bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Andes and Prospect Hill Hantaviruses Differ in Early Induction of Interferon although Both Can Downregulate Interferon Signaling
Authors: Spiropoulou Christina F. , Albariño César G. , Ksiazek Thomas G. , Rollin Pierre E.
Published: January 2007

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a severe respiratory disease which is thought to result from a dysregulated immune response to infection with pathogenic hantaviruses, such as Sin Nombre virus or Andes virus (ANDV). Other New World hantaviruses, such as Prospect Hill virus (PHV), have not been associated with human disease. Activation of an antiviral state and cell signaling in response to hantavirus infection were examined using human primary lung endothelial cells, the main target cell infected in HPS patients. PHV, but not ANDV, was found to induce a robust beta interferon (IFN-β) response early after infection of primary lung endothelial cells. The level of IFN induction correlated with IFN regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3) activation, in that IRF-3 dimerization and nuclear translocation were detected in PHV but not ANDV infection. In addition, phosphorylated Stat-1/2 levels were significantly lower in the ANDV-infected cells relative to PHV. Presumably, this reflects the lower level of IRF-3 activation and initial IFN induced by ANDV relative to PHV. To determine whether, in addition, ANDV interference with IFN signaling also contributed to the low Stat-1/2 activation seen in ANDV infection, the levels of exogenous IFN-β-induced Stat-1/2 activation detectable in uninfected versus ANDV- or PHV-infected Vero-E6 cells were examined. Surprisingly, both viruses were found to downregulate IFN-induced Stat-1/2 activation. Analysis of cells transiently expressing only ANDV or PHV glycoproteins implicated these proteins in this downregulation. In conclusion, while both viruses can interfere with IFN signaling, there is a major difference in the initial interferon induction via IRF-3 activation between ANDV and PHV in infected primary endothelial cells, and this correlates with the reported differences in pathogenicity of these viruses.
DEFORMATION OF PROPERLY DISCONTINUOUS ACTIONS OF ℤk ON ℝk+1
Authors: KOBAYASHI TOSHIYUKI , NASRIN SALMA
Published: January 2007

We consider the deformation of a discontinuous group acting on the Euclidean space by affine transformations. A distinguished feature here is that even a 'small' deformation of a discrete subgroup may destroy proper discontinuity of its action. In order to understand the local structure of the deformation space of discontinuous groups, we introduce the concepts from a group theoretic perspective, and focus on 'stability' and 'local rigidity' of discontinuous groups. As a test case, we give an explicit description of the deformation space of ℤk acting properly discontinuously on ℝk+1 by affine nilpotent transformations. Our method uses an idea of 'continuous analogue' and relies on the criterion of proper actions on nilmanifolds.
Mindset Challenges at Aluminum India Limited: Privatization of a State-Owned Enterprise
Authors: Gurtoo Anjula
Published: January 2007

The Central Government of India sold 49% equity and gave management control of Aluminum India Limited (AIL), an aluminum manufacturing state-owned enterprise (SOE), to the AlBright Group in 2002, as a move to attract capital investments for AIL and to make its operations financially viable. When Noorani, Chairperson of AlBright — a private company — took over AIL, she had to deal with a 30-year old manufacturing plant, an aged workforce, decreasing market share, and a 57-day employee strike against the sale of AIL shares to a private company. Together with a new management team, Noorani undertook some measures and was contemplating on others to transform AIL into a market-driven organization. She was facing high employee resistance. At this juncture Noorani was pondering on what to do next. She was concerned about the possibility of transforming AIL and proceeding with the expansion plans on schedule.
Cortical fMRI Activation to Sequences of Tones Alternating in Frequency: Relationship to Perceived Rate and Streaming
Authors: Wilson E. Courtenay , Melcher Jennifer R. , Micheyl Christophe , Gutschalk Alexander , Oxenham Andrew J.
Published: January 2007

Human listeners were functionally imaged while reporting their perception of sequences of alternating-frequency tone bursts separated by 0, 1/8, 1, or 20 semitones. Our goal was to determine whether functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activation of auditory cortex changes with frequency separation in a manner predictable from the perceived rate of the stimulus. At the null and small separations, the tones were generally heard as a single stream with a perceived rate equal to the physical tone presentation rate. fMRI activation in auditory cortex was appreciably phasic, showing prominent peaks at the sequence onset and offset. At larger-frequency separations, the higher- and lower-frequency tones perceptually separated into two streams, each with a rate equal to half the overall tone presentation rate. Under those conditions, fMRI activation in auditory cortex was more sustained throughout the sequence duration and was larger in magnitude and extent. Phasic to sustained changes in fMRI activation with changes in frequency separation and perceived rate are comparable to, and consistent with, those produced by changes in the physical rate of a sequence and are far greater than the effects produced by changing other physical stimulus variables, such as sound level or bandwidth. We suggest that the neural activity underlying the changes in fMRI activation with frequency separation contribute to the coding of the co-occurring changes in perceived rate and perceptual organization of the sound sequences into auditory streams.
Changes in Excitability of the Cortical Projections to the Human Tibialis Anterior After Paired Associative Stimulation
Authors: Mrachacz-Kersting N. , Fong M. , Murphy B. A. , Sinkjær T.
Published: January 2007

Paired associative stimulation (PAS) based on Hebb's law of association can induce plastic changes in the intact human. The optimal interstimulus interval (ISI) between the peripheral nerve and transcranial magnetic stimulus is not known for muscles of the lower leg. The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of PAS for a variety of ISIs and to explore the efficacy of PAS when applied during dynamic activation of the target muscle. PAS was applied at 0.2 Hz for 30 min with the tibialis anterior (TA) at rest. The ISI was varied randomly in seven sessions ( n = 5). Subsequently, PAS was applied ( n = 14, ISI = 55 ms) with the TA relaxed or dorsi-flexing. Finally, an optimized ISI based on the subject somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) latency plus a central processing delay (6 ms) was used ( n = 13). Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were elicited in the TA before and after the intervention, and the size of the TA MEP was extracted. ISIs of 45, 50, and 55 ms increased and 40 ms decreased TA MEP significantly ( P = 0.01). PAS during dorsi-flexion increased TA MEP size by 92% ( P = 0.001). PAS delivered at rest resulted in a nonsignificant increase; however, when the ISI was optimized from SEP latency recordings, all subjects showed significant increases ( P = 0.002). No changes in MEP size occurred in the antagonist. Results confirm that the excitability of the corticospinal projections to the TA but not the antagonist can be increased after PAS. This is strongly dependent on the individualized ISI and on the activation state of the muscle.
Comparison of Four Methods to Estimate Urban Heat Storage
Authors: Roberts Sarah M. , Oke T. R. , Grimmond C. S. B. , Voogt J. A.
Published: January 2007

The relative performance of four independent methods to estimate the magnitude and diurnal behavior of net heat storage fluxes (ΔQS) in a city center is assessed. This heat flux is a significant but understudied component of the urban surface energy balance (SEB). Direct measurement of this SEB term at the local scale (horizontal length scale ∼102–104 m) is practically unattainable primarily because of the complex array of materials and the three-dimensionality of urban systems. Results of an 8-day summertime observational study at a site in the center of Marseille, France, are presented. This locale is an ideal environment for such research because of the warm, dry climate (hence the SEB is dominated by sensible heat exchanges) and the high density of tall buildings with thick walls (hence it has a large thermal mass that favors heat storage as a component of the SEB). Estimates of ΔQS derived as residuals in the SEB, after the remaining terms are measured directly, (termed RES) are compared with those calculated from a parameterization scheme [objective hysteresis model (OHM)], a local-scale numerical model [Town Energy Balance model (TEB)], and a bulk heat transfer method [thermal mass scheme (TMS)]. Inputs to the methods include observed meteorological data and morphometric properties of the urban site. All approaches yield a similar diurnal course. The OHM and TEB methods tend to slightly overestimate storage uptake by day when compared with the RES, whereas TMS slightly underestimates it. All methods underestimate heat storage release at night when compared with RES and show some sensitivity to wind speed, especially above about 5 m s−1. OHM estimates perform satisfactorily in the mean but miss short-term variability and are poor at night. TEB simulations show the best agreement with RES results, particularly at night. TMS values are comparable to those from the other methods, but its extensive input requirements render it almost impractical. Overall, the convergence of results is reassuring but the lack of a standard for quantifying heat storage and the spread of results mean this term remains a source of imprecision in urban energy balance measurement and modeling.
My Friend's Enemy: How Split-Screen Debate Coverage Influences Evaluation of Presidential Debates
Authors: Scheufele Dietram A. , Kim Eunkyung , Brossard Dominique
Published: January 2007

Leading up to the 2004 presidential debates, there was considerable discussion about the mode of presentation on television, that is, debate coverage with simultaneous reaction shots of the opponent while a candidate was speaking or coverage with isolated shorts of each candidate only. In fact, many commentators argued that split-screen coverage of Bush's reactions to Kerry's statements hurt the president during the first debate. This study analyzes the impact of split-versus single-screen debate coverage in the 2004 campaign using a large-scale experimental design with about 700 participants, conducted at a large midwestern university. Consistent with explanatory models from political science and social psychology, findings show that split-screen coverage led Bush supporters to become more extreme in their positive and negative judgments about Bush and Kerry, respectively. Kerry supporters however, had strong views about Bush from the beginning and changed little based on the mode of coverage.
A Re-Consideration of What Constitutes “Evidence” in the Healthcare Professions
Authors: Pearson Alan , Wiechula Rick , Court Anthea , Lockwood Craig
Published: January 2007

The dominant discourses surrounding the debate on evidence-based healthcare takes for granted that the concept evidence is exclusively derived from randomized controlled trials. However, influenced by the experience of practicing clinicians, who assert that there are diverse sources of evidence, we contend that evidence-based practice can properly be inclusive of diverse forms of evidence including the results of all forms of rigorous research, expert opinion, and experience. The Joanna Briggs Institute model illustrates this broader definition of what counts as evidence which is seen as critical to developing the role and use of evidence-based healthcare within the complexity of practice settings globally.
Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) Perceptions and Dietary Iron Intake Among Young Women and Pregnant Women in Jordan
Authors: Jarrah Samiha S. , Halabi Jehad O. , Bond A. Elaine , Abegglen JoAnn
Published: January 2007

To determine Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) perceptions and iron dietary practices of Jordanian female students and pregnant women, a descriptive quantitative questionnaire was administered to 271 participants: 206 female students and 65 pregnant women. This pilot study found that most participants can identify foods containing iron, but lack appropriate iron intake, because of eating habits and finances; more than 50% report daily symptoms of IDA, including dizziness, fatigue, depression, headaches, and loss of concentration and memory. There are no statistically significant differences in IDA perceptions and iron-related dietary practices based on education, and relatively few based on where participants live, their available financial resources, or their position (pregnant women or young women). Culturally sensitive intervention research, which addresses application of IDA education principles, temporary supplementation, and adequate income for dietary modification and long-term iron supplementation to prevent IDA is warranted.
Methods of Coping With Labor Pain Used by Jordanian Women
Authors: Abushaikha Lubna A.
Published: January 2007

The purpose of this study is to explore labor pain coping methods among Jordanian parturients. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were used to analyze data on demographics and coping methods from 100 low-risk parturients who were recruited from the postpartum unit in a major hospital in Jordan: Four labor pain-coping methods that included physiological, psychological, spiritual, and cognitive coping were reported. This study confirms previous findings regarding coping methods and adds new knowledge on coping with labor pain among Jordanian parturients: The significance of childbirth education as a means to inform Jordanian women about coping with labor pain is emphasized. This study also highlighted the important roles that nurses and midwives can play as educators and supporters during pregnancy and labor.
Practical Strategies for Providing Culturally Sensitive, Ethical Care in Developing Nations
Authors: Crigger Nancy J. , Holcomb Lygia
Published: January 2007

Providing health care in developing nations results in cultural and ethical challenges for health care professionals. The authors’ intent is to raise readers’ awareness of how to maintain an ethical and culturally sensitive approach to practice in developing nations. Four practical approaches to ethical decision-making, developed from the literature and praxis, in conjunction with traditional moral theory and guidelines from professional and international organizations are discussed. Ethical multiculturalism, a view that combines universalism and multiculturalism undergirds culturally appropriate and ethically responsive decisions.
Over-leg Bending Test for Mixed-mode I/II Interlaminar Fracture in Composite Laminates
Authors: Szekrényes András , UJ József
Published: January 2007

In this work the over-leg bending (OLB) specimen is developed for mixed-mode I/II delamination characterization in composites. The traditional single-leg bending (SLB) specimen is modified by introducing the load eccentrically between the two supports of a three-point bending setup. The modified configuration is analyzed by using linear beam theories. The theories of transverse shear, Winkler-Pasternak-type elastic foundation, Saint-Venant effect, and crack tip shear deformation are incorporated in the analysis. Also, experiments are carried out on glass/polyester unidirectional specimens. Comparison between the results of analysis and experiment shows very good agreement. The traditional SLB and the novel OLB coupons are compared, and their advantages and drawbacks are highlighted. The newly developed OLB setup is relatively easier to perform and crack propagation may be simply investigated under displacement control.
Oriented Damage in Ductile Sheets: Constitutive Modeling and Numerical Integration
Authors: Omerspahic Edin , Mattiasson Kjell
Published: January 2007

Thermodynamics with internal variables provides a framework for constitutive modeling of elasto-plastic deformations. Within the scope of the theory, constitutive and evolution equations for ductile, elasto-plastic materials with mixed (isotropic and kinematic) hardening and anisotropic damage have been developed. Postulates within continuum damage mechanics were used in order to incorporate damage as an internal variable. Owing to this, and to a simplified definition of the inverted damage effect tensor, a general expression for degradation of the elastic properties in materials has been obtained. The corresponding numerical algorithm for integration of the constitutive equations is based on an elastic predictor – plastic/damage corrector procedure. The plastic/damage corrector is uncoupled, which further simplifies and expedites the corrector procedure.
Statistical Damage Mechanics and Extreme Value Theory
Authors: Rinaldi A. , Krajcinovic D. , Mastilovic S.
Published: January 2007

The statistical damage model presented by the authors in the previous article of this series is used to formulate analytical constitutive relations for the hardening and softening phases of two-dimensional lattices. An alternative approach to the classical damage parameter approach is presented here. A semi-empirical model based on extreme value theory (EVT) is offered.
Building Blocks Toward Optimal Sexuality: Constructing a Conceptual Model
Authors: Kleinplatz Peggy J. , Ménard A. Dana
Published: January 2007

The need for models of optimal sexuality in sex therapy and the lack of theoretical and especially empirical foundations are discussed. Specifically, what lessons can be gleaned from those who seek and attain extraordinary sexual relations? As a preliminary part of a study of optimal sexuality, individuals who report having had “great sex” were interviewed. The six major themes emerging from the initial 50 hours are described. These are conceptualized as building blocks toward the farther reaches of human erotic potential and consist of being present, authenticity, intense emotional connection, sexual and erotic intimacy, communication, and transcendence. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed. The need for sex therapists to acquire and transmit new methods and skills is considered.
Flt3 is dispensable to the Hoxa9/Meis1 leukemogenic cooperation
Authors: Morgado Ester , Albouhair Stéphanie , Lavau Catherine
Published: January 2007

HOX genes, MEIS1, and FLT3 are frequently up-regulated in human myeloid leukemias. Meis1 cooperates with Hox genes to induce leukemias in mice, hypothetically the consequence of Meis1-induced Flt3 overexpression. To test this, we compared the properties of Flt3−/− and Flt3+/+ progenitors transduced with Hoxa9 or Hoxa9/Meis1. In a myeloid clonogenic assay, Meis1 greatly enhanced the proliferation of Hoxa9-expressing cells, massively up-regulating Flt3 protein. However, the transforming potential of Hoxa9/Meis1 was unaltered in Flt3−/− cells. All mice that received Hoxa9/Meis1-transduced progenitors succumbed to rapid acute myeloid leukemias regardless of Flt3 genotype. Flt3 expression levels in leukemic blasts did not correlate with parameters reflecting their proliferative rate or their impaired differentiation. Furthermore, analysis of c-Myb expression levels in Hoxa9/Meis1-transformed cells showed that the up-regulation of this critical downstream effector was independent of Flt3. Altogether, our findings demonstrate that Flt3 is dispensable to the oncogenic cooperation of Meis1 with Hoxa9.
Yeast genomic expression patterns in response to low-shear modeled microgravity
Authors: Sheehan Kathy B , McInnerney Kate , Purevdorj-Gage Boloroo , Altenburg Sara D , Hyman Linda E
Published: January 2007

The low-shear microgravity environment, modeled by rotating suspension culture bioreactors called high aspect ratio vessels (HARVs), allows investigation in ground-based studies of the effects of microgravity on eukaryotic cells and provides insights into the impact of space flight on cellular physiology. We have previously demonstrated that low-shear modeled microgravity (LSMMG) causes significant phenotypic changes of a select group of Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes associated with the establishment of cell polarity, bipolar budding, and cell separation. However, the mechanisms cells utilize to sense and respond to microgravity and the fundamental gene expression changes that occur are largely unknown. In this study, we examined the global transcriptional response of yeast cells grown under LSMMG conditions using DNA microarray analysis in order to determine if exposure to LSMMG results in changes in gene expression.

Results

LSMMG differentially changed the expression of a significant number of genes (1372) when yeast cells were cultured for either five generations or twenty-five generations in HARVs, as compared to cells grown under identical conditions in normal gravity. We identified genes in cell wall integrity signaling pathways containing MAP kinase cascades that may provide clues to novel physiological responses of eukaryotic cells to the external stress of a low-shear modeled microgravity environment. A comparison of the microgravity response to other environmental stress response (ESR) genes showed that 26% of the genes that respond significantly to LSMMG are involved in a general environmental stress response, while 74% of the genes may represent a unique transcriptional response to microgravity. In addition, we found changes in genes involved in budding, cell polarity establishment, and cell separation that validate our hypothesis that phenotypic changes observed in cells grown in microgravity are reflected in genome-wide changes.

This study documents a considerable response to yeast cell growth in low-shear modeled microgravity that is evident, at least in part, by changes in gene expression. Notably, we identified genes that are involved in cell signaling pathways that allow cells to detect environmental changes, to respond within the cell, and to change accordingly, as well as genes of unknown function that may have a unique transcriptional response to microgravity. We also uncovered significant changes in the expression of many genes involved in cell polarization and bud formation that correlate well with the phenotypic effects observed in yeast cells when grown under similar conditions. These results are noteworthy as they have implications for human space flight.
VEGF, FGF1, FGF2 and EGF gene polymorphisms and psoriatic arthritis
Authors: Butt Christopher , Lim Sooyeol , Greenwood Celia , Rahman Proton
Published: January 2007

Background

Angiogenesis appears to be a first-order event in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Among angiogenic factors, the cytokines vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and fibroblast growth factors 1 and 2 (FGF1 and FGF2) play a central role in the initiation of angiogenesis. Most of these cytokines have been shown to be upregulated in or associated with psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or ankylosing spondylitis (AS). As these diseases share common susceptibility associations with PsA, investigation of these angiogenic factors is warranted.

Methods

Two hundred and fifty-eight patients with PsA and 154 ethnically matched controls were genotyped using a Sequenom chip-based MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry platform. Four SNPs in the VEGF gene, three SNPs in the EGF gene and one SNP each in FGF1 and FGF2 genes were evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher's exact test, and the Cochrane-Armitage trend test. Associations with haplotypes were estimated by using weighted logistic models, where the individual haplotype estimates were obtained using Phase v2.1.

Results

We have observed an increased frequency in the T allele of VEGF +936 (rs3025039) in control subjects when compared to our PsA patients [Fisher's exact p-value = 0.042; OR 0.653 (95% CI: 0.434, 0.982)]. Haplotyping of markers revealed no significant associations.

Conclusion

The T allele of VEGF in +936 may act as a protective allele in the development of PsA. Further studies regarding the role of pro-angiogenic markers in PsA are warranted.
Detection of weakly conserved ancestral mammalian regulatory sequences by primate comparisons
Authors: Wang Qian-fei , Prabhakar Shyam , Chanan Sumita , Cheng Jan-Fang , Rubin Edward M , Boffelli Dario
Published: January 2007

Background

Genomic comparisons between human and distant, non-primate mammals are commonly used to identify cis-regulatory elements based on constrained sequence evolution. However, these methods fail to detect functional elements that are too weakly conserved among mammals to distinguish them from non-functional DNA.

Results

To evaluate a strategy for large scale genome annotation that is complementary to the commonly used distal species comparisons, we explored the potential of deep intra-primate sequence comparisons. We sequenced the orthologs of 558 kb of human genomic sequence, covering multiple loci involved in cholesterol homeostasis, in 6 non-human primates. Our analysis identified six non-coding DNA elements displaying significant conservation among primates but undetectable in more distant comparisons. In vitro and in vivo tests revealed that at least three of these six elements have regulatory function. Notably, the mouse orthologs of these three functional human sequences had regulatory activity despite their lack of significant sequence conservation, indicating that they are ancestral mammalian cis-regulatory elements. These regulatory elements could be detected even in a smaller set of three primate species including human, rhesus and marmoset.

Conclusion

We have demonstrated that intra-primate sequence comparisons can be used to identify functional modules in large genomic regions, including cis-regulatory elements that are not detectable through comparison with non-mammalian genomes. With the available human and rhesus genomes and that of marmoset, which is being actively sequenced, this strategy can be extended to the whole genome in the near future.
Reciprocal Negative Regulation between Thyrotropin/3′,5′-Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate-Mediated Proliferation and Caveolin-1 Expression in Human and Murine Thyrocytes
Authors: Costa Maria José , Senou Maximin , Van Rode Fabienne , Ruf Jean , Capello Matteo , Dequanter Didier , Lothaire Philippe , Dessy Chantal , Dumont Jacques Emile , Many Marie-Christine , Van Sande Jacqueline
Published: January 2007

The expression of caveolins is down-regulated in tissue samples of human thyroid autonomous adenomas and in the animal model of this disease. Because several cell types present in thyroid express caveolins, it remained unclear if this down-regulation occurs in thyrocytes and which are the mechanism and role of this down-regulation in the tumor context. Here we show that prolonged stimulation of isolated human thyrocytes by TSH/cAMP/cAMP-dependent protein kinase inhibits caveolins’ expression. The expression of caveolins is not down-regulated by activators of other signaling pathways relevant to thyroid growth/function. Therefore, the down-regulation of caveolins’ expression in autonomous adenomas is a direct consequence of the chronic activation of the TSH/cAMP pathway in thyrocytes. The down-regulation of caveolin-1 occurs at the mRNA level, with a consequent protein decrease. TSH/cAMP induces a transcription-dependent, translation-independent destabilization of the caveolin-1 mRNA. This effect is correlated to the known proliferative role of that cascade in thyrocytes. In vivo, thyrocytes of caveolin-1 knockout mice display enhanced proliferation. This demonstrates, for the first time, the in vivo significance of the specific caveolin-1 down-regulation by one mitogenic cascade and its relation to a human disease.
Equal in Every Way: African Americans, Consumption and Materialism from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Movement
Authors: Chambers Jason P.
Published: January 2007

Abstract:
This article surveys African Americans encounter with material goods from the end of the Civil War through the end of World War II. Additionally it uses Ebony magazine as a case study to illuminate blacks’ understanding and use of material possessions in the developing fight for equality in the burgeoning civil rights movement. Central to the argument is that blacks have long understood the difference between materialism and a materially-intensive life and have used goods as a way to demonstrate their desire to be equal in every way with their fellow citizens. Hence, consumption becomes a means of political and social activism on par with other better-known efforts such as the battle for voting rights or an end to racial discrimination.
Japan, ASEAN, and the Construction of an East Asian Community
Authors: Yeo Lay Hwee
Published: January 2007

In his 2006 New Year message, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi pledged to improve relations with neighbouring countries. Underlying this message is perhaps the understanding that its relations with its neighbours, particularly its near neighbours — China and Korea — have been less than ideal. However, Prime Minister Koizumi also made it clear that Japan's foreign relations would remain based on the Japan-US alliance. This perhaps reiterated what his Foreign Minister Mr Taro Azo said not long after he was appointed foreign minister that in Japan's foreign relations, it is "US first, Asia second". No one doubts the importance of the Japan-US relationship, just as no one would underestimate the importance of getting Sino-US relations right if the stability of the region is to be assured. However, while China has been working hard to maintain a proactive and responsible regional policy in Asia, Japanese policy towards Asia has at best been unclear and uncertain, and at worst raised serious questions about Japan's perception of itself and its relations with the rest of Asia. One wonders if Japan, though geographically located in East Asia, considers itself politically and psychologically East Asian. This article focuses on Japan's relations with Southeast Asia and ASEAN, and examines how Japan's ambivalent attitude towards the East Asian region may impact the construction of an East Asian Community which ASEAN purports to be in the driving seat.
Tocqueville orientaliste? Jalons pour une reinterpretation de ses ecrits politiques et de son engagement en faveur de la colonisation francaise en Algerie
Authors: Ali-Khodja Mourad
Published: January 2007

The publication of Tocqueville's Écrits et discours politiques in 1962 shed new light on his entire oeuvre and also raised new questions. Because his support for France's colonial policy has often been ignored or downplayed, this article reconstructs Tocqueville's intellectual and political stands with regard to Algeria. Using Edward Saïd's now classic analysis of orientalism, it proposes a new interpretation of the democratic thinker as an undeniable if atypical orientalist.
Image, Rhetoric, and Politics in the early Thomas Hobbes
Authors: Butler Todd Wayne
Published: January 2007

While critics have relied upon bibliographical data and his translation of Thucydides to establish the early Thomas Hobbes as a humanist, this essay argues that substantive evidence to support this conclusion can be found in the comparatively neglected discourses of the Horae Subsecivae. Reading Hobbe's contribution to the Horae alongside his translation of Thucydides reveals a consistent concern with the political potential of both verbal and visual images and with the dangers rhetorical manipulation could pose to individual and sovereign authority. Together these texts demonstrate an early Hobbes already deeply invested in the political debates and crises of his era.
Racial Liberalism, Affirmative Action, and the Troubled History of the President's Committee on Government Contracts
Authors: Thurber Timothy M.
Published: January 2007

On August 13, 1953, Dwight Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10479 establishing the President's Committee on Government Contracts (PCGC). Designed to oversee federal agencies' efforts to ensure nondiscrimination in firms with government contracts, the committee could receive complaints of discrimination, conduct educational campaigns, make recommendations to agencies on how to combat discrimination, receive agency enforcement reports, and establish ties with private and public organizations working on equal employment issues. Enforcement powers, including the authority to cancel contracts, would remain with individual agencies. Eisenhower designated Vice President Richard Nixon to head the committee, which consisted of six individuals from agencies awarding the largest contracts and nine representatives from business, labor, and civic groups. A small full-time staff would implement policies set by these members.
The Geopolitical War on U.S. Higher Education
Authors: McClennen Sophia A
Published: January 2007

This essay presents three main arguments about the post 9/11 assaults on higher education. First, I claim that the current war is a direct outgrowth of the cold war and the culture wars. The tactics now in use by the right borrow from these two previous assaults on higher education by combining the politics of panic of the McCarthy era with the fear that multiculturalism will lead to a devastating erosion of American national identity and values. Second, this war, like the two that preceded it, is geopolitical. That is, it is a war that has as its goal a particular vision of the United States and the globe, one which is a direct outgrowth of Pax Americana, manifest destiny, the cold war, and neoliberal globalization. My third point is that the right's assault on higher education is typically disguised as a defense of student rights—such as the right to academic freedom, the right to transparency in reporting facts about universities, the right to fairness and balance in courses and curricula, the right to be taught about the greatness of the nation and of Western civilization, the right to exposure to conservative faculty, etc.—but really the assault is on the student.
The Desire You Are Required to Get Rid of: A Functionalist Analysis of Desire in the Bhagavadgītā
Authors: Framarin Christopher
Published: January 2007

Niskamakarma is generally understood nonliterally as action done without desire of a certain sort. It is argued here that all desires are prohibited by niskamakarma. Two objections are considered: 1 desire is a necessary condition of action, and 2 the Indian tradition as a whole accepts desire as a necessary condition of action. A distinction is drawn here between a goal and a desire, and it is argued that goals-not desires-are entailed by action, and that the Indian tradition accepts goals-not desires-as a necessary
condition of action.
'A Gentle and No Jew': The Difference Marriage Makes in The Merchant of Venice
Authors: Hirsch Brett D
Published: January 2007

Critics are divided on the precise nature of the difference between Christian and Jew as represented in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. By investigating reported cases of inter-racial (or cross-cultural) marriages circulating in early modern England, and by close examination of the relationship between Lorenzo and Jessica in the play, one is able to map out the competing discourses of race, theology, and gender in the construction of 'the Jew' during the Elizabethan period.
Poverty and Fertility Dynamics: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Aassve Arnstein , Engelhardt Henriette , Francavilla Francesca , Kedir Abbi Mamo , Kim Jungho , Mealli Fabrizia , Mencarini Letizia , Pudney Stephen , Prskawetz Alexia
Published: January 2007

In this paper we use unique longitudinal data sources to study the relationship between poverty and fertility at household level in Albania, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Vietnam. These countries differ greatly in their history, average income, social structure, economic institutions and demographic features. We find that there is a substantial difference in the relative importance of the determinants of poverty dynamics and fertility; the persistence of high levels of fertility and poverty in Ethiopia is driven by lack of economic growth, high demand of children and poor access to family planning; education is a crucial element in reducing poverty and fertility, as is clear from Vietnam, Indonesia and Albania.
The Making of an Eastern European Jewish Legacy in Contemporary South Africa
Authors: Rosen Rhoda
Published: January 2007

This paper was written in 2004 on the tenth anniversary of the end of Apartheid. It responds to the disproportionately large amounts of writing by Jews around that time, reflecting back on the role of Jews during the struggle to end Apartheid. The paper explores the assumption (widely held in that literature) that an Eastern European Jewish heritage lends itself to a concern with justice and asks questions about the function that asserting that particular lineage served for Jewish South Africans living within the borders of South Africa in 1994. Against this homogenizing of identity, the paper calls for a history of South African Jews that includes occlusions and ellipses, as well as a diversity of South African Jewish voices.
Creating and Contesting Signs in Contemporary Japan: Language Ideologies, Identity, and Community in Flux
Authors: Nakamura Karen
Published: January 2007

Japanese Sign Language (JSL) is currently in a state of transition as various elements within and outside the Deaf community contest the creation of new terms. Represented by the Japanese Federation of the Deaf, the older generation is creating new words in order to compete with the national public television service while at the same time fending off criticism from younger, culturally Deaf members. This article examines the language ideologies present in this complex situation.
Beneficent Cinema: State Formation, Elite Reproduction, and Silent Film in Uruguay, 1910s–1920s
Authors: Ehrick Christine
Published: January 2007

In her study of early cinema and modernity in Latin America, Ana López wrote: “Latin American modernity has been a global, intertextual experience, addressing impulses and models from abroad, in which every nation and region created, and creates, its own ways of playing with and at modernity.” Early Uruguayan cinema exemplifies this interaction of global phenomena with local realities and thus provides an instructive window onto some of the ways Latin Americans were “playing with and at modernity” in the early twentieth century. During that era, Uruguay emerged as Latin America’s first welfare state and a model of progressive reform in the region. The complexities of that transition are reflected in so-called cine de beneficencia (beneficent cinema), film made by and for social assistance organizations for fundraising and propaganda purposes. Film historian José Carlos Álvarez identifies beneficent cinema as “something that we think was purely Uruguayan, and specific to this era.”
High Thalamocortical Theta Coherence in Patients with Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Sarnthein Johannes , Jeanmonod Daniel
Published: January 2007

Research investigating the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD) mostly focuses on basal ganglia dysfunction. However, the main output from the basal ganglia is via the thalamus, and corticothalamic feedback constitutes the primary source of synapses in the thalamus. We therefore focus on the thalamocortical interplay. During the surgical intervention in six patients, local field potentials (LFPs) were recorded from pallidal-recipient thalamic nuclei VA and VLa. Simultaneously, EEG was recorded from several sites on the scalp. The highest thalamocortical coherence was found in the theta frequency band (4–9 Hz) with a mean peak frequency of 7.5 Hz. The magnitude of thalamocortical theta coherence was comparable to the magnitude of EEG coherence between scalp electrode pairs. Thalamocortical theta coherence reached 70% and was maximal with frontal scalp sites on both hemispheres. In the 13–20 Hz β frequency band, maximal coherence was comparatively low but localized on the scalp ipsilateral to the site of thalamic LFP recording. The high thalamocortical coherence underlines the importance of thalamic function for the genesis of scalp EEG. We discuss the PD pathophysiology within the framework of dysrhythmic thalamocortical interplay, which has important consequences for the choice of therapeutic strategy in patients with severe forms of PD.
DISC1 Regulates the Transport of the NUDEL/LIS1/14-3-3ε Complex through Kinesin-1
Authors: Taya Shinichiro , Shinoda Tomoyasu , Tsuboi Daisuke , Asaki Junko , Nagai Kumiko , Hikita Takao , Kuroda Setsuko , Kuroda Keisuke , Shimizu Mariko , Hirotsune Shinji , Iwamatsu Akihiro , Kaibuchi Kozo
Published: January 2007

Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia 1(DISC1) is a candidate gene for susceptibility to schizophrenia. DISC1 is reported to interact with NudE-like (NUDEL), which forms a complex with lissencephaly-1 (LIS1) and 14-3-3ε. 14-3-3ε is involved in the proper localization of NUDEL and LIS1 in axons. Although the functional significance of this complex in neuronal development has been reported, the transport mechanism of the complex into axons and their functions in axon formation remain essentially unknown. Here we report that Kinesin-1, a motor protein of anterograde axonal transport, was identified as a novel DISC1-interacting molecule. DISC1 directly interacted with kinesin heavy chain of Kinesin-1. Kinesin-1 interacted with the NUDEL/LIS1/14-3-3ε complex through DISC1, and these molecules localized mainly at cell bodies and partially in the distal part of the axons. DISC1 partially colocalized with Kinesin family member 5A, NUDEL, LIS1, and 14-3-3ε in the growth cones. The knockdown of DISC1 by RNA interference or the dominant-negative form of DISC1 inhibited the accumulation of NUDEL, LIS1, and 14-3-3ε at the axons and axon elongation. The knockdown or the dominant-negative form of Kinesin-1 inhibited the accumulation of DISC1 at the axons and axon elongation. Furthermore, the knockdown of NUDEL or LIS1 inhibited axon elongation. Together, these results indicate that DISC1 regulates the localization of NUDEL/LIS1/14-3-3ε complex into the axons as a cargo receptor for axon elongation.
Semi-Empirical Methods to Predict the Physical Properties of Ionic Liquids: An Overview of Recent Developments
Authors: Krossing Ingo , Slattery John M.
Published: January 2007

The field of ionic liquids (ILs) has shown rapid growth in recent years. Much of this work has involved the synthesis of new ILs and their application in an ever-increasing number of areas. In contrast, there have been relatively few studies that investigate and attempt to predict the fundamental physical properties of ILs, which are extremely important for their applications. The quantitative prediction of the physical properties of unknown salts remains an important goal in IL research. This will allow the design of new ILs with specific properties tailored for particular applications, without the need for time-consuming trial and error syntheses. Recently, several studies have shown that it is possible to make predictions of the physical properties of ILs e.g. melting points, conductivities, viscosities, densities, surface tensions and refractive indices. This paper gives an overview of these semi-empirical methods and makes some comparisons regarding the accuracy of their predictions and their applicability to predicting the properties of unknown salts.
Templating and Phase Behaviour of the Long Chain Ionic Liquid C16mimCl
Authors: Kaper Helena , Smarsly Bernd
Published: January 2007

In the light of recent studies about the favourable sol–gel templating behaviour of the long chain ionic liquids (ILs) 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride and -bromide (C16mimCl and C16mimBr) the phase behaviour of these ILs is investigated in detail and compared to common surfactants such as hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride and -bromide (CTAC and CTAB). Specially developed small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) evaluation approaches confirm a lamellar double-layer structure for crystalline C16mimCl of the ABACAB type. Presumably, the orientation of the head groups repeats in every second head group layer. Therefore, the imidazolium head group exhibits long range interactions on packing and templating, in contrast to the ammonium head group. The lyotropic phase behaviour is investigated via SAXS, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and surface tension measurements. Interestingly, the phase diagrams of C16mimCl and CTAC are quite different, especially at higher concentration of surfactant: instead of a gel phase in the phase diagram of CTAC, a lamellar-hexagonal two phase region as well as a pure lamellar phase is found in the phase diagram of C16mimCl. The critical micellar concentration (cmc) and enthalpy of micellization (Δmic
H) show that the cmc for imidazolium based surfactants is slightly lower and Δmic
H is more exothermic than for the ammonium type surfactants. These results are able to account for the specialties observed in the sol–gel templating behavior.
Preparation of CdSe Quantum Dots in Ionic Liquids
Authors: Newman Peter J. , MacFarlane Douglas R.
Published: January 2007

Quantum dots are nanocrystalline semiconductors that have potential applications across many fields ranging from electronics (LEDs, photovoltaics) to the life sciences (fluorescent tags for biological molecules). At the nano level, the band gap is tuneable because it is a function of the size of the nanoparticle so that the optical and electronic properties can be quite easily adjusted. Traditional semiconductors lack this versatility. To date, synthesis of semiconductor quantum dots such as CdSe has been reported in volatile organic solvents at high temperatures, which are costly and could be difficult to use if significant scale up operations are required in the near future for these materials. We have investigated the use of a new class of solvent, namely ionic liquids, for the synthesis of CdSe quantum dots. Ionic liquids offer a number of significant advantages over volatile organic solvents including low vapour pressure, low flammability and exceptional chemical and thermal stability. A series of phosphonium ionic liquids with different anions were examined in this work and it was found that, with non co-ordinating anions, CdSe quantum dots with identical spectroscopic properties to those produced in organic solvents could be easily synthesized.
The Crowd and Collective Behavior: Bringing Symbolic Interaction Back In
Authors: McPhail Clark
Published: January 2007

Presented as the Distinguished Lecture at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in August 2005, this article's objective is to illustrate the importance of symbolic interaction in the formation of temporary gatherings, in the dynamic alternation between individual and collective actions that comprise those gatherings, and in the dispersal processes that bring such gatherings to an end. In reviewing the phenomena to be explained, I also call attention to the limitations of the concepts of “the crowd” and of “collective behavior.” Finally, to make sense of the dynamic variation and alternation between individual and collective actions, and the variation in the latter, I champion and extend G. H. Mead's theory of the act as a closed‐loop, negative‐feedback model of purposive action. No lesser model of agency and action is adequate to the challenge of understanding and explaining the phenomena in question.