bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preferences for nesting material as environmental enrichment for laboratory mice
Authors: Van de Weerd H. A. , Van Loo P. L. P. , Van Zutphen L. F. M. , Koolhaas J. M. , Baumans V.
Published: April 2007

Behavioural and psychological needs of laboratory animals generally cannot adequately be met in standard laboratory cages. Environmental enrichment, which provides a more structured environment can enhance the well-being of laboratory animals. They may perform more of their species-specific behaviour and may control their environment in a better way. An easily applicable form of enrichment for laboratory mice is nesting material. Six different types of nesting materials were evaluated in a preference test with male and female animals of two strains (C57BL/6J or BALB/c, n=48). No significant differences in preference were found between the strains or between the sexes.

All mice showed a clear preference for cages with tissues or towels as compared to paper strips or no nesting material, and for cages with cotton string or wood-wool as compared to wood shavings or no nesting material. Paper-derived materials were preferred over wood-derived materials, although the results also suggest that the nature (paper or wood) of the nesting material is less important than its structure, which determines the nestability of the material. Nesting material may be a relatively simple method to contribute to the well-being of laboratory mice.
Effects of isoflurane versus halothane on myocardial contractility in rabbits: assessment with transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography
Authors: Marano Giuseppe , Formigari Roberto , Grigioni Mauro , Vergari Alessandro
Published: April 2007

The effects of isoflurane versus halothane on cardiac contractility were evaluated by two-dimensional (2D) transthoracic echo cardiography in rabbits. The relationship between the left ventricular end-systolic wall stress (LVESWS) and the velocity of heart rate corrected circumferential fibre shortening (Vcfc) was used. Arterial blood pressure, heart rate, left ventricular pressure and transthoracic 2D echocardiographic data were determined at 1 MAC (minimum alveolar concentration) of halothane or isoflurane, both with 50% nitrous oxide. Drug-induced changes in pre-and afterload were performed in all study animals to assess the left ventricular contractile response over a wide range. LVESWS and Vcfc Were calculated on videotape recorded M-mode tracings.

Mean heart rate and arterial blood pressure were not significantly different between the two groups. Myocardial contractility under isoflurane/nitrous oxide anaesthesia was significantly higher than under halothane/nitrous oxide anaesthesia at 1 MAC. The results of the present study confirm data obtained from humans and other animal species and suggest that, in rabbits, myocardial contractility is best preserved by inhalation of isoflurane. Isoflurane should therefore be preferred over halothane, especially in cases of prolonged anaesthetic procedures.
Happy animals make good science
Authors: Poole Trevor
Published: April 2007

In this paper the question is posed whether it is not only better for the animal to be happy, but whether its state of mind may also have the potential to influence the scientific results derived from it. To ensure good science, the animal should have a normal physiology and behaviour, apart from specific adverse effects under investigation. There is a growing body of evidence from a wide variety of sources to show that animals whose well-being is compromised are often physiologically and immunologically abnormal and that experiments using them may reach unreliable conclusions. On scientific, as well as ethical grounds, therefore, the psychological well-being of laboratory animals should be an important concern for veterinarians, animal technicians and scientists.
Experimental pneumonia virus of mice infection of guineapigs spontaneously infected with Bordetella bronchiseptica
Authors: Griffith J. W. , Brasky K. M. , Lang C. M.
Published: April 2007

Guineapigs that were intranasally inoculated with pneumonia virus of mice (PVM) seroconverted to PVM by 11 days post-infection. During the course of study (2-60 days post-infection) no gross or histologic lesions were identified within the lungs that could be attributed to PVM infection. Mild rhinitis and tracheitis were found in most animals and acute purulent bronchopneumonia in two animals, which may have resulted from spontaneous subclinical Bordetella bronchiseptica infection. Viral and bacterial respiratory diseases of the guineapig are briefly reviewed.
Development and use of genetically uniform strains of common carp in experimental animal research
Authors: Bongers A. B. J. , Sukkel M. , Gort G. , Komen J. , Richter C. J. J.
Published: April 2007

Fish are widely used in numerous fields of basic and applied research. Currently, they are the third laboratory animal group in numbers, and will become increasingly important. Common carp is a major species in both aquaculture and research. Inbred strains of carp by gynogenetic (only female inheritance) and androgenetic (only male inheritance) reproduction techniques were developed at our university. With these methods, homozygous animals are produced in one generation and we present the production of homozygous inbred and F1 hybrid strains of common carp.

As in mammalian research, using genetically well defined fish is a methodological necessity since in outbred stocks: (1) repeatability between experiments is low, (2) high levels of inbreeding may have accumulated and (3) high intrastrain variability might obscure treatment effects. Within inbred strains, the variation is reduced and as a result, less animals (compared to outbreds) are necessary to obtain statistically significant results. We illustrate this with experimental data from an F1 hybrid and partly outbred strain of common carp, both subjected to an antibiotic treatment resulting in reduced gonadal growth.

Results obtained from a single inbred strain should be generalized with the use of a panel of inbred strains. We show that optimal allocation of animals between and within inbred strains depends on the ratio (variation between strains): (variation within strains). When selecting a panel of inbred strains, attention has to be paid to genetic relations between strains to avoid testing within a limited genetic range. It should be considered that in inbred strains, (genic) dominance and interaction effects are absent, due to the absence of heterozygous genotypes.

In general, variation within inbred strains will be reduced for traits with a high degree of genetic determination. However, in inbred strains of carp produced by gynogenesis or androgenesis, the chromosome manipulation treatment induces considerable (environmental) variation. By using F1 hybrids of carp, derived from crossing homozygous clonal siblings this source of variation can be avoided. Still, variation in F1 hybrids of carp is relatively large and varies greatly between strains when compared to inbred strains of laboratory rodents. It is assumed that their poikilothermic nature makes them more susceptible to environmental variation. Using inbred fish lines will increase experimental quality and leads to a more efficient use of experimental animals.
Anaesthesia for lambs undergoing spinal surgery: a case series
Authors: Clutton R. E. , Murison P. J. , Funnell O. D.
Published: April 2007

Six 1-month-old lambs were anaesthetized for cervical spinal cord surgery. Anaesthesia was induced with intravenous midazolam (0.5 mg/kg) then halothane delivered by mask in an O2–N2O mixture. After endotracheal intubation, the lungs were ventilated mechanically and anaesthesia maintained with halothane and nitrous oxide. Buprenorphine and flunixin were given before and after surgery, and the wound margin was infiltrated with 0.5% bupivacaine solution. Neuromuscular block was produced with repeated injections of atracurium; neuromuscular transmission was restored with edrophonium. Lambs made a rapid recovery without obvious signs of discomfort, sedation, or weakness after operations lasting up to 156 min. Anaesthesia was induced in a seventh lamb using etomidate, which probably contributed to death during recovery from anaesthesia.
The incidence of chronic progressive nephrosis in young Sprague-Dawley rats from two different breeders
Authors: Palm Maud
Published: April 2007

Chronic progressive nephrosis (CPN) in rats may not only become a problem in long-term toxicity studies but also in short-term studies, if the breeding stock is not carefully selected with respect to the kidney function. This paper presents differences in kidney function between young rats of the same strain, Sprague-Dawley, but from two different breeders ('set A' and 'set B' rats). In set A rats, protein in the urine was present in the males, which is a common finding. In set B rats, not only the males but also the females excreted protein in the urine. The method used to detect protein in the urine does not normally show a positive protein result in the young female rats. At the age of 3 months signs of chronic progressive nephrosis were observed in 55% of the males and in 15% of the females in set B. Two months later, the incidence had increased to about 70–80% in males and 50% in females. At 8 months, the incidence was similar, but the severity had increased. These values were compared with those obtained from the set A rats, none of which showed any signs of the disease at the age of 5 months and only 5% of the males and females at the age of 8 months. The results indicated that an increased excretion of protein in the urine may be used as an indicator for chronic progressive nephrosis in the rat and that not only the strain but also the source is important in selecting laboratory rats for toxicity studies.
Orbital sinus blood sampling in rats as performed by different animal technicians: the influence of technique and expertise
Authors: van Herck H. , Baumans V. , Brandt C. J. W. M. , Hesp A. P. M. , Sturkenboom J. H. , van Lith H. A. , van Tintelen G. , Beynen A. C.
Published: April 2007

In this study the influence of orbital sinus blood sampling on clinical signs was studied within the framework of various nutritional experiments. In order to assess the clinical signs in a random design, the rats were punctured in either the left or the right orbit. Thus, the effect of puncture within rats could be determined by comparing the left and right eye. Four animal technicians punctured a total of 303 rats, using different techniques. Orbital sinus blood sampling caused clinically visible alterations. The type, frequency and prognosis of the alterations differed with the person performing the puncture. Two experienced animal technicians were able to perform the technique without causing a statistically significant increase in alterations in punctured orbits. One less experienced animal technician caused severe abnormalities. The use of either a Pasteur pipette or a haematocrit capillary did not necessarily produce different results. Neither did puncturing the lateral vs the medial canthus of the orbit. By not applying chloramphenicol eye ointment in the conjunctival sac after puncture, the number of abnormalities in 'ocular discharge' and 'corneal alterations' in the punctured orbits was significantly decreased. Four punctures in the same orbit with 14-day intervals by a skilled animal technician did not cause a significant increase in abnormalities.
Stimulation and inhibition of bone formation: use of peripheral quantitative computed tomography in the mouse in vivo
Authors: Breen Seán A. , Loveday Bernard E. , Millest Andrew J. , Waterton John C.
Published: April 2007

The purpose of this study was to assess peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) imaging for measurement of volumetric bone mineral density (BMD) in vivo in mouse tibia following ovariectomy, and following treatment with 17 β-oestradiol (E2). Two studies were undertaken. In study 1, three groups ( n=10) of mature mice were ovariectomized (OVX) or sham operated (SHAM); one of the OVX groups was dosed weekly with E2 (OVX·E2). Images of the proximal tibia were acquired on the day of surgery and at intervals following surgery until week 6. In study 2, four groups (OVX, SHAM, OVX·E2 and a SHAM group dosed with E2, SHAM·E2) of immature mice ( n=10) were imaged weekly up to 10 weeks post-surgery. Precision of pQCT for measurement of total (trabecular plus cortical) BMD was 2.4%, trabecular 5.2% and cortical 2.6%. In mature animals, significantly slower net bone formation was seen in OVX compared with SHAM animals using paired analysis with each animal as its own control. Group analysis detected no significant difference in BMD between SHAM and OVX at any time point. In immature animals, using paired analysis, with each animal as its own control, a significant difference between SHAM and OVX animals was detectable 3 weeks post-surgery ( P<0.05). As in study 1, group analysis of total BMD failed to detect any significant difference between SHAM and OVX at any time point. Treatment with E2 caused an easily-detected increase in BMD and led to osteopetrosis in both groups. The statistical power of this technique is adequate for testing antiresorptive or bone-forming therapies in the mouse.
Assessment of cage use by laboratory-bred common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)
Authors: Ely A. , Freer A. , Windle C. , Ridley R. M.
Published: April 2007

The way in which breeding families of laboratory-born marmosets used the space provided by their cages, and a small protruding 'veranda', was assessed in order to determine the popularity of the veranda as a form of environmental enrichment, and the extent to which the marmosets confined themselves to only part of the cage. The veranda was found to be of enduring interest to the marmosets whose occupancy of this space was an order of magnitude greater than the rest of the cage. The upper part of the cage was preferred to the bottom half. This preference was greater in larger cages and decreased when larger cages were temporarily reduced in size. It is unlikely, however, that the distribution of the occupancy of different parts of the cage resulted primarily from a fear of people in the holding room. The veranda, which was the most preferred place in the cage, was the nearest part of the cage to people in the room. Occupancy of the lower part of the cage increased when human observers sat on the floor, suggesting that some of the marmosets' behaviour comprised approaching, rather than avoiding, the observers, possibly for reasons of curiosity and social interaction.
The influence of transportation stress on selected nutritional parameters to establish the necessary minimum period for adaptation in rat feeding studies
Authors: van Ruiven R. , Meijer G. W. , Wiersma A. , Baumans V. , van Zutphen L. F. M. , Ritskes-Hoitinga J.
Published: April 2007

The optimal length of the adaptation period after transportation of rats, to be used in nutritional studies, was investigated in this study. After intracontinental transportation of rats by car and by air to and from the laboratory for a total period of 15 h, measurements were carried out for a period of 3 weeks after transport. Control and transported animals were housed in the same laboratory before and after transportation. During transport the animals had access to food and water. As blood collection could also cause stress, a factorial design was carried out with transport and blood collection as main factors. Transport or blood collection did not cause significant effects on the following parameters: body weight, growth, clinical observation, and blood enzyme activities of LDH and ASAT. Water intake was significantly increased after transport. Food intake did not show consistent effects after transport or blood collection. Unexpectedly, blood corticosterone levels were significantly lower in the transported animals at day 1 after transport. After 3 days these levels were back to normal. Blood glucose, blood free fatty acids and blood urea nitrogen concentrations were incidentally decreased, whereas total cholesterol levels showed an incidental rise in the transported rats. The open-field behaviour test revealed no clear-cut results concerning the effects of transport or blood collection on faeces production, rearing and ambulation. Our results indicate that after intracontinental transport, an adaptation period of 3 days appears to be sufficient for rats to be used in nutritional studies.
Intercostal muscles in the rabbit: surgical anatomy and flap construction
Authors: Elton C. , Rahim A. , Youl B. , Goldspink G. , Winslet M.
Published: April 2007

Demos and colleagues (1967) obtained good antireflux results from transposing an intercostal myoneurovascular pedicle around the gastro-oesophageal junction in dogs. An intact neurovascular supply is essential for the viability of a muscle flap. The aim of this study was to delineate the nerve and arterial supply to the left 11th intercostal muscle in the rabbit and to assess whether this muscle could be mobilized as a viable flap.

The innervation of the muscle was studied using the methods of gross dissection in cadaveric specimens, and histological staining techniques. The arterial supply was studied using gross dissection, and aortography. In three non-recovery experiments, intercostal muscle was transposed around the gastro-oesophageal junction. The distal motor latency was recorded after electrical stimulation of the intercostal wraps.

Gross dissection, histological staining techniques, and aortography showed that the left 11th intercostal muscle group in the rabbit is supplied by segmental vein, artery and nerve, running between external and internal intercostal muscles. Aortography and electrical stimulation demonstrated that the muscle group could be mobilized with an intact neurovascular supply. The left 11th intercostal muscle group has potential as a viable muscle flap for use in surgical procedures within the upper abdomen.
Refinement of blood sampling from the sublingual vein of rats
Authors: Zeller Walter , Weber Heinz , Panoussis Basile , Bürge Thomas , Bergmann Reinhard
Published: April 2007

A refined method of repeated blood sampling is described: the tongue of the anaesthetized rat is pulled forward with the fingers and the sublingual vein is punctured with a 23 gauge hypodermic needle. Based on the requirement of a pharmacokinetic study, 0.5 or 1 ml of blood was collected 7 times at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 24 h. The degree of suffering was judged by determining the body weight and food and water consumption. All animals showed an increase in body weight already after 24 h and, therefore, the method of collecting blood from the sublingual vein can be recommended for repeated blood sampling. The haematological evaluation of groups of animals with differing body weight showed that sample volumes of up to 15% of the total blood volume lead to haematocrit values of approximately 40%. A remarkable initial drop in white blood cell counts followed by a marked rise 2 h after first sampling to values partly above the pre-test could not be directly related to the extracted blood volume.
Comparison of effects of restraint, cage transportation, anaesthesia and repeated bleeding on plasma glucose levels between mice and rats
Authors: Tabata H. , Kitamura T. , Nagamatsu N.
Published: April 2007

We examined the effects of handling, cage transportation, anaesthesia and repeated bleeding on plasma glucose levels in mice and rats. Plasma glucose was determined using a compact glucose analyser Antsense®, which provides a quick and accurate method without the necessity for special specimen preparation. In mice, plasma glucose was significantly elevated after primary handling or cage transportation. Anaesthesia increased plasma glucose levels two-fold, whilst repeated bleeding induced a rapid but transient increase. However, it was found to be possible to sample plasma glucose levels at one-hour intervals without any apparent effect on plasma glucose level as a result of stress from the sampling procedure. In contrast, the same set of procedures i.e. handling, cage transportation and anaesthesia, when performed on rats, seemed to have small or no observable effect on levels of plasma glucose. These results show the importance of the sampling procedure when determining plasma glucose in mice. It is recommended that the procedure which causes the least influence on endogenous glucose levels should be the method of choice and that animals should be acclimatized to the procedure, by appropriate handling, prior to sampling.
Coronary artery distribution in Macaca fascicularis (Cynomolgus)
Authors: Teofilovski-Parapid G. , Kredovitć G.
Published: April 2007

The studies were performed using stereomicroscopic dissection, and light microscopy examination on hearts of healthy and fertile non-human primates ( Macaca fascicularis) of both sexes. The results indicate that the anatomy of the coronary arteries offers points of similarity as well as departure from humans. The blood supply to the hearts was by left (LCA) and right (RCA) coronary arteries. The LCA averaged 1.78 ± 0.29 (SD) mm (range 1.40–2.40 mm) in external diameter at its origin, and 4.34 ± 1.29 (SD) mm (range 1.8–6.5 mm) in length. It usually terminated by dividing into a left anterior descending artery (LAD) and the circumflex branch (CXA). The CXA branch coursed along the left part of the atrioventricular groove and gave off a varying number of branches to the left ventricle and atrium along its course. It averaged 1.14 ± 0.30 (SD) mm (range 0.70–1.70 mm) in external diameter at its origin. The LAD averaged 1.28 ± 0.25 (SD) mm (range 0.90 ± 1.80 mm) in external diameter at its origin. In 73% cases the LAD continued over the apex to course dorsally in the posterior interventricular groove, and gave off a varying number of diagonal and septal branches. The RCA arose from the right aortic sinus and coursed along the right part of the atrioventricular groove and averaged 0.94 ± 0.15 (SD) mm (range 0.70–1.20 mm) in external diameter at its origin. The posterior descending coronary artery (PDCA) arose from the LCA in 55% of the cases, and from the RCA in 45%. Myocardial bridges (MB) were present in 54% of the hearts and over the LCA branches exclusively. The average length of all MB was 5.68 ± 3.31 (SD) mm (range 2.4–11.5 mm). The coronary arteries of Macaca fascicularis are medium sized muscular arteries with well developed tunics intima, media and adventitia, and so resemble human arteries more closely than the dog. Therefore, we suggest this primate species might be a useful model for physiological studies on the coronary circulation.
Advancing refinement of laboratory animal use
Authors: Smaje Laurence H. , Smith Jane A. , Combes Robert D. , Ewbank Roger , Gregory John A. , Jennings Maggy , Moore Graham J. , Morton David B.
Published: April 2007

Whatever view is taken of the morality of using animals in scientific research and safety testing, it can generally be agreed that so long as such use continues, every effort should be made to keep animal suffering to a minimum. This is the thinking behind the 'Three Rs' of refinement, reduction and replacement of laboratory animal use. This paper concerns refinement. We recognize that the Three Rs are taken very seriously in many countries of the world [see for example a recent editorial in the journal Science (Goldberg et al. 1996)] and, although we have written this paper from our own perspective in the UK, its principles are generally applicable.
Echocardiography, a non-invasive method for the investigation of heart morphology and function in laboratory dogs: 2. Effects of minoxidil and quinidine on the left ventricle function
Authors: Hanton G. , Lodola A.
Published: April 2007

We used echocardiography to investigate the changes in the cardiac function of dogs treated with minoxidil (a vasodilator, administered at doses which can produce mild lesions in the myocardium of the left ventricle) and quinidine (an antiarrhythmic at doses up to 8 times the upper limit of the therapeutic range in dogs). Groups of three beagles received a single administration of minoxidil at doses of 0.5 or 2 mg/kg. Two groups of two dogs received a single administration of quinidine at doses of 80 or 160 mg/kg. Two groups of three control dogs were treated concurrently with the vehicle alone. M-mode echocardiography was performed under two-dimensional echocardiography guidance on three occasions the day before treatment, immediately before dosing and 1, 3 and 24 h after dosing. We measured or calculated end diastolic, end systolic, and stroke volumes (EDV, ESV and SV), fractional shortening (FS), ejection fraction (EF), the percentage of thickening of the septum and of the left ventricle posterior wall (PST and PWT), and the mean and maximal velocities of the left ventricle posterior wall (PWVm and PWVM). At the same time as echocardiography recording, heart rate was measured by cardiac auscultation. Minoxidil produced a marked tachycardia. Less marked increases in heart rate occurred after quinidine. Both compounds were associated with a decrease in ESV and with marked increases in FS, EF, PWVm and PWVM which, in comparison with data for controls, are indicative of an increase in the amplitude and velocity of cardiac contraction. Both drugs also produced a decrease in EDV and consequently there was no increase in SV despite the increased amplitude of ventricular contraction. Cardiac output increased in proportion to the increase in heart rate. Overall, the effects were dose-related and are consistent with the pharmacological properties of the compounds. However, to date these effects have been demonstrated only by invasive methods. To conclude, we have shown that echocardiography allows a non-invasive investigation of the cardiac effects of suprapharmacological doses of antiarrhythmics and of the changes in heart function induced by vasodilators known to cause left ventricular lesions in dogs.
Heterotopic pancreas at a site of colon stricture and ulceration in a guineapig
Authors: Cheeseman M. T. , Kelly D. F. , Birnie E. D. C.
Published: April 2007

A one-month-old female Dunkin Hartley guineapig presented with a thin hair coat and distended abdomen. Post-mortem findings after euthanasia were a protein-rich modified peritoneal transudate and heterotopic pancreas at a site of colon stricture and ulceration. Complications of pancreatic heterotopia are well recognized in man but not in animals. The finding in this individual is probably unrelated to sudden deaths in other animals in the group.
Ethics training for laboratory animal users
Authors: Smith Jane A. , Jennings Maggy
Published: April 2007

In the UK, all applicants for licences under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 must receive training in ethical aspects of laboratory animal use. There is, however, considerable uncertainty about the aims, suitable content and most appropriate means of delivery of such training. In this review a series of aims for licensee training in ethics are proposed, the key content is described and possible approaches to delivering such training are critically evaluated. Ethics training, it is argued, should: (i) be rooted in practice, focusing on the practical application of the Act to licensees' own work and encouraging them to take all possible steps to reduce or resolve any moral conflicts which the work entails; (ii) promote discussion, encouraging licensees to challenge their own views and critically appraise their work; and (iii) provide the necessary theoretical background to inform and stimulate such discussion. A variety of means of generating discussion and a range of practical considerations are explored.
Predictors of change in music therapy with children and adolescents: The role of therapeutic techniques
Authors: Gold Christian , Wigram Tony , Voracek Martin
Published: May 2007

Music therapy has been shown to be efficacious in experimental studies. However, there is little empirical research knowledge about what elements of music therapy influence its effectiveness in clinical practice. Children and adolescents with psychopathology (N=75) were assessed before and after participating in individual music therapy with 1 out of 15 music therapists in the Vienna region. Relationships between outcomes (as evaluated by parents) and therapy contents (as reported by therapists) were examined using general linear modelling. Results indicated that clients' symptoms and burdens on their social environment showed greater improvement when music therapy was limited to discipline‐specific music therapy techniques and did not include other media such as play therapy elements. The findings indicate the importance of being aware of a therapy method's specific strengths and limitations. More research on the indicated specific ingredients of music therapy intervention is needed.
Is a New Worldwide Web Possible? An Explorative Comparison of the Use of ICTs by Two South African Social Movements
Authors: Wasserman Herman
Published: April 2007

In this article the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), especially new media technologies such as e-mail and the Internet, by postapartheid South African social movements is explored. Following a discussion of the use of these technologies by activist groupings in international contexts, a typology suggested by Rheingold (2003) is used as a framework for comparing two South African social movements: the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and the Anti-Privatization Forum (APF).
Conduct Book and Serf: Emily Dickinson Writes a Word
Authors: Morse Jonathan
Published: April 2007

When a child of one of the family's servants died in 1858, Dickinson's letter 195 referred to the servant as "the serf" and treated the death as no more important than the death of a favorite flower. In its apparent mixture of sentimentality and imperious callousness, this letter has been important to readings of Dickinson and social class. However, the word "serf" and the general topic of mastery were also prominent in the journalism and popular non-fiction that Dickinson was reading in 1858. Dickinson seems to have appropriated the word from that discourse for her private lexicon—the repository of such other special Dickinson words as "awe" and "circumference." To the extent that we can generalize from this example, we may be able to say that the primary subjects of Dickinson's letters were not events (such as the death of a child) but words (such as the word "serf").
Evil in Later Medieval Philosophy
Authors: Kent Bonnie Dorrick
Published: April 2007

This essay presents a critical review of recent literature on evil in medieval philosophy, as understood by thinkers from Anselm of Canterbury onward. "Evil" is taken to include not only serious, deliberate wrongdoing, but also everyday sins done from ignorance or passion. Special attention is paid to Aquinas's De Malo, Giles of Rome and the aftermath of the 1277 Condemnation, scholarly disputes about Scotus's teachings, and commentaries on the Nicomachean Ethics by Walter Burley, Gerald Odonis, and John Buridan.
Empowerment of Microcredit Participants and Its Spillover Effects: Evidence from the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh
Authors: Basher Md. Abul
Published: April 2007

This paper analyzes how participation in microcredit program helps to reduce the fertility rate. By using the data from the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, the paper also examines whether the accomplished empowerment of the microcredit borrower remains limited only to economic activities or also reflected in their non-economic activities. The results show that the Grameen Bank transforms its participants from a passive recipient of credit to a well responsive and active agent in economic and non-economic aspects of life. This transformation sets up an encouraging context for the effective public policies for economic and social changes at a reduced transaction cost.
Are the Pacific Island Countries Ready for a Single Currency?
Authors: Bunyaratavej Kraiwinee , Jayaraman T. K
Published: April 2007

The introduction of the euro in 1999 has led to many initiatives and inquiries in other regions regarding the merits and prospects of currency unions. One of the regions where a currency union has been of interest is the Pacific island countries along with Australia and New Zealand. This paper investigates the degree of economic convergence among these countries and maps out the movement of regional currencies with the core currency, the Australian dollar. Overall, we found the economies in this region show a trend toward divergence. While most currencies closely moved with the Australian dollar, the evidence suggests such a currency union may be premature at this time.
Poulydamas and Hektor
Authors: Clark Matthew
Published: April 2007

Poulydamas is a middling character in the Iliad, but he plays an important role in both the plot and thematics of the epic. He was born on the same night as Hektor, and thus he can be seen as Hektor's projective double, who can express what Hektor may think but cannot say. He is better with words than Hektor but not as good in deeds. In four episodes Poulydamas serves as Hektor's wise counselor, but at crucial moments Hektor rejects his advice. Then in the final battle between Hektor and Achilles, Hektor imagines what Poulydamas might say if Hektor were to withdraw from the fight. The carefully arranged passages in which Poulydamas appears display the power of variation within a formulaic method of composition; they also reveal important aspects of Hektor's character, as well as aspects of the Homeric view of decision-making and the Homeric view of the complex self.
Learning Lessons from the Trojan War: Briseis and the Theme of Force
Authors: Dué Casey
Published: April 2007

This essay looks at several modern attempts to learn lessons from the Trojan War, including the example provided to us by the French philosopher Simone Weil's remarkable essay, "The Iliad, or the Poem of Force," which she wrote in 1939 during the war between France and Germany and just before the occupation of France by the Nazis. It compares some of the arguments made in Weil's essay about the theme of force in the Iliad to some of the underlying assumptions of the 2004 blockbuster film Troy, with which the essay has a remarkable affinity. In this way the essay attempts to show that this movie is only the latest example of a type of reading that stretches back as far as the seventh century BCE, and perhaps even earlier. The conclusion speculates about the nature of the Iliad as a didactic text and why so many generations of audiences have sought truth in the Iliad.
"Reading" Homer through Oral Tradition
Authors: Foley John Miles
Published: April 2007

Twentieth-century research demonstrated that Homer's Iliad and Odyssey began as part of an ancient Greek oral tradition, and were passed down by word of mouth through generations of oral poets before and for some time after the invention of the alphabet. As the twenty-first century dawns, the modern (re)discovery of these unwritten origins is exerting an enormous influence on how we understand and teach the poems, presenting new answers to the ages-old "Homeric Question"–Who was Homer?–and suggesting comparisons with living oral epic traditions on five continents. By paying attention to the trademark structures and idiomatic values of Homer's language, the bequest of oral tradition, we can "read" the poems more faithfully. The perspective from oral tradition solves such stubborn and longstanding challenges as the heavy repetition of phrases and scenes, as well as the non-chronological order and anti-climactic ending of the Odyssey. Oral tradition can also show how Penelope emerges as a full-fledged hero–in some ways even more central a figure than her husband Odysseus.
Res Agens: Towards an Ontology of the Homeric Self
Authors: Stocking Damian
Published: April 2007

What is the nature of the self as presented to us in Homeric epic? Having recognized that in Homer death is conceived as the total negation of the self, this paper employs Homeric depictions of the corpse and psuchê to arrive at a full ontological theory of Homeric selfhood. Against Cartesian, quasi-Hegelian, and crudely "physical" interpretations, it is shown that Homeric poetry conceives of the self in terms of interactive force relations, as a certain capability of effecting changes in the usual procession of things in the world. Neither merely "body" nor res cogitans, the Homeric self is conceived in terms of pointed, relational activity, as a "driving, herding thing"—a a res agens. The paper then concludes with some reflections on how this particular understanding of the self might shape interpretation of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)\-\-One or Several Diseases? Changes in the Prevalence and Features of CHD
Authors: Azambuja Maria Inês , Levins Richard
Published: April 2007

In retrospect, mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) in the 20th century followed an epidemic pattern: mortality rates increased dramatically from 1920 until about 1960, remained roughly constant for almost a decade, and have been decreasing since the late 1960s. CHD has traditionally been conceived of as a single disease with multifactorial causality. We suggest instead that CHD cases may comprise at least two distinct populations: those associated with hypercholesterolemia, and those associated with insulin resistance. The epidemic of CHD was due primarily to changes in the incidence of the hypercholesterolemia subgroup. We propose that young adults who survived the 1918 influenza pandemic were rendered vulnerable to lipid-associated CHD and coronary thrombosis upon reinfection with influenza later in life. This vulnerability may be due to autoimmune disruption of low-density lipoprotein-receptor interactions. Historical events may affect the health of populations by affecting the susceptibility of populations to chronic diseases such as CHD. The life experiences of individuals are known to influence their susceptibility to infectious diseases; we suggest that life experiences may also influence individual susceptibility to chronic diseases.
Nous and Nirvāṇa: Conversations with Plotinus — An Essay in Buddhist Cosmology
Authors: Kloetzli Randy
Published: April 2007

In the Classical world, the language of cosmology was a means for framing philosophical concerns. Among these were issues of time, motion, and soul; concepts of the limited and the unlimited; and the nature and basis of number. This is no less true of Indian thought—Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Ājivika—where the prestige of the cosmological idiom for organizing philosophical and theological thought can not be overstated. This essay focuses on the structural similarities in the thought of Plotinus and Buddhist cosmological/philosophical speculation. It builds on research concerning the Buddha-field (buddhakṣetra), which identified two discrete numerologies central to this speculation: the thousands of worlds (sāhasralokadhātu) comprising the field of single Buddha (buddhakṣetra), characteristic of the Hīnayāna, and the innumerable or incalculable (asaṃkhyeya) Buddha-fields filling the ten regions of space, characteristic of the Mahāyāna. The Enneads of Plotinus serve as lens through which to view in fresh way broad range of difficult issues associated with Buddhist cosmology in three general areas. First, it asks whether Plotinus’ understanding of Intellect and his treatment of infinite and essential number afford an understanding of the innumerables and thousands central to the concept of the Buddha-field. This analysis involves a consideration of the Hindu creator god, Brahmā, as ‘demiurge.’ Second, it suggests analogies between the One, Intellect, and Soul of Plotinus and the three Buddhist Realms—the Formless Realm,the Realm of Form, and the Realm of Desire. Finally, it explores the possibility that an understanding of the Enneads can provide model for relating the cosmologies of the Hīnayāna and the Mahāyāna.
Perpetual Unease or Being at Ease? \-\- Derrida, Daoism, and the 'Metaphysics of Presence'
Authors: Shepherd Robert J
Published: April 2007

Interesting work has been done on the striking similarities between the key arguments of the late Jacques Derrida and Daoism. While named otherwise, such Derridean signposts as the metaphysics of presence, the duality of language, and logocentrism are found in Daoist views of the relationship between reality, speech, writing, and knowledge. However, where the limits of language lead Derrida is different from where they take the authors of the Zhuangzi and the Daodejing, in particular regarding the question of action for and responsibility toward others.
Campus Cultures Fostering Information Literacy
Authors: Bennett Scott
Published: April 2007

The 2004 and 2005–06 workshops sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges and the National Institute for Technology & Liberal Education have generated much data that can be used to describe aspects of the campus cultures at some 130 institutions that foster information literacy. These data are particularly informative regarding collaboration among faculty and academic support staff, curricular reform, the role of chief academic officers, library space design, and the deployment of campus networks and electronic information resources.
The Afterimage: Immigration Policy after Elián
Authors: Demo Anne Teresa
Published: April 2007

This essay examines media coverage of the Elián González custody case in order to illuminate the productive entailments of news spectacles. It defines the "afterimage" as a conceptual figure for news stories that justify reporting on important secondary stories with a hook to the primary newspeg of a media spectacle. In this case, a dramatic increase in stories on INS treatment of immigrant children and the disparity in U.S. immigration policy toward Cuban and Haitian immigrants followed reporters' connection of these often underreported subjects to the González newspeg. The essay concludes that afterimage stories result from hyper-coverage, that they complement or parallel the main plot of news spectacles, and that their circulation is enhanced or limited by cultural and reporting norms.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 Birmingham Campaign as Image Event
Authors: Johnson Davi
Published: April 2007

Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 Birmingham campaign was an exercise in cross-racial vision. Using what Kevin DeLuca has defined as the "image event" as a mode of public address, King targeted the conscience of white moderates by making visible the reality of racial injustice. Through a close analysis of both Charles Moore's Life photographs of fire hoses and police dogs turned against black demonstrators and the effects of their international circulation, I argue that rhetorical critics cannot account for King's success in arousing the conscience of white moderates through an examination of his oral and written address alone; they must take into account King's mastery of visual communication.
Popular Children's Literature and the Memory of the First World War, 1919-1939
Authors: Flothow Dorothea
Published: April 2007

Due to its high casualties and the deadly nature of trench warfare, the First World War was an important influence on British culture and literature in the post-war years. This is also apparent in popular children's fiction which was used as a means of instructing the future generation in the significance of the past conflict. By analysing a selection of novels published between 1919 and 1939, this article examines which images of the war were (re)created for a child readership and whether children's fiction, like many canonized adult novels, remember the war as a horrible and futile experience.
"Woolly Bears and Toffee Apples": History, Memory, and Masculinity in Charley's War
Authors: Jachimiak Peter Hughes
Published: April 2007

Written by Pat Mills, and with artwork by Joe Colquhoun, Charley's War, published in Battle-Action (Jan 1979–Oct 1986), is an anti-war strip within a boy's pro-war comic. Concerned with the exploits of Charley Bourne, a 'boy soldier' of the First World War, it is re-read as an insight into the existence of multiple masculinities within children's texts. Furthermore, as a 'site of memory' – where history, memory and masculinity converge – Charley's War readily facilitates a form of remembrance whereby such cultural artefacts as children's comics are on par with more well-known monuments.
A Longitudinal Study of the Prevalence, Development, and Persistence of HIV/Sexually Transmitted Infection Risk Behaviors in Delinquent Youth: Implications for Health Care in the Community
Authors: Romero Erin Gregory , Teplin Linda A. , McClelland Gary M. , Abram Karen M. , Welty Leah J. , Washburn Jason J.
Published: May 2007

OBJECTIVES. Our goal was to examine the prevalence, development, and persistence of drug and sex risk behaviors that place delinquent youth at risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

METHODS. At the baseline interview, HIV/sexually transmitted infection drug and sex risk behaviors were assessed in a stratified random sample of 800 juvenile detainees aged 10 to 18 years. Participants were reinterviewed approximately 3 years later. The final sample in these analyses (n = 724) included 316 females and 408 males; there were 393 African American participants, 198 Hispanic participants, 131 non-Hispanic white participants, and 2 participants who self-identified their race as “other.”

RESULTS. More than 60% of youth had engaged in ≥10 risk behaviors at their baseline interview, and nearly two thirds of them persisted in ≥10 risk behaviors at follow-up. Among youth living in the community, many behaviors were more prevalent at follow-up than at baseline. Among incarcerated youth, the opposite pattern prevailed. Compared with females, males had higher prevalence rates of many HIV/sexually transmitted infection risk behaviors and were more likely to persist in some behaviors and develop new ones. Yet, injection risk behaviors were more prevalent among females than males and were also more likely to develop and persist. Overall, there were few racial and ethnic differences in patterns of HIV/sexually transmitted infection risk behaviors; most involved the initiation and persistence of substance use among non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics.

CONCLUSIONS. Because detained youth have a median stay of only 2 weeks, HIV/sexually transmitted infection risk behaviors in delinquent youth are a community public health problem, not just a problem for the juvenile justice system. Improving the coordination among systems that provide HIV/sexually transmitted infection interventions to youth— primary care, education, mental health, and juvenile justice—can reduce the prevalence of risk behaviors and substantially reduce the spread of HIV/sexually transmitted infection in young people.
“Urticaria Multiforme”: A Case Series and Review of Acute Annular Urticarial Hypersensitivity Syndromes in Children
Authors: Shah Kara N. , Honig Paul J. , Yan Albert C.
Published: May 2007

Acute annular urticaria is a common and benign cutaneous hypersensitivity reaction seen in children that manifests with characteristic annular, arcuate, and polycyclic urticarial lesions in association with acral edema. It is mistaken most often for erythema multiforme and, occasionally, for a serum-sickness–like reaction. Although these 3 entities may present in a similar manner, specific clinical features help to distinguish them, and it is important for the clinician to be able to differentiate among them. We present herein a series of 18 patients who were given a diagnosis of acute annular urticaria and review the clinical distinctions between acute annular urticaria, serum-sickness–like reactions, and erythema multiforme. Because of the frequency of its clinical confusion with erythema multiforme, we propose the term “urticaria multiforme” as a more apt description to highlight the distinctive clinical features of this urticaria variant.