bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CD8– Natural Killer Cells Are Greatly Enriched in the Human Gastrointestinal Tract and Have the Capacity to Respond to Bacteria
Authors: Lindgren Åsa , Yun Cheol H. , Lundgren Anna , Sjöling Åsa , Öhman Lena , Svennerholm Ann-Mari , Holmgren Jan , Lundin Samuel B.
Published: February 2010

Natural killer (NK) cells can be activated to produce IFN-γ by lysate from Helicobacter pylori in combination with IL-12. Furthermore, NK cells in the gastrointestinal mucosa are likely to encounter H. pylori as well as other bacteria and may play a role in the mucosal innate immune defense. In this report, we show that in marked contrast to peripheral blood, the large majority of NK cells of human gastrointestinal mucosa lack CD8 expression. Importantly, we show that CD8– and CD8+ NK cells have different functional properties; although the cytotoxic capacity of the different NK cell populations was equal, only CD8– NK cells were capable of responding by IFN-γ production to stimulation with lysates from H. pylori and other bacteria – this was not due to an intrinsic defect in IFN-γ production by CD8+ NK cells. We propose that CD8– CD16– CD56bright NK cells constitute a subset of NK cells that is present in the gastrointestinal mucosa and is especially adapted to responding to bacterial infection by production of cytokines. These findings may have important implications for the understanding of NK cell subsets and the innate defense against gastrointestinal bacterial infections.
Direct Angiotensin II Type 2 Receptor Stimulation Acts Anti-Inflammatory Through Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acid and Inhibition of Nuclear Factor κB
Authors: Rompe Franziska , Artuc Metin , Hallberg Anders , Alterman Mathias , Ströder Katja , Thöne-Reineke Christa , Reichenbach Anne , Schacherl Jens , Dahlöf Björn , Bader Michael , Alenina Natalia , Schwaninger Markus , Zuberbier Torsten , Funke-Kaiser Heiko , Schmidt Cosima , Schunck Wolf-Hagen , Unger Thomas , Steckelings U. Muscha
Published: February 2010

Angiotensin II type 2 (AT2) receptors can be regarded as an endogenous repair system, because the AT2receptor is upregulated in tissue damage and mediates tissue protection. A potential therapeutic use of this system has only recently come within reach through synthesis of the first selective, orally active, nonpeptide AT2receptor agonist, compound 21 (C21; dissociation constant for AT2receptor: 0.4 nM; dissociation constant for angiotensin II type 1 receptor: >10 000 nM). This study tested AT2receptor stimulation with C21 as a potential future therapeutic approach for the inhibition of proinflammatory cytokines and of nuclear factor κB. C21 dose-dependently (1 nM to 1 μmol/L) reduced tumor necrosis factor-α–induced interleukin 6 levels in primary human and murine dermal fibroblasts. AT2receptor specificity was controlled for by inhibition with the AT2receptor antagonist PD123319 and by the absence of effects in AT2receptor–deficient cells. AT2receptor–coupled signaling leading to reduced interleukin 6 levels involved inhibition of nuclear factor κB, activation of protein phosphatases, and synthesis of epoxyeicosatrienoic acid. Inhibition of interleukin 6 promoter activity by C21 was comparable in strength to inhibition by hydrocortisone. C21 also reduced monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 and tumor necrosis factor-α in vitro and in bleomycin-induced toxic cutaneous inflammation in vivo. This study is the first to show the anti-inflammatory effects of direct AT2receptor stimulation in vitro and in vivo by the orally active, nonpeptide AT2receptor agonist C21. These data suggest that pharmacological AT2receptor stimulation may be an orally applicable future therapeutic approach in pathological settings requiring the reduction of interleukin 6 or inhibition of nuclear factor κB.
Terrorist Threats to the Environment in Iraq and Beyond
Authors: Al-Damkhi Ali Mohamed , Al-Fares Rana Abdullah
Published: February 2010

The environmental consequences of political conflict are a growing problem throughout the world. Not only nations, but a variety of terrorist and insurgent groups have shown a disturbing tendency to make use of intentional environmental destruction in the pursuit of their political agendas. Currently, scenarios of environmental terrorism in Iraq are particularly dire, due to the changing political situation in that country, the vulnerability of its petroleum infrastructure, and the precedent set by the catastrophe in Kuwait during the 1991 Gulf War. The international community should remain aware of the real threat of sudden, intentional environmental destruction, and should take preventative steps, while preparing for the possibility of a major event. Steps can be taken to provide for security and emergency response, while the promotion of social justice and educational initiatives can help to decrease the likelihood of such an event. Further research should be conducted to identify the most effective strategies for reducing the threat of environmental terrorism in specific regions.
Militarization and the Environment: A Panel Study of Carbon Dioxide Emissions and the Ecological Footprints of Nations, 1970–2000
Authors: Jorgenson Andrew K. , Clark Brett , Kentor Jeffrey
Published: February 2010

The authors situate treadmill of destruction theory in a comparative international perspective to assess the environmental impacts of national militaries. Results of cross-national panel models indicate that high-tech militarization in the form of expenditures per soldier contribute to the scale and intensity of carbon dioxide emissions as well as the per capita ecological footprints of nations. Likewise, all three of these environmental outcomes are positively associated with military participation in the context of the number of soldiers relative to the size of domestic populations. Overall, the findings support the proposed theorization and highlight the need for social scientists to consider the environmental and ecological consequences of nations' militaries, regardless of whether or not they are engaged in conflicts.
Shifting Tides in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean Tuna Fishery: The Political Economy of Regulation and Industry Responses
Authors: Havice Elizabeth , Campling Liam
Published: February 2010

The Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) tuna fishery is the largest and most valuable in the world. Although the International Law of the Sea granted Pacific island countries the right to exploit and manage this valuable fishery, they have been unable to prevent resource decline or to capture economic development potential from their intersections with the global tuna industry. Variants of neoliberalism identify Pacific island countries' weak institutions to explain these failings. We argue that this explanation is insufficient. As an alternative, we offer a political economy analysis of the co-evolution of fisheries regulation and the strategies of the Japanese and Taiwanese fleets (and their governments) in the region. This framing illustrates the relational, multi-scalar processes within and among states and firms that shape patterns in the sector. Our findings indicate that the combination of competitive capital accumulation strategies and inter-state power relations must be addressed to explain challenges in the WCPO tuna sector.
Biblical Studies 'after' Theory: Onwards Towards the Past Part Two: The Secret Vices of the Biblical God
Authors: Sherwood Yvonne , Moore Stephen
Published: February 2010

At present, 'high theory', epitomized by poststructuralism, is in a perceived state of decline in literary studies. This three-part article explores the complex ramifications of the 'after theory' debate for biblical studies, a field that, for the most part, still seems to be in a 'before theory' phase. Our intent, however, is not to sell biblical scholars on Theory, finally, before the supply runs out. Our aim, rather, is diagnostic and analytic. We want to look at what has happened, what has failed to happen, and what might yet happen in biblical studies in relation to Theory, and reflect on what these various appropriations, adaptations and missed encounters reveal about the very different disciplinary spaces occupied by biblical studies and literary studies, and the very different disciplinary histories that have brought each of these spaces into being. Contending that Theory's most important contribution is the self-reflexive and metacritical moves it makes possible, our reflection on Theory's reception in biblical studies is intended to defamiliarise the peculiarities of our own disciplinary space. What follows is the second instalment of this three-part article.
Forecasting Long-Lead Rainfall Probability with Application to Australia’s Northeastern Coast
Authors: Clarke Allan J. , Van Gorder Stephen , Everingham Yvette
Published: February 2010

The authors develop a method for the long-lead forecasting of El Niño–influenced rainfall probability and illustrate it using the economically important prediction, from the beginning of the year, of September–November (SON) rainfall in the coastal sugarcane producing region of Australia’s northeastern coast. The method is based on two probability distributions. One is the Gaussian error distribution of the long-lead prediction of the El Niño index Niño-3.4 by the Clarke and Van Gorder forecast method. The other is the relationship of the rainfall distribution to the Niño-3.4 index. The rainfall distribution can be approximated by a gamma distribution whose two parameters depend on Niño-3.4. To predict the rainfall at, say, the Tully Sugar, Ltd., mill on the north Queensland coast in SON 2009, the June–August (JJA) value of Niño-3.4 is predicted and then 1000 possible “observed” JJA Niño-3.4 values calculated from the error distribution. Each one of these observed Niño-3.4 values is then used, with the Niño-3.4-dependent gamma distribution for that location, to calculate 1000 possible SON rainfall totals. The result is one million possible SON rainfalls. A histogram of these rainfalls is the required probability distribution for the rainfall at that location predicted from the beginning of the year. Cross-validated predictions suggest that the method is successful.
The Modulation of the Subtropical and Extratropical Atmosphere in the Pacific Basin in Response to the Madden–Julian Oscillation
Authors: Moore Richard W. , Martius Olivia , Spengler Thomas
Published: February 2010

The 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) data are combined with a number of novel climatologies to conduct a comprehensive examination of the response of the subtropical and extratropical atmosphere over the Pacific basin to an evolving Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) event. The adopted approach constitutes a symbiosis of a climatological analysis during the Northern Hemisphere winter from 1979 to 2002 and a case study analysis of a distinct MJO event that occurred in January–February 1993. The former is designed to obtain the general characteristics observed during a composite MJO life cycle, while the latter is used to provide insight into the instantaneous mechanisms responsible for the observed composite evolution.

A primary component of the study involves the diagnosis of anomalous wave breaking activity in response to MJO forcing in the form of tropical convection and/or upper-level divergence. Wave breaking events are separated by their characteristic life cycles: LC1 (anticyclonic) and LC2 (cyclonic) events. Statistically significant anomalies in wave breaking activity are found to be prevalent during the composite MJO event. Furthermore, the dynamical distinction between LC1 and LC2 wave breaking is useful in that the two different characteristic life cycles exhibit significantly different anomalous behavior during the MJO.

Statistically significant variability is also identified in both the subtropical and extratropical flow and atmospheric blocking and surface cyclone frequency. These data, taken in conjunction with the observed evolution of the 1993 MJO event, provide a relatively coherent picture of the response of the atmosphere to MJO forcing. A schematic representation of the evolution is presented.
Sensitivity of Typhoon Forecasts to Different Subsets of Targeted Dropsonde Observations
Authors: Harnisch Florian , Weissmann Martin
Published: February 2010

For the first time, joint tropical cyclone (TC) surveillance missions by several aircraft were conducted in the western North Pacific basin within the framework of The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment (THORPEX) Pacific Asian Regional Campaign (T-PARC) 2008. The collected dropsonde observations were divided into three different subsets depending on their location relative to the TC to investigate which observations are most beneficial for typhoon track forecasting. Data denial experiments with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) global model were performed to analyze the influence of the different dropsonde subsets. In these experiments, the largest TC track forecast improvements are found for observations in the vicinity of the storm, placed at a circular ring at the outer boundary of the TC. In contrast, observations in remote regions indicated to be sensitive by singular vectors seem to have a relatively small influence with a slight positive tendency on average. Observations in the TC core and center lead to large analysis differences, but only very small mean forecast improvements. This is likely related to the fact that even modern high-resolution global models cannot fully resolve the TC center and thus can only use a relatively small part of the information provided by observations within the TC center. Times prior to landfall and recurvature are stronger affected by additional observations, while the influence on the track forecast after recurvature is relatively weak.
A Local Formulation of the Ensemble Transform (ET) Analysis Perturbation Scheme
Authors: McLay Justin , Bishop Craig H. , Reynolds Carolyn A.
Published: February 2010

Following ideas from the local ensemble transform Kalman filter, a local formulation of the ensemble transform (ET) analysis perturbation scheme is developed by partitioning the numerical weather prediction model domain into latitude bands or latitude–longitude blocks. In comparison with analysis perturbations from the original “global” ET formulation, analysis perturbations from the “banded” or “block” ET formulations are much more consistent with estimates of analysis error variance. Banded or block ET forecast ensembles also perform better under a variety of verification metrics than do global ET forecast ensembles. Substantial performance gains are observed for both the midlatitudes and the tropics. A local ET is scheduled to be made operational at the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center.
Sense Making Under “Holographic” Conditions: Framing SCAD Research
Authors: Witt Matthew T. , Kouzmin Alexander
Published: February 2010

The ellipses of due diligence riddling the official account of the 9/11 incidents continue being ignored by scholars of policy and public administration. This article introduces intellectual context for examining the policy heuristic “State Crimes Against Democracy” (SCAD) (deHaven-Smith, 2006) and its usefulness for better understanding patterns of state criminality of which no extant policy analytic model gives adequate account.This article then introduces papers included in this symposium examining the chimerical presence and perfidious legacy of state criminality against democracy.
Negative Information Action: Danger for Democracy
Authors: Hinson Christopher L.
Published: February 2010

This article explores evidence of, and provides insight into, secrecy-related information actions that are sometimes used to circumvent established government policy and law. These information actions may also be used to cover up such circumventions after the fact. To better understand secrecy as a negative information action and its impact on democracy, secrecy-related information actions are described according to methods, information technologies, and knowledge support. Negative information actions are willful and deliberate acts designed to keep government information from those in government and the public entitled to it. Negative information actions subvert the rule of law and the constitutional checks and balances. Negative information actions used by government officials to violate policies and laws during the IranContra Affair are identified, analyzed, and categorized by type. The relative impact of negative information actions on enlightened citizen understanding is demonstrated using a Negative Information Action Model by assigning a location according to type on a continuum of enlightened citizen understanding. Findings are compared with democratic theory and conspiracy doctrine.
In Denial of Democracy: Social Psychological Implications for Public Discourse on State Crimes Against Democracy Post-9/11
Authors: Manwell Laurie A.
Published: February 2010

Protecting democracy requires that the general public be educated on how people can be manipulated by government and media into forfeiting their civil liberties and duties. This article reviews research on cognitive constructs that can prevent people from processing information that challenges preexisting assumptions about government, dissent, and public discourse in democratic societies. Terror management theory and system justification theory are used to explain how preexisting beliefs can interfere with people’s examination of evidence for state crimes against democracy (SCADs), specifically in relation to the events of September 11, 2001, and the war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq. Reform strategies are proposed to motivate citizens toward increased social responsibility in a post-9/11 culture of propagandized fear, imperialism, and war.
Association Study of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms on Chromosome 19q13 With Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Authors: Baas Annette F. , Medic Jelena , van't Slot Ruben , de Vries Jean-Paul P. M. , van Sambeek Marc R. H. M. , Geelkerken Bob H. , Boll Bart P. , Grobbee Diederick E. , Wijmenga Cisca , Ruigrok Ynte M. , Blankensteijn Jan D.
Published: February 2010

Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a complex disorder in which environmental and genetic factors play a role in pathogenesis. Linkage to 2 adjacent loci on 19q13 in familiar AAA was previously demonstrated. We studied whether genetic variation within these regions predisposes to AAA. Methods: Common genetic variants in the described regions on 19q13 were analyzed using tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a Dutch case-control population. Single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping was performed in a 2-stage approach. Results: In stage 1, 615 SNPs were genotyped in 376 AAA patients and 648 controls. In stage 2, 8 SNPs of stage 1 with a P value < .015 were genotyped in a second independent cohort of 360 cases and 376 controls. No differences in allele frequencies were observed. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that there are no common AAA predisposing SNPs within the 19q13 loci. Hence, the genetic basis of familiar and sporadic AAA may differ.
Preparation and Characterization of Polypropylene Composites Filled with Different Structured Mesoporous Particles
Authors: Na Wang  , Qinghong Fang  , Erfan Chen  , Jing Shaohang  , Yawei Shao
Published: February 2010

Monodisperse nanosized mesoporous particles were synthesized by sol-gel reaction. This study investigated the effects of different types of nanoparticles and amount of nanoparticles on mechanical performance of polypropylene (PP) composites. Four different types of nanoparticles, namely, mesoporous MCM-41 (without template), mesoporous MCM-41 (with template), SBA-15 (without template), and SBA-15 (with template) were considered. PP composites containing (0.5-5 wt%) mesoporous fillers were prepared by compounding. The mechanical properties of the composites determined as a function of the filler loading and the different types of nanoparticles were found to vary with the different interface between different fillers and the matrix. In addition, mechanical tests suggested that SBA-15 (without template) can be regarded as better fillers for PP because of the larger pore size (5.9 nm) and thick silica walls (3.8 nm) as comparable to MCM-41 (without template) and can simultaneously provide PP with strengthening and toughening effects at a rather low filler content. Because the P 123 (EO20PO70EO20) surfactant of large PO/EO ratio in SBA-15 (with template) possessed relatively higher hydrophobicity than the n-hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide surfactant in MCM-41 (with template), PP/SBA-15 (with template) composite showed better mechanical properties than PP/MCM-41 (with template) composite.
Silver (I)-induced Self-assembly of Silver (I)/Gelatin Microgels
Authors: Weiping Du  , Yansong Wang  , Ding Pan
Published: February 2010

Ag (I)/gelatin microgels with different Ag (I) content have been prepared through self-assembly at various pH values. Silver cations are supposed to be partly trapped in the microgels core after interaction with the carboxyl groups on gelatin chains due to electrostatic attraction. The hydrophobility of gelatin chains enhances when the Ag (I) concentration increases, which results in the contraction of the complex and relatively compactable structure as well as ununiform distribution. The fluorescence experiments show that static quenching plays a main role in the complex formation and the calculated binding sites indicate that pH 7.0—8.0 are optimal for Ag (I)/gelatin self-assembly.
Synthesis and Properties of the Porous Collagen/Polyurethane Composite
Authors: Oprea Stefan
Published: February 2010

This study evaluates the synthesis and properties of the macroporous composite based on castor oil polyurethane (PU) and collagen. The PU prepolymer was prepared by reacting poly ether diol (Terathane 1400) with aliphatic 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate. The prepolymers were chain-extended with castor oil as a trifunctional crosslinker, at stoichiometric ratios. Films of the composite were prepared by blending PU resin with collagen (0-15 wt%), and the composite’s mechanical and surface properties were measured. Intermolecular interactions in the PU-collagen composite have been studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and mechanical measurements. Macroporous PU-collagen composite films were prepared so that there would be a region with circular pores and one that remained nonporous. The composites were also flexible having breaking strains of 70-250% and tensile strengths of 1.7-3 MPa depending on the collagen content. The water contact angle was measured to evaluate the hydrophilicity of the PU-collagen composite surface, and the result indicated that the presence of collagen improves the hydrophilicity of the composite. Macroporous PU-collagen blends enable the production of materials with two regions that have a potential biomedical application.
Shades of truth and lies: Interpreting testimonies of war and violence
Authors: Fujii Lee Ann
Published: February 2010

How should researchers treat questions of veracity when conducting interviews in settings rent by large-scale violence, such as war and genocide? To what extent should researchers trust narratives that are generated in politically sensitive contexts? The article argues that the value of narrative data does not lie solely in their truthfulness or accuracy; it also lies in the meta-data that accompany these testimonies. Meta-data are informants’ spoken and unspoken thoughts and feelings which they do not always articulate in their stories or interview responses, but which emerge in other ways. This article identifies and analyzes five types of meta-data: rumors, inventions, denials, evasions, and silences. The article argues that meta-data are not extraneous to our datasets, they are data and should be viewed as integral to the processes of data collection and analysis. Meta-data indicate how conditions in the present shape what people are willing to say about violence in the past, what they have reason to embellish or minimize, and what they prefer to keep to themselves. Attending to meta-data is important for responding to informants’ fears about talking to a researcher and to ensure informants’ safety after the researcher leaves the field. It is also crucial for the robustness of researchers’ theories and knowledge about political violence and other political phenomena. The article draws from the author’s nine months of fieldwork in Rwanda in 2004, as well as the literature on conflict and violence from political science, anthropology, history, and sociology.
Blocking resolution: How external states can prolong civil wars
Authors: Cunningham David E.
Published: February 2010

What explains the effect of external intervention on the duration of civil war? The literature on intervention has made some progress in addressing this question, but it has been hindered by an assumption that states intervene in civil wars either to help one side win or to facilitate negotiations. Often, however, external states become involved in civil war to pursue an agenda which is separate from the goals of the internal combatants. When states intervene in this fashion, they make wars more difficult to resolve for two reasons. First, doing so introduces another actor that must approve any settlement to end the war. Second, external states generally have less incentive to negotiate than internal actors because they bear lower costs of fighting and they can anticipate gaining less benefit from negotiation than domestic insurgents. Through Cox regressions using data on the goals of all interventions in civil wars since World War II, this article shows that when states intervene with an independent agenda, they make wars substantially longer. The effect of independent interventions is much larger than that of external interventions generally, suggesting that the established finding that external interventions prolong civil war is driven by a subset of cases where states have intervened in conflicts to pursue independent goals.
Israeli identity formation and the Arab—Israeli conflict in election platforms, 1969—2006
Authors: Oren Neta
Published: February 2010

This study focuses on the relationship between national identity and intractable conflict. Abdelal’s definition of collective identity that refers to the level of agreement regarding the purposes, practices, relational comparisons with other entities, and narratives that define collective identity was adapted to national identity during intractable conflict and was later applied to Israel’s national identity. A review of the Israeli 1969—2006 election platforms shows that in the 1980s and 1990s significant changes occurred in Israel’s national identity. The most significant changes included: changes regarding the territorial purpose of Israeli identity; changes in practices on who may become an Israeli citizen; changes of perception of the relationship between Israel and the Arabs; and a growing Israeli acceptance of Palestinian identity. Since 2000, following the failure of the Israeli—Palestinian peace process, some components of Israeli national identity have reverted to their original form. The study indicates that the Arab—Israeli conflict triggered changes in Israel’s national identity, but the conflict also seemed affected by changes in that identity. The article connects the changes in Israeli national identity to specific mechanisms and conditions of conflict resolution and reconciliation.
African peacekeeping in Africa: Warlord politics, defense economics, and state legitimacy
Authors: Victor Jonah
Published: February 2010

Since the end of the Cold War, sub-Saharan African states have substantially increased their participation in international peacekeeping operations in Africa. Their contributions have become highly valued and even facilitated by major powers. This article examines why certain African states might contribute more than others to peacekeeping. In particular, prominent arguments are considered about the primacy of regime security concerns and the dynamics of warlord politics in the foreign policymaking of African states, the economic incentives of peacekeeping, and the importance of African states’ concerns over their state legitimacy and territorial integrity. First, this study investigates the possibility that peacekeeping might be utilized as a diversionary strategy to divert the attention of both an African state’s military and major powers from a regime’s misrule. Second, this study examines the extent to which financial and material assistance from donor states encourages poorer states to engage in peacekeeping. Third, the study investigates whether states with less legitimate and more arbitrary borders might have greater incentive to contribute to peacekeeping operations to promote the territorial status quo in Africa. Empirical evidence from a quantitative analysis across 47 states of sub-Saharan Africa from 1989 to 2001 suggests that states that are poorer, with lower state legitimacy and lower political repression, participate more often in regional peacekeeping.
Foreign direct investment and militarized international conflict
Authors: Bussmann Margit
Published: February 2010

Liberals claim that countries avoid conflict in order not to disrupt economically beneficial exchange. The statement that economic integration reduces the likelihood of conflict is largely based on the effects of trade. A similar rationale can be applied to economic interdependence in the form of international capital exchange. A state is expected to avoid political risk, especially severe forms such as militarized disputes, in order not to deter investors. This study tests, on the dyadic and monadic levels of analyses, whether the liberal peace proposition holds when economic integration is operationalized as foreign direct investment (FDI) stocks, inflows, and outflows. The results for the years 1980—2000 indicate that inflows and stock of foreign investment reduce the risk of an outbreak of a fatal dispute, regardless of whether they are tested in a single equation or a simultaneous equation model. Thus, reverse causality does not bias the pacifying effect of foreign investment inflows and stock. The results also support the underlying notion of the commercial peace that militarized conflicts inhibit foreign investment. The onset of a fatal conflict reduces FDI inflows, and, if tested in a two-stage instrumental variable approach, FDI stock, the most complete measure of economic integration through foreign investment. Accounting for endogeneity seems particularly important when analyzing the link between the onset of fatal disputes and the outflow of FDI.
The effectiveness of tracks of diplomacy strategies in third-party interventions
Authors: Böhmelt Tobias
Published: February 2010

International mediation is not conducted solely by official actors such as states or international organizations. Non-official parties such as individuals and non-governmental organizations increasingly intervene as third-party mediators in conflicts. Both official and unofficial interventions are conceptualized as tracks of diplomacy (ToDs). Even though there is a vast quantitative literature on international mediation, most studies focusing on ToDs have been qualitative and produced few generalizable insights. This article extends the existing literature on third-party intervention by developing a theoretical model to explain the effectiveness of different ToDs, which is then empirically tested in a first large-N study. The findings indicate that the leverage and resources of ToDs determine outcome effectiveness. Track One Diplomacy, that is, efforts by official actors, tends to be the most effective form of intervention as greater leverage and more resources invested can make track intervention more effective. It is also found that combined mediation efforts of both official and unofficial tracks can be more effective than independent track actions. Since conflicts with mediation are unlikely to be a randomly selected set, a selection estimator is used to test the hypotheses on effectiveness. The empirical findings support the theory and demonstrate that the specific type of mediating actor seems highly important.
A novel blind deconvolution de-noising scheme in failure prognosis
Authors: Bin Zhang  , Khawaja Taimoor , Patrick Romano , Vachtsevanos George , Orchard Marcos , Saxena Abhinav
Published: February 2010

With increased system complexity, condition-based maintenance (CBM) becomes a promising solution for system safety by detecting faults and scheduling maintenance procedures before faults become severe failures resulting in catastrophic events. For CBM of many mechanical systems, fault diagnosis and failure prognosis based on vibration signal analysis are essential techniques. Noise originating from various sources, however, often corrupts vibration signals and degrades the performance of diagnostic and prognostic routines, and consequently, the performance of CBM. In this paper, a new de-noising structure is proposed and applied to vibration signals collected from a testbed of the main gearbox of a helicopter subjected to a seeded fault. The proposed structure integrates a blind deconvolution algorithm, feature extraction, failure prognosis and vibration modelling into a synergistic system, in which the blind deconvolution algorithm attempts to arrive at the true vibration signal through an iterative optimization process. Performance indexes associated with quality of the extracted features and failure prognosis are addressed, before and after de-noising, for validation purposes.
Speaking With a Nonnative Accent: Perceptions of Bias, Communication Difficulties, and Belonging in the United States
Authors: Gluszek Agata , Dovidio John F.
Published: February 2010

Whereas past research on nonnative accents has focused on the attitudes and perceptions of listeners, the current research explores the experiences of speakers with nonnative accents. Two studies investigated the role of nonnative accents and their strength in perceptions of stigmatization and discrimination, problems in communication, and feelings of social belonging. Study 1 demonstrated that individuals with nonnative accents experienced two different, but related facets of stigmatization: expectations of stigmatization and problems in communication. Study 2 extended this research by examining the effects of the experience of stigma and communication problems associated with nonnative accents on social belonging in the United States The results showed that speaking with a nonnative accent, but not a regional native accent, was significantly associated with feeling less belonging, and this difference was mediated by perceived problems in communicating.
Managing Third-Party Interruptions in Conversations: Effects of Duration and Conversational Role
Authors: Bangerter Adrian , Chevalley Eric , Derouwaux Sylvie
Published: February 2010

Dealing with interruptions in collaborative tasks involves two important processes: managing the face of one’s partners and collaboratively reconstructing the topic. In an experiment, pairs were interrupted while narrating personal stories. The duration of the interruption and the conversational role of the target were manipulated. Listeners were more polite than narrators, and longer suspensions caused more effort in reinstatement than short suspensions, but participants were not more polite when suspensions were long.
Immediate effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on spasticity in patients with spinal cord injury
Authors: Ping Ho Chung Bryan , Kam Kwan Cheng Benson
Published: February 2010

Objective: To investigate the immediate effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on spasticity in patients with spinal cord injury.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Extended rehabilitation centre.

Subjects and intervention: Eighteen subjects with spinal cord injury and symptoms of spasticity over lower limbs were randomly assigned to receive either 60 minutes of active TENS (0.25 ms, 100 Hz, 15 mA) or 60 minutes of placebo non-electrically stimulated TENS over the common peroneal nerve.

Outcome measures: Composite Spasticity Score was used to assess the spasticity level of ankle plantar flexors immediately before and after TENS application. Composite Spasticity Score consisted of Achilles tendon jerks, resistance to full-range passive ankle dorsiflexion and ankle clonus. Between-group statistical differences of reduction of Composite Spasticity Score, Achilles tendon jerks, resistance to full-range passive ankle dorsiflexion and ankle clonus were calculated using the Mann—Whitney test. Within-group statistical differences of Composite Spasticity Score, Achilles tendon jerks, resistance to full-range passive ankle dorsiflexion and ankle clonus were calculated using the Wilcoxon signed ranks test.

Results: Significant reductions were shown in Composite Spasticity Score by 29.5% (p = 0.017), resistance to full-range passive ankle dorsiflexion by 31.0% (p = 0.024) and ankle clonus by 29.6% (p = 0.023) in the TENS group but these reductions were not found in the placebo TENS group. The between-group differences of both Composite Spasticity Score and resistance to full-range passive ankle dorsiflexion were significant (p = 0.027 and p = 0.024, respectively).

Conclusion: This study showed that a single session of TENS could immediately reduce spasticity.
The place of supportive, palliative and end-of-life care research in the United Kingdom Research Assessment Exercise, 2001 and 2008
Authors: Clark David , Clark Joseph , Greenwood Anthony
Published: February 2010

We report on a study of the place of research on supportive, palliative and end-of-life care within the United Kingdom Research Assessment Exercise of 2001 and 2008. Sixty-seven Higher Education Institutions in 2001 and 66 in 2008 contributed work to the Research Assessment Exercise relevant to supportive, palliative and end-of-life care. This comprised 16 subject areas in 2001 and 25 in 2008, and was generated by 178 authors in 2001 and 176 authors in 2008. Seven ‘high-intensity groups’ of concentrated research activity were identified in 2001, and eight such groups in 2008. Between the years little growth occurred in contributions to the Research Assessment Exercise relating to supportive, palliative and end-of-life care, and the ‘high-intensity groups’ remain relatively fragile. With one exception, there is no concentration of effort in clinical studies relating to the medical aspects of supportive, palliative and end-of-life care. By 2008 there were still less than 40 university academics in the UK with major commitments to research in supportive, palliative and end-of-life care, as measured by their Research Assessment Exercise participation.
Responding to Pfiesteria piscicida (the Fish Killer)
Authors: Schrader Astrid
Published: February 2010

Based on an analysis of an ongoing scientific—political controversy over the toxicity of a fish-killing microorganism, this paper explores the relationship between responsibility and nonhuman contributions to agency in experimental practices. Research into the insidious effects of the dinoflagellates Pfiesteria piscicida (the fish killer) that thrive in waters over-enriched with nutrients, has received considerable attention by both the media and government agencies concerned with public and environmental health. After nearly two decades of research, the question of whether Pfiesteria can be regarded the ‘causative agent’ of massive fish kills in the estuaries of the US mid-Atlantic could not be scientifically settled. In contrast to policymakers, who attribute the absence of a scientific consensus to gaps in scientific knowledge and uncertainties regarding the identity and behavior of the potentially toxic dinoflagellates, I propose that an inseparable entanglement of Pfiesteria’s identities and their toxic activities challenges conventional notions of causality that seek to establish a connection between independent events in linear time. Building on Karen Barad’s framework of agential realism, I argue for a move from epistemological uncertainties to ontological indeterminacies that follow from Pfiesteria’s contributions to agency, as the condition for responsible and objective science. In tracking discrepant experimental enactments of Pfiesteria that have been mobilized as evidence for and against their toxicity, I investigate how criteria for what counts as evidence get built into the experimental apparatuses and suggest that the joint possibilities of causality and responsibility vary with the temporalities of the objects enacted. This discussion seeks to highlight a thorough entanglement of epistemic/ontological concerns with the ecological/political relevance of particular experiments. Finally, I introduce a new kind of scientific object that — borrowing from Derrida — I call phantomatic. Phantoms don’t emerge as such, but appear as traces and are associated with specific matters of concern.
Standing Out while Fitting In: Serious Leisure Identities and Aligning Actions among Skydivers and Gun Collectors
Authors: Anderson Leon , Taylor Jimmy D.
Published: February 2010

Serious leisure communities have proliferated over the past century, providing ever more opportunities for people to enact and embrace leisure-related identities. Serious leisure offers individuals resources to distinguish themselves by developing specialized knowledge, skills, and experiences. But members of serious leisure communities may also feel marginalized when they perceive themselves and their activities as misunderstood by the broader society. This article draws on data from field studies of recreational skydivers and gun collectors to examine key features of serious leisure identities created in these masculinized leisure communities. The authors then describe skydivers’ and gun collectors’ perceptions that they are stereotyped and misunderstood in the broader culture. The authors go on to examine several types of aligning actions through which members of these leisure communities endeavor, individually and collectively, to negotiate their identities, organizations, and activities within the broader society. In the process, the authors highlight interpretive strategies of significance to the study of serious leisure activities more generally.
Citizen-Centric E-Government Services: Understanding Integrated Citizen Service Information Systems
Authors: Chen Yu-Che
Published: February 2010

Advances in the networked features of information and communication technologies hold the promise of enhancing integrated citizen-centric information and services. However, few governments to date have implemented an integrated citizen service information system, which is needed to fulfill that promise. This study aims to investigate the organizational determinants of the level of integration and use of a citizen service information system. It draws from the literatures on diffusion and adoption of innovation, technology acceptance and use, information systems implementation, and information technology (IT) and public administration. The primary sources of data are from International City/County Management Association (ICMA) data on citizen service systems and Electronic government (e-government) surveys. Ordered logit is the primary data analysis technique used. The study findings suggest the importance of getting citizen feedback in the move toward a more integrated citizen service information system. Strong organizational commitment to citizen services further plays a significant role in the more sophisticated use of such a system. Overall, however, management capacity and technical capacity do not register a significant relationship with a more sophisticated and extensively used system.
Granisetron ameliorates acetic acid-induced colitis in rats
Authors: Fakhfouri Gohar , Rahimian Reza , Daneshmand Ali , Bahremand Arash , Rasouli Mohammad Reza , Dehpour Ahmad Reza , Mehr Shahram Ejtemaei , Mousavizadeh Kazem
Published: February 2010

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronically relapsing inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, of which the definite etiology remains ambiguous. Considering the adverse effects and incomplete efficacy of currently administered drugs, it is indispensable to explore new candidates with more desirable therapeutic profiles. 5-HT3receptor antagonists have shown analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties in vitro and in vivo. This study aims to investigate granisetron, a 5-HT3receptor antagonist, in acetic acid-induced rat colitis and probable involvement of 5-HT3receptors. Colitis was rendered by instillation of 1 mL of 4% acetic acid (vol/vol) and after 1 hour, granisetron (2 mg/kg), dexamethasone (1 mg/kg), meta-chlorophenylbiguanide (mCPBG, 5 mg/kg), a 5-HT3receptor agonist, or granisetron + mCPBG was given intraperitoneally. Twenty-four hours following colitis induction, animals were sacrificed and distal colons were assessed macroscopically, histologically and biochemically (malondialdehyde, myeloperoxidase, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1 beta and interleukin-6). Granisetron or dexamethasone significantly (p < .05) improved macroscopic and histologic scores, curtailed myeloperoxidase activity and diminished colonic levels of inflammatory cytokines and malondialdehyde. The protective effects of granisetron were reversed by concurrent administration of mCPBG. Our data suggests that the salutary effects of granisetron in acetic acid colitis could be mediated by 5-HT3receptors.
Calcinosis cutis and Sjögren's syndrome
Authors: Llamas-Velasco M. , Eguren C. , Santiago D. , García-García C. , Fraga J. , García-Diez A.
Published: February 2010

Cutaneous calcinosis can be classified into four types: dystrophic, metastatic, idiopathic and iatrogenic. Dystrophic calcification constitutes the most frequent variant and is associated with a large number of illnesses, among which are included some collagen diseases such as CREST syndrome, scleroderma, dermatomyositis and lupus erythematosus. We present a case of dystrophic calcinosis cutis, affecting the fingertip of a woman with a 10-year history of primary Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). She has been receiving diltiazem as a treatment for the last 15 months, resulting in the partial resolution of the lesions. We emphasize the fact that the presence of calcinosis cutis has not been described previously in patients with SS, and that diltiazem has partially improved our patient’s cutaneous lesions. Lupus (2010) 19, 762—764.
Klinefelter syndrome with systemic lupus erythematosus in an Indian man
Authors: Bertha A. , Danda S. , Tjandrajana E. , Srivastava VM , Subramanian R. , Mathew J.
Published: February 2010

Previously, cases of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Klinefelter syndrome (KS) in men have been reported in Western populations. We report the case of a 30-year-old man from southern India with known infertility who was diagnosed to have SLE and KS by fluorescence in-situ hybridization, as routine karyotype cultures failed. The diagnosis has implications in management and highlights the need for strong clinical suspicion and laboratory confirmation of KS by molecular methods when suspected in all men with SLE. Quicker, long-term remission and genetic counseling of such individuals can help in better management and coping with this chronic, potentially fatal disease. Lupus (2010) 19, 870—871.