bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimal design of studies of influenza transmission in households. II: Comparison between cohort and case-ascertained studies
Authors: KLICK B. , NISHIURA H. , LEUNG G. M. , COWLING B. J.
Published: July 2013

Both case-ascertained household studies, in which households are recruited after an ‘index case’ is identified, and household cohort studies, where a household is enrolled before the start of the epidemic, may be used to test and estimate the protective effect of interventions used to prevent influenza transmission. A simulation approach parameterized with empirical data from household studies was used to evaluate and compare the statistical power of four study designs: a cohort study with routine virological testing of household contacts of infected index case, a cohort study where only household contacts with acute respiratory illness (ARI) are sampled for virological testing, a case-ascertained study with routine virological testing of household contacts, and a case-ascertained study where only household contacts with ARI are sampled for virological testing. We found that a case-ascertained study with ARI-triggered testing would be the most powerful design while a cohort design only testing household contacts with ARI was the least powerful. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that these conclusions varied by model parameters including the serial interval and the risk of influenza virus infection from outside the household.
Caregiver perceptions of the food marketing environment of African-American 3–11-year-olds: a qualitative study
Authors: Baskin Monica L , Herbey Ivan , Williams Ronnie , Ard Jamy D , Ivankova Nataliya , Odoms-Young Angela
Published: July 2013

Objective

To assess caregivers’ perceptions of the extent to which the food marketing environment influences food consumption among African-American children (aged 3–11 years) in order to generate potential strategies to make the marketing environment more favourable to healthier eating.

Design

Individual semi-structured interviews with caregivers were conducted by trained community leaders to ascertain their awareness of and perceptions about food marketing environments contributing to African-American children's food consumption.

Setting

Six predominantly African-American communities in metro Birmingham, Alabama, USA with high proportions of school-age children and lower-income residents.

Subjects

Caregivers (n 25) were predominantly female (93 %) and either parents/guardians (64 %) or grandparents (28 %) of African-American children aged 3–11 years. Caregiver mean age was 43 years and 46 % had lived in their current residence for over 10 years.

Results

Caregivers reported all aspects of the food marketing matrix as supporting unhealthy eating among African-American youth. Child preference for foods higher in fat and sugar, lower pricing of less healthy foods, limited access to healthier food retailers and targeted advertisements were particularly influential on the food selection, acquisition and consumption of children. Company loyalty, corporate sponsorship of local events and conflicts over parental v. food company responsibility contributed to less consensus about the overall impact (positive or negative) of food companies in African-American communities.

Conclusions

While caregivers perceived aspects of their food marketing environments as primarily contributing to unhealthy eating among African-American children, framing the demand for changes in the food marketing environments of African-American youth may be particularly challenging.
The Australian Food and Health Dialogue – the implications of the sodium recommendation for pasta sauces
Authors: Trevena Helen , Dunford Elizabeth , Neal Bruce , Webster Jacqueline
Published: July 2013

Objective

To assess the change in Na content of Australian pasta sauces between 2008 and 2011. A secondary objective was to project the mean Na content of these same products in 2014 using the Australian Food and Health Dialogue Na commitment and compare projections with the 2012 UK Na target for pasta sauce.

Design

Na data were collected from the product labels of pasta sauce products. Mean Na content was calculated for 2008 and 2011 and change assessed. Projected mean values for 2014 were derived by applying a 15 % reduction to the 2011 products above the ‘action point’ of 420 mg Na/100 g, consistent with the Food and Health Dialogue commitment (scenario 1). A 15 % reduction was applied to products already below the ‘action point’ (scenario 2). Projections were compared with the 2012 UK target.

Setting

Na data for pasta sauce products in Australian supermarkets (July–September) in 2008 and 2011.

Subjects

Not applicable.

Results

Data were available for 124 (2008) and 187 (2011) products, and mean Na levels were not significantly different (451 mg/100 gv. 423 mg/100 g;P= 0·16). The projected means (381 mg Na/100 g in scenario 1; 375 mg Na/100 g in scenario 2) exceeded the 2012 UK target (330 mg Na/100 g) and to attain this would require a 22 % reduction from 2011 levels.

Conclusions

There is little evidence that all Australian manufacturers of pasta sauces systematically reduced the Na content of their products between 2008 and 2011. Even if all manufacturers achieve the current voluntary commitment by 2014, average salt levels in Australian products would still be above the 2012 UK target.
The role of folic acid in fetal programming of birth phenotypes and early human development: a biopsychosocial perspective
Authors: Salihu H. M. , Salinas-Miranda A. , de la Cruz C. , Alio A. P.
Published: July 2013

Preterm birth, low birthweight, intrauterine growth retardation and small for gestational age are birth phenotypes that significantly contribute to life-long morbidity and mortality. This review examines the epidemiologic and biologic evidence of folic acid (FA) as a potential population-based intervention to curtail some adverse birth phenotypic expressions, and by extension, their later physical and neurodevelopmental consequences. We outlined a feto-placental adaptation categorization taking into account how prenatal insults may be encoded in fetal development, the adaptive success of the feto-placental response, and subsequent expression in the health of the fetus. Although there are plausible biological pathways that can be implicated, we found that the epidemiological evidence on the role of perinatal FA nutriture and fetal programming of adverse birth phenotypes is still inconclusive. Because biologic and epidemiological considerations alone do not suffice in deciphering the utility of FA in averting adverse birth phenotypes, we proposed a biopsychosocial model that takes into account multi-layered psychosocial contexts for improving subsequent research studies in this area.
Identification of Two Maternal Transmission Ratio Distortion Loci in Pedigrees of the Framingham Heart Study
Authors: Liu Yang , Zhang Liangliang , Xu Shuhua , Hu Landian , Hurst Laurence D. , Kong Xiangyin
Published: July 2013

Transmission ratio distortion (TRD) is indicated by the recovery of alleles in offspring in non-Mendelian proportions. An assumption of Mendelian proportion is central to many methods to identify disease-associated markers. This seems reasonable as, while TRD cases have been occasionally observed in various species few instances have been identified in humans. Here we search for evidence of paternal or maternal TRD with genome-wide SNP data of pedigrees from the Framingham Heart Study. After excluding many examples as better explained by genotyping errors we identified two maternal-specific TRD loci for autosomal SNPs rs6733122 and rs926716 (corrected P = 0.029 and P = 0.018) on LRP2 and ZNF133, respectively. The transmission ratios were as high as 1.7~1.8:1. Genotyping validation and further replication is still necessary to confirm the TRD. This study shows that there may be large-effect maternal-specific TRD loci of common SNPs in the human genome but that these are rare.
Sorting nexin 27 (SNX27) associates with zonula occludens-2 (ZO-2) and modulates the epithelial tight junction
Authors: Zimmerman Seth P. , Hueschen Christina L. , Malide Daniela , Milgram Sharon L. , Playford Martin P.
Published: July 2013

Proteins of the SNX (sorting nexin) superfamily are characterized by the presence of a PX (Phox homology) domain and associate with PtdIns3P (phosphatidylinositol-3-monophosphate)-rich regions of the endosomal system. SNX27 is the only sorting nexin that contains a PDZ domain. In the present study, we used a proteomic approach to identify a novel interaction between SNX27 and ZO-2 [zonula occludens-2; also known as TJP2 (tight junction protein 2)], a component of the epithelial tight junction. The SNX27–ZO-2 interaction requires the PDZ domain of SNX27 and the C-terminal PDZ-binding motif of ZO-2. When tight junctions were perturbed by chelation of extracellular Ca2+, ZO-2 transiently localized to SNX27-positive early endosomes. Depletion of SNX27 in mpkCCD (mouse primary kidney cortical collecting duct) cell monolayers resulted in a decrease in the rate of ZO-2, but not ZO-1, mobility at cell–cell contact regions after photobleaching and an increase in junctional permeability to large solutes. The findings of the present study identify an important new SNX27-binding partner and suggest a role for endocytic pathways in the intracellular trafficking of ZO-2 and possibly other tight junction proteins. Our results also indicate a role for SNX27–ZO-2 interactions in tight junction maintenance and function.
Frequency domain properties of reset systems with multiple reset anticipations
Authors: Prieto José Antonio González , Barreiro Antonio , Dormido Sebastián
Published: July 2013

A reset controller is a controller that operates most of the time as a linear system, except when some condition holds. The typical reset condition is the zero crossing of the tracking error signal, e (t) = 0. At this moment, the controller performs a zero resetting action on its state. It has been shown that reset control is able to overcome fundamental linear limitations. This article studies, within a frequency‐domain framework, the generalisation of reset control systems based on including some anticipation on the reset condition.This has a favourable phase lead effect. The paper discusses different reset anticipations schemes, including multiple reset actions in the same period, computes Fourier harmonics and describing function of general reset controllers and shows explicitly the overcoming of frequency‐domain limitations (Bode's gain–phase relation).
Fractional order adaptive controller for stabilised systems via high‐gain feedback
Authors: Charef Abdelfatah , Assabaa Mohamed , Ladaci Samir , Loiseau Jean‐Jacques
Published: July 2013

Controllers based on fractional order calculus are gaining more and more interests from the control community. This type of controllers may involve fractional integration, fractional differentiation and/or fractional systems in their structure or implementation. They have been introduced in the control applications in a continuous effort to enhance the system control quality performances and robustness. In this study, a new scheme of fractional order adaptive controller via high‐gain output feedback for a class of linear, time‐invariant, minimum phase and single input‐single output systems of relative degree one is proposed. The basic idea of the new design is a further modification in the adaptive proportional control law by the introduction of a fractional integration besides of the regular one of the squared output of the system in the adaptation gain of the control strategy. An analytical stability proof of the feedback control system is presented. The control quality enhancement of the proposed control scheme compared with the classical one has been presented through the simulation results of an illustrative example.
A robust non‐linear feedback control strategy for a class of bioprocesses
Authors: Coutinho Daniel , Wouwer Alain Vande
Published: July 2013

This study proposes a multiple‐input/multiple‐output robust approach to the control of bioprocesses based on a cascaded‐loop strategy. The internal loop is a classical input‐to‐output feedback linearising controller which is obtained from the nominal dynamics of the bioprocess. Then, the outer loop is designed based on the internal model principle to obtain zero steady‐state tracking error (and disturbance rejection) for constant signals while ensuring the robust stability of the overall closed‐loop system. In addition, a robust Luenberger‐like observer is proposed to estimate unmeasured state variables for the feedback linearising control law. The approach is applied to the simultaneous control of biomass and substrate concentrations in a perfusion/chemostat bioreactor, where the simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.
Distributed average filtering for sensor networks with sensor saturation
Authors: Zhang Hao , Yan Huaicheng , Yang Fuwen , Chen Qijun
Published: July 2013

This study addresses the distributed average set‐membership filtering of spatially varying processes using sensor networks. The system under consideration contains sensor saturation in the presence of unknown‐but‐bounded process and measurement noise in the sensor network. The so‐called distributed average set‐membership filtering is defined to quantify bounded consensus regarding the estimation error. A sufficient condition for distributed average set‐membership filtering parameter design is established in terms of a set of time‐varying linear matrix inequalities. A recursive algorithm is developed for computing the estimator, controller gains and the ellipsoid that guarantees to contain the true state. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Quantitative feedback–feedforward control for model matching and disturbance rejection
Authors: Elso Jorge , Gil‐Martínez Montserrat , García‐Sanz Mario
Published: July 2013

This study addresses two major single‐input single‐output control problems involving both feedback and feedforward actions: (i) the model matching in reference tracking and (ii) the rejection of measurable disturbances. Its aim is to overcome the limitations of inversion‐based feedforward design methods when system uncertainty is considered, and to find a control engineering solution based on the quantitative feedback theory (QFT). The proposed methodology leads to minimum cost of feedback by limiting the feedback action to the strictly necessary amount that enables the use of a feedforward controller. Although the model matching problem had drawn some attention of the QFT community in the last few years, the measurable disturbance rejection problem remained unaddressed. This study provides a novel solution for both of them in which the need for feedback is linked to the existence of a common feedforward solution for all plants within the model uncertainty. This work also deals with the generation of the corresponding quadratic inequalities and new QFT bounds for the mentioned feedback demand. A practical and well‐known benchmark example illustrates the main details and advantages of the new methodology.
Non‐fragile H∞ fuzzy filtering for discrete‐time non‐linear systems
Authors: Ding Da‐Wei , Li Xiaoli , Wang Youyi , Shi Zhiguo
Published: July 2013

This study is concerned with the problem of non‐fragile H∞ filtering for discrete‐time non‐linear systems in Takagi–Sugeno's form. Additive interval uncertainty that reflects imprecision in filter implementation because of finite word length effects is considered. Based on vertex theory and probabilistic robust approach, deterministic and randomised filtering algorithms are proposed, respectively. Compared with the deterministic algorithm, the randomised algorithm has acceptable computational complexity, especially for high‐dimensional systems. Two examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.
Investigating over-allocation of water using risk analysis: a case study in Tasmania, Australia
Authors: Lambourne Melinda , Bowmer Kathleen H.
Published: July 2013

The determination of a sustainable level of extraction is a challenge to water reform and planning, especially where information on environmental assets is sparse, and where future flow regime is threatened by irrigation and climate change. Hamstead (2009) considered a catchment to be over-allocated and/or overused if projected changes in freshwater flow posed a medium or higher level of risk to key ecological assets. The present paper investigates Hamstead’s (2009) two-step risk analysis process by using the Coal Pitt Water Catchment in Tasmania, Australia, where the Ramsar-listed Pittwater–Orielton Lagoon was identified as the key ecological asset. Although Hamstead’s (2009) approach revealed over-allocation and/or overuse, several limitations emerged. In particular, setting the current condition as the baseline ecosystem condition, rather than that at the time of Ramsar listing, permits over-allocation and/or overuse to continue and contravenes international, national and state obligations. Projections could be improved by inclusion of a river condition index and hydrological indicators such as proportion of total natural flow retained, frequency of estuary flushing, and percentage of median annual flow impounded. Available ecological information and projected hydrological change should be included in determining the threat to environmental assets because statutory obligations require strategies to manage processes that threaten species and communities.
Cumulus cell gene expression associated with pre-ovulatory acquisition of developmental competence in bovine oocytes
Authors: Bunel A. , Nivet A. L. , Blondin P. , Vigneault C. , Richard F. J. , Sirard M. A.
Published: July 2013

The final days before ovulation impact significantly on follicular function and oocyte quality. This study investigated the cumulus cell (CC) transcriptomic changes during the oocyte developmental competence acquisition period. Six dairy cows were used for 24 oocyte collections and received FSH twice daily over 3 days, followed by FSH withdrawal for 20, 44, 68 and 92 h in four different oestrous cycles for each of the six cows. Half of the cumulus–oocyte complexes were subjected to in vitro maturation, fertilisation and culture to assess blastocyst rate. The other half of the CC underwent microarray analysis (n = 3 cows, 12 oocyte collections) and qRT-PCR (n = 3 other cows, 12 oocyte collections). According to blastocyst rates, 20 h of FSH withdrawal led to under-differentiated follicles (49%), 44 and 68 h to the most competent follicles (71% and 61%) and 92 h to over-differentiated ones (51%). Ten genes, from the gene lists corresponding to the three different follicular states, were subjected to qRT-PCR. Interestingly, CYP11A1 and NSDHL gene expression profiles reflected the blastocyst rate. However most genes were associated with the over-differentiated status: GATM, MAN1A1, VNN1 and NRP1. The early period of FSH withdrawal has a minimal effect on cumulus gene expression, whereas the longest period has a very significant one and indicates the beginning of the atresia process.
Avocado weevils of the genus Heilipus.
Authors: Castañeda-Vildózola A. , Equihua-Martinez A. , Peña J. E.
Published: July 2013

This chapters describes the distribution, developmental stages, host plants, biology, damage, sampling, monitoring, assessment of damage and economic thresholds, and management tactics (including cultural, chemical and biological) of avocado weevils of the genus Heilipus. These include the seed borers H. lauri, H. pittieri and H. trifasciatus, and the stem borers H. albopictus, H. apiatus, H. elegans, H. catagraphus and H. rufipes.
Exotic bark and ambrosia beetles in the USA: potential and current invaders.
Authors: Haack R. A. , Rabaglia R. J.
Published: July 2013

Bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are among the most important insects affecting trees and forests worldwide. This chapter (i) summarizes recent US interceptions of scolytines with a focus on those that were intercepted in association with wood; (ii) discusses the 58 scolytine species that were known to be established in the continental USA as of 2010; (iii) briefly describes the biology and impact of the redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus; and (iv) presents current international efforts aimed at reducing the international movement of exotic plant pests. Future prospects are mentioned.
Diabrotica speciosa: an important soil pest in South America.
Authors: Ávila C. J. , Santana A. G.
Published: July 2013

This chapter describes the biology, life cycle, distribution, host plants, damage, and control (using insecticides, sex pheromones, plant resistance and biological control agents), and rearing of Diabrotica speciosa, an important soil pest in South America.
Potential lepidopteran pests associated with avocado fruit in parts of the home range of Persea americana.
Authors: Hoddle M. S. , Parra J. R. P.
Published: July 2013

This chapter focuses on potential invasion threats posed by well-recognized and poorly known lepidopteran pests associated with avocado fruit in the home range of this plant. It focuses on the most notorious of these fruit-feeding lepidopteran pests, namely Stenoma catenifer, describing its distribution, morphology, taxonomy, biology, ecology, developmental and reproductive biology, and control measures (using sex pheromones, natural enemies, cultural methods, sterile insect release, and insecticides).
The tomato fruit borer, Neoleucinodes elegantalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), an insect pest of neotropical Solanaceous fruits.
Authors: Montilla A. E. D. , Solis M. A. , Kondo T.
Published: July 2013

The tomato fruit borer, N. elegantalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is one of the most important pests in the production of Solanaceae in South America. This chapter reports several aspects of its biology (including life cycle and morphology), habits, geographical range, monitoring and sampling techniques, damage to the crop, and integrated pest management (involving chemical, biological, cultural, physical, plant resistance and quarantine methods). It also aims to provide information on species of the same genus.
Copitarsia spp.: biology and risk posed by potentially invasive lepidoptera from south and central America.
Authors: Gould J. , Simmons R. , Venette R.
Published: July 2013

This chapter summarizes the state of knowledge for members of Copitarsia, in terms of their pest status and control. It reviews the taxonomic difficulties involved with members of Copitarsia, their geographic range, host plant preferences and associated economic impacts. It also summarizes the life histories of these species and procedures for rearing them in colonies for future study. Their interception, control and assessment of risk for large-scale damage to domestic agriculture are discussed.
Host range of the nettle caterpillar Darna pallivitta (Moore) (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae) in Hawai'i.
Authors: Hara A. H. , Kishimoto C. M. , Niino-DuPonte R. Y.
Published: July 2013

This chapter describes the life cycle, control (using chemical, biological and heat treatments), and host range (based on field observations and no-choice host range tests) of the Nettle Caterpillar Darna pallivitta. Confirming host plant species and preferred food sources of D. pallivitta will enable entomologists and plant quarantine regulators to monitor and regulate movement of these plants to prevent the spread of D. pallivitta.
The citrus orthezia, Praelongorthezia praelonga (Douglas) (Hemiptera: Ortheziidae), a potential invasive species.
Authors: Kondo T. , Peronti A. L. , Kozár F. , Szita É.
Published: July 2013

The citrus orthezia, Praelongorthezia praelonga (Hemiptera: Ortheziidae), is a highly polyphagous scale insect that causes plant damage both directly by its feeding and indirectly due to its associated sooty moulds (generally caused by a fungus, Capnodium sp.). This Neotropical species currently is largely confined to Central and South America and the Caribbean Region, but has the potential to be invasive if accidentally introduced into other climatically suitable parts of the world. The citrus orthezia was recently introduced into the Afro-tropical region where it has become a pest. This chapter provides a brief summary of the vast literature on the citrus orthezia, which is often difficult to access, including its taxonomy, biology, host records, economic importance, world distribution, and integrated management (including chemical, mechanical, cultural, physical, biological and quarantine methods). The scale insect can have multiple generations per year and has a lengthy life cycle lasting between 40 and 200 days.
Potential invasive species of scale insects for the USA and Caribbean Basin.
Authors: Evans G. A. , Dooley J. W.
Published: July 2013

This chapter deals with potential invasive scale insect pests for the USA and the Caribbean Basin. There are approximately 7500 known species of scale insects (Coccoidea) belonging to 45 families (extant and fossil); however, the most common species, and the ones that are usually intercepted at US ports of entry on plant material, belong to one of the following eight families: Asterolecaniidae, Coccidae, Dactylopiidae, Diaspididae, Monophlebidae (formerly part of Margardodidae), Ortheziidae, Pseudococcidae and Stictococcidae. Tabulated data are provided on the number of species in these families that are known worldwide, and on the number of species known to occur in the USA and in the following seven zoogeographic regions: Nearctic, Neotropical, Afrotropical, Palearctic, Oriental, Australasian and Antarctica. These data were extracted from ScaleNet (2011), an online database that includes all published information on scale insect species.
Invasion of exotic arthropods in South America's biodiversity hotspots and agro-production systems.
Authors: Wyckhuys K. A. G. , Kondo T. , Herrera B. V. , Miller D. R. , Naranjo N. , Hyman G.
Published: July 2013

This chapter presents a study attempting to document the most significant arthropod invasions in mainland South America, with particular emphasis on scales (e.g., Coccidae, Diaspididae and Pseudococcidae). A regional species inventory was developed, based upon (gray) literature revision, and employed niche modelling to visualize the geographical distribution of (potentially) some of the most worrisome species. A broad literature revision was carried out to screen invasive species records in mainland South America. Global (e.g., ISI Web of Knowledge, CAB Abstracts) and regional scientific literature databases (e.g., Scielo) were consulted and queries were formulated for invasive or exotic arthropods. For invasive scales, expert knowledge, e.g., TK, DRM or ALP and specialized databases such as ScaleNet were consulted. Focusing monitoring activities on potential ports of entry could be an effective and relatively low-cost option for early detection of invasive species that enter through cargo or passenger transport.
Insect Life Cycle Modelling (ILCYM) software - a new tool for regional and global insect pest risk assessments under current and future climate change scenarios.
Authors: Sporleder M. , Tonnang H. E. Z. , Carhuapoma P. , Gonzales J. C. , Juarez H. , Kroschel J.
Published: July 2013

This chapter describes the application of ILCYM (Insect Life Cycle Modelling) software, which supports the development of process-oriented temperature-driven and age-stage structured insect phenology/population models. ILCYM interactively leads the user through the steps for developing insect phenology models, for conducting simulations, and for producing potential population distribution and risk mapping under current or future temperature (climate change) scenarios. The phenology model developed for the potato tuber moth Phthorimaea operculella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is used to demonstrate the resulting modelling outputs.
An Interview with Andrew Linklater
Authors: Brincat Shannon
Published: July 2013

Andrew Linklater is one of the leading thinkers in Critical International Relations Theory. He joined the Department of International Politics at the University of Aberystwyth as the 10thWoodrow Wilson Professor in 2000 and has also taught at Keele University, the University of Tasmania and Monash University. He is a member of the Academy of Learned Societies in The Social Sciences and a Fellow of the British Academy. His publications include: Men and Citizens in the Theory of International Relation(1982 and reprinted in 1990); Beyond Realism and Marxism(1990); The Transformation of Political Community(1998); The English School of International Relations, co-authored with Hidemi Suganami (2006), and; Critical Theory and World Politics(2007). His current work focuses on the issue of harm in world politics and is to be published in three volumes. This interview with Andrew Linklater was conducted on the 22ndof April, 2009 at the University of Aberystwyth, with Shannon Brincat. The following text is an excerpt of this interview and has been edited for this journal. Three other interviews were conducted with Andrew Linklater, the edited of versions of which are to appear in a new edited volume Thirty Years of Critical Theory in World Politics.
Tege Imperium!: A Defence of Empire
Authors: Foster Russell
Published: July 2013

‘Empire’ is a pejorative word in contemporary political science, a term which no longer describes a system of government and social organisation but which now serves only as an unflattering term, an accusation levelled against undesirable polities and policies. In the collective minds of academia and the community, moreover, ‘empire’ is either a concept with many meanings and applications, or simply a catch-all word for the violence and oppression of previous political systems. This paper returns to the roots of the word itself in an effort to distil if not definite, then at least manageable, concepts: imperium and patrocinium. Identifying how patrocinium has begun to emerge in the twenty-first century, the paper argues that ultimately, this form of empire has much to offer, both conceptually and politically, in the modern world.
Different Realities: Academics, Politics, and International Relations
Authors: Romaniuk Scott Nicholas
Published: July 2013

Since the conception of International Relations (IR) as an academic discipline it has been characterized by prodigious interaction between academics and practitioners with the former often spending time in the policy arena before focusing on pedagogy. While a high level of interchange is held to be a defining characteristic of the American system, concern has been growing that there is an ever-widening gap between academics and practitioners and between theory and practice. Responding to the danger of a ‘me-cleaver-you-stupid’ form of theoretical and academic superiority, William Wallace conjectured his view of academic “semi-detachment”. In spite of a long history of government-academy co-operation, many social scientists are becoming increasing removed from the world of policy and action. This essay demonstrates that despite the subsequent criticisms levelled at Wallace, his general line of argumentation provides valuable insight into assuming a more useful and positive trajectory not only for scholars within the discipline but for the very field of IR itself.
The production of sexual mutilation among Muslim women in Cairo
Authors: Malmström Maria Frederika
Published: July 2013

Female circumcision has become a global political minefield, with ‘Western’ interventions affecting Egyptian politics and social development, not least in the area of democracy and human rights. As younger generation of women in Egypt informed by international human rights discourse begins to question norms still upheld by the previous generation, new dilemmas and tensions emerge. In this article, I discuss the risk that international interventions designed to modify local practices may fail when the local moral worlds in which such practices are embedded are inadequately understood. Rather than increasing women’s agency, such interventions may reduce it and instead produce a sense of sexual mutilation among women.
‘…territorial acquisitions are among the landmarks of our history’: the buying and leasing of imperial territory
Authors: Alessio Dominic
Published: July 2013

This work focuses upon a method of expansion often overlooked when examining comparative aspects of the growth of empires, namely that territory can be attained through purchase or lease. It identifies a colonial process that, while seeming to have disappeared under the historical radar, remains one of the most powerful determiners of the modern world’s political landscape. It also suggests that empires, contrary to common belief, do not have to be state led and that a variety of other imperial actors can participate in such a process. By drawing attention to this particular method of territorial expansion and the variety of potential players involved, this work underscores the continuing relevance of imperial studies. It simultaneously suggests a need to begin rethinking our understanding of what empires are, how they can be formed and who imperial players can be.
Thinking about infant male circumcision after the Cologne court decision
Authors: Levey Geoffrey Brahm
Published: July 2013

The Cologne regional court’s decision of 26 June 2012 criminalizing circumcisions performed on boys for non-therapeutic reasons sparked extraordinary public controversy in Germany and around the world. Though the German parliament recently responded to that decision by passing a law allowing infant male circumcision for religious reasons when performed by a trained practitioner, the Cologne court decision is instructive for thinking about the issue. First, the Cologne court correctly identified the core liberal concern about the practice: it irrevocably alters an individual’s body without his consent. Second, in unilaterally criminalizing a long-standing practice commonly accepted by liberal democracies and endorsed by the World Health Organisation, the Cologne court nevertheless showed how liberal institutions should not respond to such practices. Finally, the Cologne court decision raises broader questions about how we think – and should think – about the scope of liberal autonomy in liberal democracies.
Infant male circumcision in the public square: applying the public reason of John Rawls
Authors: Howe Robert Van
Published: July 2013

John Rawls is perhaps the most influential political philosopher of the twentieth century. His philosophy is based on the idea of justice as fairness and emphasizes the importance of basic liberties, including the right to bodily integrity and the use of rationality in making ethical determinations. His political philosophy addressed the challenges a secular society faces when its citizens adhere to a variety of comprehensive doctrines and religious beliefs yet requires social cooperation for the benefit of all. Public policy is determined through ‘public reason’ in which reasonable proposals are considered and compromises made. Using the decisional approaches that Rawls developed, this article explores how the process of public reason would consider the reasonableness of surgically altering the genitals of male minors for non-therapeutic ends. It will incorporate the issues of the basic liberties of minors and the weaknesses of a utilitarian defense of this practice.
Return of the Maxim Gun? Technology and empire in an age of austerity
Authors: Reynolds Michael A.
Published: July 2013

Contrary to arguments that the financial crisis of 2008 and the subsequent economic difficulties of the United States presage a decline in American power in general and American intervention in foreign societies in particular, this article suggests that technological advances may allow the United States to maintain or even increase its coercive capabilities over foreign societies.
Legislation on male infant circumcision in Europe: a call to avoid paternalism and to promote evidence-based, patient-centred care
Authors: Kristiansen Maria , Sheikh Aziz
Published: July 2013

Male infant circumcision is a controversial and debated topic in both scientific and public discourses in parts of Western Europe. Debates are heated and it is not always entirely clear what is in the best interest of the male infant. In this article, we discuss the importance of returning to core principles of evidence-based, patient-centred care that may help move the discussion away from the current, increasingly polarised positions. According to principles of evidence-based medicine, systematic retrieval and critical appraisal of the best evidence available should be a core consideration in all decisions regarding healthcare policy and practice. Applying this principle to male infant circumcision, we need a careful, dispassionate critique of the evidence in relation to the benefits and risks associated with the procedure and an assessment of the potential health gains and adverse effects of any interventions (such as legislation) that may be introduced. Currently, the more robust evidence-base has tended to focus on biomedical aspects of male infant circumcision and this shows consistent evidence of important benefits of this practice, but also some risks. However, health is multi-dimensional and when considering male infant circumcision, there is therefore a need to broaden the perspective to also include psycho-social considerations. It is also imperative that those striving to deliver patient-centred care keep the best interests of the patient/family at the heart of their decision-making, promote autonomy and do not inadvertently exceed the fine line between beneficence and medical paternalism.In summary, we argue that a more comprehensive and robust evidence-base is needed to enable evidence-based policy-making and that these uncertainties are communicated to patients/families so they can in the light of this evidence make an informed choice.
East, West, Rome’s best? The imperial turn
Authors: Campbell Adrian
Published: July 2013

The emergence of China and other ‘rising powers’ has effectively ended the period of unipolarity that followed the end of the Cold War. The gradual shift of power to the East entails both provisionalisation of the role of the United States as global hegemon and the provincialisation of Europe. Modernity and modernisation will continue but their pursuit is no longer synonymous with incorporation into the West. At the same time, this shift does not necessarily imply any fundamental challenge to the values of capitalism or ‘empire’ (however defined), but rather a transfer of power within a functioning global system. The combination of a change of epic dimensions with a strong element of continuity is redolent of the Roman concept oftranslatio imperii, of a succession from one ephemeral empire to the next, thereby attaining a semblance of eternity that empires aspire to but, almost by definition, do not achieve.
A geopolitical perspective on Argentina’s Malvinas/Falkland claims
Authors: Keeling David J.
Published: July 2013

Argentina has long used the concept of Las Malvinasirredentain textbooks, maps, and development plans to assert its claim to the islands. This paper examines Argentina’s claims by exploring how Argentine geographers, territorial strategists, and others have defended or supported the concept of Las Malvinasirredenta.
Towards building a disease-phenotype knowledge base: extracting disease-manifestation relationship from literature
Authors: Xu Rong , Li Li , Wang QuanQiu
Published: July 2013

Motivation: Systems approaches to studying phenotypic relationships among diseases are emerging as an active area of research for both novel disease gene discovery and drug repurposing. Currently, systematic study of disease phenotypic relationships on a phenome-wide scale is limited because large-scale machine-understandable disease–phenotype relationship knowledge bases are often unavailable. Here, we present an automatic approach to extract disease–manifestation (D-M) pairs (one specific type of disease–phenotype relationship) from the wide body of published biomedical literature.

Data and Methods: Our method leverages external knowledge and limits the amount of human effort required. For the text corpus, we used 119 085 682 MEDLINE sentences (21 354 075 citations). First, we used D-M pairs from existing biomedical ontologies as prior knowledge to automatically discover D-M–specific syntactic patterns. We then extracted additional pairs from MEDLINE using the learned patterns. Finally, we analysed correlations between disease manifestations and disease-associated genes and drugs to demonstrate the potential of this newly created knowledge base in disease gene discovery and drug repurposing.

Results: In total, we extracted 121 359 unique D-M pairs with a high precision of 0.924. Among the extracted pairs, 120 419 (99.2%) have not been captured in existing structured knowledge sources. We have shown that disease manifestations correlate positively with both disease-associated genes and drug treatments.

Conclusions: The main contribution of our study is the creation of a large-scale and accurate D-M phenotype relationship knowledge base. This unique knowledge base, when combined with existing phenotypic, genetic and proteomic datasets, can have profound implications in our deeper understanding of disease etiology and in rapid drug repurposing.

Availability:  http://nlp.case.edu/public/data/DMPatternUMLS/

Contact:  rxx@case.edu
Scalable metagenomic taxonomy classification using a reference genome database
Authors: Ames Sasha K. , Hysom David A. , Gardner Shea N. , Lloyd G. Scott , Gokhale Maya B. , Allen Jonathan E.
Published: July 2013

Motivation: Deep metagenomic sequencing of biological samples has the potential to recover otherwise difficult-to-detect microorganisms and accurately characterize biological samples with limited prior knowledge of sample contents. Existing metagenomic taxonomic classification algorithms, however, do not scale well to analyze large metagenomic datasets, and balancing classification accuracy with computational efficiency presents a fundamental challenge.

Results: A method is presented to shift computational costs to an off-line computation by creating a taxonomy/genome index that supports scalable metagenomic classification. Scalable performance is demonstrated on real and simulated data to show accurate classification in the presence of novel organisms on samples that include viruses, prokaryotes, fungi and protists. Taxonomic classification of the previously published 150 giga-base Tyrolean Iceman dataset was found to take <20 h on a single node 40 core large memory machine and provide new insights on the metagenomic contents of the sample.

Availability: Software was implemented in C++ and is freely available at http://sourceforge.net/projects/lmat

Contact:  allen99@llnl.gov

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
“Foreign Assistance to a ‘Closed Economy.’ The Case of French Firms in Spain, c. 1941–1963”
Authors: Sánchez Esther , Castro Rafael
Published: July 2013

Spain emerged from the Civil War (1936-1939) with formidable economic problems. They were caused by military destruction, by foreign condemnation, and especially by the establishment of an autarkic system, in which the victorious Francoist side followed the political and economic path of other European fascist regimes. Despite legal restrictions, many foreign companies continued to seek out and exploit both new and old relationships in Spain, usually in association with the state-owned holding Instituto Nacional de Industria (INI). This foreign support was a major factor in ending Spain’s international isolation, increasing confidence in the Spanish economy, and removing obstacles for later growth. The purpose of this article is to analyze the collaboration between French firms and INI in the early Franco era (1940s and 1950s), identifying the main enterprises, agreements, and results. We assert that foreign assistance to Spain was present during the autarky period and highlight the continuity of the collaboration between Spain and France in those difficult years. Therefore, we defend multinationals' flexibility in adapting themselves to a hostile environment, particularly across political and economic networks with local partners.
Medaka haploid embryonic stem cells are susceptible to Singapore grouper iridovirus as well as to other viruses of aquaculture fish species
Authors: Yuan Yongming , Huang Xiaohong , Zhang Lei , Zhu Yi , Huang Youhua , Qin Qiwei , Hong Yunhan
Published: July 2013

Viral infection is a challenge in high-density aquaculture, as it leads to various diseases and causes massive or even complete loss. The identification and disruption of host factors that viruses utilize for infection offer a novel approach to generate viral-resistant seed stocks for cost-efficient and sustainable aquaculture. Genetic screening in haploid cell cultures represents an ideal tool for host factor identification. We have recently generated haploid embryonic stem (ES) cells in the laboratory fish medaka. Here, we report that HX1, one of the three established medaka haploid ES cell lines, was susceptible to the viruses tested and is thus suitable for genetic screening to identify host factors. HX1 cells displayed a cytopathic effect and massive death upon inoculation with three highly infectious and notifiable fish viruses, namely Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV), spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) and red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV). Reverse transcription-PCR and Western blot analyses revealed the expression of virus genes. SGIV infection in HX1 cells elicited a host immune response and apoptosis. Viral replication kinetics were determined from a virus growth curve, and electron microscopy revealed propagation, assembly and release of infectious SGIV particles in HX1 cells. Our results demonstrate that medaka haploid ES cells are susceptible to SGIV, as well as to SVCV and RGNNV, offering a unique opportunity for the identification of host factors by genetic screening.