bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La famiglia Curtabraca. Contributo alla storia della nobiltà romana del Duecento
Authors: Vendittelli Marco
Published: October 2008

Marco Vendittelli, La famiglia Curtabraca. Contributo alla storia della nobiltà romana del Duecento, p. 177-272.

Incentrato sulle vicende di una famiglia della media nobiltà romana del secolo XIII, praticamente sconosciuta alla storiografia, il saggio si propone, in un'ottica più ampia, l'indagine su quello strato della aristocrazia romana del Duecento che nella scala sociale occupava il gradino immediatamente inferiore a quello dei grandi lignaggi dei barones. Vengono presi in esame tutti gli elementi qualificanti per l'inquadramento della famiglia nel più ampio orizzonte délia società romana del tempo : dallo studio genealogico, che il più delle volte si sostanzia di quello della trasmissione dei beni patrimoniali, all'analisi di questi ultimi, corne indice della ricchezza della famiglia e della capacità di quest'ultima di imporre la propria immagine nel contesto urbano attraverso i propri edifici, all'uso sociale di questi; dall'analisi dei rapporti che intercorrevano

tra i vari esponenti della famiglia che via via si ramificava, a quella dell'ineguale distribuirsi delle fortune dei singoli membri della famiglia stessa ; dalla percezione dello stile di vita a quella dei loro diritti signorili.
La chimie et le pétrole : les débuts d'une liaison
Authors: Rabkin Yakov M.
Published: October 2008

SUMMARY. — Although today chemistry and petroleum are often perceived to form a natural and close relationship, the integration of chemical expertise into a petroleum chemistry was neither « natural » as would be the case of synthetic dyes nor close as in the classical chemical industries. This article focuses on the relations between chemistry and petroleum during the early years of the oil industry, i.e. in 1850-1880, in major chemical and/or petroleum producing nations. Analysis of developments in the industrial, the academic and the state sectors points to the existence of an « occasional interdependence » between chemistry and petroleum which, several decades later, would lead to the emergence of petroleum chemistry as a discipline and as an industry.
Guy de La Brosse : Botanique et chimie au début de la révolution scientifique.
Authors: Howard Rio
Published: October 2008

SUMMARY. — Guy de La Brosse (c. 1586-1641) was the founder of the Jardin des Plantes in Paris and one of the first French Paracelsians. This article describes the influence of La Brosse's Paracelsianism on his botanical philosophy, as it is contained in his major work, De la Nature, virtu et utilité des Plantes (1628). The importance of La Brosse's thought is emphasized not only for an understanding of the early character of the Jardin du Roi, but as well for its value as an illustration of one of the important currents of thought in the early Scientific Revolution, that of Paracelsianism .
La crise du régionalisme en Méditerranée
Authors: Moisseron Jean-Yves
Published: October 2008

Jean- Yves Moisseron — The crisis of Mediterranean regionalism.

The overview of the Barcelona accords after six years is still one of vacillation between failure and enlistment. Delays to the signature and application of the association accords seem endless. Contrary to declarations, the reality of MEDA payments is far from the fixed objectives. The cultural aspects are reduced to the bare minimum. The expected effects in regard to direct foreign investments in the Mediterranean are still lacking and the recent worsening of the international political climate are no help at all.
Stratégies de mobilité sociale des domestiques immigrées en Espagne
Authors: Oso Casas Laura
Published: October 2008

Laura OSO CASAS — Strategies of social mobility and domestic immigrants in Spain.

This article studies the relationships between migration and social mobility of immigrant domestic workers in Spain, on the basis of interviews with women from Latin America and Philippines. The comparative analysis brings to view differentiated migratory and social mobility strategies, according to individual or family cases. The strategies for entering the job market, the residential, educational and matrimonial sequences are hereby examined. The article then evaluates the effects of such strategies on real social itineraries, on the role and the socioeconomic status of immigrant women.
Travail domestique et travail des enfants, le cas d'Abidjan (Côte-d'Ivoire)
Authors: Jacquemin Mélanie
Published: October 2008

Mélanie Jacquemin — Domestic work and child labour : the case of Abidjan (Ivory Coast.)

Invisible for a long while or rendered as such, child labour is now in the spotlights due to the present focus on the extreme aspects of child-exploitation. In Ivory Coast, the phenomenon of little servants is undergoing significant changes, combining traditional educational practices through work with more recent wage concerns. Observing the diversity of situations suggests that indiscriminate abolition would be difficult ; regulating labour conditions and training of servants may be considered as options to predetermination and better perspectives.
Commerce international et développement, quelles relations ? Une réponse empirique à partir de données de panel
Authors: Cardebat Jean-Marie
Published: October 2008

Jean-Marie Cardebat — International trade and development : what relationships ? An empirical response from international data panel.

This work exploits a panel data concerning seven developing zones, between 1980 and 1996. It studies the direct links between international trade and changes of the gdp per capita. The results first show that the intensity and nature of intra-branch trade cause development in the developing countries, as viewed from Grangers' point. Trade with higher income per capita nations doesn't have a greater development impact than that with the rest of the world. The study of the specific effects on each zone however shows that the previous statement applies mainly to the Newly Industrialized Countries of Asia. Elsewhere, the direct links between opening and development are more ambiguous : trade may result in negative GDP per capita growth.
La contrainte extérieure cubaine
Authors: Herrera Rémy , Johsua Isaac
Published: October 2008

Remy Herrera and Isaac Johsua — Cuba : The external constraint.

After recalling the importance of the external constraint weighing on the Cuban economy and the ancient roots of dependence vis-à-vis the exterior, the article describes the strategy of development envisaged after the revolution and underlines the impact of the embargo imposed on the island by the United States. The essential role played by the restriction of imports during the crisis of the 90s is then referred to. The authors conclude by an analysis of the current account situation and show a positive evolution, which might forebear a veritable turnabout.
Vers une nouvelle orientation pour l'agriculture cubaine ?
Authors: Raymond Pierre
Published: October 2008

Pierre Raymond — Towards a new orientation for Cuban agriculture ?

The typical character of pre-revolutionary Cuba was the agricultural worker, and not the peasant. The latter proved unable to affirm himself as the connoisseur of the milieu that he happens to be elsewhere. After 1959, the gigantism of State farms was preferred to the detriment of locally rooted peasant agriculture. This has not helped the country to free itself from external food dependency. An overview of the crisis of the 90s thus led to the transformation of State-farms into cooperatives, but the evolution toward veritable peasant agriculture, as wished by the author, still remains limited and incomplete.
Sur la nature et les causes du terrorisme. Une revue de la littérature économique
Authors: Deffarges Thierry
Published: October 2008

Thierry Deffarges — On the nature and causes of terrorism : A review of the economic literature

This article proposes a critical appraisal of the economic literature devoted to terrorism. On the one hand, contributions, based on standard economic methods and new micro-economy methods, attempt to determine the rationality of a violence whose objectives are political, on the other hand, they seek to determine the economic causes. The author hereby attempts to show that the formal methods of economics can but only be partially useful in addressing the issue of terrorism, especially as regards the meaning attached thereto.
Les conflits armés en Afrique : mythes et limites de l'analyse économique
Authors: Hugon Philippe
Published: October 2008

Philippe HUGON — Armed conflicts in Africa : Contributions, myths and limits of economic analyses

Conflict zones have been spreading since the collapse of the Berlin wall and there is need to rethink them. Is an economist warranted to broach the subject of armed conflicts, are African conflicts in any way specific ? Economic factors play an important role but are highly controversial depending on the authors and disciplines. This article presents an economic analysis and the international quantitative tests for conflictive factors ; it proposes a political economy of African conflicts and an opening in terms of chaotic entropy and systemic uncertainties as modes of analysing the intertwining of plural factors.
Cuba. Les défis du nouveau « modèle »
Authors: Habel Janette
Published: October 2008

Janette Habel — Cuba. The challenges of the new « model »

The article presents the reforms measures adopted in Cuba to deal first with the crisis of the early 1990s and then with the economic difficulties of the recent years. The new economic strategy has modified earlier social relations and created an inegalitarian situation that is without precedent since 1959. The author tackles the debate which has divided Cubans, concerning the viability of the present opening up to the market and its compatibility with the continuity of the political system. It is in this perspective that some Cuban researchers are exploring different possible paths that the post-Castro period might follow.
Le propriétaire, l'exploitant, le salarié et l'exclu : les conséquences sociales de la gestion des pêches par des systèmes de marchés de droits
Authors: Mongruel Rémi , Palsson Gisli
Published: October 2008

Rémi Mongruel, Gisli Palsson — The proprietor, the operator, the wage earner and the marginalized : The social consequences of fishing management through the rights-market system This article examines the social consequences of fishing management through individually transferable quota systems, hereby termed itq. The rise of the itq to the status of a privileged management tool, despite persistent scientific controversies, may be explained by profound economic and institutional mutations accompanying the internationalisation of fishing. As past experiences however demonstrate, the itq practice modifies production relations to the extent of provoking the breakdown of social contracts specific to the sector. The implications of the tool for fishing- dependent societies in developing countries thus need to be envisaged with caution.
Gestion durable des forêts et incitations directes à la conservation de la biodiversité
Authors: Niesten Eduard , Rice Richard
Published: October 2008

Eduard NiESTEN, Richard RICE — Sustainable forest management and direct incentives for biodiversity conservation Current strategies for conservation are generally based on indirect incentives through which the habitat protection is an ancillary benefit from another activity. Sustainable forest management is typical of such a strategy. However it is neither financially feasible nor ecologically satisfactory. Only direct incentive strategies based on remunerating conservation efforts can be efficient. Such are the mechanisms of the market for environmental services. Several instruments exist in form of indemnities for environmental servitudes or transferable development rights, although conservation concessions based on the repurchasing of use rights appear to be better adapted to the developing countries.
L'endroit et l'envers du décor : la « touristicité » comparée d'Haïti et de la République Dominicaine
Authors: Théodat Jean-Marie
Published: October 2008

Jean-Marie Théodat — The right and the wrong side of the picture : Comparative facilities of tourism in Haiti and the Dominican Republic Haiti and the Dominican Republic happen to be the only « islands » which are not wholly surrounded by water from all sides. In fact the two countries have a distinct insularity that results from antagonistic territorial appropriations and from differing approaches to tourism policy. They participate in the same Afro- Latin and Creole ambiance that attracts three per cent of global tourism. And yet the windfalls of the tourist manna are unequally shared from one side of the border to the other. The article analyses the conditions of such inverse tourist dispositions between the two Caribbean territories.
Le rôle des institutions politiques dans les crises financières de l'Argentine et du Brésil
Authors: Faucher Philippe , Armijo Leslie Elliott
Published: October 2008

VARIA Philippe Faucher, Leslie Elliott armijo — Currency crises an decision making frameworks : The politics of bouncing back in Argentina and Brazil This paper seeks to explain why exchange rate crises of rather similar causes and magnitudes can be so much harder for one emerging market country to absorb and bounce back from than for its neighbour. Brazil was able to recover readily from its recent forced devaluation and associated domestic financial/political crisis, which looked quite bad in January 1999, but was virtually over by April of that year. Argentina's superficially similar crisis, which pushed the country off its strict Currency Board and let the peso float in December 2001, has been extraordinarily prolonged and debilitating. We conclude that most of the difference resulted from the structure of domestic political institutions and the incentives for cooperation and conflict that they created for political incumbents and other players.
Les domestiques, la ville et l'accès à l'emploi au Cap et à Johannesburg : logiques de proximité et logiques de réseau
Authors: Bénit-Gbaffou Claire , Morange Marianne
Published: October 2008

Claire Bénit and Marianne Morange — Domestic workers, the city and access to work at the Cape and in Johannesburg : Proximity and network logics.

Domestic work has undergone considerable mutations in South Africa in a decade. The collapse of the apartheid system first led to the development of part time labour, which enables employees to escape from the system of lodging by the employer. The crisis of the fordist production system reinforced this loosening of labour conditions on a spatially segmented labour market at the Cape and in Johannesburg, both due to the legacy of apartheid and to the very conditions of access to jobs, characterised more so by informal networks than by formally established structures. Efforts to streamline labour conditions have however led to regulating this long neglected sector.
A-t-on le droit de jouer sur les maux africains ?
Authors: Hugon Philippe
Published: October 2008

Philippe Hugon — Have we the right to play on words about Africa 's Plight ?

The book by Stephen Smith, one of the best journalists covering Africa, induces a debate between the historian of the moment, which happens to be the journalist focused on some terrains, and the more detached researcher of an ambiguous, complex and differentiated Africa, especially on the economic level.
« Société civile » et démocratisation : une étude comparative au Nord et au Sud
Authors:   IEDES
Published: October 2008

iedes Research Group — « Civil Society » and démocratisation : A comparative study in the North and in the South The aim of this paper is to provide a comparative analysis of the role played by « civil society » organisations in the process of démocratisation, when it is more or less simultaneous with economic liberalization. The comparative study concerns two Southern countries, Algeria and Mexico, and two European ones, Bosnia Herzegovina and Romania. It analyses two categories of organizations : trade unions and the commonly called « non governmental » organizations. The paper concludes that if the role played by these organizations differs greatly from country to country, it remains in fact very restricted. This can be explained by the fact that they couldn't yet constitute effective counterbalancing powers and by the constraints of the economic and international environment.
Agriculture et économie rurale en Inde - début de réveil
Authors: Étienne Gilbert
Published: October 2008

Gilbert Etienne — The new dynamics of agriculture and rural economy in India There is a noticeable relaxation of agricultural policies from Pakistan to China, since the green revolution (1960-80), with a resultant fall in public expenditure and the consequent slowdown of growth. India's case illustrates these trends which explain the current need to improve rural infrastructures, research, extension services, increase rural loans and eliminate environmental degradation in order to reduce poverty. The government has taken this path since May 2004 though its efforts are curtailed by stringent budgetary constraints.
Le pastoralisme au Sénégal, entre politique « moderne » et gestion des risques par les pasteurs
Authors: Ancey Véronique , Monas Georges
Published: October 2008

Véronique Ancey and Georges Monas — Pastoralism in Senegal: Between modern policy and risk management by livestock raisers.

The question of livestock raising in Senegal well illustrates how difficult it is, at times, for policies to take some realities into account. While such policies promptly mobilise recent concepts (such as food sovereignty) or propose modernist network approaches, discourses still often convey ancient clichés on the atavism and irrationality of pastoralists, along with ignorance of local, economic, agro-ecological and societal realities. It is such biased representations that this article puts to question, by examining the sectoral policy implemented in Senegal in order to secure local production systems
Incertitudes et « jeux céréaliers » en Afrique de l'Ouest : quels enseignements politiques ?
Authors: Nubukpo Kako , Janin Pierre
Published: October 2008

Kako Nubupko and Pierre Janin — Incertitudes and « grain games » in West Africa : What policy lessons ?

Studies on food insecurity in West Africa are still often based on deterministic or accounting presumptions whereby the role of actors, the logics of action and the perceptions, or even the sociohistorical contexts, appear to be minimised. In this text, we attempt, using the theoretical framework of the « grain-game », to trace the entire complexity in order to draw some lessons relevant to a policy for the reduction of food insecurity. The cooperation between actors hence appears as a mean for enabling a more efficient and equitable sociopolitical regulation of the food system.
Niger : chronique d'une évaluation censurée
Authors: Arditi Claude
Published: October 2008

Claude Arditi — Niger : Chronicle of a censored assessment. The external assessment of development now appears as being normal in the cycle of a project. In the field however, the reality is different. Relating an experience of evaluation in Niger in 2003, concerning food security, this text shows that the presence of an anthropologist may be proved embarrassing and lead to the censoring of his report. Indeed, there are speeches and- practices, in this UN agency as elsewhere, which scorn the very principle of an outside look, so as to be able to present projects which are 100 % successful.
La libéralisation des échanges a-t-elle un impact sur la croissance ? Les expériences de l'Inde et de la Corée
Authors: Sarkar Prabirjit , Saint Girons Anne
Published: October 2008

Prabirjit Sarkar — Is there any impact of trade liberalisation on growth ?

Experiences of India and Korea Trade liberalisation in developing countries over the last 20 years has often been implemented considering it as a pre-requisite to growth. This paper uses ardl approach to cointegration and examines the relationships between growth and trade liberalisation in the context of India and Korea. Using three indicators of liberalisation this paper finds no meaningful relationship between the growth rate of real gdp or per capita real gdp and trade openness.
Mécanismes d'ajustement de l'offre aux besoins des clients d'une institution de microfinance en situation quasi monopolistique
Authors: Morvant-Roux Solène
Published: October 2008

Solène Morvant-Roux - Mechanisms for adjusting supply to the needs of clients of a microfinance institution in a quasi-monopolistic situation.

This article attempts to analyze, using empirical data gathered in a rural Mexican context, the borrowing strategies of clients of a microfinance institution (MFI) in various instances of loan renewal based on progressive lending. We show that clients'borrowing strategies differ from mfi progressive lending rules based on length of membership. Faced with an undifferentiated offer from an institution in a quasi-monopolistic situation, borrowers adopt individual and collective strategies to make the offer fit their differentiated needs.
La crise dans les campagnes indiennes
Authors: Patnaïk Prabhat
Published: October 2008

Prabhat Patnaik - The Crisis in India's countryside.

The paper points at the sharp drop in levels of living for the rural poor and the stagnation in agriculture which provides the wherewithal for their survival. Stagnation in agriculture and the rising poverty level in India today are matched by a booming service sector and moderate to low growth in industry in the global economy which should not trivialize the costs paid by the poor in the countryside in the process.
Lutter contre l'oisiveté des pauvres et aiguiser leur convoitise : les préconisations développementalistes des économistes mercantilistes et classiques
Authors: Clément Alain
Published: October 2008

Alain Clément - Combatting the idleness of the poor and sharpening their greed : The developmentalist advocacy of mercantilist and classical economists.

The mercantilist and classical authors who were the first to look at the causes of economic development privileged, for the most part, social, institutional, political, environmental and moral factors rather than purely economic ones. Thus when taking labour into account, they tended to analyze the attitude towards labour and the conditions that favour it rather than employment numbers alone : a harsh physical environment or demographic pressure can play an important role in national development. They anticipated the contemporary debates on the full range of issues dealt with by the pioneers of development economy.
Type d'entreprise et parcours professionnels dans le télémarketing au Brésil
Authors: Georges Isabel
Published: October 2008

Isabel Georges - Company type and career paths in telemarketing in Brazil.

Using an examination of a particular field of work which reveals the current trends in the Brazilian employment market, this article focuses on elements that give structure to professional careers of operational staff in telemarketing, which appear to be in disarray. The employment terms and conditions are observed to be diversified and fragmented. This finding, in a more general background of globalization of production and trade, raises questions concerning the real weight of individual practices in professional careers and, more broadly, the loss of meaning of the concepts of work and employment.
Anal Cancer and Human Papillomaviruses in Heterosexual Men
Authors: Nyitray A.
Published: October 2008

Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes a variety of anogenital cancers and is considered the primary cause of anal canal cancer. [...]
Los Cayos S y D: dos afloramientos con icnitas de saurópodos, terópodos y ornitópodos en el Cretácico inferior del área de Los Cayos (Cornago, La Rioja, España)
Authors: Moratalla J. J. , Hernán J.
Published: October 2008

Mientras que la mayor parte de los afloramientos del área de Los Cayos (Cornago, La Rioja) han proporcionado casi exclusivamente icnitas de terópodos no avianos, Los Cayos S y D han aportado, por el contrario, pisadas fósiles de saurópodos y de ornitópodos respectivamente.

Los Cayos S contiene 10 niveles paleoicnológicos, aunque el más significativo de ellos muestra la presencia de un rastro corto de saurópodo que, sobre la base de la morfología de una icnita de la mano, se identifica con el icnogénero Titanosaurimanus. Esta pista ha sido producida por un saurópodo titanosaurio o al menos por un titanosauriforme. Los Cayos D ha proporcionado abundantes icnitas, la mayoría aisladas, de dinosaurios ornitópodos de gran talla cuyas huellas identificamos con el icnogénero Iguanodontipus.

La existencia de ambos tipos de icnitas añade un interés adicional al área de Los Cayos, ya que indica la presencia de grandes dinosaurios fitófagos en los ecosistemas cretácicos que dieron lugar al Grupo Enciso.
Genome‐wide association scan of the time to onset of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Authors: Lasky‐Su Jessica , Anney Richard J.L. , Neale Benjamin M. , Franke Barbara , Zhou Kaixin , Maller Julian B. , Vasquez Alejandro Arias , Chen Wai , Asherson Philip , Buitelaar Jan , Banaschewski Tobias , Ebstein Richard , Gill Michael , Miranda Ana , Mulas Fernando , Oades Robert D. , Roeyers Herbert , Rothenberger Aribert , Sergeant Joseph , Sonuga‐Barke Edmund , Steinhausen Hans Christoph , Taylor Eric , Daly Mark , Laird Nan , Lange Christoph , Faraone Stephen V.
Published: October 2008

A time‐to‐onset analysis for family‐based samples was performed on the genomewide association (GWAS) data for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to determine if associations exist with the age at onset of ADHD. The initial dataset consisted of 958 parent‐offspring trios that were genotyped on the Perlegen 600,000 SNP array. After data cleaning procedures, 429,981 autosomal SNPs and 930 parent‐offspring trios were used found suitable for use and a family‐based logrank analysis was performed using that age at first ADHD symptoms as the quantitative trait of interest. No SNP achieved genome‐wide significance, and the lowest P‐values had a magnitude of 10−7. Several SNPs among a pre‐specified list of candidate genes had nominal associations including SLC9A9, DRD1, ADRB2, SLC6A3, NFIL3, ADRB1, SYT1, HTR2A, ARRB2, and CHRNA4. Of these findings SLC9A9 stood out as a promising candidate, with nominally significant SNPs in six distinct regions of the gene. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Replication of a rare protective allele in the noradrenaline transporter gene and ADHD
Authors: Xu X. , Hawi Z. , Brookes K.J. , Anney R. , Bellgrove M. , Franke B. , Barry E. , Chen W. , Kuntsi J. , Banaschewski T. , Buitelaar J. , Ebstein R. , Fitzgerald M. , Miranda A. , Oades R.D. , Roeyers H. , Rothenberger A. , Sergeant J. , Sonuga‐Barke E. , Steinhausen H.‐C. , Faraone S.V. , Gill M. , Asherson P.
Published: October 2008

Replication is a key to resolving whether a reported genetic association represents a false positive finding or an actual genetic risk factor. In a previous study screening 51 candidate genes for association with ADHD in a multi‐centre European sample (the IMAGE project), two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the norepinephrine transporter (SLC6A2) gene were found to be associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The same SNP alleles were also reported to be associated with ADHD in a separate study from the Massachusetts General Hospital in the US. Using two independent samples of ADHD DSM‐IV combined subtype trios we attempted to replicate the reported associations with SNPs rs11568324 and rs3785143 in SLC6A2. Significant association of the two markers was not observed in the two independent replication samples. However, across all four datasets the overall evidence of association with ADHD was significant (for SNP rs11568324 P = 0.0001; average odds ratio = 0.33; for SNP rs3785143 P = 0.008; average odds ratio = 1.3). The data were consistent for rs11568324, suggesting the existence of a rare allele conferring protection for ADHD within the SLC6A2 gene. Further investigations should focus on identifying the mechanisms underlying the protective effect. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Association of the steroid sulfatase (STS) gene with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Authors: Brookes K.J. , Hawi Z. , Kirley A. , Barry E. , Gill M. , Kent L.
Published: October 2008

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common behavioral disorder affecting children worldwide. The male bias in the prevalence of the disorder, suggests that some susceptibility genes may lie on the X chromosome. In this study we present evidence for a role of the X‐linked steroid sulfatase (STS) gene and neurosteroids in the development of ADHD. Previously it has been observed that probands with ADHD have lower serum concentrations of the neurosteroids DHEA, which is synthesized from DHEA‐S by STS. In further support, boys that suffer from XLI, a skin disorder caused by the deletion of the STS gene, have higher rates of ADHD, in particular the inattentive subtype. In a moderately sized sample of ADHD families (N = 384), we genotyped seven single nucleotide polymorphisms, tagging the entire gene. TDT analysis of the data yielded two polymorphisms that were significantly associated with ADHD (rs2770112—Transmitted: 71 Not Transmitted; 48; rs12861247—Transmitted: 43 Not Transmitted: 21), located towards the 5′ end of the gene (P < 0.05). We conclude that the STS gene may play a role in susceptibility for ADHD, and that the neurosteroids pathways should be investigated further to access their potential contribution in susceptibility to the disorder. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Bio‐ und BTL‐Kraftstoffe in der Bioraffinerie: katalytische Umwandlung Lignocellulose‐reicher Biomasse mit porösen Stoffen
Authors: Stöcker Michael
Published: October 2008

In einer Zeit, die sich so intensiv mit Erderwärmung, CO2‐Emissionen, der Sicherung der Energieversorgung und dem sparsamen Umgang mit fossilen Brennstoffen auseinandersetzen muss, ist der Einsatz erneuerbarer Energiequellen unverzichtbar. Dieser Aufsatz geht auf unterschiedliche Arten von Biomasse ein, die jeweils andere Kraftstoffe, Chemikalien und Energieträger liefern. Im Mittelpunkt steht die katalytische Umsetzung von Biomasse aus Holz. Wir schildern die Schwierigkeiten bei der Verarbeitung solcher Lignocellulose‐reicher Ausgangsstoffe und den Einsatz poröser Katalysatoren für die Gewinnung von BTL(Biomass‐To‐Liquid)‐Kraftstoffen in Bioraffinerien. Wir berichten ferner über die Aufklärung der komplexen Reaktionen, die Entwicklung von Katalysatoren und Prozessen und das angestrebte Produktspektrum und beschreiben ein nachhaltiges Konzept für Bioraffinerien auf Lignocellulose‐Basis. Schließlich schildern wir die technologischen Herausforderungen beim Übergang zu Pilotanlagen und zur Großproduktion.
Supramolecular Coordination Chemistry: The Synergistic Effect of Serendipity and Rational Design
Authors: Saalfrank Rolf W. , Maid Harald , Scheurer Andreas
Published: October 2008

Supramolecular coordination compounds bear exceptional advantages over their organic counterparts. They are available in one‐pot reactions and in high yields and display physical properties that are generally inaccessible with organic species. Moreover, their weak, reversible, noncovalent bonding interactions facilitate error checking and self‐correction. This Review emphasizes the achievements in supramolecular coordination chemistry initiated by serendipity and their materialization based on rational design. The recognition of similarities in the synthesis of different supramolecular assemblies allows prediction of potential results in related cases. Supramolecular synthesis obeys guidelines comparable to the “lead sheet” used by small jazz ensembles for improvisation and therefore more often leads to unpredicted results. The combination of detailed symmetry considerations with the basic rules of coordination chemistry has only recently allowed for the design of rational strategies for the construction of a variety of nanosized systems with specified size and shape.
Characterization of compositional heterogeneity in the polyethylene prepared with bis(imino)pyridyl iron(II) precatalyst and triethylaluminum
Authors: Wang Shibo , Liu Dongbing , Mao Bingquan
Published: October 2008

Analytical tools including solvent gradient elution fractionation (SGEF), GPC, 13C NMR, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) are integrated for the characterization of compositional heterogeneity in the polyethylene (PE) prepared with the LFeCl2/AlEt3 catalytic system. The results indicate that at least two different kinds of catalytic species are present in ethylene polymerization. One active species generating branched PE gives low molecular weight; another kind of active species gives high molecular weight PE with high linear structure. The amount of branch decreases with increasing the molecular weights, and the small proportion of the branched PE shows low molecular weight with vinyl‐terminated end group, indicating that the branched PE is generated from the catalytic species giving low activity. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009
Wnt signaling in caudal dysgenesis and diabetic embryopathy
Authors: Pavlinkova Gabriela , Salbaum J. Michael , Kappen Claudia
Published: October 2008

BACKGROUND:

Congenital defects are a major complication of diabetic pregnancy, and the leading cause of infant death in the first year of life. Caudal dysgenesis, occurring up to 200‐fold more frequently in children born to diabetic mothers, is a hallmark of diabetic pregnancy. Given that there is also an at least threefold higher risk for heart defects and NTDs, it is important to identify the underlying molecular mechanisms for aberrant embryonic development.

METHODS:

We have investigated gene expression in a transgenic mouse model of caudal dysgenesis, and in a pharmacological model using situ hybridization and quantitative real‐time PCR.

RESULTS:

We identified altered expression of several molecules that control developmental processes and embryonic growth.

CONCLUSIONS:

The results from our models point towards major implication of altered Wnt signaling in the pathogenesis of developmental anomalies associated with embryonic exposure to maternal diabetes. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 82:710–719, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Inhibition of methylation and changes in gene expression in relation to neural tube defects
Authors: van der Linden Ivon J. M. , Heil Sandra G. , van Egmont Petersen Michael , van Straaten Henny W. , Heijer Martin den , Blom Henk J.
Published: October 2008

BACKGROUND:

An impaired DNA methylation has been suggested to underlie the complex etiology of neural tube defects (NTDs). Previously, we have demonstrated that inhibition of methylation by periodate oxidized adenosine (Adox) results in a widening of the anterior neuropore (ANP) in our in vitro chick embryo model. Since DNA methylation is the chief regulator of gene expression, we hypothesize that inhibition of methylation by Adox in our in vitro chick embryo model will affect the expression of genes that may be involved in neurulation. In the present study, we therefore examined differential gene expression between Adox‐treated and control chick embryos, using the Affymetrix Genechip Chicken Genome Array.

METHODS:

Chick embryos of 4/5 somites were cultured in vitro with saline (control) or Adox and cranial parts were excised. Gene expression profiling was determined using the Affymetrix Genechip Chicken Genome Array on RNA isolated from two pools of Adox‐treated cranial parts (n = 12) and two pools of saline‐treated cranial parts (n = 12). Microarray data were validated by QPCR analysis.

RESULTS:

In the Adox‐treated chick embryos, 45 probesets were up‐regulated (fold ≥ 2.0, p < 0.05) and 32 probesets were down‐regulated (fold ≤ 0.5, p < 0.05). Of the 15 genes selected for QPCR analysis, the up‐regulation of phosphoserine phosphatase (PSPH), unc‐51‐like kinase 1 (ULK1), and chemokine (C‐X‐C motif) ligand 12/stromal cell‐derived factor 1 (CXCL12/SDF‐1) was confirmed.

CONCLUSIONS:

Inhibition of methylation by Adox affects gene expression in our in vitro chick embryo model. Further research will focus on the gene‐specific methylation patterns of PSPH, ULK1, and CXCL12/SDF‐1 and the role of the products of these genes in neurulation. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 82:676–683, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A butterfly eye's view of birds
Authors: Frentiu Francesca D. , Briscoe Adriana D.
Published: October 2008

The striking color patterns of butterflies and birds have long interested biologists. But how these animals see color is less well understood. Opsins are the protein components of the visual pigments of the eye. Color vision has evolved in butterflies through opsin gene duplications, through positive selection at individual opsin loci, and by the use of filtering pigments. By contrast, birds have retained the same opsin complement present in early‐jawed vertebrates, and their visual system has diversified primarily through tuning of the short‐wavelength‐sensitive photoreceptors, rather than by opsin duplication or the use of filtering elements. Butterflies and birds have evolved photoreceptors that might use some of the same amino acid sites for generating similar spectral phenotypes across ∼540 million years of evolution, when rhabdomeric and ciliary‐type opsins radiated during the early Cambrian period. Considering the similarities between the two taxa, it is surprising that the eyes of birds are not more diverse. Additional taxonomic sampling of birds may help clarify this mystery. BioEssays 30:1151–1162, 2008. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Constraints on the evolution of asexual reproduction
Authors: Engelstädter Jan
Published: October 2008

Sexual reproduction is almost ubiquitous among multicellular organisms even though it entails severe fitness costs. To resolve this apparent paradox, an extensive body of research has been devoted to identifying the selective advantages of recombination that counteract these costs. Yet, how easy is it to make the transition to asexual reproduction once sexual reproduction has been established for a long time? The present review approaches this question by considering factors that impede the evolution of parthenogenesis in animals. Most importantly, eggs need a diploid chromosome set in most species in order to develop normally. Next, eggs may need to be activated by sperm, and sperm may also contribute centrioles and other paternal factors to the zygote. Depending on how diploidy is achieved mechanistically, further problems may arise in offspring that stem from ‘inbreeding depression’ or inappropriate sex determination systems. Finally, genomic imprinting is another well‐known barrier to the evolution of asexuality in mammals. Studies on species with occasional, deficient parthenogenesis indicate that the relative importance of these constraints may vary widely. The intimate evolutionary relations between haplodiploidy and parthenogenesis as well as implications for the clade selection hypothesis of the maintenance of sexual reproduction are also discussed. BioEssays 30:1138–1150, 2008. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Network modeling of signal transduction: establishing the global view
Authors: Kestler Hans A. , Wawra Christian , Kracher Barbara , Kühl Michael
Published: October 2008

Embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis are controlled through activation of intracellular signal transduction pathways by extracellular growth factors. In the past, signal transduction has largely been regarded as a linear process. However, more recent data from large‐scale and high‐throughput experiments indicate that there is extensive cross‐talk between individual signaling cascades leading to the notion of a signaling network. The behavior of such complex networks cannot be predicted by simple intuitive approaches but requires sophisticated models and computational simulations. The purpose of such models is to generate experimentally testable hypotheses and to find explanations for unexpected experimental results. Here, we discuss the need for, and the future impact of, mathematical models for exploring signal transduction in different biological contexts such as for example development. BioEssays 30:1110–1125, 2008. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Edited GluR2, a gatekeeper for motor neurone survival?
Authors: Buckingham S.D. , Kwak S. , Jones A.K. , Blackshaw S.E. , Sattelle D.B.
Published: October 2008

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive degenerative disorder of motor neurones. Although the genetic basis of familial forms of ALS has been well explored, the molecular basis of sporadic ALS is less well understood. Recent evidence has linked sporadic ALS with the failure to edit key residues in ionotropic glutamate receptors, resulting in excessive influx of calcium ions into motor neurones which in turn triggers cell death. Here we suggest that edited AMPA glutamate (GluR2) receptor subunits serve as gatekeepers for motor neurone survival. BioEssays 30:1185–1192, 2008. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The brave new era of human genetic testing
Authors: Bandelt Hans‐Jürgen , Yao Yong‐Gang , Richards Martin B. , Salas Antonio
Published: October 2008

The commercialization of ‘big science’ is in full swing, leading to situations in which the ethical principles of academia are beginning to be compromised. This is exemplified by the profitable business of genetic ancestry testing. The goals of this sort of ‘big science’ are not necessarily in any way novel, however. In particular, large genotyping projects have a certain start‐up time when their design is frozen in, so that the projects often lag behind the development of genetic knowledge. On the other hand, extremely provisional knowledge about potential disease markers is being rapidly turned into questionable ‘tests’, purporting to determine risk factors for complex disorders, by private companies that are eager to get their share of a profitable market of the future. The flow of money generated by such concerns looks likely to erode traditional research operations and small‐scale projects, which risk becoming pebbles on the ‘big science’ landscape. BioEssays 30:1246–1251, 2008. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Avoiding bad genes: oxidatively damaged DNA in germ line and mate choice
Authors: Velando Alberto , Torres Roxana , Alonso‐Alvarez Carlos
Published: October 2008

August Weismann proposed that genetic changes in somatic cells cannot pass to germ cells and hence to next generations. Nevertheless, evidence is accumulating that some environmental effects can promote heritable changes in the DNA of germ cells, which implies that some somatic influence on germ line is possible. This influence is mostly detrimental and related to the presence of oxidative stress, which induces mutations and epigenetic changes. This effect should be stronger in males due to the particular characteristics of sperm. Here, we propose the hypothesis that females are able to avoid males with oxidatively damaged DNA in the germ line by using oxidative‐dependent (pre‐ and post‐mating) signals. This new hypothesis may shed light on unsolved questions in evolutionary biology, such as the benefits of polyandry, the lek paradox, or the role of sexual selection on the evolution of aging. BioEssays 30:1212–1219, 2008. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The biphasic behavior of incoherent feed‐forward loops in biomolecular regulatory networks
Authors: Kim Dongsan , Kwon Yung‐Keun , Cho Kwang‐Hyun
Published: October 2008

An incoherent feed‐forward loop (FFL) is one of the most‐frequently observed motifs in biomolecular regulatory networks. It has been thought that the incoherent FFL is designed simply to induce a transient response shaped by a ‘fast activation and delayed inhibition’. We find that the dynamics of various incoherent FFLs can be further classified into two types: time‐dependent biphasic responses and dose‐dependent biphasic responses. Why do the structurally identical incoherent FFLs play such different dynamical roles? Through computational studies, we show that the dynamics of the two types of incoherent FFLs are mutually exclusive. Following from further computational results and experimental observations, we hypothesize that incoherent FFLs have been optimally designed to achieve distinct biological function arising from different cellular contexts. Additional Supporting Information may be found in the online version of the article. BioEssays 30:1204–1211, 2008. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ensuring the fidelity of recombination in mammalian chromosomes
Authors: Waldman Alan S.
Published: October 2008

Mammalian cells frequently depend on homologous recombination (HR) to repair DNA damage accurately and to help rescue stalled or collapsed replication forks. The essence of HR is an exchange of nucleotides between identical or nearly identical sequences. Although HR fulfills important biological roles, recombination between inappropriate sequence partners can lead to translocations or other deleterious rearrangements and such events must be avoided. For example, the recombination machinery must follow stringent rules to preclude recombination between the many repetitive elements in a mammalian genome that share significant but imperfect homology. This paper takes a conceptual approach in addressing the homology requirements for recombination in mammalian genomes as well as the general strategy used by cells to reject recombination between similar but imperfectly matched sequences. A mechanism of heteroduplex rejection that involves the unwinding of recombination intermediates that may form between mismatched sequences is discussed. BioEssays 30:1163–1171, 2008. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The discovery of polyribosomes
Authors: Noll Hans
Published: October 2008

By the early 1960s, evidence had accumulated that proteins were synthesized from special RNA copies of genes, named “messenger RNAs” (mRNAs), not directly from the stable RNAs found in the ribosomes of the cytoplasm. Yet, precisely how the protein chains were assembled along the RNA and, in particular, the relationship between the mRNAs and the ribosomes during protein synthesis, was obscure. In this account, I discuss how my laboratory found that multiple ribosomes traverse each mRNA, yielding the structures known as polysomes. This work led on to the first physical determination of the coding ratio, new insights into how protein chains are initiated, and an early suggestion that chloroplasts and mitochondria in eukaryotic cells might ultimately have been derived from symbiotic bacteria. BioEssays 30:1220–1234, 2008. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
One thousand and one ways of making functionally similar transcriptional enhancers
Authors: Veitia Reiner A.
Published: October 2008

Expression of most genes is regulated by the interaction of multiple transcription factors with cis‐regulatory sequences. Many studies have focused on how changes in promoters and enhancers alter gene expression and phenotype. Recently, Hare et al., using elegant wet and computational approaches uncovered a series of enhancers driving the expression of the even‐skipped gene in scavenger flies (Sepsidae).1 Despite the strong sequence divergence between the enhancers in sepsids and drosophilids, they lead to remarkably similar patterns of gene expression in transgenic Drosophila embryos. This can be explained by the existence of intra‐enhancer compensatory mutations and the presence of overlapping/near binding sites for activators and repressors. BioEssays 30:1052–1057, 2008. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.