bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Plots: Space, Conspiracy, and Contingency in William Gibson's Pattern Recognition and Spook Country
Authors: Kneale James
Published: February 2011

The author William Gibson is clearly interested in space. However, as a novelist rather than a geographer, Gibson is interested in two kinds of plots: with locations but also with stories. His novels bring these two forms of ‘plot’ together: his narratives essentially involve the location and tracking of missing people and objects though space, as well as complex conspiracies; in his most recent novels— Pattern Recognition and Spook Country—these plots are set in motion by, or become tangled up with, members of security and intelligence services. They therefore seem like perfect examples of post-9/11 popular geopolitical texts. However, these concerns predate 9/11 by many years, and Gibson's plots are driven as much by contingency as conspiracy. As a consequence of this, unforeseen circumstances and the apparently coincidental meeting of characters both play an important role in the narratives. These geographies of conspiracy and coincidence are explored to suggest that, if Gibson is something of a ‘contingency theorist’, then it is partly because of the way he thinks and writes about space.
Hollywood and the ‘War on Terror’: Genre-Geopolitics and ‘Jacksonianism’ in The Kingdom
Authors: Carter Sean , Dodds Klaus
Published: February 2011

This paper explores the popular geopolitics of Hollywood cinema in the years since the terror attacks on New York City and Washington, DC, on September 11, 2001. During this time there has been a surprisingly varied and wide-ranging output of mainstream US movies that take either 9/11, or the consequential ‘war on terror’, as their primary context. We look at one such film in particular, the 2007 film The Kingdom, directed by Peter Berg. Set in Saudi Arabia, the film centres around an FBI-led investigation into a terrorist attack on an American civilian compound. In discussing the narrative and discursive elements of the film, and their relationship to the geopolitics of the war on terror, we also seek to build on recent conceptual developments in popular geopolitics. In particular, we argue that a greater recognition and understanding of the visuality of the geopolitics of film is required. We do this in two main ways. First, we suggest that attention needs to be paid to how images in films are put together. Here we use the notion of montage to show how film produces imaginative maps of connectivity, which in this context bear relation to the production of a series of ‘extraterritorialities’ in the war on terror. Second, we contend that greater attention to the notion of genre (in this case the action-thriller) can provide productive forms of analysis. More specifically, we argue that the action-thriller genre has certain political tendencies, especially towards what has been termed Jacksonianism.
What Stories We Tell When We Talk about Torture: Mapping the Geopolitics of Compassion and the Post-Abu-Ghraib National Family in 24: Redemption and Rendition
Authors: Walsh Rachel
Published: February 2011

This paper constellates two post-Abu-Ghraib cinematic texts, John Cassar's 24: Redemption (2008) and Gavin Hood's Rendition (2007), and examines how they manage national anxieties of shame and complicity through geopolitically determined displays of compassion. Collectively, these films depict good white citizens of the world who reconcile the disillusioned viewer to the national family by feeling for racialized subjects in pain. Scrutinizing the familial aesthetics that structure both texts, I consider what normative conditions must first be met in order for the racialized subject to be included in the national family and, more expansively, the human family on which the prohibitions against torture are predicated. Following Judith Butler's argument in Frames of War that ‘the human’ is a norm that can be enunciated or silenced, I map the selective admission of scenes of suffering into the ethico-political visual horizon of the US and argue that their admission or emergence assuages the shame of the post-Abu-Ghraib viewer while obfuscating the US's war crimes.
Crosstalk between O-GlcNAcylation and proteolytic cleavage regulates the host cell factor-1 maturation pathway
Authors: Daou Salima , Mashtalir Nazar , Hammond-Martel Ian , Pak Helen , Yu Helen , Sui Guangchao , Vogel Jodi L. , Kristie Thomas M. , Affar El Bachir
Published: February 2011

Host Cell Factor 1 (HCF-1) plays critical roles in regulating gene expression in a plethora of physiological processes. HCF-1 is first synthesized as a precursor, and subsequently specifically proteolytically cleaved within a large middle region termed the proteolytic processing domain (PPD). Although the underlying mechanism remains enigmatic, proteolysis of HCF-1 regulates its transcriptional activity and is important for cell cycle progression. Here we report that HCF-1 proteolysis is a regulated process. We demonstrate that a large proportion of the signaling enzyme O-linked-N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase (OGT) is complexed with HCF-1 and this interaction is essential for HCF-1 cleavage. Moreover, HCF-1 is, in turn, required for stabilizing OGT in the nucleus. We provide evidence indicating that OGT regulates HCF-1 cleavage via interaction with and O-GlcNAcylation of the HCF-1 PPD. In contrast, although OGT also interacts with the basic domain in the HCF-1 amino-terminal subunit, neither the interaction nor the O-GlcNAcylation of this region are required for proteolysis. Moreover, we show that OGT-mediated modulation of HCF-1 impacts the expression of the herpes simplex virus immediate-early genes, targets of HCF-1 during the initiation of viral infection. Together the data indicate that O-GlcNAcylation of HCF-1 is a signal for its proteolytic processing and reveal a unique crosstalk between these posttranslational modifications. Additionally, interactions of OGT with multiple HCF-1 domains may indicate that OGT has several functions in association with HCF-1.
Primary cilia dynamics instruct tissue patterning and repair of corneal endothelium
Authors: Blitzer Andrea L. , Panagis Lampros , Gusella G. Luca , Danias John , Mlodzik Marek , Iomini Carlo
Published: February 2011

Primary cilia are required for several signaling pathways, but their function in cellular morphogenesis is poorly understood. Here we show that emergence of an hexagonal cellular pattern during development of the corneal endothelium (CE), a monolayer of neural crest-derived cells that maintains corneal transparency, depends on a precise temporal control of assembly of primary cilia that subsequently disassemble in adult corneal endothelial cells (CECs). However, cilia reassembly occurs rapidly in response to an in vivo mechanical injury and precedes basal body polarization and cellular elongation in mature CECs neighboring the wound. In contrast, CE from hypomorphic
IFT88
mutants (

Tg737
orpk

) or following in vivo lentiviral-mediated IFT88 knockdown display dysfunctional cilia and show disorganized patterning, mislocalization of junctional markers, and accumulation of cytoplasmic acetylated tubulin. Our results indicate an active role of cilia in orchestrating coordinated morphogenesis of CECs during development and repair and define the murine CE as a powerful in vivo system to study ciliary-based cellular dynamics.
The electromagnetic response of different metamaterial structures
Authors: Vu Dinh Lam , Pham Van Tuong , Do Thanh Viet , Nguyen Thanh Tung , Vu Tran Thanh Thuy , Le Van Hong , Lee Young Pak
Published: February 2011

This report investigates systematically the effect of structural parameters on the left-handed behavior of a combined structure. The combined structure consists of a ‘cut-wire pair’, providing a negative magnetic permeability μ<0, and a ‘continuous wire’, yielding a negative electric permittivity ε<0. The left-handed metamaterials were designed, fabricated and measured in the microwave-frequency regime. It was found that the width of the continuous wire as well as the distance between the substructures play an important role in determining whether negative refractive properties (in other words, left-handed behavior) are obtained or not. Additionally, we studied the influence of the lattice constant on the electromagnetic response of the combined structure. The actual measurements are compared with numerical simulation values to show good coincidence. Finally, we designed and simulated an electromagnetic absorber made of metamaterials. It is expected that this work will allow us to optimize appropriate characteristic parameters even without avoiding trial and error fabrications.
Broad-scale climate influences on cod (Gadus morhua) recruitment on Georges Bank
Authors: Gröger Joachim P. , Fogarty Michael J.
Published: February 2011

Gröger, J. P., and Fogarty, M. J. 2011. Broad-scale climate influences on cod (Gadus morhua) recruitment on Georges Bank. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: . Climatic influences on Georges Bank cod recruitment were investigated using the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) as an index of atmospheric variability and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) as an index of sea surface temperature. A quantitative approach based on a simple Cushing-type stock–recruitment model was developed and extended to include climate influences using the technique of generalized transfer functions (ARIMAX modelling). This allowed the autoregressive nature of the interacting exogenous and endogenous processes to be taken into account. Based on two information criteria, the resulting best transfer function contains winter NAO with a lag of 3 years, annual AMO with a lag of 1 year (both as exogenous climate factors), loge(spawning-stock biomass) as a structural model component, plus two autoregressive parameters. The model is characterized by the smallest information criteria, 92% of explained recruitment variation (vs. 55% from the simple Cushing-type model), excellent forecasting behaviour, and all model assumptions being fulfilled. It is proposed that the model's recruitment hindcasts (ex post forecasts) and forecasts be incorporated into stock and risk assessments as well as management strategy evaluations, either as a climate-induced recruitment index for projections or as real forecasts to establish sustainable cod fisheries on Georges Bank conditioned by climate as a forcing factor.
Variability of neural activation during walking in humans: short heels and big calves
Authors: Ahn A. N. , Kang J. K. , Quitt M. A. , Davidson B. C. , Nguyen C. T.
Published: February 2011

People come in different shapes and sizes. In particular, calf muscle size in humans varies considerably. One possible cause for the different shapes of calf muscles is the inherent difference in neural signals sent to these muscles during walking. In sedentary adults, the variability in neural control of the calf muscles was examined with muscle size, walking kinematics and limb morphometrics. Half the subjects walked while activating their medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscles more strongly than their lateral gastrocnemius (LG) muscles during most walking speeds (‘MG-biased’). The other subjects walked while activating their MG and LG muscles nearly equally (‘unbiased’). Those who walked with an MG-biased recruitment pattern also had thicker MG muscles and shorter heel lengths, or MG muscle moment arms, than unbiased walkers, but were similar in height, weight, lower limb length, foot length, and exhibited similar walking kinematics. The relatively less plastic skeletal system may drive calf muscle size and motor recruitment patterns of walking in humans.
Parental age difference, educationally assortative mating and offspring count: evidence from a contemporary population in Taiwan
Authors: Tsou Meng-Wen , Liu Jin-Tan , Hammitt James K.
Published: February 2011

Using contemporary population data from Taiwan, we examine the relationships between parental age difference, educationally assortative mating, income and offspring count. Controlling for women's reproductive value (measured by age at first birth), we find that an older husband is associated with fewer offspring, whereas a husband with similar or higher education is associated with more offspring. Concerning resources, we find that women's income is negatively associated with fertility and husband's income is positively associated with fertility among highly educated women. These results are consistent with the view that women compensate for trade-offs between education, income generation and childbearing by seeking mates with a higher status.
On the two-dimensional sloshing problem
Authors: Kozlov Vladimir , Kuznetsov Nikolay , Motygin Oleg
Published: February 2011

A correct proof is given for the following assertions about the two-dimensional sloshing problem. The fundamental eigenvalue is simple and the corresponding stream function may be chosen to be non-negative in the closure of the water domain. New proof is based on stricter assumptions about the water domain; namely, it must satisfy John’s condition.
Sib mating without inbreeding in the longhorn crazy ant
Authors: Pearcy Morgan , Goodisman Michael A. D. , Keller Laurent
Published: February 2011

Sib matings increase homozygosity and, hence, the frequency of detrimental phenotypes caused by recessive deleterious alleles. However, many species have evolved adaptations that prevent the genetic costs associated with inbreeding. We discovered that the highly invasive longhorn crazy ant,Paratrechina longicornis, has evolved an unusual mode of reproduction whereby sib mating does not result in inbreeding. A population genetic study ofP. longicornisrevealed dramatic differences in allele frequencies between queens, males and workers. Mother–offspring analyses demonstrated that these allele frequency differences resulted from the fact that the three castes were all produced through different means. Workers developed through normal sexual reproduction between queens and males. However, queens were produced clonally and, thus, were genetically identical to their mothers. In contrast, males never inherited maternal alleles and were genetically identical to their fathers. The outcome of this system is that genetic inbreeding is impossible because queen and male genomes remain completely separate. Moreover, the sexually produced worker offspring retain the same genotype, combining alleles from both the maternal and paternal lineage over generations. Thus, queens may mate with their brothers in the parental nest, yet their offspring are no more homozygous than if the queen mated with a male randomly chosen from the population. The complete segregation of the male and female gene pools allows the queens to circumvent the costs associated with inbreeding and therefore may act as an important pre-adaptation for the crazy ant's tremendous invasive success.
Kin selection in den sharing develops under limited availability of tree hollows for a forest marsupial
Authors: Banks Sam C. , Lindenmayer David B. , McBurney Lachlan , Blair David , Knight Emma J. , Blyton Michaela D. J.
Published: February 2011

Animal social behaviour is not static with regard to environmental change. Flexibility in cooperative resource use may be an important response to resource decline, mediating the impacts of resource availability on fitness and demography. In forest ecosystems, hollow trees are key den resources for many species, but are declining worldwide owing to forestry. Altered patterns of den sharing may mediate the effects of the decline of this resource. We studied den-sharing interactions among hollow-dependent Australian mountain brushtail possums to investigate how spatial variation in hollow tree availability affects resource sharing and kin selection. Under reduced den availability, individuals used fewer dens and shared them less often. This suggests increased territoriality in the presence of resource competition. Further, there was a switch from kin avoidance to kin preference with decreasing hollow tree availability. This was driven primarily by a change in den sharing among siblings. The inclusive fitness benefits of den sharing with kin are likely to increase under resource-limiting conditions, but are potentially outweighed by the benefits of associating with non-relatives (avoidance of inbreeding or pathogen transmission) where dens are abundant. We discuss how predictions from social evolutionary theory can contribute to understanding animal responses to landscape change.
Conspecifics as informers and competitors: an experimental study in foraging bumble-bees
Authors: Baude Mathilde , Danchin Étienne , Mugabo Marianne , Dajoz Isabelle
Published: February 2011

Conspecifics are usually considered competitors negatively affecting food intake rates. However, their presence can also inform about resource quality by providing inadvertent social information. Few studies have investigated whether foragers perceive conspecifics as informers or competitors. Here, we experimentally tested whether variation in the density of demonstrators (‘none’, ‘low’ and ‘high’), whose location indicated flower profitability, affected decision-making of bumble-bees
Bombus terrestris
. Bumble-bees foraged on either ‘simple’ (two colours) or ‘complex’ (four colours) artificial floral communities. We found that conspecifics at low density may be used as sources of information in first flower choices, whereas they appeared as competitors over the whole foraging sequence. Low conspecific densities improved foragers' first-visit success rate in the simple environment, and decreased time to first landing, especially in the complex environment. High conspecific densities did not affect these behavioural parameters, but reduced flower constancy in both floral communities, which may alter the efficiency of pollinating visits. These results suggest that the balance of the costs and benefits of conspecific presence varies with foraging experience, floral community and density. Spatio-temporal scales could thus be an important determinant of social information use. This behavioural flexibility should allow bumble-bees to better exploit their environment.
Locusts use dynamic thermoregulatory behaviour to optimize nutritional outcomes
Authors: Coggan Nicole , Clissold Fiona J. , Simpson Stephen J.
Published: February 2011

Because key nutritional processes differ in their thermal optima, ectotherms may use temperature selection to optimize performance in changing nutritional environments. Such behaviour would be especially advantageous to small terrestrial animals, which have low thermal inertia and often have access to a wide range of environmental temperatures over small distances. Using the locust,
Locusta migratoria
, we have demonstrated a direct link between nutritional state and thermoregulatory behaviour. When faced with chronic restrictions to the supply of nutrients, locusts selected increasingly lower temperatures within a gradient, thereby maximizing nutrient use efficiency at the cost of slower growth. Over the shorter term, when locusts were unable to find a meal in the normal course of ad libitum feeding, they immediately adjusted their thermoregulatory behaviour, selecting a lower temperature at which assimilation efficiency was maximal. Thus, locusts use fine scale patterns of movement and temperature selection to adjust for reduced nutrient supply and thereby ameliorate associated life-history consequences.
Evidence for energy savings from aerial running in the Svalbard rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea)
Authors: Nudds R. L. , Folkow L. P. , Lees J. J. , Tickle P. G. , Stokkan K.-A. , Codd J. R.
Published: February 2011

Svalbard rock ptarmigans were walked and run upon a treadmill and their energy expenditure measured using respirometry. The ptarmigan used three different gaits: a walking gait at slow speeds (less than or equal to 0.75 m s−1), grounded running at intermediate speeds (0.75 m s−1<U< 1.67 m s−1) and aerial running at high speeds (greater than or equal to 1.67 m s−1). Changes of gait were associated with reductions in the gross cost of transport (COT; J kg−1m−1), providing the first evidence for energy savings with gait change in a small crouched-postured vertebrate. In addition, for the first time (excluding humans) a decrease in absolute metabolic energy expenditure (rate of O2consumption) in aerial running when compared with grounded running was identified. The COT versusUcurve varies between species and the COT was cheaper during aerial running than grounded running, posing the question of why grounded running should be used at all. Existing explanations (e.g. stability during running over rocky terrain) amount tojust sostories with no current evidence to support them. It may be that grounded running is just an artefact of treadmill studies. Research investigating the speeds used by animals in the field is sorely needed.
MicroRNA-335 inhibits tumor reinitiation and is silenced through genetic and epigenetic mechanisms in human breast cancer
Authors: Png Kim J. , Yoshida Mitsukuni , Zhang Xiang H.-F. , Shu Weiping , Lee Hyeseung , Rimner Andreas , Chan Timothy A. , Comen Elizabeth , Andrade Viktor P. , Kim Seok Won , King Tari A. , Hudis Clifford A. , Norton Larry , Hicks James , Massagué Joan , Tavazoie Sohail F.
Published: February 2011

Post-transcriptional regulators have emerged as robust effectors of metastasis and display deregulated expression through unknown mechanisms. Here, we reveal that the human microRNA-335 locus undergoes genetic deletion and epigenetic promoter hypermethylation in every metastatic derivative obtained from independent patients’ malignant cell populations. Genetic deletion of miR-335 is a common event in human breast cancer, is enriched for in breast cancer metastases, and also correlates with ovarian cancer recurrence. We furthermore identify miR-335 as a robust inhibitor of tumor reinitiation. We thus implicate the miR-335 locus on 7q32.2 as the first selective metastasis suppressor and tumor initiation suppressor locus in human breast cancer.
Chromatin remodeling complex NURF regulates thymocyte maturation
Authors: Landry Joseph W. , Banerjee Subhadra , Taylor Barbara , Aplan Peter D. , Singer Alfred , Wu Carl
Published: February 2011

The maturation of T cells requires signaling from both cytokine and T-cell receptors to gene targets in chromatin, but how chromatin architecture influences this process is largely unknown. Here we show that thymocyte maturation post-positive selection is dependent on the nucleosome remodeling factor (NURF). Depletion of Bptf (bromodomain PHD finger transcription factor), the largest NURF subunit, in conditional mouse mutants results in developmental arrest beyond the CD4+ CD8int stage without affecting cellular proliferation, cellular apoptosis, or coreceptor gene expression. In the Bptf mutant, specific subsets of genes important for thymocyte development show aberrant expression. We also observed defects in DNase I-hypersensitive chromatin structures at Egr1, a prototypical Bptf-dependent gene that is required for efficient thymocyte development. Moreover, chromatin binding of the sequence-specific factor Srf (serum response factor) to Egr1 regulatory sites is dependent on Bptf function. Physical interactions between NURF and Srf suggest a model in which Srf recruits NURF to facilitate transcription factor binding at Bptf-dependent genes. These findings provide evidence for causal connections between NURF, transcription factor occupancy, and gene regulation during thymocyte development.
The effect of stimulation frequency on the transmural ventricular monophasic action potential in yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares
Authors: Patrick S. M. , White E. , Brill R. W. , Shiels H. A.
Published: February 2011

Monophasic action potentials (MAPs) were recorded from the spongy and compact layers of the yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares ventricle as stimulation frequency was increased. MAP duration decreased with increase in stimulation frequency in both the spongy and compact myocardial layers, but no significant difference in MAP duration was observed between the layers.
Use it and lose it: lipofuscin accumulation in the midbrain of a coral reef fish
Authors: Gagliano M. , Lema A. K. , Depczynski M. , Whalan S.
Published: February 2011

Lipofuscin, an autofluorescent biomarker of physiological wear‐and‐tear, was concentrated in those areas of a fish's midbrain responsible for visual performance, suggesting a potentially strong link between physiological specialization, ecological adaptation and senescence.
Behavioural syndromes in fishes: a review with implications for ecology and fisheries management
Authors: Conrad J. L. , Weinersmith K. L. , Brodin T. , Saltz J. B. , Sih A.
Published: February 2011

This review examines the contribution of research on fishes to the growing field of behavioural syndromes. Current knowledge of behavioural syndromes in fishes is reviewed with respect to five main axes of animal personality: (1) shyness–boldness, (2) exploration–avoidance, (3) activity, (4) aggressiveness and (5) sociability. Compared with other taxa, research on fishes has played a leading role in describing the shy–bold personality axis and has made innovative contributions to the study of the sociability dimension by incorporating social network theory. Fishes are virtually the only major taxon in which behavioural correlations have been compared between populations. This research has guided the field in examining how variation in selection regime may shape personality. Recent research on fishes has also made important strides in understanding genetic and neuroendocrine bases for behavioural syndromes using approaches involving artificial selection, genetic mapping, candidate gene and functional genomics. This work has illustrated consistent individual variation in highly complex neuroendocrine and gene expression pathways. In contrast, relatively little work on fishes has examined the ontogenetic stability of behavioural syndromes or their fitness consequences. Finally, adopting a behavioural syndrome framework in fisheries management issues including artificial propagation, habitat restoration and invasive species, may promote restoration success. Few studies, however, have examined the ecological relevance of behavioural syndromes in the field. Knowledge of how behavioural syndromes play out in the wild will be crucial to incorporating such a framework into management practices.
Is there genetic variation in the response to competition intensity in juvenile brown troutSalmo trutta?
Authors: Robertsen G. , Kvingedal E. , Einum S.
Published: February 2011

Effects of intraspecific competition intensities on the relative performance (growth and movement) of juvenile brown troutSalmo truttaoriginating from nine different families were tested in tank experiments and in semi‐natural streams. Both growth and movement differed consistently among families, indicating genetic variation in these traits. There were no significant interaction effects, however, between the intensity of competition and family origin on performance in either of the two experimental systems. Thus, genetic variation in response to competition intensity appeared to be limited in the population from which the juveniles used in this experiment originate.
A pilot study on subject‐based comprehensive steroid profiling: novel biomarkers to detect testosterone misuse in sports
Authors: Van Renterghem Pieter , Van Eenoo Peter , Sottas Pierre‐Edouard , Saugy Martial , Delbeke Frans
Published: February 2011

Context  Until now, the testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio is the main marker for the detection of testosterone (T) misuse in athletes. As this marker can be influenced by a number of confounding factors, additional steroid profile parameters indicating T misuse can provide substantiating evidence of doping with endogenous steroids. The evaluation of a steroid profile is currently based upon population statistics. As large inter‐individual variations exist, a paradigm shift towards subject‐based references is ongoing in doping analysis.

Objective  Proposition of new biomarkers for the detection of testosterone in sports using extensive steroid profiling and an adaptive model based upon Bayesian inference.

Subjects  Six healthy male volunteers were administered with testosterone undecanoate. Population statistics were performed upon steroid profiles from 2014 male Caucasian athletes participating in official sport competition.

Design  An extended search for new biomarkers in a comprehensive steroid profile combined with Bayesian inference techniques as used in the athlete biological passport resulted in a selection of additional biomarkers that may improve detection of testosterone misuse in sports.

Results  Apart from T/E, 4 other steroid ratios (6α‐OH‐androstenedione/16α‐OH‐dehydroepiandrostenedione, 4‐OH‐androstenedione/16α‐OH‐androstenedione, 7α‐OH‐testosterone/7β‐OH‐dehydro‐epiandrostenedione and dihydrotestosterone/5β‐androstane‐3α,17β‐diol) were identified as sensitive urinary biomarkers for T misuse. These new biomarkers were rated according to relative response, parameter stability, detection time and discriminative power.

Conclusion  Newly selected biomarkers were found suitable for individual referencing within the concept of the Athlete’s Biological Passport. The parameters showed improved detection time and discriminative power compared to the T/E ratio. Such biomarkers can support the evidence of doping with small oral doses of testosterone.
AN INVESTIGATION OF POLYMORPHISM IN THE INTERLEUKIN‐10 GENE PROMOTER
Authors: Turner D. M. , Williams D. M. , Sankaran D. , Lazarus M. , Sinnott P. J. , Hutchinson I. V.
Published: February 2011

Interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) has been described as an anti‐inflammatory cytokine and B‐cell proliferation factor and has been implicated in autoimmunity, tumorigenesis and transplantation tolerance. We have identified three single base pair substitutions in the IL‐10 gene promoter and have investigated whether this polymorphism correlates with IL‐10 protein production in vitro.
Rehydration characteristics of freeze‐dried strawberry pieces as affected by whey protein edible coatings
Authors: Huang Lue‐lue , Zhang Min , Yan Wei‐qiang , Mujumdar Arun S. , Sun Dong‐feng
Published: February 2011

This paper is about the use of whey protein isolate (WPI) edible coatings to improve the rehydration behaviour of freeze‐dried (FD) strawberry pieces. First, the optimal ratio sample mass/volume of coating solution was optimised by determining the rehydration ratio, bulk density and nutritional quality of the samples. Coating time is also determined in coated samples by light microscopy. Second, the effect of changing the pH and the variation in temperature–time to denaturate WPI on rehydration characteristics was also evaluated. The rehydration ratio of strawberry pieces decreased with increasing the denaturation temperature and denaturation time, while it increased with increasing pH of the coating solution. Third, according to the rehydration curves, coating was not a single layer but small pieces attached to strawberry pieces. The soluble protein contents in water after rehydration confirm this conclusion.
Nutritional contents of three edible oyster mushrooms grown on two substrates at Haramaya, Ethiopia, and sensory properties of boiled mushroom and mushroom sauce
Authors: Michael Henock W. , Bultosa Geremew , Pant Lalit M.
Published: February 2011

The effects of wheat and bean straw growing substrates on nutrient contents of three edible oyster mushrooms and sensory properties of two mushroom foods were investigated. Moisture (fresh weight basis), crude protein, fat, fibre, ash, total carbohydrate, Fe, P and Zn (db) were ranged: 85.18–88.86%, 30.04–37.63%, 1.61–2.55%, 9.33–13.29%, 6.83–9.38%, 29.68–32.53%, 4.86–5.66 mg per 100 g, 12.39–15.36 g kg−1 and 54.61–65.98 mg kg−1, respectively. Moisture, fat and fibre were significantly (P < 0.01) affected by substrates, species and their interactions. Substrates showed no differences on ash, Fe and P (P > 0.05). Protein content was high for mushrooms grown on bean straw. Pleurotus sajor‐caju grown on bean straw had high protein, ash, Fe and P contents. No significant (P > 0.05) sensory acceptability differences were observed for boiled mushroom and mushroom sauce except colour of boiled mushrooms. In Ethiopia, if mushroom consumption is popularised, the support for food nutrition security is substantial.
Injury mortality in rural South Africa 2000 – 2007: rates and associated factors*
Authors: Garrib Anupam , Herbst Abraham J. , Hosegood Victoria , Newell Marie‐Louise
Published: February 2011

Objective  To estimate injury mortality rates in a rural population in KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa and to identify socio‐demographic risk factors associated with adult injury‐related deaths.

Methods  The study used population‐based mortality data collected by a demographic surveillance system on all resident and non‐resident members of 11 000 households. Deaths and person‐years of observation (pyo) were aggregated for individuals between 01 January 2000 and 31 December 2007. Cause of death was determined by verbal autopsy, coded using ICD‐10 and further categorised using global burden of disease categories. Socio‐demographic risk factors associated with injuries were examined using regression analyses.

Results  We analysed data on 133 483 individuals with 717 584.6 person‐years of observation (pyo) and 11 467 deaths. Of deaths, 8.9% were because of injury‐related causes; 11% occurred in children <15 years old. Homicide, road traffic injuries and suicide were the major causes. The estimated crude injury mortality rate was 142.4 (134.0, 151.4)/100 000 pyo; 116.9 (108.1, 126.5)/100 000 pyo among residents and 216.8 (196.5, 239.2)/100 000 pyo among non‐residents. In multivariable analyses, the differences between residents and non‐residents remained but were no longer significant for women. In men and women, full‐time employment was significantly associated with lower mortality [adjusted rate ratios 0.6 (0.4, 0.9); 0.4 (0.2, 0.9)]; in men, higher asset ownership was independently associated with increased mortality [adjusted rate ratio 1.5 (1.1, 1.9)].

Conclusions  Reducing the high levels of injury‐related mortality in South Africa requires intersectoral primary prevention efforts that redress the root causes of violent and accidental deaths: social inequality, poverty and alcohol abuse.
Primary peripheral PNET/Ewing's sarcoma arising in the meninges, confirmed by the presence of the rare translocation t(21;22) (q22;q12)
Authors: Antonelli Manila , Caltabiano Rosario , Chiappetta Caterina , Oliva Maria A. , Giangaspero Felice , Lanzafame Salvatore
Published: February 2011

Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor/Ewing's sarcoma (ES) (pPNET/ES) of intracranial origin are very rare. These tumors are characterized by specific translocations involving a gene on chromosome 22q12, the most common being t(11;22) (q24;q12). We report a case of 37‐year‐old man with pPNET/ES arising in the meninges and bearing the rare translocation t(21;22) (q22;q12). The tumor was composed of sheets and nests of monotonous small cells with round to oval nuclei, finely dispersed chromatin, small nucleolus and scant cytoplasm. We discuss the importance of the differential diagnosis with central primitive neuroectodermal tumors (cPNET).
Validation study of the Japanese version of the faecal incontinence quality of life scale
Authors: Ogata H. , Mimura T. , Hanazaki K.
Published: February 2011

Aim  The aim of the present study was to conduct a psychometric validation of the Japanese version of the FIQL (JFIQL).

Method  A retrospective analysis of data from the JFIQL was conducted. Wexner scores and Faecal Incontinence Severity Index (FISI) scores were collected prospectively in patients with faecal incontinence who visited our centre between 2008 and 2009. For convergent validity, the JFIQL scores were compared with stages on the Wexner scale for lifestyle alteration. To evaluate reliability, Cronbach’s alpha was calculated for internal consistency, whereas a test–retest study was performed to evaluate reproducibility. In assessing responsiveness, JFIQL scores before and after treatments were compared in patients whose FISI scores decreased by ≥ 50%.

Results  Convergent validity and internal consistency were determined in 70 patients (49 women; median age 68.5 years). The JFIQL scores were significantly associated with lifestyle alteration stages on the Wexner scale, demonstrating convergent validity in all four domains and the generic score. Cronbach’s alpha was > 0.7 for generic scores and all domains except Embarrassment. The intraclass correlations for the 27 patients available for the test–retest study were > 0.7 for generic scores and all domains except Embarrassment. The median JFIQL score improved significantly after treatment in the 23 patients whose FISI scores decreased ≥ 50%, indicating good responsiveness in all four domains and the generic score.

Conclusion  The JFIQL has been validated and is now ready for use in evaluating the symptom‐specific quality of life in Japanese patients with faecal incontinence.
Gendered power in eating habits: insight into childhood obesity in a Chinese family context
Authors: Wong Oi Ling
Published: February 2011

In this article an attempt is made to understand how power and control issues between genders manifest themselves in eating habits in a Chinese family context, which contribute to the child's obesity problems. Eight obese children (six boys and two girls) and their families participated in the qualitative study. Their ages range from 7 to 13. The two clinical themes of power dynamics in eating habits that emerged in the findings are the dominant husband and the wife in charge. Eating practices are characterized by struggles over who is in control and power is played out in the gendered division of work in the kitchen, food preferences or feeding practices. The powerful parent was observed to be the one allied with the obese child, and the coalition further increased the power base. The study also reveals women's power dominance in a society in which patriarchal values prevail. Implications for treatment are discussed.
Cytokinin‐mediated source/sink modifications improve drought tolerance and increase grain yield in rice under water‐stress
Authors: Peleg Zvi , Reguera Maria , Tumimbang Ellen , Walia Harkamal , Blumwald Eduardo
Published: February 2011

Drought is the major environmental factor limiting crop productivity worldwide. We hypothesized that it is possible to enhance drought tolerance by delaying stress‐induced senescence through the stress‐induced synthesis of cytokinins in crop‐plants. We generated transgenic rice (Oryza sativa) plants expressing an isopentenyltransferase (IPT) gene driven by PSARK, a stress‐ and maturation‐induced promoter. Plants were tested for drought tolerance at two yield‐sensitive developmental stages: pre‐ and post‐anthesis. Under both treatments, the transgenic rice plants exhibited delayed response to stress with significantly higher grain yield (GY) when compared to wild‐type plants. Gene expression analysis revealed a significant shift in expression of hormone‐associated genes in the transgenic plants. During water‐stress (WS), PSARK::IPT plants displayed increased expression of brassinosteroid‐related genes and repression of jasmonate‐related genes. Changes in hormone homeostasis were associated with resource(s) mobilization during stress. The transgenic plants displayed differential expression of genes encoding enzymes associated with hormone synthesis and hormone‐regulated pathways. These changes and associated hormonal crosstalk resulted in the modification of source/sink relationships and a stronger sink capacity of the PSARK::IPT plants during WS. As a result, the transgenic plants had higher GY with improved quality (nutrients and starch content).
The Food Crisis and its Impacts on Poverty in Senegal and Mali: Crossed Destinies
Authors: Boccanfuso Dorothée , Savard Luc
Published: February 2011

This article uses two CGE macro‐micro models to analyse the distributional impact of the food crisis and policy responses in two neighbouring African countries, both of which are strongly dependent on agriculture. The approach captures structural differences at both the macro and micro level for household income and expenditure structures, and the results reveal differences for poverty impact at the national and sub‐group levels, as well as for inequality and pro‐poor analysis. The importance of country‐specific analysis and the risk of extrapolating conclusions from one country to another are also highlighted.
Service Nepotism in the Marketplace
Authors: Rosenbaum Mark S. , Walsh Gianfranco
Published: February 2011

This study represents the first empirical examination of a neglected phenomenon – namely, service nepotism. We propose a framework that explains a process in which customers cue service providers of potential shared commonalities, such as sexual orientation and ethnicity, in service settings in which they also represent distinct, alienated or marginalized minorities. By drawing on qualitative evidence from American gay men and ethnic Turks residing in Germany, this research proposes that customers may signal commonalities to like employees by deploying similarity‐to‐self cues or group markers during exchanges. Driven by ethnocentric ‘tribal’ biases, employees may respond to these cues by providing like customers with relational resources, such as upgrades, monetary discounts and enhanced service quality. We explain how these relational resources influence customers' behaviours and discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of our findings.
Implicit Hierarchical Quad‐Dominant Meshes
Authors: Panozzo Daniele , Puppo Enrico
Published: February 2011

We present a method for producing quad‐dominant subdivided meshes, which supports both adaptive refinement and adaptive coarsening. A hierarchical structure is stored implicitly in a standard half‐edge data structure, while allowing us to efficiently navigate through the different level of subdivision. Subdivided meshes contain a majority of quad elements and a moderate amount of triangles and pentagons in the regions of transition across different levels of detail. Topological LOD editing is controlled with local conforming operators, which support both mesh refinement and mesh coarsening. We show two possible applications of this method: we define an adaptive subdivision surface scheme that is topologically and geometrically consistent with the Catmull–Clark subdivision; and we present a remeshing method that produces semi‐regular adaptive meshes.
Thresholds, news impact surfaces and dynamic asymmetric multivariate GARCH
Authors: Caporin Massimiliano , McAleer Michael
Published: February 2011

Dynamic Asymmetric Multivariate GARCH (DAMGARCH) is a new model that extends the Vector ARMA‐GARCH (VARMA‐GARCH) model of Ling and McAleer (2003) by introducing multiple thresholds and time‐dependent structure in the asymmetry of the conditional variances. Analytical expressions for the news impact surface implied by the new model are also presented. DAMGARCH models the shocks affecting the conditional variances on the basis of an underlying multivariate distribution. It is possible to model explicitly asset‐specific shocks and common innovations by partitioning the multivariate density support. This article presents the model structure, describes the implementation issues, and provides the conditions for the existence of a unique stationary solution, and for consistency and asymptotic normality of the quasi‐maximum likelihood estimators. The article also presents an empirical example to highlight the usefulness of the new model.
Skin atrophogenic potential of methylprednisolone aceponate (MPA)
Authors: Ortonne J.P.
Published: February 2011

The most prominent and most discussed local side effect of topical corticosteroids is the thinning of the skin. Therefore, the atrophogenic potential is an important indication of the quality of a new corticosteroid. Several studies have been conducted to investigate this parameter. In rats, the effect of breaking strength of the skin, the most appropriate model for evaluating atrophogenicity in animals, showed that MPA and prednicarbate (PC) reduced the breaking strengh only slightly compared to clobetasol propionate (CBP). These results indicate that MPA could be classified as a corticosteroid with low local atrophogenic potential. This was confirmed in humans by a placebo controlled double‐blind study comparing intra/interindividuals MPA (cream, ointment and fatty ointment) and bethamethasone‐17‐valerate (BMV), CBP and PC (cream only) under occlusive dressing over 6 weeks. Three different parameters were assessed (dermal atrophy (clinical picture), surfometric measurement of the dermatoglyphic pattern, visual evaluation of telangiectasia). In all three formulations, MPA is of lower atrophogenic potential than CBP. While there is no statistical difference between BMV and MPA, the atrophogenic potential of MPA is low. In order to reflect more the clinical use of topical corticosteroids, MPA preparations (cream 0.1% and fatty ointment) has been evaluated in comparison to BMV in an 8‐week non‐occluded application test. MPA was applied once a day (5 days a week) and BMV twice in 20 healthy subjects according to a double‐blind randomized design. Assessment of atrophogenic potential was performed weekly using clinical scores (atrophy and telangiectasia) as main criteria and skin thickness measurements (ultrasound imaging) as a second criterion. BMV cream gives higher numbers of telangiectasia than MPA preparations and vehicles. From the skin thickness measurements, MPA treatments once a day has a lower thinning potential than BMV twice a day. These findings were confirmed by clinical trials. In 1145 patients suffering from various types of eczema who used MPA in cream and ointment, mild atrophy of the skin was observed in only one patient. Moreover, clinical signs of atrophy were present in only two out of a group of 673 patients (590 adult and 83 children) treated with MPA fatty ointment. In a group of 66 patients who used this same MPA fatty ointment during 3–4 months, no signs of skin atrophy were observed. Considering animal and human studies, MPA can be classified as a corticoid with low atrophogenic potential.
Preclinical evaluation of a new topical corticosteroid methylprednisolone aceponate
Authors: Zentel H.J. , Töpert M.
Published: February 2011

Objective: Preclinical characterization of methylprednisolone aceponate.

Results: The local antiinflammatory potency of methylprednisolone aceponate was equal to the very strong glucocorticoid clobetasol 17‐propionate but higher than the potency of hydrocortisone 17‐butyrate after topical application in 2 animal models of inflammation. Methylprednisolone aceponate is activated enzymatically in the skin. This activation proceeds faster in inflamed tissue. In contrast to clobetasol 17‐propionate, methylprednisolone aceponate was devoid of systemic effects after topical application for 3 days. Finally, whereas clobetasol 17‐propionate induced marked skin atrophy, methylprednisolone aceponate induced only slight atrophogenic changes after long‐term application (up to 43 days) on rat skin, comparable to the effects of hydrocortisone 17‐butyrate.

Conclusions: Methylprednisolone aceponate combines high local antiinflammatory potency with very low systemic side effects and only minor local atrophogenic activity. The reason for the dissociation between local antiinflammatory and atrophogenic effects is not known so far. It may be speculated that one of the reasons for the very strong local antiinflammatory activity may reside in the faster enzymatic activation in inflamed tissue. Methylprednisolone aceponate represents a new corticosteroid with which it is possible to improve the dissociation between desired antiinflammatory activity and undesired side effects of topical glucocorticoids.