bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Different perceptions of organizing life
Authors: Barrett John C.
Published: August 2008

The transformation between the two landscapes of Cranborne Chase, the earlier characterized by ritual and ceremonial monuments the later by an agricultural landscape, encapsulates the most significant transformation in the later prehistory of Britain. Indeed, the emergence of intensive agricultural practices which employ a wider range of crops, achieve increasing levels of crop purity, enclose and manage the land according to new patterns of territoriality, and establish long-lived nucleated settlements, is a more general feature of the European Bronze Age. It was upon this foundation that the agricultural practices of the Iron Age were embedded.
Anthropocentrism revisited
Authors: Karlsson Håkan
Published: August 2008

Before developing my comments on the Heidegger theme I would like to express my admiration for the project Julian Thomas presents in Time, culture and identity. With his point of departure in Heidegger's early reasonings, Thomas is underway on the important path of a deconstruction of the Cartesian/modern dichotomies between past-present, mind-body, nature-culture and subject-object that dominates contemporary archaeology. In short, Thomas points towards an approach, where the connection between experience-time-existence and the crucial relationship and interdependence between human being and other beings (things/artefacts), provides a powerful alternative to the traditional approaches towards these dichotomies. This alternative partly situates itself between idealism and empiricism, between subjectivism and objectivism. Thomas' project also contributes to the deconstruction of the exaggerated modern/postmodern combat that in some ways seems to have led the theoretical discourse within archaeology to a dead-end. Therefore I can only agree with the main orientation of Thomas' reasonings put forward both in his book, and in his précis of Time, culture and identity, presented in Archaeological dialogues 3.1 (Thomas 1996).
Anthropocentrism without a centre?
Authors: Thomas Julian
Published: August 2008

I am grateful to Håkan Karlsson for his thoughtful commentary on some of the issues concerning Heidegger and archaeology which were raised in a previous issue of this journal, and find myself fascinated by his project of a ‘contemplative archaeology’. However, one or two points of clarification could be made in relation to Karlsson's contribution. Firstly, as a number of authors have pointed out (e.g. Anderson 1966, 20; Olafson 1993), the gulf between Heidegger's early work and that which followed the Kehre may have been more apparent than real. While his focus may have shifted from the Being of one particular kind of being (Dasein) to a history of Being (Dreyfus 1992), the continuities in his thought are more striking. Throughout his career, Heidegger was concerned with the category of Being, and the way in which it had been passed over by the western philosophical tradition. It is important to note that in Being and time the analysis of Dasein essentially serves as an heuristic: the intention is to move from an understanding of the Being of one kind of being to that of Being in general. What complicates the issue is the very unusual structure of this specific kind of being, for Heidegger did not choose to begin his analysis with the Being of shoes or stones, but with a kind of creature which has a unique relationship with all other worldly entities. ‘Dasein’ serves as a kind of code for ‘human being’ which enables Heidegger to talk about the way in which human beings exist on earth, rather than becoming entangled in biological or psychological definitions of humanity. In this formulations, what is distinctive about human beings is that their own existence is an issue for them; Dasein cares, and this caring is fundamentally temporal.
The Politics of Ideology
Authors: Scheid John
Published: August 2008

The project presented by Ton Derks seems interesting to me, not only because he offers new data on the northern provinces and their acculturation, but particularly because in studies on the Roman world this sort of analysis is seldom done systematically. To me, his article provokes the following three remarks.
Interpreting Local and Indigenous Ritual
Authors: Millett Martin
Published: August 2008

This paper is of fundamental interest to those working on the archaeology of the Roman provinces because it moves us a considerable way forward in relating two previously disparate branches to study to one another. Until now it has been almost impossible to find serious studies which connect settlement and landscape with religion. By drawing on the impressive recent tradition of Dutch landscape archaeology within the Roman period and systematically using the extensive epigraphic evidence for religion Derks provides not only new insights into the nature of Roman provincial society but also a soundly based study which stands well beside the work of prehistorians like Bradley. Derks paper is thus of great interest and should form a model for the study of other regions. I would be particularly interested to see whether the distribution of dedications to Mars and Hercules was similarly structured in other areas, especially in Mediterranean areas.
Patterns of Names, Patterns of Places
Authors: Fleming Andrew
Published: August 2008

Among the most common questions asked by archaeologists who study past agrarian landscapes are the following:

1) How did farmers use land (in terms of the activities by which they made a living)?

2) On what basis did they claim the right to occupy and use land (in terms of territorial possession, ‘ownership’, common rights, etc)?

3) In what sequence was land occupied, and what general principles governed sequences of colonisation, ‘intensification’, and territorial sub-division?

4) To what extent were territorial patterns stable over long periods of time? How frequently did political and social action take place in the context of a relatively unchanging political geography?

5) Was there a hierarchy of places and communities, rooted in history, which influenced their relative social, political and economic power?
Relativism, objectivity and the politics of the past
Authors: Kohl Philip L.
Published: August 2008

In their jointly authored paper ‘Relativism, objectivity and the politics of the past’ which was published inArchaeological Dialogues4.2 (1997, 164–184), the ‘Lampeter Archaeology Workshop’ argued that there has been an increasing tendency for authors to characterise ‘post-processualists’ as proponents of relativism, understood as the inability to evaluate different versions of the past or present. This naive view of relativism as ‘anything goes’ (known philosophically as judgemental relativism) was rejected in favour of a more nuanced understanding of different forms of relativism and the criteria which archaeologists can and do use to evaluate versions of the past. They also discussed the relationships between epistemologies, ethics and politics in this context, and suggested that there are implications for the ways we might engage in archaeological debates. This paper was commented on by the philosopher Diederick Raven and the archaeologists Ulrich Veit and Ian Hodder inArchaeological Dialogues4.2 (1997, 185–194). Below, more comments are provided by the archaeologists Philip Kohl, Reinhard Bernbeck, Susan Pollock and John Bintliff. Finally, the Lampeter Ar
Landscapes of power in nineteenth century Ireland
Authors: Smith Angèle
Published: August 2008

The British Ordnance Survey mapping of Ireland in the nineteenth-century was an official systematic survey which created a picture document of the landscape and the past. While the maps influenced the institutionalization of archaeology, the documenting of an archaeological record on the maps shaped their look and language. Within a setting of the political contest between British colonialism and Irish nationalism, both the Ordnance Survey maps and the archaeological past they recorded became powerful tools that helped to construct Irish identity and a sense of place and heritage.
Do we need ‘masculinist’ (manly?) defenses of feminist archaeology?
Authors: Gutmann Matthew C.
Published: August 2008

There is nothing inherently new, of course, about the study of men in archaeology. For example, in his important history of the creation of modern European masculinity George Mosse (The Image of Man, Oxford, 1996) describes one objective of eighteenth-century archaeologists as entailing the rediscovery of ancient Greek sculpture. Among other things Mosse demonstrates how an ‘ideal of masculine beauty took its inspiration from Greece’ and from the Greek statues in which the male body is deified, to such an extent that ‘the noble soul of each youth manifests itself through the harmonious position of his naked body during gymnastic exercises, foreshadowing the important role that gymnastics will play in shaping modern manhood’.
Romancing the stones
Authors: Pollard Joshua , Gillings Mark
Published: August 2008

The late Neolithic monument complex at Avebury, Wiltshire, continues to elicit much curiosity and attention. However, with excavation unlikely to occur in the near future, new and non-destructive means of exploring the monument complex are required. Although a number of such investigations have been undertaken, to date no concerted effort has been made to consolidate the results within a single framework. The opening stages of such a project, involving innovative research using GIS and Virtual-Reality technologies within an explicitly theoretical interpretative agenda, are described here.
The burden of being Mycenaean
Authors: De Mita Francis A.
Published: August 2008

Van Wijngaarden offers an important and instructive attempt to re-situate the study of Bronze Age ‘imports’ away from the dominance of prestige commodity studies, using the particularly thorny example of Mycenaean ceramics. Traditional approaches, as van Wijngaarden points out, have tended to assign a uniformity of value and unchallenged prestige status to all Mycenaean imports. The reason for this reflexive recourse to prestige in the presence of Mycenaean pottery has more perhaps to do with the evolution of the discipline of archaeology in the East Mediterranean and a desire to find a precursor to the highly evolved city states of the Classical world than to any objective assessment of the objects themselves. Analytical frameworks which contextualize imports and exotica into the greater scheme of a robust and diverse material culture are critical steps in the development of the theoretical evolution of the study of the Late Bonze Age. However, van Wijngaarden's efforts also illustrate the methodological challenges encountered when isolating a single subcategory of artefact for examination. The blame lies not so much with van Wijngaarden's analysis as with the problem of what can be said to constitute value in a prehistoric context and how value, once defined, can be kept separate from other interrelated concepts.
Regionality in the study of the Ertebolle culture
Authors: Stilborg Ole
Published: August 2008

In an earlier contribution toArchaeological Dialogues(4.2), Raemaekers discussed the relationships between the Swifterbant and Ertebølle cultures of respectively the mesolithic Low Countries and southern Scandinavia, calling for a more regional approach to the study of mesolithic western Europe. In this comment, recent ceramic studies from southern Sweden are used to draw attention to regional variability in the Scandinavian Mesolithic.
A response to Stilborg's plea for regional analysis
Authors: Raemaekers Daan
Published: August 2008

Stilborg's comment on my 1997 article singles out two related subjects. The first is of a methodological nature. He states that a comparison of two ‘objects’ requires a third ‘object’ as a point of reference. In the case of my comparison of the Swifterbant and Ertebølle cultures, this point of reference is provided by the neolithic cultures to the South. His second argument is that the Ertebølle culture is not an homogenous entity, but rather comprises a series of regional groups with distinct aspects, especially in material culture. In the following response, I will discuss these two subjects.
Place, house, person
Authors: Sharples Niall
Published: August 2008

This is an interesting and important paper that argues in a reasoned and convincing manner for a new approach to an archaeology of houses. It uses as an archaeological case study the evidence from the southern Netherlands but the approach presented here has a much wider application and the results are directly relevant to a very large area of northern Europe. I originally heard this paper delivered as a lecture at a conference on settlement studies where it came amid a succession of papers debating detailed structural typologies of Iron Age long houses and others providing increasingly detailed scientific analysis of cattle byres. I had already made one abortive attempt to suggest there was a more interesting way of thinking about houses but this was most clearly demonstrated by the paper presented here.
A house built on rock? A reply to nevett, sharples and vellinga
Authors: Gerritsen Fokke
Published: August 2008

Nevett, Sharples and Vellinga have commented on my paper in a heartening and inspiring way, and I would like to thank them for their comments of agreement as well as for the points of criticism that they raise. In my reply I will attempt to engage in discussion by addressing a few of their issues. Two points of my paper that appear to have created some confusion, notably in Vellinga's comment, may be dealt with first of all. With regard to the timing of the construction of a house, I did not intend to suggest – as hopefully the diagram of figure 2 makes clear – that new houses were always built subsequent to the abandonment of an old one. In fact, in the case of wandering farmsteads I would envisage this as the exception rather than the rule. This may seem a minor point, but it has some relevance to the topic of variability that I will address below. The other point of confusion concerns the ulterior aims of the paper and the biographical approach, which Vellinga takes as explaining the long-term transformation of the settlement patterns. I would not want to claim that the notion of a cultural biography in itself has enough explanatory force in this respect, and in the introduction I described it as a way of taking a first step along the road towards a more balanced understanding. The aims of the paper were precisely that, but Vellinga certainly makes a valid point in raising the issue of explaining long-term changes, and it deserves further consideration.
Continuities: Essentialist or Sensory?
Authors: Sutton David
Published: August 2008

Hamilakis and Yalouri make an important contribution to the recent growth in studies of Greek nationalism, which is part of a more general trend in history, anthropology and related disciplines to analyse nationalism as a cultural phenomenon, and the politics of ‘invented traditions’. By focusing on the sacralisation of archaeological remains, they add an important piece to the general picture of the uses of the past in modern Greece. While doing this they make their argument relevant to those authors looking at the power of objects and material remains to serve as sites for memory and historical consciousness, objects and/or rituals whose function is to ‘recall the past without enumerating it’ (Rappaport 1994: 76). In particular, archaeological remains resemble those ‘inalienable possessions’ which because of their power to symbolise continuity with ancestors, are withdrawn from the circuits of gift and commodity exchange (Weiner 1992). Objects from the past, much as we may attempt to preserve them behind glass cases in museums, have a ‘social life’ and are deployed in struggles for power and ideological legitimacy in the present. Given the sacred or ‘religious’ character that archaeological remains play in the Greek national narrative, Hamilakis and Yalouri sensibly argue that archaeologists, like historians and other scholars, must see their work as necessarily political. We cannot escape into objectivity; studies of the past are always in some way also reflections of the values of the present and the future. The authors rightly point to the hegemonic status of the ancient past in contemporary Greece. As I discovered during my research into historical consciousness on the island of Kalymnos, Kalymnians of radically different religious and political persuasions were united in the view that History should be read for what it revealed about the continuity in character of peoples and nations. Like archaeology, the narrative of Greek nationalism dominated written history on Kalymnos. Popular memories which conflicted with this narrative — for example, of women-led collective action — could still be found, but had none of the social capital to compete with ‘official history’, as written by an educated elite (see Doumanis 1997; Sutton 1998; 1999).
Of acts and words
Authors: Alexandri Alexandra
Published: August 2008

‘Sacralising the past: cults of archaeology in modern Greece’ appears within the framework of recent discussions on archaeology and nationalism and attempts to produce a reflexive and sophisticated analysis of the construction of nationalist discourses, both at the level of state and on an individual basis. Along these lines, Hamilakis and Yalouri argue that attitudes toward classical antiquity in modern Greece constitute what they term a form of ‘secular religion’ which presents distinct affinities with Orthodoxy. In constructing their argument the authors combine a number of analytical domains and touch upon a multitude of issues, all of which merit extensive discussion. However, the main point of their thesis concerns the relationship between the classical past and Greek Orthodox religion, a link forged during the creation of the modern Greek state. According to the authors, apart from being at the roots of nationalist state discourse, this link has also been a persistent, even dominant, feature in the popular perception of classical heritage.
‘Reflexiveness’ in archaeology, nationalism, and Europeanism
Authors: Gramsch Alexander
Published: August 2008

‘Reflexiveness’ is a term used for the growth of discussions in archaeology on its history, epistemology, and social relevance. While much of this reflecting refers to the relation of archaeology and nationalism, leading to insights into the politicisation of archaeological research and presentation to the public and the use of the past for ideological purposes, still we can witness many parallels to the use of prehistory for the creation of a European identity. After briefly commenting on discussions on different nationalisms and national and cultural identity, I will present a short history of ideas of Europe, followed by a consideration of two examples of the attempt to create the lacking founding myth of post-cold-war Europe. In the end, it is argued that a ‘Reflexive Theory’ should necessarily replace current rather politically motivated ‘reflexiveness’ and is needed to examine critically the Europeanist notion of European archaeology.
Talking About Readings of the Past: A Delusive Debate
Authors: Kaeser Marc-Antoine
Published: August 2008

I would like to begin by saluting these two different but complementary contributions. Compared to the many works, sometimes questionable and often redundant, published in this field, not only are they convincing, but above all, they truly bring something new.
Structure, diversity and context in neolithic ritual practice: A reply to Stuart Campbell and Jonathan Last
Authors: Verhoeven Marc
Published: August 2008

I am most grateful for the critical, yet on the whole positive and inspiring reactions of Stuart Campbell and Jonathan Last, who offer ample opportunities for an archaeological dialogue. Besides specific questions, they raise a number of important issues which have a general theoretical significance. Last, moreover, presents some new and most interesting data on horned objects from Çatalhöyük West, whereas Campbell comes up with some additional and intriguing examples of the relations between death, fire and abandonment in the late Neolithic of the Near East. In my reply I wish to start with the specific issues before I move on to more general topics.
Museum History, Museum Theory: A Reply
Authors: Bernbeck Reinhard
Published: August 2008

I thank the commentators for their thoughtful and constructive critiques of my paper. They have led me to reconsider some substantial issues. In my reply, I will address five major themes around which the comments are centred: the question of historical detail; the development of German philhellenism; national identity and politics of culture; commodification and museological work; and finally the idea of museums as institutions ‘for the people’.
Grateful prey and animal sign
Authors: Verpoorte Alexander
Published: August 2008

This paper reflects on the recent flourishing of the interdisciplinary study of food. Central is the notion that food forms a meeting-place for nature and culture, thereby overcoming this cartesian dichotomy. The paper starts from a discussion of the work of the French anthropologist P. Descola.
Byzantine garlic and Turkish delight
Authors: Vroom Joanita
Published: August 2008

On the basis of the Post-Roman surface finds from the Boeotia Survey in central Greece, the use and social meaning of glazed vessels as table utensils from Byzantine to Ottoman times (ca. 10th–19th centuries A.D.) will be discussed, as well as the cultural changes in dining manners in that period. It is the intention of this paper to approach this evolution of “wining and dining” habits in an interdisciplinary perspective, in which archaeological data, textual sources and iconographical information will be combined.
Rural settlement in the Age of Reason
Authors: Dalglish Chris
Published: August 2008

This paper discusses the project of an archaeology of capitalism through a case study situated in the southern Scottish Highlands. It is argued that archaeology as a discipline has a significant contribution to make to discussions of the emergence and development of the social relations of capitalism. This is because archaeology has as one of its main concerns mundane social practice or routine. Changes in everyday routine and the associated material environment made the ideological aspects of capitalism, focusing on the individual and private property, conceivable for some. These changes to the everyday environment were instigated by the landlords, inspired by enlightenment thought, in order to secure their ownership of certain estates as private property, which had been in dispute under the clan system. Response of the rural population to Improvement was varied and their continuing relationship with their landlord evolved with reference to certain key structuring dispositions. The essential issue for the farming population was land rights. The major conclusion of this paper as concerns archaeologies of capitalism is that we must distinguish betweencapitalism(an ideology of the individual made knowable in routine practice) andcapitalist societies(those societies where capitalism is widespread but not necessarily universal). This allows consideration of varied experience of and interaction with capitalism in the past.
Linking Local to Global: An Integrated Archaeology of Capitalism
Authors: Kealhofer Lisa
Published: August 2008

Dalglish's paper raises several interesting issues, both methodological and theoretical. At the heart of this paper is the proposition that archaeology can contribute to our understanding of capitalism, because local landscape studies (by archaeologists) provide us with a more informed view of the common people and the disenfranchised, and their ‘mundane daily existence’ (as a rationale for historical archaeology in general see Falk 1991). Dalglish argues the need to analytically separate capitalism (an ideology of the individual knowable from routine) from capitalist societies, where capitalist values are not uniformly embedded. Variability in local responses to capitalism is important to understanding regional processes of change over the last few hundred years. Few historical archaeologists would quibble with this.
Archaeologies of Capitalism. Theory, Method and the Reconsideration of the Scottish Highlands
Authors: Dalglish Chris
Published: August 2008

A lot of the comments deal with things I did not consider, as much as with those I did. As will become clear below, I am in agreement with many of the issues raised and think some of them provide significant avenues of enquiry. In general, this reply, perhaps more than it is a defence of what I did say, is an agreement that the various issues raised should inform future research on the Highlands in the recent past. I feel the discussion has been positive in this respect and thank the various contributors for that.
Batavians and Romans on the Lower Rhine
Authors: Slofstra Jan
Published: August 2008

This paper is a plea for the rehabilitation of the concept of Romanisation in the discussion about socio-cultural change resulting from the confrontation of (proto-)historical peoples with Roman power and an often dominant Roman culture. In the theoretical introduction, first of all an attempt is made to identify the social mechanisms of Romanisation; this is followed by a discussion on a model of dimensional analysis attuned to the dynamics of specific processes of Romanisation.

The major part of the article is devoted to an outline of the Romanisation process in the northern frontier zone of the Roman Empire, the Lower Rhine region. It focuses on the political and cultural interaction between the Batavian tribe living here and the Romans in the period between the Gallic war and the 3rd century A.D. The paper attempts to explain the differences between the process of Romanisation in the central part of Gaul (‘Interior Gaul’ in Greg Woolf's terminology) which had already been ‘civilised’ early on and the military frontier, where tribal traditions still continued to play an important part, certainly until the Batavian revolt of 69/70 A.D.
Time and Space
Authors: Christol Michel
Published: August 2008

G. Woolf argues that the transformation of the aristocracies of Interior Gaul was not so much caused by the conquest itself as by the fact that from that point in time these aristocracies became involved in the transformations of Roman society following the introduction of the Principate and other subsequent changes in Roman politics (novel ways of elite competition and gainingpopularitas). Tacitus discusses these developments at length. In addition, this process took place in a provincial area where outside interference was rare.
Comment on Greg Woolf's ‘Generations of aristocracy’ and Jan Slofstra's ‘Batavians and Romans’
Authors: Creighton John
Published: August 2008

Both Greg Woolf and Jan Slofstra have written articles that consider the theoretical agendas of archaeologists constructing narratives of the early Roman period. Then, both go on to construct their own narratives of change in two contiguous, but rather different areas of temperate Europe. In general I find the first part of their narratives as constructed more theoretically in harmony than their discourse on theory would suggest. I would like to pick up on three themes which I felt cross both papers: first on the nature of memory and kingship; secondly on the issue of Romanisation; and finally on the development of rural settlement or ‘villas’.
The invention of hunter-gatherers in seventeenth-century Europe
Authors: Pluciennik Mark
Published: August 2008

Why do we still speak of foragers and farmers? The division of societies into categories including ‘savage’ hunter-gatherers and ‘civilised’ farmers has its roots in seventeenth-century northwestern Europe, but has implications for archaeologists and anthropologists today. Such concepts still provide the frameworks for much intellectual labour including university courses, academic conferences and publications, as well as providing the basis for moral and political evaluations of contemporary societies and practices for a wide range of people, from governments to development agencies, ‘alternative’ archaeologies and parts of the Green movement. This paper examines some of the currents which contributed towards their establishment, and argues that writing ‘across’ such deep-seated categories may be the only way to challenge their hegemony and develop new questions. As an example recent trends in data and interpretation of the ‘mesolithic-neolithic transition’ in western Europe are discussed.
on The Invention of Hunter-Gatherers in Seventeenth Century Europe
Authors: Van de Velde Pieter
Published: August 2008

Although the title of Pluciennik's essay refers to hunter-gatherers, his description of thegenealogyof that concept hardly mentions them in these terms; rather, seventeenth and eighteenth century European perceptions of non-peasant pursuits and primitive societies are discussed. Certainly, the labels themselves are unimportant, it is their meaning that matters, in this case the Image of the Other. Pluciennik avoids the noble savage strand of European thinking, and instead emphasises the primitive, un-civilized counterstrand. He must have had a great time in the amassing of seventeenth century quotes on the forests and wildernesses and their most profitable use in the eyes of European merchants and their grooms. Yet most of this ground has been covered previously with a balanced account of especially thenobleand theprimitiveaspects in Adam Kuper's 1988 essay subtitledThe transformation of an illusionwith a title almost identical to that of the present paper:The invention of primitive society.
A Siege Mentality at Lampeter? Let Ludwig in - He's a Friend
Authors: Bintliff John
Published: August 2008

Reading the ‘Lampeter Manifesto’ did rather conjure up a picture of a small huddle of Post-Processualists (I don't know the collective term, but ‘in the trade’ adherents of the wider movement to which their approaches belong - Postmodernists - are known as ‘Pomos’), gathered in a seminar room in the remote fastness of Lampeter University, nervously eyeing the horizon for rabid positivists and other Neanderthals on the intellectual rampage, while engaged in a process of mutual encouragement (‘consciousness-raising’?) for their chosen position within Archaeological Theory.
Adipositas: Aktueller Stellenwert der Ernährungstherapie
Authors: Bischoff St. C.
Published: August 2008

Adipositas ist definiert als eine pathologische Fettvermehrung, die mit einer Gesundheitsgefährdung einhergeht. Therapieindikation besteht, wenn ein Body-Mass-Index von mehr als 30 kg/m² bzw. Folgeerkrankungen vorliegen. Wenn eine Reduktion des Körpergewichts von mindestens 20% angestrebt wird, kann dies mit konservativen Massnahmen praktisch nur mittels «Very low calorie diet» erreicht werden. Dies kann am einfachsten mittels einer dreimonatigen Formuladiät realisiert werden, deren Wirkung belegt ist, sofern sie im Rahmen einer «Basistherapie» über 6–12 Monate stattfindet, die den Lebensstil beeinflusst. Die Basistherapie umfasst neben diätetischen Massnahmen Verhaltenstherapie, Bewegungstherapie und medizinische Betreuung. Dabei ist die initiale Formuladiät als Anfangshilfe zu verstehen, ähnlich wie auch Medikamente oder ein Magenband, wobei vergleichende Studien zu den drei Verfahren nicht vorliegen.
Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor-1 is Essential for LPS-Induced Sensitization and Tolerance to Oxygen—Glucose Deprivation in Murine Neonatal Organotypic Hippocampal Slices
Authors: Markus Tina , Cronberg Tobias , Cilio Corrado , Pronk Cornelis , Wieloch Tadeusz , Ley David
Published: August 2008

Inflammation and ischemia have a synergistic damaging effect in the immature brain. The role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptors 1 and 2 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sensitization and tolerance to oxygen—glucose deprivation (OGD) was evaluated in neonatal murine hippocampal organotypic slices. Hippocampal slices from balb/c, C57BL/6 TNFR1−/-, TNFR2−/-, and wild-type (WT) mice obtained at P6 were grown in vitro for 9 days. Preexposure to LPS immediately before OGD increased propidium iodide-determined cell death in regions CA1, CA3, and dentate gyrus from 4 up to 48 h after OGD ( P < 0.001). Extending the time interval between LPS exposure and OGD to 72 h resulted in tolerance, that is reduced neuronal cell death after OGD ( P < 0.05). Slices from TNFR1−/- mice showed neither LPS-induced sensitization nor LPS-induced tolerance to OGD, whereas both effects were present in slices from TNFR2−/- and WT mice. Cytokine secretion (TNFα and interleukin-6) during LPS exposure was decreased in TNFR1−/- slices and increased in TNFR2−/- as compared with WT slices. We conclude that LPS induces sensitization or tolerance to OGD depending on the time interval between exposure to LPS and OGD in murine hippocampal slice cultures. Both paradigms are dependent on signaling through TNFR1.
Neuregulin-1 Signaling in Brain Endothelial Cells
Authors: Lok Josephine , Sardi S Pablo , Guo Shuzhen , Besancon Elaine , Ha Duy M , Rosell Anna , Kim Woo Jean , Corfas Gabriel , Lo Eng H
Published: August 2008

Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) signaling has multiple functions in neurons and glia. The data in this study show that NRG1 may also possess significant signaling and cytoprotective properties in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs). Neuregulin-1 mRNA and protein expression are present in these cells, and NRG1 receptors erbB2 and erbB3 are phosphorylated in response to NRG1. Neuregulin-1 triggers clear biologic responses in BMECs—elevated phospho-Akt levels, increased ring formation in a Matrigel assay, and decreased cell death after oxidative injury with H2O2. These data suggest that NRG1 signaling is functional and cytoprotective in BMECs.
C3a Receptor Antagonist Attenuates Brain Injury after Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Authors: Rynkowski Michal A , Kim Grace H , Garrett Matthew C , Zacharia Brad E , Otten Marc L , Sosunov Sergei A , Komotar Ricardo J , Hassid Benjamin G , Ducruet Andrew F , Lambris John D , Connolly E Sander
Published: August 2008

Neuroprotective therapy targeting the complement cascade may reduce injury associated with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We investigated the role of C3a-receptor antagonist (C3aRA) after ICH in mice. Autologous whole blood was infused into the right striatum of mice that were treated with C3aRA or vehicle, using both a pre- and postinjury dosing regimen. Hematoma volume, brain water content, and inflammatory cell profile were assessed at 72 h post-ICH. Neurologic dysfunction was assessed by evaluating both spatial memory and sensorimotor capacity. Animals pretreated with C3aRA showed significantly improved neurologic function, brain water content, and granulocyte infiltration relative to vehicle-treated animals when assessed at 72 h. There was no significant difference in hemorrhagic/nonhemorrhagic ratio of microglial activation among all groups. Hematoma volumes were also not significantly different between C3aRA-treated and vehicle-treated animals. Administration of C3aRA beginning 6 h postinjury afforded significant amelioration of neurologic dysfunction as well as a reduction in brain water content. Treatment with C3aRA improved neurologic outcome while reducing inflammatory cell infiltration and brain edema formation after experimental ICH in mice. Results of this study suggest that the C3a receptor may be a promising target for therapeutic intervention in hemorrhagic stroke.
The Role of Animal Models in Evaluating Reasonable Safety and Efficacy for Human Trials of Cell-Based Interventions for Neurologic Conditions
Authors: Regenberg Alan , Mathews Debra JH , Blass David M , Bok Hilary , Coyle Joseph T , Duggan Patrick , Faden Ruth , Finkel Julia , Gearhart John D , Hillis Argye , Hoke Ahmet , Johnson Richard , Johnston Michael , Kahn Jeffrey , Kerr Douglas , King Patricia , Kurtzberg Joanne , Liao S Matthew , McDonald John W , McKhann Guy , Nelson Karin B , Rao Mahendra , Siegel Andrew W , Smith Kirby , Solter Davor , Song Hongjun , Sugarman Jeremy , Vescovi Angelo , Young Wise , Greely Henry T , Traystman Richard J
Published: August 2008

Progress in regenerative medicine seems likely to produce new treatments for neurologic conditions that use human cells as therapeutic agents; at least one trial for such an intervention is already under way. The development of cell-based interventions for neurologic conditions (CBI-NCs) will likely include preclinical studies using animals as models for humans with conditions of interest. This paper explores predictive validity challenges and the proper role for animal models in developing CBI-NCs. In spite of limitations, animal models are and will remain an essential tool for gathering data in advance of first-in-human clinical trials. The goal of this paper is to provide a realistic lens for viewing the role of animal models in the context of CBI-NCs and to provide recommendations for moving forward through this challenging terrain.
A network-based signaling mechanism of cancer development and progression
Authors: Wang Edwin
Published: August 2008

We conducted a comprehensive analysis of a manually curated human signaling network containing 1634 nodes and 5089 signaling regulatory relations by integrating cancer-associated genetically and epigenetically altered genes. We find that cancer mutating genes are enriched in positive signaling regulatory loops, whereas the cancer-associated methylating genes are enriched in negative signaling regulatory loops. We further characterized an overall picture of the cancer-signaling architectural and functional organization. From the network, we extracted an oncogene-signaling map, which contains 326 nodes, 892 links and the interconnections of mutated and methylated genes. The map can be decomposed into 12 topological regions or oncogene-signaling blocks, including a few ‘oncogenic-signaling-addictive blocks' in which frequently used oncogenic signaling events are enriched.Large scale sequencing of cancer genomes has shown that there is a lot of diversity and little overlap in terms of the different types of mutated genes. This diversity is seen among different types of tumours and even between tumours that originate from the same tissue. Despite the complexity of these mutations, the cancer signalling map allows them to be divided into a few common signaling modules and therefore uncovers the underlying logic of cancer signaling. Both common and tumor-type specific signaling modules are observed. The common module contains genes that are frequently mutated in most tumors regardless of tumor-type. However, the common module is generally not sufficient for tumorigenesis, because mutations of the genes in the common module are frequently accompanied by mutations in one or two other signaling modules. Different tumor types appear to achieve tumorigenesis via distinct mechanisms, i.e., through collaboration between different signaling modules. Taking a systems-biology approach, the researchers present a network view of molecular mechanisms of cancer signaling that will shape our understanding of fundamental tumor cell biology.
Regulation of gene expression in the nervous system
Authors: Ooi Lezanne , Wood Ian C.
Published: August 2008

The nervous system contains a multitude of cell types which are specified during development by cascades of transcription factors acting combinatorially. Some of these transcription factors are only active during development, whereas others continue to function in the mature nervous system to maintain appropriate gene-expression patterns in differentiated cells. Underpinning the function of the nervous system is its plasticity in response to external stimuli, and many transcription factors are involved in regulating gene expression in response to neuronal activity, allowing us to learn, remember and make complex decisions. Here we review some of the recent findings that have uncovered the molecular mechanisms that underpin the control of gene regulatory networks within the nervous system. We highlight some recent insights into the gene-regulatory circuits in the development and differentiation of cells within the nervous system and discuss some of the mechanisms by which synaptic transmission influences transcription-factor activity in the mature nervous system. Mutations in genes that are important in epigenetic regulation (by influencing DNA methylation and post-translational histone modifications) have long been associated with neuronal disorders in humans such as Rett syndrome, Huntington's disease and some forms of mental retardation, and recent work has focused on unravelling their mechanisms of action. Finally, the discovery of microRNAs has produced a paradigm shift in gene expression, and we provide some examples and discuss the contribution of microRNAs to maintaining dynamic gene regulatory networks in the brain.
The Detection and Monitoring of Comprehension Errors by Preschool Children With and Without Language Impairment
Authors: Skarakis-Doyle Elizabeth , Dempsey Lynn
Published: August 2008

Purpose

In this study, the authors examined emerging comprehension monitoring, including error detection, evaluation, and correction within the context of story understanding in preschool children with and without language impairment.

Method

Thirty-seven children between the ages of 30 and 61 months completed an online comprehension monitoring task. There were 3 groups: 10 children with language impairment, 13 typically developing children who were matched for age, and 14 typically developing children who were matched for receptive vocabulary.

Results

Analyses of variance revealed that children with language impairment attained significantly lower scores on the comprehension monitoring task than both age-matched and language-matched groups.

Conclusion

The skills underlying successful comprehension monitoring that may be affected in young children with language impairment are discussed.
Microwave experiments in He II. New features of undamped superfluid flows
Authors: Rybalko A. S. , Rubets S. P. , Rudavskiĭ É. Ya. , Tikhiĭ V. A. , Tarapov S. I. , Golovashchenko R. V. , Derkach V. N.
Published: August 2008

The stability and oscillatory properties of superfluid ring flow arising around the cylindrical surface of a disk-shaped dielectric resonator immersed in liquid helium are studied experimentally. The velocity of superfluid flow is controlled with special heat guns, placed in He II and generating counterflows of the normal and superfluid components, directed along the tangent to the cylindrical surface of the resonator. In the experiment the amplitude of the microwave signal passing through the resonator is measured and the effect of the phase and dynamic states of the liquid on the signal amplitude is studied. It is found that periodic oscillations of the signal are observed in the He II state, and each period starts with a sharp spike of the amplitude. It is proposed that this behavior signifies instability of superfluid ring flow due to a change in the number of circulation quanta of the superfluid velocity over a very short time. Another effect is due to the appearance of new periodically repeating resonance peaks, together with the ordinary whispering gallery modes, in the system. The effect is absent above λ point and is attributed to characteristic oscillatory modes of the undamped superfluid flow. Possible reasons for the observed features are analyzed.
Creep and depinning of vortices in a nontwinned YBa2Cu3O6.87 single crystal
Authors: Bondarenko A. V. , Zavgorodniy A. A. , Lotnik D. A. , Obolenskii M. A. , Vovk R. V. , Biletskiy Y.
Published: August 2008

We present the results of a transport study of vortex dynamics in YBa2Cu3O6.87 crystals in magnetic field H∥c. At low magnetic fields, H<4kOe, the measurements were performed in the range of vortex velocities v=10−4–2m∕s, which covers the thermal creep and flux flow modes. The pinning force Fp depends nonmonotonically on magnetic field in both modes, though the low-field minimum in the Fp(H) curve shifts to higher fields with increasing velocity v, which is interpreted as partial ordering of the vortex lattice. The increase of the pinning force Fp with increasing field, which is observed in the flux flow mode in fields H⩾3kOe, is interpreted by the presence of finite transverse barriers. The barriers result in preserving the entangled vortex solid phase for the above-barrier vortex motion along the action of the Lorentz force. We also show that field variation of the depinning current has a single maximum, while the field variation of the pinning force in the deep creep mode has two maxima. The appearance of two maxima is associated with nonmonotonic field variation of the activation energy Upl, which corresponds to plastic vortex creep mediated by the motion of dislocations.
Nutational two-dimensional structures in magnets
Authors: Borisov A. B. , Rybakov F. N.
Published: August 2008

New types of magnetic structures in the Heisenberg model are found. Analytical methods are used to describe spiral structures, spiral vortex structures, and their interaction. Methods for obtaining these structures in real systems, including nanomagnets, are discussed.
Interaction of discrete breathers with thermal fluctuations
Authors: Eleftheriou M. , Flach S.
Published: August 2008

Discrete breathers (DBs) are time-periodic and spatially localized lattice excitations, which can be linearly stable or unstable with respect to either localized or extended perturbations. We analyze the interaction of DBs with a thermalized background of small-amplitude lattice excitations in a one-dimensional lattice of Morse oscillators with nearest-neighbor interaction. We find that stable DBs are barely influenced by the thermal noise. Unstable DBs are starting to propagate through the lattice, without losing their localization character. The instability can be due to localized perturbations as well as to extended perturbations. We discuss these observations in terms of resonances of DBs with localized and delocalized perturbations, and relate them to the issue of DB impact on the statistical properties of nonlinear lattices.
On phase, action, and canonical conservation laws in kinematic-wave theory
Authors: Maugin G. A.
Published: August 2008

Canonical equations of energy and momentum are constructed in the kinematic-wave theory of waves in a continuum. This is done in analogy with what is achieved in nonlinear continuum mechanics. The starting point is a generalized balance of wave action. The standard formulas are recovered when the system follows from the averaged-Lagrangian variational formulation of Whitham.
Switching phenomena in magnetic vortex dynamics
Authors: Gaididei Y. B. , Kravchuk V. P. , Sheka D. D. , Mertens F. G.
Published: August 2008

A magnetic nanoparticle in a vortex state is a promising candidate for information storage. One bit of information corresponds to the upward or downward magnetization of the vortex core (vortex polarity). The generic properties of the vortex polarity switching are insensitive to the way that the vortex dynamics has been excited: by an ac magnetic field, or by an electrical current. We study theoretically the switching process and describe in detail its mechanism, which involves the creation and annihilation of an intermediate vortex-antivortex pair.