bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trafficking in Persianness: Richard Burton between Mimicry and Similitude in the Indian Ocean and Persianate Worlds
Authors: McDow Thomas F.
Published: March 2011

This chapter reassesses Richard Burton's 1853 journey to Mecca and asks questions about the flexibility of identities in the Indian Ocean and Persianate worlds of the mid-nineteenth century. Often hailed or criticized by previous generations of scholars for his imperial vision and ability to pass as a “native,” Burton in fact struggled to establish a credible identity. Throughout his trip he was forced to change his assumed personae several times, always presenting himself as someone from Persia or its peripheries. Rather than foretell colonial dominance, Burton's journey underscores the tentative nature of European power. This article challenges critics' notions of mimesis and demonstrates the limits of imperial knowledge by reasserting the agency of those Burton encountered.
Persian Print and the Stanhope Revolution: Industrialization, Evangelicalism, and the Birth of Printing in Early Qajar Iran
Authors: Green Nile
Published: March 2011

Through a detailed examination of the emergence of printing in Iran, this essay argues that the diffusion of printing through Islamic Asia in the early 1820s took place as part of a printing global revolution initiated by the mass production of iron handpresses of the kind invented by Charles, Earl Stanhope in 1800. Unlike the cumbrous wooden presses of early modern Europe and its settler populations overseas, the durable, mass-produced, transportable, and easy-to-operate presses of the early 1800s were able to reach regions where printing was unknown and penetrate deeper into reading markets only scratched by the limited print runs of the older wooden presses. Whereas the Gutenberg revolution was effectively confined to Europe and its settler communities in the Americas and Asia, this “Stanhope revolution” was truly global in scale, enabling printing to develop in Iran no less than in Australia, India, Malaya, and large parts of the Americas at the same time. By documenting the contemporaneous appearance in Iran and a series of other regions of iron handpresses and the products on which they depended, the essay argues for the repositioning of Iranian printing as part of a larger global process. Rather than view Iran and other Middle Eastern nations as problematically “late developers” of printing, the essay argues for a reframing of the process in terms of two distinct printing revolutions: Gutenberg's and Stanhope's.
The City of Balkh and the Central Eurasian Caravan Trade in the Early Nineteenth Century
Authors: Khazeni Arash
Published: March 2011

This essay examines the environmental history of the Afghan frontier city of Balkh and its decline in the Central Eurasian caravan trade in the early nineteenth century. Situated on the frontier between the steppe and the sown, with the Hindu Kush to the south and the Oxus River to the north, the city of Balkh was an oasis at the intersection of caravan routes leading to India in the south, to Iran in the west, and to China in the east. Though romanticized by travelers as a fallen and forgotten city built by Alexander and destroyed by the Mongols, into the nineteenth century Balkh continued to serve as a market for the Central Eurasian horse trade. But as the city's irrigation canals deteriorated and its environs became a swamp, it was visited by repeated outbreaks of cholera and malaria, until the city was abandoned for the nearby shrine town of Mazar-e Sharif in the mid-nineteenth century. The decline of Balkh was chronicled in the writings of nineteenth-century explorers, travelers, and their surveying missions. Based on a reading of Persian and European travel narratives, this essay chronicles the decline of Balkh and its transformation from a center to a periphery of the Central Eurasian world.
The “Trafficking” of Persians: Labor, Migration, and Traffic in Dubayy
Authors: Mahdavi Pardis
Published: March 2011

Around the world today, we are experiencing what scholars call a “feminization of migration,” which coincides with a global panic about human trafficking and distorts the messy realities of forced labor, migration, and sex work. In the Middle East, Dubayy has become the center for the migration of many Iranian women moving into the informal economy of sex work. In this essay, I argue that the disjuncture between paradigms of Iranian women's sexualities and actual experiences of and reasons for migration to Dubayy results in complicated challenges to migrant Iranian women's agency as well as to their ideas about agency. The discourse on the innocent, trafficked woman and that on the guilty, predatory woman do not reflect women's actual experiences in Dubayy and serve only to perpetuate already gendered and raced discourses on the movement of women's bodies that is prevalent in international discourses on sex work and trafficking. Many people use the language of trafficking, problematic in its implications that women (especially from the developing world) could only be “duped” into sex work in another country, and this language serves to silence the already silenced migrant sex workers. Qualitative, ethnographic fieldwork with sex workers, migrant women, and those who provide services to them assessed the experiences of migrant women and sex workers, labeled as “trafficked” by the international community. The essay seeks to describe the experiences of these migrant women in the Middle East and how their narratives have been constructed and often misinterpreted.
The Indo-Mediterranean Caduceus and the Worship of the Tree, the Serpent, and the Mother Goddess in the South of India
Authors: Granziera Patrizia
Published: March 2011

While the cult of trees is widespread in India, it is only in the south of India and especially in Tamil Nadu that the visitor frequently sees the pipal tree, symbolically considered male, planted together with a neem tree so that the two will grow together, their trunks and branches intertwined as one. At the bottom of these trees are usually placed several reliefs of intertwined serpents, an image very similar to that of Hermes/Mercury's caduceus. It is also a common practice in Tamil Nadu to place at the bottom of an abandoned termite hill milk, eggs, and bananas to honor the serpent dwelling inside. These puttu or termite hills are sometimes transformed into little stone temples, and a sculpture of a goddess called “Puttu Amman” is placed on top of it. This article will attempt to explain the meaning of this popular cult and its possible connections with ancient mediterranean civilizations.
The Fight for Property Rights: How Changes in Movement Actors and History Brought about the Changes in Frames in a Single Movement
Authors: Chaudhuri Soma
Published: March 2011

This article seeks to demonstrate how, in the movement for property rights for women in India, changes in the composition of the movement—audience, supporters, and counter actors—at various time periods in a movement's history influence the change in selection of frames. The arguments for gender equality would have been made too early for a society that had practically no rights for women (early phases), when men played the dominant role. Thus the frame of “emancipation through reform” provided the perfect phrase to attract other men in the struggle. The frame of “gender equality” represents a maturing of women's rights in India. With the inclusion of men in the final phases, again the struggle changed the frame, to “rights for women and gender equality for India's development.”
Millenarian Movements as Cultural Resistance: The Karen and Martinican Cases
Authors: Miles William F. S.
Published: March 2011

Modernity dismisses millenarianism as atavistic. Yet millenarianism is remarkable for its propensity for survival and resurgence in culturally dissimilar parts of the world, at different stages of socioeconomic development. This comparative study focuses on the Karen along the Thailand-Burma border (particularly the Khuba, Telakhon, and Luebaw) and the French West Indians of Martinique (with respect to Rastafarianism, Quimboiserie/Vodon, Seventh Day Adventism, and Evangelicalism). In both cases, some citizens have succumbed to the assimilating pressures of modernization and state development projects while others have stuck to older religious cults to preserve group distinctiveness. Both in Southeast Asia and the Lesser Antilles, Hegelian notions of forward-moving change and progress are encapsulated within cyclical understandings of amelioration and decay. Cross-cutting social and political issues requiring resolution in both cases include the tensions resulting in, and arising from, syncretism and assimilation, contested narratives regarding sacred places and ancestral origins, and the implications for citizenship among peoples who define themselves in epochal and transnational terms. Despite important differences arising from preindustrial vis-à-vis modernistic status of the two cases, the Karen-Martinican comparison highlights how group identification through religion transcends developmental change. The comparison also highlights the transcultural and transhistorical nature of millenarianism. Modernity provides one (nonexclusive) framework for understanding millenarianism in our times.
Intermediate Goods and Weak Links in the Theory of Economic Development
Authors: Jones Charles I
Published: March 2011

What explains the enormous differences in incomes across countries? This paper returns to two old ideas: linkages and complementarity. First, linkages between firms through intermediate goods deliver a multiplier similar to the one associated with capital in a neoclassical growth model. Because the intermediate goods share of output is about one-half, this multiplier is substantial. Second, just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, problems along a production chain can sharply reduce output under complementarity. These forces considerably amplify distortions to the allocation of resources, bringing us closer to understanding large income differences across countries.(JEL: D57, E23, O1O, O47)
Welfare-Based Optimal Monetary Policy with Unemployment and Sticky Prices: A Linear-Quadratic Framework
Authors: Ravenna Federico , Walsh Carl E
Published: March 2011

We derive a linear-quadratic model that is consistent with sticky prices and search and matching frictions in the labor market. We show that the second-order approximation to the welfare of the representative agent depends on inflation and “gaps” that involve current and lagged unemployment. Our approximation makes explicit how welfare costs are generated by the presence of search frictions. These costs are distinct from the costs associated with relative price dispersion and fluctuations in consumption that appear in standard new Keynesian models. We show the labor market structure has important implications for optimal monetary policy. (JEL E24, E31, E52)
Product Market Regulation and Market Work: A Benchmark Analysis
Authors: Fang Lei , Rogerson Richard
Published: March 2011

Recent empirical work finds a negative correlation between product market regulation and aggregate employment. We examine the effect of product market regulations on hours worked in a benchmark model of time allocation. Product market regulations affect market work in effectively the same fashion as labor or consumption taxes. For product market regulations to affect aggregate market work, the key driving force is the size of income transfers associated with the regulations, and the key propagation mechanism is the labor supply elasticity. We show that industry level analysis is of little help in assessing the aggregate effects of product market regulation. (JEL E24, J22, L51)
Family Firms and Labor Relations
Authors: Mueller Holger M , Philippon Thomas
Published: March 2011

This paper examines the relationship between family ownership and the quality of labor relations. We find that family ownership is more prevalent in countries in which labor relations are hostile, consistent with the notion that family firms are particularly effective at coping with difficult labor relations. Our results are robust to controlling for minority shareholder protection and other potential determinants of family ownership. To address endogeneity issues, we show that, controlling for industry- and country-fixed effects, industries that are more labor dependent have relatively more family ownership in countries with worse labor relations. (JEL G32, G34, J52, J53)
Evaluating the Classification of Economic Activity into Recessions and Expansions
Authors: Berge Travis J , Jordá Óscar
Published: March 2011

The Business Cycle Dating Committee of the National Bureau of Economic Research provides a historical chronology of business cycle turning points. We investigate three central aspects of this chronology. How skillful is the Dating Committee when classifying economic activity into expansions and recessions? Which indices of economic conditions best capture the current but unobservable state of the business cycle? And which indicators best predict future turning points, and at what horizons? We answer each of these questions in detail using methods specifically designed to assess classification ability. In the process, we clarify several important features of the business cycle. (JEL C82, E32)
Growth Accounting with Misallocation: Or, Doing Less with More in Singapore
Authors: Fernald John , Neiman Brent
Published: March 2011

We show that in a two-sector economy with heterogeneous capital subsidies and monopoly power, primal and dual measures of TFP growth can diverge from each other as well as from true technology. These distortions give rise to dynamic reallocation effects that imply technology growth needs to be measured from the bottom up rather than from the top down. Using Singapore as an example, we show how incomplete data can be used to estimate aggregate and sectoral technology growth as well as reallocation effects. Our framework can reconcile divergent TFP estimates in Singapore and can resolve other empirical puzzles regarding Asian development. (JEL E22, E23, E25, O33, O41, O47)
How Sovereign Is Sovereign Credit Risk?
Authors: Longstaff Francis A , Pan Jun , Pedersen Lasse H , Singleton Kenneth J
Published: March 2011

We study the nature of sovereign credit risk using an extensive set of sovereign CDS data. We find that the majority of sovereign credit risk can be linked to global factors. A single principal component accounts for 64 percent of the variation in sovereign credit spreads. Furthermore, sovereign credit spreads are more related to the US stock and high-yield markets than they are to local economic measures. We decompose credit spreads into their risk premium and default risk components. On average, the risk premium represents about a third of the credit spread. (JEL F34, G15, O16, O19, P34)
The poly(rC)-binding protein αCP2 is a noncanonical factor in X. laevis cytoplasmic polyadenylation
Authors: Vishnu Melanie R. , Sumaroka Marina , Klein Peter S. , Liebhaber Stephen A.
Published: March 2011

Post-transcriptional control of mRNA stability and translation is central to multiple developmental pathways. This control can be linked to cytoplasmic polyadenylation in certain settings. In maturing Xenopus oocytes, specific mRNAs are targeted for polyadenylation via recruitment of the Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Element (CPE) binding protein (CPEB) to CPE(s) within the 3′ UTR. Cytoplasmic polyadenylation is also critical to early embryonic events, although corresponding determinants are less defined. Here, we demonstrate that the Xenopus ortholog of the poly(rC) binding protein αCP2 can recruit cytoplasmic poly(A) polymerase activity to mRNAs in Xenopus post-fertilization embryos, and that this recruitment relies on cis sequences recognized by αCP2. We find that the hα-globin 3′ UTR, a validated mammalian αCP2 target, constitutes an effective target for cytoplasmic polyadenylation in Xenopus embryos, but not during Xenopus oocyte maturation. We further demonstrate that the cytoplasmic polyadenylation activity is dependent on the action of the C-rich αCP-binding site in conjunction with the adjacent AAUAAA. Consistent with its ability to target mRNA for poly(A) addition, we find that XαCP2 associates with core components of the Xenopus cytoplasmic polyadenylation complex, including the cytoplasmic poly(A) polymerase XGLD2. Furthermore, we observe that the C-rich αCP-binding site can robustly enhance the activity of a weak canonical oocyte maturation CPE in early embryos, possibly via a direct interaction between XαCP2 and CPEB1. These studies establish XαCP2 as a novel cytoplasmic polyadenylation trans factor, indicate that C-rich sequences can function as noncanonical cytoplasmic polyadenylation elements, and expand our understanding of the complexities underlying cytoplasmic polyadenylation in specific developmental settings.
Chemical speciation of environmentally significant metals with inorganic ligands. Part 4: The Cd2+ + OH–, Cl–, CO32–, SO42–, and PO43– systems (IUPAC Technical Report)
Authors: Powell Kipton J. , Brown Paul L. , Byrne Robert H. , Gajda Tamás , Hefter Glenn , Leuz Ann-Kathrin , Sjöberg Staffan , Wanner Hans
Published: March 2011

The numerical modeling of CdIIspeciation amongst the environmental inorganic ligands Cl–, OH–, CO32–, SO42–, and PO43–requires reliable values for the relevant stability (formation) constants. This paper compiles and provides a critical review of these constants and related thermodynamic data. It recommends values of log10βp,q,r° valid atIm= 0 mol kg–1and 25 °C (298.15 K), along with the equations and empirical reaction ion interaction coefficients, ∆ε, required to calculate log10βp,q,rvalues at higher ionic strengths using the Brønsted–Guggenheim–Scatchard specific ion interaction theory (SIT). Values for the corresponding reaction enthalpies, ∆rH, are reported where available. Unfortunately, with the exception of the CdII-chlorido system and (at low ionic strengths) the CdII-sulfato system, the equilibrium reactions for the title systems are relatively poorly characterized. In weakly acidic fresh water systems (–log10{[H+]/c°} < 6), in the absence of organic ligands (e.g., humic substances), CdIIspeciation is dominated by Cd2+(aq), with CdSO4(aq) as a minor species. In this respect, CdIIis similar to CuII[2007PBa] and PbII[2009PBa]. However, in weakly alkaline fresh water solutions, 7.5 < –log10{[H+]/c°} < 8.6, the speciation of CdIIis still dominated by Cd2+(aq), whereas for CuII[2007PBa] and PbII[2009PBa] the carbonato- species MCO3(aq) dominates. In weakly acidic saline systems (–log10{[H+]/cϒ} < 6; –log10{[Cl–]/c°} < 2.0) the speciation is dominated by CdCln(2–n)+complexes, (n= 1–3), with Cd2+(aq) as a minor species. This is qualitatively similar to the situation for CuIIand PbII. However, in weakly alkaline saline solutions, including seawater, the chlorido- complexes still dominate the speciation of CdIIbecause of the relatively low stability of CdCO3(aq). In contrast, the speciation of CuII[2007PBa] and PbII[2009PBa] in seawater is dominated by the respective species MCO3(aq). There is scope for additional high-quality measurements in the Cd2++ H++ CO32–system as the large uncertainties in the stability constants for the Cd2+-carbonato complexes significantly affect the speciation calculations.
Evaluation of an Approach to Weight Loss in Adults With Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Saunders Richard R , Saunders Muriel D , Donnelly Joseph E , Smith Bryan K , Sullivan Debra K , Guilford Brianne , Rondon Mary F
Published: March 2011

Of 79 overweight adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities who participated in a weight loss intervention, 73 completed the 6-month diet phase. The emphasis in the intervention was consumption of high volume, low calorie foods and beverages, including meal-replacement shakes. Lower calorie frozen entrees were recommended to control portion size. A walking activity was encouraged. Participants attended monthly meetings in which a small amount of cash was exchanged for self-recorded intake and exercise records completed on picture-based forms. Average weight loss was 13.2 pounds (6.3%) of baseline weight at 6 months, with weight loss shown by 64 of the 73 individuals enrolled. Those completing a 6-month follow-up phase showed weight loss of 9.4% of baseline. Increased choice and control are discussed as possible contributors to individual success.
Exploring the Perceptions of Self-Determination of Individuals With Intellectual Disability
Authors: Shogren Karrie A , Broussard Ricky
Published: March 2011

Interviews were conducted with 17 individuals who had intellectual disability to expand our understanding of the impact of self-determination in their life. Themes emerging from the interviews were grouped into three categories: meaning of self-determination, learning about self-determination, and dreams for the future. Participants described self-determination as being able to make choices and be in control of one's life and setting as well as being able to work toward goals and engage in advocacy. Participants discussed the importance of supports for expressing self-determination and identified environmental characteristics that promoted and inhibited self-determination. Overall, their perceptions confirm the importance of promoting personal development of skills and attitudes associated with self-determination and systems change to create environmental opportunities for self-determination and causal agency. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
An Improved Cerulean Fluorescent Protein with Enhanced Brightness and
Reduced Reversible Photoswitching
Authors: Markwardt Michele L. , Kremers Gert-Jan , Kraft Catherine A. , Ray Krishanu , Cranfill Paula J. C. , Wilson Korey A. , Day Richard N. , Wachter Rebekka M. , Davidson Michael W. , Rizzo Megan A.
Published: March 2011

Cyan fluorescent proteins (CFPs), such as Cerulean, are widely used as donor
fluorophores in Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiments.
Nonetheless, the most widely used variants suffer from drawbacks that include
low quantum yields and unstable flurorescence. To improve the fluorescence
properties of Cerulean, we used the X-ray structure to rationally target
specific amino acids for optimization by site-directed mutagenesis. Optimization
of residues in strands 7 and 8 of the β-barrel improved the quantum yield of
Cerulean from 0.48 to 0.60. Further optimization by incorporating the wild-type
T65S mutation in the chromophore improved the quantum yield to 0.87. This
variant, mCerulean3, is 20% brighter and shows greatly reduced
fluorescence photoswitching behavior compared to the recently described
mTurquoise fluorescent protein in vitro and in living cells. The fluorescence
lifetime of mCerulean3 also fits to a single exponential time constant, making
mCerulean3 a suitable choice for fluorescence lifetime microscopy experiments.
Furthermore, inclusion of mCerulean3 in a fusion protein with mVenus produced
FRET ratios with less variance than mTurquoise-containing fusions in living
cells. Thus, mCerulean3 is a bright, photostable cyan fluorescent protein which
possesses several characteristics that are highly desirable for FRET
experiments.
Präpositionaladverbien im Erst- und Zweitspracherwerb – Pleonasmen oder Funktionsträger?
Authors: Bryant Doreen
Published: March 2011

Both German monolingual children and Turkish bilingual children use pleonastic locatives for a certain period of time but they do so for different reasons, as will be shown in this paper. Constructions like Das Buch ist auf dem Tisch drauf, where the spatial relation is signaled twice – in the preposition auf and in the adverb drauf – are grammatically acceptable but are considered somewhat colloquial. It is therefore not surprising that adults in the picture-description task being reported here make no use of the spatial repetition. With the children things are different: Those Turkish L2 learners who start to acquire German at the age of 3 begin by using a semantically unspecified prepositional head for all topological relations (e.g. *Der Apfel ist in/bei Baum/Schale/Tisch instead of Der Apfel ist am Baum/in der Schale/auf dem Tisch). Owing to their mother tongue, it takes them quite long to detect the semantic specification in the input. In particular, stressed and post-final elements attract their attention, and not surprisingly they start using the postpositional spatial adverbs and particles to break through the German prepositional system (e.g. *Das Buch ist in/bei Tisch drauf). Unlike Turkish children, young German native speakers combine these adverbial elements with a full prepositional phrase, but with no functional value. As the data indicate, the pleonastic locative construction appears to be a residue of an earlier developmental stage which involves the splitting of a complex pronominal adverb (e.g. da(d)rauf) and stranding the prepositional part (e.g. Da ist ein Buch drauf). The high frequency of sentence final verb particles in the input (often with identical form and transparent spatial meaning) might produce the preserving effect even though meanwhile the full prepositional phrase is used to express a spatial relation. Already at preschool age German children come to recognize the redundancy and finally drop the adverbial element. Turkish children, however, have to rely on the prepositional adverb – as a supportive and stabilizing „function-carrier“ – until they notice that in German it is the preposition that must carry the specific spatial information. This is subsequently transmitted from the postpositional spatial element to the head of the full prepositional phrase.
WG and WP Formulations of Captan with Polymeric Surfactants
Authors: Hu Qiang
Published: March 2011

Water-dispersible Granules (WGs) and Wettable Powder (WP) are two important types of agrochemical formulations. The combined shares of WG and WP formulations by volume were 30 % among all the agrochemical formulation types in 2007. WG formulation is continuously increasing in share as a safer and greener formulation type. Both formulation compositions and formulation process affect the performance of WG and WP. This research demonstrated a concise and systematic approach to develop WG via low pressure extrusion process and WP blade-mixer blending process in the laboratory. Specifically, Captan technical as a model active ingredient was formulated together with polymeric dispersants, alkyl sodium sulfosuccinate wetting agents, and Kaolin clay diluents under controlled process conditions. The formulated samples were investigated in suspension stability, disintegration behavior, particle size, and granule morphology, and their composition-structure-performance relationships were discussed.
More than adequate iodine intake may increase subclinical hypothyroidism and autoimmune thyroiditis: a cross-sectional study based on two Chinese communities with different iodine intake levels
Authors: Teng Xiaochun , Shan Zhongyan , Chen Yanyan , Lai Yaxin , Yu Jiashu , Shan Ling , Bai Xue , Li Yuanbin , Li Ningna , Li Zhidan , Wang Sen , Xing Qian , Xue Haibo , Zhu Lin , Hou Xin , Fan Chenling , Teng Weiping
Published: March 2011

Objective

With the introduction of iodized salt worldwide, more and more people are exposed to more than adequate iodine intake levels with median urinary iodine excretion (MUI 200–300 μg/l) or excessive iodine intake levels (MUI >300 μg/l). The objective of this study was to explore the associations between more than adequate iodine intake levels and the development of thyroid diseases (e.g. thyroid dysfunction, thyroid autoimmunity, and thyroid structure) in two Chinese populations.

Design

A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in two areas in which people are exposed to different levels of iodine intake (Rongxing, MUI 261 μg/l; Chengshan, MUI 145 μg/l). A total of 3813 individuals were recruited by random sampling. Thyroid hormones, thyroid autoantibodies in serum, and iodine levels in urine were measured. B-mode ultrasonography of the thyroid was also performed for each participant.

Results

The prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism was significantly higher for subjects who live in Rongxing than those who live in Chengshan (5.03 vs 1.99%, P<0.001). The prevalence of positive anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) and positive anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) was significantly higher for subjects in Rongxing than those in Chengshan (TPOAb: 10.64 vs 8.4%, P=0.02; TgAb: 10.27 vs 7.93%, P=0.01). The increase in thyroid antibodies was most pronounced in the high concentrations of TPOAb (TPOAb: ≥500 IU/ml) and low concentrations of TgAb (TgAb: 40–99 IU/ml) in Rongxing.

Conclusions

More than adequate iodine intake could be a public health concern in terms of thyroid function and thyroid autoimmunity in the Chinese populations.
Effect of the enucleation procedure on the reprogramming potential and developmental capacity of mouse cloned embryos treated with valproic acid
Authors: Costa-Borges Nuno , Gonzalez Sheyla , Santaló Josep , Ibáñez Elena
Published: March 2011

Mouse recipient cytoplasts for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) are routinely prepared by mechanical enucleation (ME), an invasive procedure that requires expensive equipment and considerable micromanipulation skills. Alternatively, oocytes can be enucleated using chemically assisted (AE) or chemically induced (IE) enucleation methods that are technically simple. In this study, we compared the reprogramming potential and developmental capacity of cloned embryos generated by ME, AE, and IE procedures and treated with the histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid. A rapid and almost complete deacetylation of histone H3 lysine 14 in the somatic nucleus followed by an equally rapid and complete re-acetylation after activation was observed after the injection of a cumulus cell nucleus into ME and AE cytoplasts. In contrast, histone deacetylation occurred at a much lower level in IE cytoplasts. Despite these differences, the cloned embryos generated from the three types of cytoplasts developed into blastocysts of equivalent total and inner cell mass mean cell numbers, and the rates of blastocyst formation and embryonic stem cell derivation were similar among the three groups. The cloned embryos produced from ME and AE cytoplasts showed an equivalent rate of full-term development, but no offspring could be obtained from the IE group, suggesting a lower reprogramming capacity of IE cytoplasts. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of AE in mouse SCNT procedures, as an alternative to ME. AE can facilitate oocyte enucleation and avoid the need for expensive microscope optics, or for potentially damaging Hoechst staining and u.v. irradiation, normally required in ME procedures.
State Laws Regarding the Retention and Use of Residual Newborn Screening Blood Samples
Authors: Lewis Michelle H. , Goldenberg Aaron , Anderson Rebecca , Rothwell Erin , Botkin Jeffrey
Published: March 2011

BACKGROUND:

After newborn screening has been completed, many states retain residual newborn screening dried blood samples for various purposes, including program evaluation, quality assurance, and biomedical research. The extent to which states possess legal authority to retain residual dried blood samples (DBS) and use them for purposes unrelated to newborn screening is unclear.

OBJECTIVE:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate state laws regarding the retention and use of DBS.

METHODS:

State statutes and regulations related to newborn screening of all 50 states plus the District of Columbia were accessed online between November 2008 and December 2009 and reviewed by 2 independent reviewers to determine the extent to which the retention and use of DBS were addressed.

RESULTS:

The retention or use of DBS has not been addressed in 18 states. In 4 states, DBS becomes state property. Eight states require that parents be provided information regarding the retention of DBS. Parents in 5 states may request the destruction of their child's residual sample. Parental consent is required under certain circumstances to release DBS for research in 6 states. One state prohibits DBS from being used for research purposes.

CONCLUSIONS:

States have wide variability in their policies regarding the retention and use of DBS. Many states have not addressed key issues, and some states that retain DBS may be acting outside the scope of their legal authority. The lack of transparency on the part of states in retaining DBS may undermine public trust in state newborn screening programs and the research enterprise.
Rabies-Prevention Policy Update: New Reduced-Dose Schedule
Authors:   Committee on Infectious Diseases
Published: March 2011

This Policy Statement was retired January 2015.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends reducing the number of doses from 5 to 4 of human diploid cell vaccine or purified chick embryo cell vaccine required for postexposure prophylaxis to prevent rabies in humans. The vaccine doses should be given on day 0 (first day of prophylaxis) and days 3, 7, and 14 after the first dose. For persons with immune suppression, the 5-dose regimen should continue to be used. Recommendations for the use of human rabies immunoglobulin remain unchanged. The American Academy of Pediatrics endorses these recommendations.
Subgingival Epstein‐Barr and Cytomegalovirus Occurrence in Pregnancy Gingivitis
Authors: Ereş Gülden , Altıok Elif , Özkul Aykut , Açıkel Cengiz Han
Published: March 2011

Background: Although recent studies focused on the role of human herpesviruses in various types of periodontal disease, there was a lack of information in these reports regarding the role of pregnancy gingivitis. The aim of this study is to determine the correlation between pregnancy and the subgingival virus presence and their relationship with clinical parameters.

Methods: Seventy pregnant and 40 non‐pregnant women were examined for gingival and plaque indices, bleeding on probing (BOP), and clinical probing depths (PDs) from the whole dentition. Subgingival plaque samples were obtained from sites showing signs of gingivitis and healthy sites. The polymerase chain reaction methodology was used to detect cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) from plaque samples.

Results: Our results show that gingivitis lesions in 27 (38.6%) and 10 (14.3%) pregnant patients were positive for EBV and CMV, respectively. In the non‐pregnant group, EBV and CMV were detected in six (15%) and eight (20%) lesions, respectively. A statistically significant difference (P <0.01) was found between the subgingival occurrence of EBV in the two groups. In gingivitis sites, clinical PDs were affected by gestation (P <0.001) and the occurrence of EBV (P <0.001). In healthy sites, clinical PDs were affected by gestation (P <0.05), and BOP was affected by the occurrence of CMV and EBV (P <0.001).

Conclusion: Our data indicate that pregnancy increased the risk of the presence of subgingival EBV in pregnant women by 3.647 times more than in non‐pregnant women.
Enhanced β‐Tricalcium Phosphate Blended Clot Adhesion to EDTA Biomodulated Periodontally Affected Root Surfaces: In Vivo Scanning Electron Microscopy Evaluation
Authors: Gamal Ahmed Yousef
Published: March 2011

Background: The objective of this study is to evaluate β‐tricalcium phosphate (β‐TCP) blended clot adhesion to EDTA‐conditioned root surfaces.

Methods: Sixty patients with chronic periodontitis and two teeth designated for extraction were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into six groups (G1 to G6; 10 patients in each). In G1, intrabony defects were grafted with β‐TCP with a particle size ranging from 150 to 500 μm. In G2, intrabony defects were grafted with β‐TCP with a particle size ranging from 63 to 150 μm. Roots in G3 were etched for 2 minutes with a neutral EDTA, followed by defect overfill of the β‐TCP used for G1. Defects of G4 were treated by the same method as in G3, except the EDTA gel application was 4 minutes. Roots in G5 and G6 were etched for 2 and 4 minutes, respectively, followed by the defect fill with β‐TCP used for G2. For each patient, one tooth was extracted immediately after surgery and the other tooth was extracted at 14 days for scanning electron microscopy evaluation.

Results: Fourteen days after surgery, the G1 and G2 samples revealed undetected graft particles. The G3 samples showed areas of adherent β‐TCP particles covering about 42.5%. The G4 samples showed 53.7% graft material coverage. The G5 and G6 samples had adherent grafted particles that covered 77.9% and 82.7%, respectively.

Conclusion: Root conditioning with EDTA gel improves β‐TCP blended clot adhesion to periodontally involved root surfaces.
Assessment of Morbidity After Periodontal Resective Surgery
Authors: López Anna , Nart José , Santos Antonio , Alcázar Jordi , Freixa Oscar
Published: March 2011

Background: The goal of this study is to evaluate morbidity after periodontal surgery and to compare postoperative morbidity of male and female patients treated by experienced periodontists to patients treated by postgraduate (PG) periodontal students.

Methods: A total of 271 patients underwent resective periodontal surgery. Of them, 122 patients were treated by PG periodontal students and 149 patients were treated by experienced periodontists. One week after surgery a questionnaire was given to the patients to rate postoperative pain, swelling, thermal sensitivity, and bleeding. Tactile sensitivity was evaluated in terms of presence or absence. Data were analyzed statistically by applying the analysis of variance test for comparison of the values of bleeding and the Student t test for comparing pain, swelling, tenderness to percussion, and thermal sensitivity.

Results: Postoperative bleeding did not show statistically significant differences between surgeries performed by PG periodontal students and experienced periodontists. There were statistically significant differences in contact sensitivity, thermal sensitivity, edema, and pain between surgeries performed by PG periodontal students and experienced periodontists. There were no statistically significant differences in postoperative morbidity between male and female patients.

Conclusions: Morbidity after resective periodontal surgery is low. Patients treated by experienced periodontists had lower postoperative morbidity than patients treated by PG periodontal students. There were no differences in morbidity between male and female patients.
Detection and Clonal Analysis of Anaerobic Bacteria Associated to Endodontic‐Periodontal Lesions
Authors: Pereira Cássio V. , Stipp Rafael N. , Fonseca Douglas C. , Pereira Luciano J. , Höfling José F.
Published: March 2011

Background: Microbial agents in root canal systems can induce periodontal inflammation. The aims of this study are to detect anaerobic microorganisms in endodontic‐periodontal lesions, determine the genetic diversity among them, and assess the simultaneous colonization of the pulp and periodontal microenvironments by a single clone.

Methods: Twenty‐seven teeth of patients with endodontic‐periodontal lesions were selected. Samples were spread on an agar‐blood medium, the detection of each species was performed using a polymerase chain reaction, and the determination of the simultaneous presence of the same species in the microenvironments by one or more clones was determined using arbitrarily primed PCR.

Results: Prevotella intermedia (Pi) was the most prevalent species of the colonies in periodontal pockets, whereas Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) and Pi were the more prevalent in root canals. Isolates of Pi and Pg were simultaneously identified in root canals and periodontal pockets. Eighteen percent of teeth exhibited the simultaneous colonization by Pg, Tannerella forsythia (previously T. forsythensis), and Porphyromonas endodontalis in the pulp and periodontal microenvironments. The presence of these species was noted even in niches from which no colonies were isolated. Seventeen different genotypes were found in periodontal and pulp sites, with the majority of sites colonized by one or two different genotypes. A high degree of genotype similarity was found for samples of Pg isolated from only one site as well as for those isolated from both microenvironments.

Conclusion: Different clones of Pi and Pg with a high intraspecific genotype similarity were found to colonize the same anatomic sites in endodontic‐periodontal infections.
Formation-Damage Evaluation From Nonlinear Skin Growth During Coreflooding
Authors: Bedrikovetsky P.. , Vaz A.S.L.. S.L. , Furtado C.. , de Souza A.L.S.. L.S.
Published: March 2011

Injectivity decline of oilfield injection wells is a widespread phenomenon during seawater/produced-water injection. The decline may result in significant cost increase of the waterflooding project. Reliable modeling-based prediction of injectivity-index decrease is important for waterflood design as well as for the planning of preventive injected-water treatment. One of the reasons for well injectivity decline is permeability decrease caused by rock plugging by solid/liquid particles suspended in the injected water.

The mathematical model for deep-bed filtration contains two empirical functions: the filtration coefficient and the formation-damage coefficient. These empirical coefficients must be determined from laboratory coreflood tests by forcing water with particles to flow through the core samples. A routine laboratory method determines the filtration coefficient from expensive and difficult particle-concentration measurements at the core effluent; then, the formation-damage coefficient is determined from inexpensive and simple pressure-drop measurements. An alternative three-point-pressure method uses pressure data at an intermediate point of the core, supplementing pressure measurements at the core inlet and outlet. The method provides unique and stable values for constant-filtration and formation-damage coefficients.

In the current work, we consider a more complex case in which both coefficients are linear functions of retained-particle concentration. In this case, the model is fully determined by four constants. The three-point-pressure method furnishes unique values for the four model parameters. A new semianalytical model for axisymmetric suspension filtration was developed to predict well-injectivity decline from the linear coreflood data with pressure measurements in three core points.
CO2/Brine Surface Dissolution and Injection: CO2 Storage Enhancement
Authors: Eke Paul Emeka , Naylor Mark , Haszeldine Stuart , Curtis Andrew
Published: March 2011

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is capable of reducing atmospheric emissions of greenhouse gases from coal or gas-fired power plants. The upward buoyancy of dense-phase carbon dioxide (CO2) in deep reservoirs means that sites need to be chosen with a methodology that carefully evaluates details of performance during and after the injection process. Standard methods of site evaluation for saline aquifers overwhelmingly focus on the aspects of geological containment and monitorability. Also important to storage-site performance is the engineering design of transport and injection. Transport to storage in offshore saline aquifers is normally expected to be by pipeline. There are several proposed methods of CO2 injection: for example, as a dense phase, in the liquid or supercritical phase, as water-alternating-gas cycles, or as carbonated brine. These result in different migration pathways in the aquifer during the short term (1 to 50 years) and different storage distributions in the long term (1,000 to 10,000 years). To develop a methodology suitable for making informed decisions for aquifers offshore of the UK, several of these different methods are being evaluated. A chemical-engineering and reservoir-engineering approach will be used to define some of the important surface-transport and subsurface interactions. Important surface features may include the energy balance, location, sizing, materials specification, and costing of surface equipment for mixing and transporting CO2.
How To Prevent Loss of Zonal Isolation Through a Comprehensive Analysis of Microannulus Formation
Authors: Bois A.-P.. -P. , Garnier A.. , Rodot F.. , Saint-Marc J.. , Aimard N..
Published: March 2011

Microannuli at the well cement-sheath interfaces may result in loss of zonal isolation, which is the source of many problems, such as sustainable annular pressures, crossflows between reservoirs, and undesirable flow behind the casing. The microannuli are commonly explained by variations in cement volume during hydration (chemical shrinkage/expansion) or by contraction of the casing because of a decrease in mud density/temperature because these could create a gap if the cement is unable to follow the induced deformations. However, these two modes are not sufficient to predict all possible types of microannuli encountered in oil and gas wells, meaning that other modes have been missed.

This paper presents a comprehensive mechanistic analysis of microannulus formation to highlight and explain other modes and to detail the conditions under which they can appear. It is grounded in both theoretical and experimental evidence and takes into account most of the features that characterize cement after it has been placed, including cement volume variations and heat production during hydration, mud-density and temperature variations, cement thermo-poro-elasto-plastic behavior during and after hydration, thermo-poro-elasto-plastic behavior of the formation, and initial state of stress in the formation.
Investigation of Effect of Fracturing Fluid on After-Closure Analysis in Gas Reservoirs
Authors: Soliman M.Y.. Y. , Miranda Carlos , Wang Hong (Max) , Thornton Kim
Published: March 2011

Published techniques for analysis of after-closure fracture data usually assume single-phase flow. These procedures generally rely on the techniques developed for the analysis of buildup tests. Applying the buildup techniques implies that the injected fluid and reservoir fluid have approximately the same properties. This assumption is generally incorrect in case of minifrac tests where the injected fluid may be very different from the reservoir fluids. This situation is at an extreme when the minifrac test is conducted on a gas reservoir and the injected fluid may be a relatively high-viscosity gelled fluid.

In this paper, we review the basic theory behind after-closure analysis. Using a numerical simulator, minifrac tests are simulated and analyzed for both oil- and gas-reservoir cases where an aqueous phase is injected as a fracturing fluid. Analyses of the numerically simulated falloff data are presented. Guidelines for the analysis of such data have been developed and presented.

Field data are also presented. In one case, breakdown, step-rate, and fluid-efficiency tests (FETs) were performed on a tight gas formation and the data were analyzed. The results of using these various techniques are presented. The consistency of results validates conclusions achieved using the numerically simulated data.