This approach advances the clinical management and treatment of cardiac disorders with highly variable outcome.
cAMP Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors Increases Nitric Oxide Production by Modulating Dimethylarginine Dimethylaminohydrolases
Authors: Pullamsetti Soni Savai , Savai Rajkumar , Schaefer Martina Barbara , Wilhelm Jochen , Ghofrani Hossein Ardeschir , Weissmann Norbert , Schudt Christian , Fleming Ingrid , Mayer Konstantin , Leiper James , Seeger Werner , Grimminger Friedrich , Schermuly Ralph Theo
Published: March 2011

Background—

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is characterized by a progressive increase in pulmonary vascular resistance caused by endothelial dysfunction, inward vascular remodeling, and severe loss of precapillary pulmonary vessel cross-sectional area. Asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, and its metabolizing enzyme dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) play important roles in endothelial dysfunction. We investigated whether combined phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3 and 4 inhibition ameliorates endothelial function by regulating the ADMA-DDAH axis.

Methods and Results—

We investigated the effects of the PDE3/4 inhibitor tolafentrine in vitro on endothelial cell survival, proliferation, and apoptosis. Effects of tolafentrine on the endothelial nitric oxide synthase/nitric oxide pathway, DDAH expression, DDAH promoter activity, and cytokine release from endothelial cells and their subsequent influence on DDAH expression were investigated. In monocrotaline-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension in rats, the effects of inhaled tolafentrine on DDAH expression and activity were investigated. Real-time-polymerase chain reaction, immunocytochemistry, and PDE activity assays suggested high expression of PDE3 and PDE4 isoforms in endothelial cells. Treatment of endothelial cells with PDE3/4 inhibitor significantly decreased ADMA-induced apoptosis via a cAMP/PKA-dependent pathway by induction of DDAH2. Chronic nebulization of PDE3/4 inhibitor significantly attenuated monocrotaline-induced hemodynamic, gas exchange abnormalities, vascular remodeling, and right heart hypertrophy. Interestingly, PDE3/4 inhibitor treatment reduced ADMA and elevated nitric oxide/cGMP levels. Mechanistically, this could be attributed to direct modulatory effects of cAMP on the promoter region of DDAH2, which was consequently found to be increased in expression and activity. Furthermore, PDE3/4 inhibitor suppressed apoptosis in endothelial cells and increased vascularization in the lung.

Conclusion—

Combined inhibition of PDE3 and 4 regresses development of pulmonary hypertension and promotes endothelial regeneration by modulating the ADMA-DDAH axis.
Molecular Basis of Autosomal Dominant Hypercholesterolemia
Authors: van der Graaf Anouk , Avis Hans J. , Kusters D. Meeike , Vissers Maud N. , Hutten Barbara A. , Defesche Joep C. , Huijgen Roeland , Fouchier Sigrid W. , Wijburg Frits A. , Kastelein John J.P. , Wiegman Albert
Published: March 2011

Background—

Autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia (ADH) is characterized by elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and premature cardiovascular disease. Mutations in the genes encoding for low-density lipoprotein receptor (
LDLR
), apolipoprotein B (
APOB
), and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (
PCSK9
) underlie ADH. Nevertheless, a proportion of individuals who exhibit the ADH phenotype do not carry mutations in any of these 3 genes. Estimates of the percentage of such cases among the ADH phenotype vary widely. We therefore investigated a large pediatric population with an unequivocal ADH phenotype to assess the molecular basis of hereditary hypercholesterolemia and to define the percentage of individuals with unexplained dyslipidemia.

Methods and Results—

We enrolled individuals with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels above the 95th percentile for age and gender and an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern of hypercholesterolemia from a large referred pediatric cohort of 1430 children. We excluded children with thyroid dysfunction, nephrotic syndrome, autoimmune disease, liver disease, primary biliary cirrhosis, and obesity (body mass index >75th percentile for age and gender), as well as children referred via a cascade screening program and those from families with a known molecular diagnosis. Of the 269 children who remained after the exclusion criteria were applied, 255 (95%) carried a functional mutation (
LDLR
, 95%;
APOB
, 5%).

Conclusion—

In the vast majority of children with an ADH phenotype, a causative mutation can be identified, strongly suggesting that most of the large-effect genes underlying ADH are known to date.
Impact of Oral Sildenafil on Exercise Performance in Children and Young Adults After the Fontan Operation
Authors: Goldberg David J. , French Benjamin , McBride Michael G. , Marino Bradley S. , Mirarchi Nicole , Hanna Brian D. , Wernovsky Gil , Paridon Stephen M. , Rychik Jack
Published: March 2011

Background—

Children and young adults with single-ventricle physiology have abnormal exercise capacity after the Fontan operation. A medication capable of decreasing pulmonary vascular resistance should allow improved cardiac filling and improved exercise capacity.

Methods and Results—

This study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial conducted in children and young adults after Fontan. Subjects were randomized to receive placebo or sildenafil (20 mg three times daily) for 6 weeks. After a 6-week washout, subjects crossed over for an additional 6 weeks. Each subject underwent an exercise stress test at the start and finish of each phase. After taking sildenafil, subjects had a significantly decreased respiratory rate and decreased minute ventilation at peak exercise. At the anaerobic threshold, subjects had significantly decreased ventilatory equivalents of carbon dioxide. There was no change in oxygen consumption during peak exercise, although there was a suggestion of improved oxygen consumption at the anaerobic threshold. Improvement at the anaerobic threshold was limited to the subgroup with single left or mixed ventricular morphology and to the subgroup with baseline serum brain natriuretic peptide levels ≥100 pg/mL.

Conclusions—

In this cohort, sildenafil significantly improved ventilatory efficiency during peak and submaximal exercise. There was also a suggestion of improved oxygen consumption at the anaerobic threshold in 2 subgroups. These findings suggest that sildenafil may be an important agent for improving exercise performance in children and young adults with single-ventricle physiology after the Fontan operation.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00507819.
N-Terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide
Authors: Paget Vinciane , Legedz Liliana , Gaudebout Nathalie , Girerd Nicolas , Bricca Giampiero , Milon Hugues , Vincent Madeleine , Lantelme Pierre
Published: March 2011

See Editorial Commentary, pp
670–671

Natriuretic peptides are controregulatory hormones associated with cardiac remodeling, namely, left ventricular hypertrophy and systolic/diastolic dysfunction. We intended to address the prognostic value of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in hypertension. We prospectively studied the relationship between plasma NT-proBNP and all-cause mortality in 684 hypertensive patients with no history or symptoms of heart failure referred for hypertension workup in our institution from 1998 to 2008. After a mean duration of 5.7 years, we observed 40 deaths (1.04 deaths per 100 patients per year). After adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, including ambulatory blood pressure and serum creatinine, the risk for all-cause mortality more than doubled with each increment of 1 log NT-proBNP (hazard ratio: 2.33 [95% CI: 1.36 to 3.96]). The risk of death of patients with plasma NT-proBNP ≥133 pg/mL (third tertile of the distribution) was 3.3 times that of patients with values <50.8 pg/mL (first tertile; hazard ratio: 3.30 [95% CI: 0.90 to 12.29]). This predictive value was independent of, and superior to, that of 2 ECG indexes of left ventricular hypertrophy, the Sokolov-Lyon index and the amplitude of the R wave in lead aVL. In addition, it persisted in patients without ECG left ventricular hypertrophy, which allowed refining risk stratification in this relatively low-risk patient category. In this large sample of hypertensive patients, plasma NT-proBNP appeared as a strong prognostic marker. This performance, together with the ease of measurement, low cost, and widespread availability of NT-proBNP test kits, should prompt a wide use of this marker for risk stratification in hypertension.
Determination of the Exact Molecular Requirements for Type 1 Angiotensin Receptor Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Transactivation and Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy
Authors: Smith Nicola J. , Chan Hsiu-Wen , Qian Hongwei , Bourne Allison M. , Hannan Katherine M. , Warner Fiona J. , Ritchie Rebecca H. , Pearson Richard B. , Hannan Ross D. , Thomas Walter G.
Published: March 2011

Major interest surrounds how angiotensin II triggers cardiac hypertrophy via epidermal growth factor receptor transactivation. G protein–mediated transduction, angiotensin type 1 receptor phosphorylation at tyrosine 319, and β-arrestin–dependent scaffolding have been suggested, yet the mechanism remains controversial. We examined these pathways in the most reductionist model of cardiomyocyte growth, neonatal ventricular cardiomyocytes. Analysis with [
32
P]-labeled cardiomyocytes, wild-type and [Y319A] angiotensin type 1 receptor immunoprecipitation and phosphorimaging, phosphopeptide analysis, and antiphosphotyrosine blotting provided no evidence for tyrosine phosphorylation at Y319 or indeed of the receptor, and mutation of Y319 (to A/F) did not prevent either epidermal growth factor receptor transactivation in COS-7 cells or cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Instead, we demonstrate that transactivation and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy are completely abrogated by loss of G-protein coupling, whereas a constitutively active angiotensin type 1 receptor mutant was sufficient to trigger transactivation and growth in the absence of ligand. These results were supported by the failure of the β-arrestin–biased ligand SII angiotensin II to transactivate epidermal growth factor receptor or promote hypertrophy, whereas a β-arrestin–uncoupled receptor retained these properties. We also found angiotensin II–mediated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy to be attenuated by a disintegrin and metalloprotease inhibition. Thus, G-protein coupling, and not Y319 phosphorylation or β-arrestin scaffolding, is required for epidermal growth factor receptor transactivation and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy via the angiotensin type 1 receptor.
Induction of Heme Oxygenase 1 Attenuates Placental Ischemia–Induced Hypertension
Authors: George Eric M. , Cockrell Kathy , Aranay Marietta , Csongradi Eva , Stec David E. , Granger Joey P.
Published: March 2011

Recent in vitro studies have reported that heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) downregulates the angiostatic protein soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 from placental villous explants and that the HO-1 metabolites CO and bilirubin negatively regulate endothelin 1 and reactive oxygen species. Although soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1, endothelin 1, and reactive oxygen species have been implicated in the pathophysiology of hypertension during preeclampsia and in response to placental ischemia in pregnant rats, it is unknown whether chronic induction of HO-1 alters the hypertensive response to placental ischemia. The present study examined the hypothesis that HO-1 induction in a rat model of placental ischemia would beneficially affect blood pressure, angiogenic balance, superoxide, and endothelin 1 production in the ischemic placenta. To achieve this goal we examined the effects of cobalt protoporphyrin, an HO-1 inducer, in the reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) placental ischemia model and in normal pregnant rats. In response to RUPP treatment, mean arterial pressure increases 29 mm Hg (136±7 versus 106±5 mm Hg), which is significantly attenuated by cobalt protoporphyrin (118±5 mm Hg). Although RUPP treatment causes placental soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1/vascular endothelial growth factor ratios to alter significantly to an angiostatic balance (1.00±0.10 versus 1.27±0.20), treatment with cobalt protoporphyrin causes a significant shift in the ratio to an angiogenic balance (0.68±0.10). Placental superoxide increased in RUPP (952.5±278.8 versus 243.9±70.5 relative light units/min per milligram) but was significantly attenuated by HO-1 induction (482.7±117.4 relative light units/min per milligram). Also, the preproendothelin message was significantly increased in RUPP, which was prevented by cobalt protoporphyrin. These data indicate that HO-1, or its metabolites, is a potential therapeutic for the treatment of preeclampsia.
An Arcadian Toast (Harmod. FGrH 319 F1)
Authors: Déniz Alcorac Alonso
Published: March 2011

This paper deals with the transmitted text εδειπνιαις and εδειπνειας in a fragment of Harmodius of Lepreum (FGrH 319 F1 = Athenaeus 149b and 479c). Modern editors believe both εδειπνιαις and εδειπνειας to be a corruption of the genitive εδειπνας, which is accordingly interpreted as a toast meaning ‘a good appetite’. The author claims that this view must be rejected on several grounds. Other conjectures (ε δειπνεας, ε δεπνειας) are further analyzed and also discarded. Finally, it is shown that the only satisfactory reading is ε δειπνας = Att. ε δειπνσαις, ‘may you have a nice dinner’.
A Critical Analysis of the Formula “Yahweh Strikes and Heals”
Authors: Chalmers Aaron Jonathan
Published: March 2011

This paper identifies and analyses thirteen occurrences of the formula “Yahweh strikes and heals” or “Yahweh strikes and has mercy” that are found in the Old Testament, along with a comparative example from Ugarit where Marduk is the subject (R.S. 25.460). The various ways in which the formula could be used are highlighted, including as the basis for praise of the deity, an explanation for why the deity’s discipline should be accepted and patiently endured, as a means of understanding the present condition of the nation and/or predicting its future, and as a way of denoting the supreme power of the deity. Finally, the issue of the formula’s Sitz-im-Leben is addressed, with the author arguing that the formula probably began life within the context of domestic healing rites, and in particular as part of a song/prayer that was offered following recovery from sickness, before moving to prophetic, cultic and wisdom circles.
Beyond the Civilizational Crisis: On Determinism
Authors: Hrubec Marek , Brabec Martin
Published: March 2011

This article analyzes crisis as part of deeper trends determined in historical development from the perspective of two important theoretical streams: firstly, Analytical Marxism, and secondly, the Critical Theory of Society (the Frankfurt School). It shows both general determinants of historical development and pathological determinants of historical development. Examining Analytical Marxism and its theory of technological determinism, the article explains crisis in respect of situations of systemic changes mainly from the perspective of the relationship between forces of production and relations of production. Examining the Critical Theory, the article clarifies the role of the pathological determinants of instrumental rationality in human history in relation to efforts at human emancipation. In the article, crisis is seen as the superficial appearance of the historical developmental trends where there are inherent permanent tendencies to crisis. Crisis is a temporary eruption of the deeper contradictory development of the capitalist mode of production and other systems within the history of human civilization. The article discusses an issue of determinism as a necessary framework for the interpretation of crisis, and offers an interpretation of the preconditions of crisis not only from the economic point of view, but also, on a deeper level, in a civilizational sense.
Globalizing East African Culture: From Junk to jua kali Art
Authors: Swigert-Gacheru Margaretta
Published: March 2011

Despite Africa’s experience of economic decline, poverty, political instability and disease, keen observers of the cultural landscape have reckoned that cultural productivity in the region is on the rise, leading scholars to refer to the phenomenon as an African Renaissance. This is particularly the case in Kenya where a contemporary art movement is flourishing through both local art worlds and global networks. But the question remains: how in the midst of poverty and political instability can there be so much cultural productivity? Based on field research involving participant observation and interviews with more than 200 artists and cultural workers in Kenya’s capital city, I argue that it is largely due an ‘emergent cultural practice’given the Kiswahili term jua kali. By virtue of jua kali artists ‘making do’ with minimal resources and maximum ingenuity, imagination, originality and entrepreneurial acumen, they are creating art forms or bricolage, which has been largely ignored by art historians, sociologists, and even African scholars. Using jua kali tactics or ‘makeshift creativity,’ artists appropriate art materials, production space, skills training and even marketing sites. The clearest evidence of jua kali ingenuity is what Kenyan artists call ‘junk art’ made from global garbage garnered from local dump sites and junk yards, and then recycled into original works of art, thus reflecting global flows. This genre of contemporary African art has entered what Appadurai calls the mediascape and defies the stereotypical myths of ‘tribal art’ and ‘the primitive other’. These hegemonic myths still pervade most Western art markets, but jua kali artists—members of Kenya’s rising ‘creative class’—are striving to debunk them by their works with increasing success.
Gender and Environmental Concerns in the Middle East
Authors: White Neil R. , Alibeli Madalla A.
Published: March 2011

The effect of gender on environmental concern among samples of college students in the Middle East is examined in this article. The current study investigates gender’s influence on environmental awareness, degree of support for efforts to solve environmental problems, and willingness to make personal contribution to solve environmental problems. Data were obtained from the Unit for Community and Environmental Studies in the SSRC at Mississippi State University. To achieve the objectives of this study, Factor Analysis and multiple regressions were used. In line with the literature, the results indicate inconsistent and unclear effect of gender on levels of concern about the environment in the Middle East.
Economic Policy and World Organization
Authors: Bar-Tura Asaf
Published: March 2011

The global economic crisis and the responses to it have brought to the fore questions of sovereignty and cosmopolitanism. In a world so interlinked, what is the proper way to order the global arena, politically and economically? This essay examines Habermas’ multilayered approach to world organization, as well as Pogge and others. Focusing on the question of trade policies, I argue (contra Habermas) for robust global economic governance policies, but (contra Pogge) that these policies should uphold fair trade instead of free trade. This approach has the advantage of alleviating world poverty while at the same time strengthening local communities in developing countries. To this effect, I show why borders should matter more when it comes to capital, and less when it comes to people.
Brothers in Arms: How Palestinian Maoists Turned Jihadists
Authors: Sing Manfred
Published: March 2011

At the beginning of the 1980s, the idea of armed jihād against Israel was not only promoted by renegades from the Muslim Brothers in the Gaza strip, but also by former Maoists of Fatah in Lebanon. After the pull-out of most PLO-fighters from Beirut in 1982, a group around its spokesman Munīr Shafīq formed the Brigades of Islamic Jihad which were subsequently responsible for attacks in Israel. In a posthumously published booklet, two activists explained their reasons for their turn from Maoism to Islamism. The following article exposes the activists' trajectory and the stages of their ideological and religious conversion. According to their own narration, the former Maoists at first came to the conviction that Islam was a factor for mass mobilization and then individually adopted Islam to become practising Muslims.
Unwitting Behavior and Responsibility
Authors: Talbert Matthew
Published: March 2011

Unlike much work on responsibility, George Sher's new book, Who Knew?: Responsibility Without Awareness, focuses on the relationship between knowledge and responsibility. Sher argues against the view that responsibility depends on an agent's awareness of the nature and consequences of her action. According to Sher's alternative proposal, even agents who are unaware of important features of their actions may be morally or prudentially responsible for their behavior. While I agree with many of Sher's central conclusions, I explore the worry that, as it stands, his account may only justify ascriptions of a relatively superficial form of responsibility.
Identity in Mahmoud Darwish's Poem 'The dice player'
Authors: Alshaer Atef
Published: March 2011

This article focuses on Mahmoud Darwish's long and creative journey in the world of poetry in the context of the Palestinian struggle as represented in his great poem 'The dice player'. The Darwishian world as he portrays it in the 'The dice player' is populated with images of existence, resistance and creativity. Darwish's role in modern Arab poetry and culture is widely acknowledged and celebrated. His voice was unique, authentic and in tune with the music of many souls in Palestine, the Arab world and even worldwide. Indeed, Darwish contributed definitively to the construction of Palestinian identity, and the Palestinian people informed and featured prominently in Darwish's poetry. Darwish's 'dice player' is highly praised in Arabic poetry becaues it embodies emblems of intellectual maturity and identity that are personal and plural, worldly and local. It is crafted with an aesthetic balance that ripples with consciousness, art and humanity.
Transcending the Human Rights Debate: Iranian Intellectuals' Contemporary Discourses and the New Hermeneutics of the Sharia
Authors: Van Engeland Anicée
Published: March 2011

The Iranian discourse on human rights is not well known for a wide range of reasons: there are few translations from Persian; the Iranian human rights' model is often perceived as a threat to universality and Iran has a generally negative image on the international scene. The reality is that the post-Islamic Iranian human rights discourse is rich, varied and intellectually stimulating, the paradoxical outcome of a regime that limits freedom of expression and freedom of thought. Iranian intellectuals have to find strategies to avoid the censorship that threatens anyone who defies Iran's official human rights model. These intellectuals have formulated incredibly compelling theories that can be assimilated to a third voice transcending the permanent opposition between the principle of universality and cultural relativism. This theory is being advocated across the Muslim world and throughout Muslim communities. Iranian intellectuals have shaped their own approach to this third path, thereby creating an Iranian human rights' specificity within the Muslim world.
Contemporary or Specific: The Dichotomous Desires in the Art of Early Twenty-First Century Iran
Authors: Keshmirshekan Hamid
Published: March 2011

This article analyzes the dominant dichotomy in cultural and artistic ideas which Iranian artists—like many non-Euro-American artists—have been forced to confront. These include the idea of 'contemporaneity': being imbued with the 'spirit of the time', particularly dominant in the minds of the so-called 'Third Generation'; 1 and 'specificity', an underlying precept of compelling force. The first involves the idea that 'postmodernist' imagery is one of fragmentation and hybridization—the scattering of traditions and the recombination of their diverse elements (see Campbell 1999: 5). The second refers to the ever-present obsession with cultural and frequently social concerns with which Iranian artists are engaged, both within the country and across the diaspora. Contemporary debate on Iranian art reveals deep-rooted anxieties about national and cultural identity. It raises the important question: Is it possible to open up an art practice and discourse that is both contemporary and global, but also indigenous and specific? While this work reflects my own observations, it also relies heavily on the analysis offered in interviews with artists, philosophers, critics, curators and some former administrators in artistic affairs. It finally focuses on four artists through a study of their works and ideas about the aforementioned issues.
Identification of Icelandic caddis larvae, with descriptions of Limnephilus fenestratus (Zett.) and L. picturatus McL. (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae, Phryganeidae)
Authors: Gíslason Gísli Már
Published: March 2011

A key is provided for the eleven species known from Iceland together with figures of larval case, head, prothorax, legs and anal sclerite. The larvae of Limnephilus fenestratus (Zett.) and L. picturatus McL. are described for the first time. Brief notes on the larval habitats are given.
A new species of Chonocephalus (Diptera: Phoridae) from Panama
Authors: Disney
Published: March 2011

Chonocephalus wirthorum n.sp. is described from a series of males and females reared from rotting spadices of palms in Panama.
Scandinavian entomologists 7—Andreas Strand
Authors: Løken Astrid
Published: March 2011

A short biography of Andreas Strand (1895–1980) is given together with a complete bibliography of his entomological papers. He described 49 new species 42 of which are still valid. A list of the species and the synonymy is presented.
A revision of the beet leaf-miner complex, Pegomya hyoscyami s.lat. (Diptera: Anthomyiidae)
Authors: Michelsen Verner
Published: March 2011

The Pegomya hyoscyami species complex, which contains the economically important beet and spinach leaf-miners, is defined and taxonomically revised. Four distinct species are recognized by differences in the adult morphology of both sexes: Pegomya betae (Curtis), P. cunicularia (Rondani), P. exilis (Meigen), and P. hyoscyami (Panzer). A key for identification, diagnoses, figures of the male and female genitalia, and distribution records are provided. The nomenclature adopted here is a result of a critical review of 21 relevant species-group names. Five lectotypes are designated and four new synonymies are established; five names are considered nomina dubia and one is a nomen nudum. All four species occur in Europe, whilst only two are known from North America (betae, hyoscyami) and Japan (cunicularia, exilis).
Pseudoscorpions from the Canary Islands
Authors: Mahnert Volker
Published: March 2011

Apolpiolum gigas n.sp. is described from Gran Canaria. Diplotemnus beieri Vachon and Rhacochelifer cf. spiniger Mahnert are recorded for the first time from this archipelago. Six species from Gran Canaria, two from Tenerife and one from Gomera are reported for the first time.
Derovatellus nyanzae n.sp., with notes on the genus in Africa (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)
Authors: Biström Olof
Published: March 2011

Derovatellus (Varodetellus) nyanzae n.sp. is described from Tanzania. The hitherto unknown female of D. (V.) erratus Biström is described. D. (V.). bisignatus Ahlwarth is recorded for the first time from Mozambique and D. (V.) macrocolus Guignot from Chad. Some further notable finds are also reported.
Ethno-Mobilisation and its Consequences in Croatia
Authors: Petričušić Antonija
Published: March 2011

The paper pursues the explanation that political leaders in Croatia and Serbia at the beginning of 1990s used different and sometimes conflicting historical narratives of the two biggest ethnic groups in Croatia (Croats and Serbs), manipulating those conflicting narratives and constructing nationalistic discourse in order to (re)-assure their power position. At the outset, the paper attempts to explain the term 'ethno-mobilisation.' In the following part the paper deals with the actors and means of ethno-mobilisation that was taking place in Croatia. In the third part the paper elaborates on the consequences of such ethno-mobilization policies. The paper finally underlines that in spite of the quite advanced minority legislation that emerged in early 1990s, realization of the rights of minorities, particularly Serbs, was often hindered by unjust bureaucratic processes and the absence of political will.
Prevalence of Precipitation from Warm-Topped Clouds over Eastern Asia and the Western Pacific
Authors: Petty Grant W.
Published: March 2011

Land and ship surface synoptic reports of nondrizzle intensity precipitation in progress were matched with 3596 nearly coincident full disk 4-km resolution infrared images from the GMS-5 geostationary satellite, covering 18 calendar months, in order to derive regional and seasonal estimates of the contribution of relatively warm-topped clouds to the total time in precipitation.

Minimum infrared temperatures of 273 K or warmer were found to be associated with 20%–40% of the surface reports of nondrizzle precipitation over much of the ocean east of Australia during all four seasons. Similar or even larger fractions were found during December–March over parts of Indochina, southern China, and the adjacent South China Sea. Although reports of precipitation of moderate or heavy intensity were found to be associated more often with colder cloud tops, there were still regions for which a substantial fraction of these reports were associated with relatively warm clouds. These results suggest at least a potential for significant regional and seasonal biases in satellite infrared or passive microwave scattering based estimates of global precipitation.
Global Thermohaline Circulation. Part I: Sensitivity to AtmosphericMoisture Transport
Authors: Wang Xiaoli , Stone Peter H. , Marotzke Jochem
Published: March 2011

A global ocean general circulation model of idealized geometry, combined with an atmospheric model based on observed transports of heat, momentum, and moisture, is used to explore the sensitivity of the global conveyor belt circulation to the surface freshwater fluxes, in particular the effects of meridional atmospheric moisture transports. The numerical results indicate that the equilibrium strength of the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) formation increases as the global freshwater transports increase. However, the global deep water formation—that is, the sum of the NADW and the Southern Ocean Deep Water formation rates—is relatively insensitive to changes of the freshwater flux.

Perturbations to the meridional moisture transports of each hemisphere identify equatorially asymmetric effects of the freshwater fluxes. The results are consistent with box model results that the equilibrium NADW formation is primarily controlled by the magnitude of the Southern Hemisphere freshwater flux. However, the results show that the Northern Hemisphere freshwater flux has a strong impact on the transient behavior of the North Atlantic overturning. Increasing this flux leads to a collapse of the conveyor belt circulation, but the collapse is delayed if the Southern Hemisphere flux also increases. The perturbation experiments also illustrate that the rapidity of collapse is affected by random fluctuations in the wind stress field.
Global Thermohaline Circulation. Part II: Sensitivity with Interactive Atmospheric Transports
Authors: Wang Xiaoli , Stone Peter H. , Marotzke Jochem
Published: March 2011

A hybrid coupled ocean–atmosphere model is used to investigate the stability of the thermohaline circulation (THC) to an increase in the surface freshwater forcing in the presence of interactive meridional transports in the atmosphere. The ocean component is the idealized global general circulation model used in Part I. The atmospheric model assumes fixed latitudinal structure of the heat and moisture transports, and the amplitudes are calculated separately for each hemisphere from the large-scale sea surface temperature (SST) and SST gradient, using parameterizations based on baroclinic stability theory. The ocean–atmosphere heat and freshwater exchanges are calculated as residuals of the steady-state atmospheric budgets.

Owing to the ocean component’s weak heat transport, the model has too strong a meridional SST gradient when driven with observed atmospheric meridional transports. When the latter are made interactive, the conveyor belt circulation collapses. A flux adjustment is introduced in which the efficiency of the atmospheric transports is lowered to match the too low efficiency of the ocean component.

The feedbacks between the THC and both the atmospheric heat and moisture transports are positive, whether atmospheric transports are interactive in the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere, or both. However, the feedbacks operate differently in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, because the Pacific THC dominates in the Southern Hemisphere, and deep water formation in the two hemispheres is negatively correlated. The feedbacks in the two hemispheres do not necessarily reinforce each other because they have opposite effects on low-latitude temperatures. The model is qualitatively similar in stability to one with conventional “additive” flux adjustment, but quantitatively more stable.
The Diurnal Cycle of Rainfall and Convective Intensity according to Three Years of TRMM Measurements
Authors: Nesbitt Stephen W. , Zipser Edward J.
Published: March 2011

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite measurements from the precipitation radar and TRMM microwave imager have been combined to yield a comprehensive 3-yr database of precipitation features (PFs) throughout the global Tropics (±36° latitude). The PFs retrieved using this algorithm (which number nearly six million Tropicswide) have been sorted by size and intensity ranging from small shallow features greater than 75 km2 in area to large mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) according to their radar and ice scattering characteristics. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the diurnal cycle of the observed precipitation features' rainfall amount, precipitation feature frequency, rainfall intensity, convective–stratiform rainfall portioning, and remotely sensed convective intensity, sampled Tropicswide from space.

The observations are sorted regionally to examine the stark differences in the diurnal cycle of rainfall and convective intensity over land and ocean areas. Over the oceans, the diurnal cycle of rainfall has small amplitude, with the maximum contribution to rainfall coming from MCSs in the early morning. This increased contribution is due to an increased number of MCSs in the nighttime hours, not increasing MCS areas or conditional rain rates, in agreement with previous works. Rainfall from sub-MCS features over the ocean has little appreciable diurnal cycle of rainfall or convective intensity. Land areas have a much larger rainfall cycle than over the ocean, with a marked minimum in the midmorning hours and a maximum in the afternoon, slowly decreasing through midnight. Non-MCS features have a significant peak in afternoon instantaneous conditional rain rates (the mean rain rate in raining pixels), and convective intensities, which differs from previous studies using rain rates derived from hourly rain gauges. This is attributed to enhancement by afternoon heating. MCSs over land have a convective intensity peak in the late afternoon, however all land regions have MCS rainfall peaks that occur in the late evening through midnight due to their longer life cycle. The diurnal cycle of overland MCS rainfall and convective intensity varies significantly among land regions, attributed to MCS sensitivity to the varying environmental conditions in which they occur.
Uncertainties in Radiative Forcing due to Surface Albedo Changes Caused by Land-Use Changes
Authors: Myhre Gunnar , Myhre Arne
Published: March 2011

A radiative transfer model has been used for estimating the radiative forcing due to land-use changes. Five global datasets for current vegetation cover and three datasets of preagriculture vegetation have been adopted. The vegetation datasets have been combined with three datasets for surface albedo values. A distinct feature in all the calculations is the negative radiative forcing at the northern midlatitudes due to the conversion of forest to cropland. Regionally the radiative forcing is likely to be among the strongest of the climate forcing mechanisms. A wider range is estimated for the global mean radiative forcing due to land-use changes than previously reported. The single most important factor yielding the large range in estimated forcing is the cropland surface albedo values. This underlines the importance of characterizing surface albedo correctly.