bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neuropsychological profile of adult patients with Niemann–Pick C1 (NPC1) mutations
Authors: Klarner B. , Klünemann H. H. , Lürding R. , Aslanidis C. , Rupprecht R.
Published: December 2006

Niemann–Pick type C disease is a fatal neurovisceral disorder linked to dysregulation in cholesterol processing. A medication for this disease is currently being tested in clinical trials. However, there is a lack of information on neuropsychological testing parameters for this disease. One aim of this pilot study was to evaluate a test battery that could be used to assess cognitive deficits in different stages of the disease. A second aim was to determine whether specific functional deficits are associated with certain disease stages. Eight men and two women (19–40 years of age) harbouring mutations in the gene coding for the cholesterol trafficking protein NPC1 were put through the same test battery independently of their disease stage. The external staging criterion was based on a five‐step clinical scale. Trail Making tests A & B and verbal fluency were sensitive indicators at early stages of NPC. Corsi Block‐Tapping, Mini Mental Status, Find Similarities and Clock Drawing showed abnormal results in patients with advanced disease. The Grooved Pegboard, Trail Making and Mosaic tests were unsuitable in advanced disease due to impaired fine motor skills. We observed that visuospatial working memory was less affected by the neurodegenerative process than verbal working memory. The series of tests used here could be supplemented by the severe impairment battery and Raven matrices tests for patients with advanced disease.
The course of life and quality of life of early and continuously treated Dutch patients with phenylketonuria
Authors: Bosch A. M. , Tybout W. , van Spronsen F. J. , de Valk H. W. , Wijburg F. A. , Grootenhuis M. A.
Published: December 2006

Phenylketonuria (PKU; OMIM 261600) is an autosomal recessive disorder of phenylalanine metabolism caused by a deficiency of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH; EC 1.14.16.1). Cognitive problems, neuropsychological abnormalities and psychosocial problems have been reported frequently in children and adolescents with PKU, even in those who are treated early and continuously. However, the developmental consequences in adulthood of growing up with PKU are not well known. The aim of this study was to assess the course of life, sociodemographic outcomes and health‐related quality of life in young adult patients with PKU identified on neonatal screening who were continuously on treatment. A total of 32 PKU patients 18 to 30 years old completed the Course of Life questionnaire, the RAND‐36 Health Survey, and the cognitive scale of the TNO‐AZL Adult Quality of Life (TAAQoL) questionnaire. The results of the Course of Life and Health‐Related Quality of Life questionnaires were comparable to controls, except that a higher percentage received special education in primary school. Their educational attainment, however, was comparable to that of their peers. The results of this study demonstrate that although PKU is a chronic disease with the burden of strict dietary control, early and continuously treated patients with PKU can have a normal health‐related quality of life and course of life.
Hyperlipidaemia due to carnitine palmitoyltransferase I deficiency
Authors: Worthington H. , Olpin S. E. , Blumenthal I. , Morris A. A. M.
Published: December 2006

We report a patient with carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I) deficiency, who presented with acute encephalopathy at 6 months of age. This was precipitated by an episode of gastroenteritis. No hypoglycaemia was documented, but there was hepatomegaly; blood tests revealed raised transaminases, a coagulopathy and severe hypertriglyceridaemia (48.8 mmol/L) and hypercholesterolaemia (9.5 mmol/L). The hyperlipidaemia resolved within 3 days of treatment and did not recur. At 2 years of age, the patient's liver function, growth and development are all normal. Hyperlipidaemia has been reported during acute illness in previous patients with CPT I deficiency but it is not a well‐recognized feature; it should alert metabolic specialists to this potential diagnosis.
Restricted upper extremity range of motion in mucopolysaccharidosis type I: no response to one year of enzyme replacement therapy
Authors: Cox‐Brinkman J. , Smeulders M. J. C. , Hollak C. E. M. , Wijburg F. A.
Published: December 2006

Background: Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) results from deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme α‐L‐iduronidase (IDUA). Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) accumulate in multiple organs and the storage in connective tissues results in restricted mobility. Previous studies provided evidence of an improvement in range of motion (ROM), as measured by goniometry, after supplementation of recombinant enzyme (ERT). Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of ERT in improving ROM in patients with MPS I, using a blinded three‐dimensional (3D) video analysis of unrestricted movements of the upper extremities. Methods: In 6 patients with the attenuated phenotype of MPS I, the longitudinal changes in the upper extremity ROM were analysed by 3D video analysis during one year of ERT. Results: At baseline, all studied movements except for elbow flexion were restricted. No significant improvement of the restricted upper extremity ROM was observed after one year of ERT. Conclusion: Long‐standing restrictions in ROM probably cannot be reversed by ERT. Early initiation of treatment might be essential to prevent irreversible functional defects.
Spatio‐temporal dynamics of Scotinophara lurida (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in rice fields
Authors: Kim Hunsung , Kim Seung‐Tae , Jung Myung‐Pyo , Lee Joon‐Ho
Published: December 2006

Studying the spatial pattern of insect pests and the temporal stability of their patterns is important in understanding underlying ecological mechanisms and in developing pest management programs in cultivated crop systems. To elucidate the spatio‐temporal pattern of the black rice bug, Scotinophara lurida, in rice fields, samplings were conducted in two rice fields over 2 years. Using spatial analysis by distance indices, the spatial pattern of each developmental stage of S. lurida and their temporal stability of the spatial pattern were identified. Most of the Ia (the index of aggregation) values for overwintered adults and eggs of S. lurda were close to 1, indicating random distribution pattern while nymphs and new adults mainly had Ia values >1, indicating an aggregated distribution pattern. According to spatial association analysis between successive samples using X (the index of spatial association), the spatial pattern of S. lurida showed strong temporal stability throughout the season. Also, there was strong association between the spatial patterns of developmental stages, indicating the great effect of the spatial pattern of the previous developmental stage on that of later developmental stage. Factors influencing the spatial pattern and spatial stability of S. lurida are discussed.
Structure and regeneration patterns of the Juniperus excelsa Bieb. stands in the central part of the Nestos valley in the northeast of Greece, in the context of anthropogenic disturbances and nurse plant facilitation
Authors: Milios Elias , Pipinis Elias , Petrou Petros , Akritidou Sofia , Smiris Paulos , Aslanidou Maria
Published: December 2006

In order to analyse the structure and regeneration patterns of the Juniperus excelsa Bieb. stands on the slopes of the Nestos valley, 40 sample plots were established and more than 120 J. excelsa trees and seedlings were cut and collected. The main results of this research indicate that stand structure, species mixture, age structure and stand development patterns were strongly determined by the interaction of anthropogenic disturbances such as grazing and illegal cuttings, and the facilitation of adult J. excelsa trees in the establishment of the J. excelsa seedlings. Their effect was influenced by site quality and J. excelsa together with other species ecology. Under present conditions, almost all J. excelsa seedlings, except for a small number of plants, are found under the facilitation of nurse plants that belong to the same species. It seems that the layer of litter underneath the nurse plants combined with the protection of seedlings against grazing play an important role in the establishment and growth of J. excelsa seedlings.
Influence of body size on coexistence of bird species
Authors: Leyequién Eurídice , de Boer Willem F. , Cleef Antoine
Published: December 2006

Theory suggests that body size is an important factor in determining interspecific competition and, ultimately, in structuring ecological communities. However, there is a lack of pragmatic studies linking body size and interspecific competition to patterns in ecological communities. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of body size (mass) on competitive interactions between bird pairs and to investigate the influence of food guilds. Point‐counts were carried out in nine sites every month from November 2002 to November 2003 in the Cuetzalan Region, Mexico, and we used presence/absence and abundance data for the analyses. To calculate the strength of competition we used the Angle Frequency Method to extract form factors from 20 pairwise interactions. A prototype competition interaction and random pairs were also constructed. We used clustering techniques (PCA) to calculate the dissimilarity scores (distances,D) of each of the pairwise interactions to the prototype competition and random pairs and one‐way ANOVA to test for differences between the means of the random and competitive pairs. The ratio in body mass (lnBM) for each of the interacting pairs was calculated, and the association between the lnBM ratio and the strength of competition (D) was tested using a Pearson product‐moment correlation coefficient. To test for the influence of foraging guilds we used a univariate general linear model. Our results demonstrate a significant negative relationship between bird body mass ratio and competition strength – i.e. competition strength increased when the body masses of the birds became more similar. We did not find a significant influence of foraging guild on the relationship between body mass ratio and competition strength. On the basis of these results, we suggest that high variation in body sizes amongst sympatric species promotes coexistence in communities.
Fatty Acid Composition of the Oil from Developing Seeds of Different Varieties of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)
Authors: Gecgel Umit , Demirci Mehmet , Esendal Enver , Tasan Murat
Published: December 2006

Fatty acid composition and moisture and oil content were determined for Montola‐2001 and Centennial safflower varieties at three different harvest dates from flowering to maturity, which were grown as autumn and spring crops in two different locations in 2001–2002 and 2002–2003. The experiment was carried out using split–split plots in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Sowing dates affected oil content and fatty acid compositions significantly (P < 0.01), whereas moisture content in both years was not significantly affected. Moisture content declined 15 days from flowering period to maturity, while oil content increased. The rate of the palmitic acid formation decreased in both varieties 15 days from flowering period to maturity, whereas formation rates of the oleic and linoleic acids increased in Montola‐2001 and Centennial varieties, respectively.
Physical Properties of Polyurethanes Produced from Polyols from Seed Oils: II. Foams
Authors: Narine Suresh S. , Kong Xiaohua , Bouzidi Laziz , Sporns Peter
Published: December 2006

Rigid polyurethane (PU) foams were prepared using three North American seed oil starting materials. Polyol with terminal primary hydroxyl groups synthesized from canola oil by ozonolysis and hydrogenation based technology, commercially available soybean based polyol and crude castor oil were reacted with aromatic diphenylmethane diisocyanate to prepare the foams. Their physical and thermal properties were studied and compared using dynamic mechanical analysis and thermogravimetric analysis techniques, and their cellular structures were investigated by scanning electron microscope. The chemical diversity of the starting materials allowed the evaluation of the effect of dangling chain on the properties of the foams. The reactivity of soybean oil‐derived polyols and of unrefined crude castor oil were found to be lower than that of the canola based polyol as shown by their processing parameters (cream, rising and gel times) and FTIR. Canola‐PU foam demonstrated better compressive properties than Soybean‐PU foam but less than Castor‐PU foam. The differences in performance were found to be related to the differences in the number and position of OH‐groups and dangling chains in the starting materials, and to the differences in cellular structure.
Time, Temperature, and Concentration Dependence of Ricinelaidic Acid–Canola Oil Organogelation
Authors: Wright Amanda J. , Marangoni Alejandro G.
Published: December 2006

Canola oil (CO) gels were formed using ricinelaidic acid (REA), a hydroxylated fatty acid, and the time, temperature, and concentration dependence of the resulting gel structure was studied using small‐deformation rheology, light microscopy, and powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD). Between 5 °C and 30 °C, REA concentration had a significant influence on gel elasticity (P < 0.05), whereas temperature had a relatively lesser influence on gel rheology. Differences were observed in the scaling exponent of G′LVR with concentration above 20 °C, which were also correlated with significant differences in gelation time at 20 °C. However, the 5% gels at 5 °C, 20 °C, and 35 °C displayed similar microstructures and behaved like weak gels stabilized by junction zones. Most of the gels studied (i.e., the 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5% gels at 15 °C, 20 °C, and 25 °C) consisted of long, thin, fibrous REA strands, although at 25 °C, the 2% gel was characterized by more transient and circular entities. During 28 days’ storage, there were no apparent changes detected in gel microstructure by microscopy or XRD, despite increases in the gel's opacity.
CHANGES IN PERCEPTIONS OF QUALITY OF, AND ACCESS TO, SERVICES AMONG CLIENTS OF A FRACTIONAL FRANCHISE NETWORK IN NEPAL
Authors: AGHA SOHAIL , GAGE ANASTASIA , BALAL ASMA
Published: December 2006

With declining levels of international donor funding for financing reproductive health programmes, developing country governments and international donors are looking towards private sector strategies to expand the supply of quality reproductive health services. One of the challenges of a health franchise is to improve the quality of services provided by independent private practitioners. Private providers are more likely to abide by the quality standards set by a franchiser if they see a financial benefit resulting from franchise participation. This study was conducted to measure whether (a) there were improvements in perceived quality of care and perceived access to health facilities once these facilities became part of a franchise and (b) improvements in perceived quality and perceived access were associated with increased client loyalty to franchised clinics. Franchisees were given basic reproductive health training for seven days and services marketing training for two days. Exit interviews were conducted with male and female clients at health facilities. A pre-test measurement was taken in April 2001, prior to the start of project activities. A post-test measurement was taken in February/March 2002, about 9 months after the pre-test. Multilevel regression analysis, which takes the hierarchical structure of the data into account, was used for the analysis. After taking provider-level variation into account and controlling for client characteristics, the analyses showed significant improvements in perceived quality of care and perceived access to services. Private provider participation in a franchise network helps improve client perceptions of quality of, and access to, services. Improvements in client perceptions of quality and access contribute to increased client loyalty to franchised clinics. Once increased client loyalty translates into higher client volumes, providers are likely to see the benefits of franchise participation. In turn, this should lead to increased provider willingness to remain part of the franchise and to abide by the standards of quality set by the franchiser.
AGE AT FIRST MARRIAGE IN NEPAL: DIFFERENTIALS AND DETERMINANTS
Authors: ARYAL TIKA RAM
Published: December 2006

The aim of this paper is to investigate the differentials and determinants of female age at first marriage in rural Nepal. The life table technique was employed to calculate median age at marriage. The proportional hazard model was used to study the effect of various socioeconomic variables, and to identify the magnitude and significance of their effects on the timing of first marriage. The data were taken from a sample survey of Palpa and Rupandehi districts in rural Nepal. Both married and unmarried females of marriageable age were included in the survey. Median age at marriage was about 17 years for data from only married females, whereas it was about 18 years for data from married as well as unmarried females of marriageable age. Median age at marriage was about 16 years for uneducated females and 19 years for females educated up to intermediate or higher level. The analysis underestimates the median age at marriage for married females, probably due to right censoring. The risk of getting married early decreased gradually with increasing year-of-birth cohort. The risk of early marriage was higher among females of high socioeconomic status compared with those of low socioeconomic status. Females engaged in service married earlier than those engaged in household work. High socioeconomic status families are motivated, for religious and prestige reasons, to get their daughters married at an early age, preferably before menarche. Thus, education, occupation and age at menarche are the most powerful factors in deciding the timing of first marriage in Nepal.
PARENTAL GENDER PREFERENCES AND REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR: A REVIEW OF THE RECENT LITERATURE
Authors: HANK KARSTEN
Published: December 2006

This paper reviews various theoretical approaches towards an explanation of parental gender preferences and empirical findings from developing as well as from industrialized countries, focusing on the role of gender preferences in reproductive decisions. Although various attempts have been made to shed light on the mechanisms underlying the observed patterns of sex preferences for children, a fully satisfying theoretical explanation is still not at hand. Empirically, a distinct and stable preference for at least one child of each sex can be observed as a common pattern of parental sex preferences across many different social, economic and cultural contexts. Further – and ideally multidisciplinary – research that helps to improve our understanding of this phenomenon is highly desirable.
‘Group and save’ for paediatric tonsillectomy: is it required routinely?
Authors: Montague M-L , Lee M S W , Hussain S S M
Published: December 2006

Objectives: The aims of this study were: (1) to establish current UK practice with respect to ‘group and save’ of serum for paediatric tonsillectomy; and (2) to determine the need to group and save serum prior to routine paediatric tonsillectomy.

Methods: Members of the British Association of Otorhinolaryngologists – Head and Neck Surgeons were surveyed by e-mail. A prospective study (November 1999 to August 2002) of all children undergoing tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy was undertaken. Outcome measures included reactionary and secondary post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage rates, blood transfusion requirements and ‘return to theatre’ rates.

Results: We surveyed 464 association members. The response rate was 52 per cent (n=242). Twenty-five respondents (10.3 per cent) indicated that they undertook group and save prior to tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy in children. Two hundred and seventeen (89.7 per cent) indicated that they did not. Of those who did group and save for children, 20 respondents (80 per cent) did so routinely. The remaining five respondents (20 per cent) did so only for children weighing less than 15 kg (n=4) or less than 10 kg (n=1). During the study period, 325 children underwent tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy. The reactionary haemorrhage rate was 0.6 per cent (n=2) and the secondary haemorrhage rate 5.5 per cent (n=18). The two cases of reactionary haemorrhage were returned to theatre immediately for control of haemostasis. All secondary haemorrhages were managed conservatively. No child required blood transfusion during the study period.

Conclusion: Routine group and save of serum for children undergoing elective tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy seems unnecessary. We recommend that it be undertaken only in special circumstances.
Treatment of pinna haematoma with compression using Leonard buttons
Authors: Ho E C , Jajeh S , Molony N
Published: December 2006

The standard treatment of a pinna haematoma involves drainage and compression to prevent recurrence and subsequent disfigurement. Compressive methods can be non-invasive or invasive, utilising a head bandage or through and through sutures, respectively, to keep compression in place. Leonard buttons are effective alternative compressive devices. They are simple to use and easily available.
Thyroid isthmusectomy: a critical appraisal
Authors: Skilbeck C , Leslie A , Simo R
Published: December 2006

Thyroid lobectomy with isthmusectomy is the standard surgical technique for removal of unilateral thyroid nodules, and it involves the exposure of the tracheoesophageal grooves. Thyroid isthmusectomy is a surgical procedure that excises only the thyroid isthmus. It allows excision of a lesion without the exposure of the tracheoesophageal grooves.

We aimed to demonstrate that isthmusectomy could be a safe alternative to thyroid lobectomy with isthmusectomy in patients with nodules confined to the isthmus or the pyramidal lobe.

This was a prospective study performed over a five year period from 1999 to 2004. Inclusion criteria for thyroid isthmusectomy were: patients with a single lesion located in the region of the thyroid isthmus or the pyramidal lobe; maximum lesion diameter of 30 mm; and cytological reports of non-diagnostic appearance, follicular cells or suspicion of malignancy.

Nine patients were identified with these criteria. Histology included two colloid nodules, three benign follicular adenomas, two Hurthle cell adenomas and two papillary thyroid carcinomas. There were no recorded complications.

Thyroid isthmusectomy is a safe alternative to thyroid lobectomy with isthmusectomy in patients who have nodules confined to the isthmus and pyramidal lobe. Leaving a cuff of normal thyroid tissue has the advantage of not exposing the tracheoesophageal grooves, thus minimising potential damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerves and parathyroids. Surgeons performing isthmusectomies should be experienced in more complex thyroid surgical procedures.
Rapid thyrotoxicosis in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma
Authors: Phillips J S , Pledger D R , Hilger A W
Published: December 2006

We present the case of a 71-year-old man with anaplastic thyroid cancer. On presentation, his thyroid function was normal, but he subsequently developed sudden, rapid thyrotoxicosis. Thyrotoxicosis in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is very rare, but in all previously reported cases the patient was thyrotoxic at presentation. Our case is unusual as our patient presented euthyroid, and thyrotoxicosis developed subsequently. We challenge current ideas regarding the biochemical pathophysiology of rapid thyrotoxicosis in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma and provide an alternative explanation.
Language and the History of Colonial Education: The case of Hong Kong
Authors: SWEETING ANTHONY , VICKERS EDWARD
Published: December 2006

Judith Brown, in her Epilogue to Volume IV of The Oxford History of the British Empire (OHBE), states that of the legacies of the British Empire, the ‘most significant of all is the legacy of the school and the university’, and in particular the role of English as an international language. Brown's acknowledgement of the importance of colonial education renders all the more striking the lack of attention given to this subject in the OHBE as a whole. For example, while Volume IV contains chapters on ‘Gender in the British Empire’, ‘Critics of Empire in Britain’, ‘The Popular Culture of Empire in Britain’, and ‘The British Empire and the Muslim World’, education receives barely two dozen references, buried in the text of other chapters. These offer glimpses into the development of literacy in parts of Africa, the expansion of state educational provision in Ceylon, and the concern of Nigeria's colonial authorities regarding the socially and politically destabilizing effects of the spread of Western education; but taken together they provide no overall analysis of colonial education policies, systems of schooling or curricula. Notwithstanding what some have criticised as its ultra-orthodox overall approach, with regard to this particular field the OHBE more-or-less accurately represents the current state of research. Despite a number of interesting forays on the periphery, the history of colonial education remains a vast and largely unexplored field of enquiry: the dark continent of imperial historiography.
Did Aurangzeb Ban Music? Questions for the Historiography of his Reign
Authors: BROWN KATHERINE BUTLER
Published: December 2006

Bury [music] so deep under the earth that no sound or echo of it may rise again.

- Attributed to Aurangzeb

There is no safer way to blacken a person's reputation in the estimate of following generations than to attribute a wanton holocaust of wasted beauty to him.

- Antonia Fraser on Oliver Cromwell
Information Technology Professionals and the New-Rich Middle Class in Chennai (Madras)
Authors: FULLER C. J. , NARASIMHAN HARIPRIYA
Published: December 2006

Since 1991, when the policy of economic liberalisation began in earnest, the size and prosperity of India's middle class have grown considerably. Yet sound sociological and ethnographic information about its social structure and cultural values is still sparse, and as André Béteille (2003a: 75) comments: ‘Everything or nearly everything that is written about the Indian middle class is written by middle-class Indians…[who] tend to oscillate between self-recrimination and self-congratulation’ (cf. Béteille 2003b: 185). The former is exemplified by Pavan Varma's The Great Indian Middle Class (1998), which excoriates this class for its selfish materialism and the ‘retreat from idealism’ that was manifest in the smaller, ‘traditional middle class’ of the earlier, post-independence period (ibid.: 89). A good example of the opposite tendency is Gurcharan Das's India Unbound (2002), which celebrates ‘the rise of a confident new middle class’ (ibid.: 280). Das's diagnosis of what has changed is actually very similar to Varma's, but he insists that the new middle class is no ‘greedier’ than the old one, and the ‘chief difference is that there is less hypocrisy and more self-confidence’ (ibid.: 290).
A Tale of Two Cities: The Aftermath of Partition for Lahore and Amritsar 1947–1957
Authors: TALBOT IAN
Published: December 2006

Such modern cities as Breslau and Smyrna have suffered widespread destruction and demographic transformation in the wake of armed invasion. The neighbouring Punjabi cities of Lahore and Amritsar shared this experience, at the time of the 1947 division of the Indian subcontinent. Almost 40 per cent of Amritsar's houses were destroyed or damaged and its Muslim population fell from 49 per cent of the population on the eve of partition to just 00.52 per cent in 1951. Six thousand houses were damaged in Lahore and its Hindu and Sikh population who formed over a third of the population departed for India. The Luftwaffe had destroyed some 4185 houses in Coventry in an air raid for ever associated with the concept of concentrated bombing. The greater damage in peacetime Lahore and Amritsar was a result of disturbances surrounding the end of British rule. The cities lay at the heart of the region which bore the brunt of the 1947 upheaval. Ten million Punjabis were uprooted. In all around 13 million people were displaced by partition. This was the largest migration in a century whose wars and ethnic conflicts rendered millions of people homeless. The cities' proximity to the border (see map.) meant that they received large numbers of refugees. There were a million in Lahore alone in April 1948, two fifths of whom were housed in camps.
Chinese Diasporic Culture and National Identity: The Taming of the Tiger Balm Gardens in Singapore
Authors: HUANG JIANLI , HONG LYSA
Published: December 2006

The Tiger Balm Gardens or Haw Par Villa, built in the 1930s by overseas Chinese pharmaceuticals tycoon Aw Boon Haw, has been and remains a symbol of the positioning of Singapore's Chineseness. In the colonial era, it marked the success not only of one man but also of the Chinese migrant community. In the later period of nation-building, it was initially considered as a challenge to multiracialism and nationhood. However, as state policy shifted towards an ethnicized cultural identity as prompted by the rise of Asia as a major economic force, especially China, the Villa was renovated first into an orientalized theme park and then resuscitated as the repository of diasporic Chinese entrepreneurship. Amidst these state initiatives, the history of the Villa and its founder were sidelined.
Visual Culture and the Politics of Locality in Modern India: A Review Essay
Authors: SINHA AJAY J.
Published: December 2006

“The fundamental event of the modern age is the conquest of the world as picture.”

Martin Heidegger

“Historical monuments, we can argue, live their modern lives primarily as images.”

Tapati Guha-Thakurta
Hydrological modelling of snail dispersal patterns in Msambweni, Kenya and potential resurgence ofSchistosoma haematobiumtransmission
Authors: CLENNON J. A. , KING C. H. , MUCHIRI E. M. , KITRON U.
Published: December 2006

Urinary schistosomiasis is an important source of human morbidity in Msambweni, Kenya, where the intermediate host snail,Bulinus nasutusis found in ponds and water pools. In the past, aquatic habitats in the area have been studied separately; however, recent collections ofB. nasutussnails and shells indicated that many of these ponds are in fact connected during and following sufficient rains. Satellite imagery and a geographical information system (GIS) were used to survey the main water courses and potential drainage routes, to locate potential source populations of snails and to determine probable snail dispersal routes. The 2 water bodies implicated as being the most importantSchistosoma haematobiumtransmission foci in the area were found to differ in their degree of connectivity to otherB. nasutussource habitats. One pond becomes connected even after normal rains, while the other pond requires prolonged rains or flooding to become connected with source habitats. Consequently, the transmission foci differ in their susceptibility to snail population control measures. Spatially explicit dispersal models that consider the spatial and temporal patterns of connectivity between aquatic habitats will contribute to improved snail surveillance and more focused control for urinary schistosomiasis at a local level.
A molecular phylogeny of the genus Echinococcus inferred from complete mitochondrial genomes
Authors: NAKAO M. , McMANUS D. P. , SCHANTZ P. M. , CRAIG P. S. , ITO A.
Published: December 2006

Taxonomic revision by molecular phylogeny is needed to categorize members of the genus Echinococcus (Cestoda: Taeniidae). We have reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships of E. oligarthrus, E. vogeli, E. multilocularis, E. shiquicus, E. equinus, E. ortleppi, E. granulosus sensu stricto and 3 genotypes of E. granulosus sensu lato (G6, G7 and G8) from their complete mitochondrial genomes. Maximum likelihood and partitioned Bayesian analyses using concatenated data sets of nucleotide and amino acid sequences depicted phylogenetic trees with the same topology. The 3 E. granulosus genotypes corresponding to the camel, pig, and cervid strains were monophyletic, and their high level of genetic similarity supported taxonomic species unification of these genotypes into E. canadensis. Sister species relationships were confirmed between E. ortleppi and E. canadensis, and between E. multilocularis and E. shiquicus, regardless of the analytical approach employed. The basal positions of the phylogenetic tree were occupied by the neotropical endemic species, E. oligarthrus and E. vogeli, whose definitive hosts are derived from carnivores that immigrated from North America after the formation of the Panamanian land bridge. Host-parasite co-evolution comparisons suggest that the ancestral homeland of Echinococcus was North America or Asia, depending on whether the ancestral definitive hosts were canids or felids.
Detection of coproantibodies and faecal immune complexes in human trichinellosis
Authors: NUÑEZ G. G. , COSTANTINO S. N. , VENTURIELLO S. M.
Published: December 2006

Trichinella spiralisis the nematode causative agent of trichinellosis, an intestinal and tissular parasitosis. Even though an early diagnosis during the intestinal phase is essential to limit the infection in humans, to date, there are no available tests to achieve this goal. Based on the immune response generated by the host's intestinal mucosa, the aim of this work was to develop ELISAs to assess the presence of coproantigens (CAgs), coproantibodies (CAbs) and faecal immune complexes in stool samples of 18 individuals belonging to different outbreaks that have arisen in Argentina. By the methodologies developed in this work it was found that anti-muscle larva excretory-secretory products (ML-ESP) CAbs were detected in 89% of the samples analysed regardless of the time p.i. Anti-ML-ESP IgA, IgG, IgE and IgM were detected in 56%, 56%, 28% and 22% of the individuals respectively. Those samples negative for anti-ML-ESP total immunoglobulins proved positive for anti-adult worm-ESP CAbs. No CAgs were detected in any of the samples. The results obtained in this work indicate that the intestinal immune response in human trichinellosis is featured by all the isotypes of specific immunoglobulins. Furthermore, the detection of antibodies in stool samples, in either the free or complexed form, could be applied to confirm early human trichinellosis.
The mitochondrial genome ofGyrodactylus salaris(Platyhelminthes: Monogenea), a pathogen of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)
Authors: HUYSE T. , PLAISANCE L. , WEBSTER B. L. , MO T. A. , BAKKE T. A. , BACHMANN L. , LITTLEWOOD D. T. J.
Published: December 2006

In the present study, we describe the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of the Atlantic salmon parasiteGyrodactylus salaris, the first for any monogenean species. The circular genome is 14 790 bp in size. All of the 35 genes recognized from other flatworm mitochondrial genomes were identified, and they are transcribed from the same strand. The protein-coding and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes share the same gene arrangement as those published previously for neodermatan mt genomes (representing cestodes and digeneans only), and the genome has an overall A+T content of 65%. Three transfer RNA (tRNA) genes overlap with other genes, whereas the secondary structure of 3 tRNA genes lack the DHU arm and 1 tRNA gene lacks the TΨC arm. Eighteen regions of non-coding DNA ranging from 4 to 112 bp in length, totalling 278 bp, were identified as well as 2 large non-coding regions (799 bp and 768 bp) that were almost identical to each other. The completion of the mt genome offers the opportunity of defining new molecular markers for studying evolutionary relationships within and among gyrodactylid species.
The role of splenectomy in HIV-infected patients with relapsing visceral leishmaniasis
Authors: TROYA J. , CASQUERO A. , MUÑIZ G. , FERNÁNDEZ-GUERRERO M. L. , GÓRGOLAS M.
Published: December 2006

The treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in HIV-infected patients is characterized by having a protracted course and frequent relapses, despite the use of adequate anti-leishmanial drugs and effective anti-retroviral therapy. A small subset of patients with significant splenomegaly develops severe cytopaenias and chronic leishmania infection. The use of elective splenectomy is effective for restoring the haematological parameters and reduces the need for blood transfusions but it does not avoid relapsing visceral leishmaniasis.
The structure of aquaporins
Authors: Gonen Tamir , Walz Thomas
Published: December 2006

1. Introduction 362

1.1 The elusive water pores 362

1.2 CHIP28 362

2. Studies on AQP-1 363

2.1 Expression of AQP1 cDNA in Xenopus oocytes 363

2.2 Reconstitution of purified AQP1 into artificial lipid bilayers 364

2.3 Structural information deduced from the primary sequence 365

2.4 Evolution and mammalian AQPs 365

3. Chronological overview over AQP structures 368

3.1 AQP1 – the red blood cell water pore 368

3.2 GlpF – the E. coli glycerol facilitator 371

3.3 AQPZ – the E. coli water pore 372

3.4 AQP0 – the lens-specific aquaporin 373

3.5 AQP4 – the main aquaporin in brain 377

3.6 SoPiP2;1 – a plant aquaporin 379

3.7 AQPM – an archaeabacterial aquaporin 379

4. Proton exclusion 380

5. Substrate selectivity 382

6. Pore regulation 385

6.1 Hormonal regulation of AQP trafficking 385

6.2 Influence of pH on AQP water conduction 386

6.3 Regulation of AQP pore conductance by protein binding 387

6.4 Pore closure by conformational changes in the AQP0 pore 388

7. Unresolved questions 390

8. Acknowledgments 390

9. References 391

The ubiquitous members of the aquaporin (AQP) family form transmembrane pores that are either exclusive for water (aquaporins) or are also permeable for other small neutral solutes such as glycerol (aquaglyceroporins). The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of our current knowledge of AQP structures and to describe the structural features that define the function of these membrane pores. The review will discuss the mechanisms governing water conduction, proton exclusion and substrate specificity, and how the pore permeability is regulated in different members of the AQP family.
A fire scout robot with accurate returning for urban environment
Authors: Qian Jun , Jun Zeng Jian , Yang Ru-Qing , Weng Xin-Hua
Published: December 2006

In order to allow people to explore potential fire environments without risk of danger, a new fire scout mobile robot used in urban environments is introduced in this paper. It adapts itself to stair climbing by using articulated-chain-wheeled mobile style with differential wheels. The positive pressure with continuous flow of protected gas inside the body endows the robot with explosion protection capability. When the wireless control signal is interrupted, it could automatically return to safe place along previous path based on sensorial data. Since position estimation only using encoders reading has serious limitations as mobile robot movement proceeds, a novel method integrating data of encoders and ultrasonic sensors is built, which uses iterative closest point algorithm to do data matching so as to adjust position and orientation of the mobile robot. This path retracing method realizes high accuracy and fast speed of automatic returning when the mobile robot is working in static urban environment even if the environment is unknown.
Control of a redundant, reconfigurable ball wheel drive mechanism for an omnidirectional mobile platform
Authors: Lee Young-Chul , Lee Danny V. , Chung Jae H. , Velinsky Steven A.
Published: December 2006

This paper develops a controller for position tracking of a new ball wheel drive mechanism for a robust omnidirectional wheeled mobile platform, an adaptive controller with physical parameter estimation. This platform, integrated with a manipulator, is designed for use in highway maintenance and construction, which is a generally unstructured and congested environment. The proposed ball wheel mechanism can move in all directions on the plane, instantaneously and isotropically. Reconfiguration of the redundant drive system of the ball wheel mechanism is accomplished by altering the contact pressure between the drive wheels and the sphere based on platform heading direction. The system redundancy is resolved through a Weighted Optimal Torque Distribution method allowing for smooth reconfiguration. Finally, experimental and simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.
MEASURING SPECIFIC FREEDOM
Authors: BRAHAM MATTHEW
Published: December 2006

This paper is about the measurement of specific freedoms – the freedom of an agent to undertake some particular action. In a recent paper, Dowding and van Hees discuss the need for, and general form of, a “freedom function” that assigns a value between 0 and 1 to a freedom or right and that describes the expectation that a person may have about being in a position to exercise (“being free to perform”) that freedom or right. An examination of the literature shows that there is as yet no agreed framework for defining such a function. Based on the framework of a game form, I develop a very simple and natural measure of specific freedom as the “conditional probability of success.” It is also shown that in an important way “negative freedom is membership of powerful coalitions.”
UTILITARIANISM AND PRIORITARIANISM I
Authors: McCARTHY DAVID
Published: December 2006

Utilitarianism and prioritarianism make a strong assumption about measures of how good lotteries over histories are for individuals, or for short, individual goodness measures. Given some idealizing assumptions about interpersonal and intrapersonal comparisons, they presuppose that any individual goodness measure can be transformed into any other individual goodness measure by a positive affine transformation. But it is far from obvious that the presupposition is correct, so both theories face the threat of presupposition failure. The usual response to this problem starts by assuming that what implicitly determines the set of individual goodness measures is independent of our discourse about utilitarianism and prioritarianism. I suggest reversing this response. What determines the set of individual goodness measures just is the body of platitudes we accept about utilitarianism and prioritarianism. This approach vindicates the utilitarian and prioritarian presupposition. As a corollary, it shows that individual goodness measures are expectational, and provides an answer to an argument due to Broome that for different reasons to do with measurement, prioritarianism is more or less meaningless.
HUME'S NON-INSTRUMENTAL AND NON-PROPOSITIONAL DECISION THEORY
Authors: SUGDEN ROBERT
Published: December 2006

Hume is often read as proposing an instrumental theory of decision, in which an agent's choices are rational if they maximally satisfy her desires, given her beliefs. In fact, Hume denies that rationality can be attributed to actions. I argue that this is not a gap needing to be filled. Hume's theory provides a coherent and self-contained understanding of action, compatible with current developments in experimental psychology and behavioural economics. On Hume's account, desires are primitive psychological motivations which do not have propositional content, and so are not subject to the criteria of rational consistency which apply to propositions.
A LIBERAL EGALITARIAN PARADOX
Authors: CAPPELEN ALEXANDER W. , TUNGODDEN BERTIL
Published: December 2006

A liberal egalitarian theory of justice seeks to combine the values of equality, personal freedom, and personal responsibility. It is considered a much more promising position than strict egalitarianism, because it supposedly provides a fairness argument for inequalities reflecting differences in choice. However, we show that it is inherently difficult to fulfill this ambition. We present a liberal egalitarian paradox which shows that there does not exist any robust reward system that satisfies a minimal egalitarian and a minimal liberal requirement. Moreover, we demonstrate how libertarianism may be justified in this framework if we drop the egalitarian condition.
RISK, FEAR, BLAME, SHAME AND THE REGULATION OF PUBLIC SAFETY
Authors: WOLFF JONATHAN
Published: December 2006

The question of when people may impose risks on each other is of fundamental moral importance. Forms of “quantified risk assessment,” especially risk cost-benefit analysis, provide one powerful approach to providing a systematic answer. It is also well known that such techniques can show that existing resources could be used more effectively to reduce risk overall. Thus it is often argued that some current practices are irrational. On the other hand critics of quantified risk assessment argue that it cannot adequately capture all relevant features, such as “societal concern” and so should be abandoned. In this paper I argue that current forms of quantified risk assessment are inadequate, and in themselves, therefore, insufficient to demonstrate that current practices are irrational. In particular, I will argue that insufficient attention has been given to the cause of a hazard, which needs to be treated as a primary variable in its own right. However rather than reject quantified risk assessment I wish to supplement it by proposing a framework to make explicit the role causation plays in the understanding of risk, and how it interacts with factors which influence perception of risks and other attitudes to risk control. Once an improved description of risk perception is available it will become possible to have a more informed debate about the normative question: how safety should be regulated.
CRITICAL NOTICE
Authors: Guala Francesco
Published: December 2006

The title of this book is rather misleading. “Birth of neoliberal governmentality,” or something like that, would have been more faithful to its contents. In Foucault's vocabulary, “biopolitics” is the “rationalisation” of “governmentality” (p. 261): it's the theory, in other words, as opposed to the art (governmentality) of managing people. The mismatch between title and content is easily explained: the general theme of the courses at the Collège de France had to be announced at the beginning of each academic year. It is part of the mandate of every professor at the Collège, however, that his lectures should follow closely his current research. As a consequence it wasn't unusual for Foucault to take new directions while he was lecturing. In 1979, for the first and only time in his career, he took a diversion into contemporary political philosophy. His principal object of investigation became “neoliberal” political economy. More precisely, he got increasingly interested in those strands of contemporary liberalism that use economic science both as a principle of limitation and of inspiration for the management of people.
Dependent ML An approach to practical programming with dependent types
Authors: XI HONGWEI
Published: December 2006

We present an approach to enriching the type system of ML with a restricted form of dependent types, where type index terms are required to be drawn from a given type index language${\cal L}$that is completely separate from run-time programs, leading to the DML(${\cal L}$) language schema. This enrichment allows for specification and inference of significantly more precise type information, facilitating program error detection and compiler optimization. The primary contribution of the paper lies in our language design, which can effectively support the use of dependent types in practical programming. In particular, this design makes it both natural and straightforward to accommodate dependent types in the presence of effects such as references and exceptions.