bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pruritus Ani
Authors: Siddiqi S , Vijay V , Ward M , Mahendran R , Warren S 
Published: August 2008

INTRODUCTIONPruritus ani is a common condition with many causes, predominately anorectal pathology. There are some new insights and therapies, but the most recommendations are based on low-level evidence.PATIENTS AND METHODSA literature search was carried out using Medline and the internet with the keywords ‘pruritus ani’ from 1950 to 2007.RESULTSA review of the evidence is presented and a management plan based on the elimination of irritants and scratching, general control measures and active treatment measures is offered.CONCLUSIONSTreatment of primary and secondary pruritus ani has a good prospect of regression of symptoms and skin changes.
Evolution in Practice: How has British Neurosurgery Changed in the Last 10 Years?
Authors: Tarnaris A , Arvin B , Ashkan K 
Published: August 2008

INTRODUCTION Neurosurgery is a fast-evolving surgical subspecialty driven by technological advances, socio-economic factors and patient expectations. In this study, we have compared the work-load volume in a single institution in the years of 1994 and 2004 and commented on the possible reasons for the changes and the impacts they may have for the future. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective, log-book review of all operations performed in the years 1994 and 2004 in a single, tertiary, neurosurgical centre was performed. RESULTS Neurosurgical practice has evolved over this period. Current practice has moved away from clipping of aneurysms and towards coil embolisation performed by interventional radiologists. Electrode stimulation of deep brain regions for movement disorders is the current practice, whereas 10 years ago the same disorders were dealt with by lesioning of the relevant regions. In spinal neurosurgery, instrumentation is increasingly favoured currently. In the field of neuro-oncology, current practice favours minimal access to the target area by the use of stereotactic localisation. CONCLUSIONS Changes were most pronounced in the subspecialties of vascular, functional and spinal neurosurgery within this 10-year period. Knowledge of such dynamics is valuable in health resource management as well as planning for neurosurgical training programmes.
Current Status of Salivary Hormone Analysis
Authors: Gröschl Michael 
Published: August 2008

AbstractBackground: Saliva, which offers a noninvasive and stress-free alternative to plasma and serum, is a widely accepted sample source for analysis of steroids and also of certain amines and peptides. In recent years, numerous publications have described the use of salivary hormone analysis in many fields of clinical and basic research.Content: This review provides an overview of the current applications of salivary hormone analysis. A description of the different modes of hormone entry into saliva is followed by a detailed description of analytical methods and approaches for reliable collection of saliva, including several interesting applications in diverse fields including psychiatry, stress research, clinical endocrinology, sports medicine, and veterinary medicine.Summary: Although saliva has not yet become a mainstream sample source for hormone analysis, it has proven to be reliable and, in some cases, even superior to other body fluids. Nevertheless much effort will be required for this approach to receive acceptance over the long term, especially by clinicians. Such effort includes the development of specific and standardized analytical tools, the establishment of defined reference intervals, and implementation of round-robin trials. One major problem, the lack of compliance sometimes seen in outpatient saliva donors, requires strict standardization of both collection and analysis methods to achieve better comparability and assessment of published salivary hormone data.
Detecting semiotically-expressed humor in diasporic TV productions
Authors: Balirano Giuseppe , Corduas Marcella 
Published: September 2008

AbstractIn this article, we suggest a semiotic approach to the study of visual humorous texts. Our method is based on the multimodal script analysis, which is a useful tool for examining not only verbal texts but also more complex texts, which combine the presence of images and sounds with verbally expressed humor. The resulting framework highlights how some visual comic mechanisms may enhance a different perception of semiotically expressed humor. Moreover, we present a statistical model in order to detect and measure how the resolution of some incongruities may also be determined by specific variables, which help to establish the existence and the strength with which the appreciation of humor varies according to the ethnic group of origin. In particular, the study analyzes the clip ‘Jodhpur Station, 1947’ from a very popular British Asian sketch-show, Goodness Gracious Me (GGM). The sketch shares some similar features with the narrative strategies typical of joke-tellers and is characterized by a complex humorous apparatus depending on different levels of understanding relating to encyclopedic, cross-cultural, and even diasporic knowledge of the world.
Send in the clowns: The role of the joker in three New Zealand IT companies
Authors: Plester Barbara , Orams Mark 
Published: September 2008

AbstractSince mediaeval times the joker, jester, fool, or clown has been a privileged individual able to comment upon social structure, and parody rules, and authority while remaining immune from repercussions. Similar functions are fulfilled by their modern counterparts, and a study of workplace humor functions revealed the existence of jokers who created and instigated many of the humor ‘events’ in the studied companies. The joker expresses alternative possibilities and can question authority without subverting it. Although not officially appointed to the role, the modern organizational joker negotiates within his workgroup in order to assume this social position. The role evolves through the joker's involvement and participation in a community of practice using shared history and practices. The jokers were considered to be important organizational members by both their peers and managers, and their joking skills were highly valued.Although instances of humor are often multifunctional, the jokers use humor to fulfill some key functions in their workplaces. Four key functions of the jokers were identified and discussed and form the focus of this paper: challenging management; pushing the boundaries; developing the culture; and providing relief. The functions are explored using the community of practice framework (Wenger 1998) and also drawing on both organizational and humor literature.
Alienation: A laughing matter
Authors: Mauldin R. Kirk 
Published: September 2008

AbstractA previously ignored method of assessing relative levels of alienation is the content analysis of work jokes exchanged in different venues. This study uses quantitative content analysis to code 1,085 joke-texts collected from ten job-sites and from the Internet. Using past measurements of powerlessness, meaninglessness, social isolation, and self-estrangement, the author develops a content protocol that is consistent with popular alienation indexes. Past methods for assessing both the functions of humor and the concept of alienation are criticized as tautologies, and null-categories for the social-psychological aspects of alienation (empowerment, understanding, social integration, and self-actualization) are introduced and critically examined. Research expectations are developed, and evaluations of predictions are made by comparing the proportion of jokes between the data sets within each of the conceptual categories. Jokes posted to the Internet are found to have more expressions of alienation in each of the social-psychological aspects except meaninglessness, which was slightly higher for entry-level service workers. The study concludes that the content analysis of jokes may prove to be a more direct way of accessing group sentiment than the study of either individual sentiment or the social structure of work.
Expectations and perceived humor
Authors: Wimer David J. , Beins Bernard C. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractWithout an objective metric for identifying how funny humorous material “really” is, a person may rely on external information in evaluating the humor of a particular humorous joke. In two experiments, we examined the effect of expectations on participants' ratings of jokes. When participants received a message that jokes had previously been rated as either funny or unfunny, they rated the jokes accordingly. In addition, participants who were told less plausible messages about the jokes (“hysterically funny” or “horribly unfunny”) tended to discount the messages and give ratings comparable to the control group. In a second experiment, we examined the effect of testing participants individually or in groups. As predicted from previous research, group effects, which may be social and emotional, did not influence participants' ratings of jokes. We discuss the findings in terms of the role of information in cognitive evaluation versus affective appreciation of humor.
Who is responsible? Participant roles in legal interpreting cases
Authors: Leung Ester S. M. , Gibbons John 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
Goffman (1981) provides the framework for the analysis of the different & ‘participant’ roles played by speakers in conversation. They are: the role of the ‘animator’, the sounding box from which utterances comes; the ‘author’, the agent who puts together, composes, or scripts the lines that are uttered; and that of the ‘principal’, the party to whose position, stand, and belief the words attest. Legal interpreters often face various dilemmas with regard to the participant roles they play in the courtroom. Whether interpreters should allow their personal belief and ideology to influence their interpreting, taking on the role of ‘principal’, and whether they can and should interpret only what makes sense to them, and so playing the role of the ‘author’. This is the core issue that is examined in this paper.
‘So let's talk. Let's chat. Let's start a dialog’: An analysis of the conversation metaphor employed in Clinton's and Obama's YouTube campaign clips
Authors: Duman Steve , Locher Miriam A. 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
This paper examines how two American presidential candidates, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, make use of a Video exchange is conversation metaphor on YouTube, a channel of communication that allows the exchange of video clips on the Internet. It is argued that the politicians exploit the metaphor for its connotations of creating involvement and closeness and its potential as a persuasive strategy. They are, however, also restricted by the Video exchange is conversation metaphor: since the metaphor entails alternating speaker roles, the willingness of the addressee to engage in the exchange and to personally bond, the candidates have to construct a viewer identity and a candidate identity that matches the framework of the metaphor. In addition, the influence of the medium YouTube on the linguistic presentation is discussed in a close reading of the video clips, its main restrictions being currency (topicality and coherence), as well as asynchronicity, which results in a pseudo-dialogic character of the exchange.
On the pragmatics of concessive constructions in Italian and English business letter discourse
Authors: Vergaro Carla 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
This paper presents an analysis of the pragmatic use of concessive constructions in business letter discourse. In linguistics concession has been analyzed primarily within concessive clauses which have been widely studied, either alone or compared with other syntactic categories such as adversative, causal or conditional clauses. The term ‘concessive’ itself belongs to the terminology developed within traditional grammar to classify adverbials and adverbial clauses. Heretofore, less attention has been paid to the pragmatic use of concession, i.e. the way in which concessive constructions strategically function within a specific context. The context under analysis in this paper is that of the ‘business letter’ genre. Just as different cultures structure discourse in different ways, recent research has shown that this also holds true for discourse genres traditionally considered as highly standardized in their rituals and formulas, written business communication being a case in point. Analysis of a corpus of Italian and English business letters shows that concessive constructions are used in this genre both for propositional (or ideational) and procedural (or interpersonal) reasons. This paper considers only the second to be truly pragmatic. Preference for the first or second strategy depends on the text types belonging to the genre. When procedural reasons prevail, concession is mostly introduced for politeness reasons. Finally, consistent with the rhetorical preferences of the texts in the two languages, some differences in the ‘polite’ use of concession in Italian and English emerge.
Testing the hypothesis that priming is a motivation for change
Authors: Traugott Elizabeth Closs 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
Some questions are posed concerning issues to investigate when testing the hypothesis that semantic priming contributes to change, especially unidirectionality in change. They include extent of prior context, similarity of semantic primes, and univerbation effects. Ways in which priming could be used to test hypotheses about grammaticalization are suggested in connection with the development of auxiliaries, and the obligatorification of subject markers. Finally, the necessity of distinguishing motivations and mechanisms is outlined.
Blicke auf das Schlachtfeld. Wahrnehmung und Schilderung der Walstatt in mittelalterlichen Quellen
Authors: Prietzel Malte 
Published: September 2008

Berichte über Schlachten wurden bislang fast immer mit der Absicht betrachtet, aus ihnen das tatsächliche Geschehen zu rekonstruieren. In diesem Aufsatz geht es hingegen um die Frage, wie mittelalterliche Menschen selbst das Kampfgeschehen deuteten und beschrieben, und vor allem darum zu ermitteln, welche Rolle dabei den topographischen Eigenarten des Schlachtfeldes zukam.
Es zeigt sich, dass die Verfasser der Quellen keineswegs den Ablauf des Kampfes nüchtern protokollieren wollten, sondern stets ihre spezifische Erzählabsicht verfolgten. Insbesondere versuchten sie, jene Partei, der sie selbst anhingen, möglichst günstig darzustellen. Dieser Erzählabsicht ordneten sie die Erwähnung topographischer Details klar unter. Außerdem flossen in die Schilderung auch scheinbar banaler topographischer Einzelheiten häufig Motive und Erzählmuster ein, die den Autoren und den zeitgenössischen Lesern schon bekannt waren und die daher Wahrnehmung, Erinnerung und Darstellung prägten.
Aus dieser Analyse folgt, dass Rückschlüsse auf die örtlichen Gegebenheiten und den tatsächlichen Ablauf des Kampfes den Worten der Chronisten allenfalls mit größter Vorsicht zu entnehmen sind. Zugleich erweist sich, dass die sprachlichen Visualisierungsstrategien aufschlussreiche Erkenntnisse darüber bieten, wie die Autoren kriegerische Handlungen wahrnahmen.
A SUMO-Like Domain Protein, Esc2, Is Required for Genome Integrity and Sister Chromatid Cohesion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Ohya Tomoko , Arai Hirokazu , Kubota Yoshino , Shinagawa Hideo , Hishida Takashi 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
The ESC2 gene encodes a protein with two tandem C-terminal SUMO-like domains and is conserved from yeasts to humans. Previous studies have implicated Esc2 in gene silencing. Here, we explore the functional significance of SUMO-like domains and describe a novel role for Esc2 in promoting genome integrity during DNA replication. This study shows that esc2Δ cells are modestly sensitive to hydroxyurea (HU) and defective in sister chromatid cohesion and have a reduced life span, and these effects are enhanced by deletion of the RRM3 gene that is a Pif1-like DNA helicase. esc2Δ rrm3Δ cells also have a severe growth defect and accumulate DNA damage in late S/G2. In contrast, esc2Δ does not enhance the HU sensitivity or sister chromatid cohesion defect in mrc1Δ cells, but rather partially suppresses both phenotypes. We also show that deletion of both Esc2 SUMO-like domains destabilizes Esc2 protein and functionally inactivates Esc2, but this phenotype is suppressed by an Esc2 variant with an authentic SUMO domain. These results suggest that Esc2 is functionally equivalent to a stable SUMO fusion protein and plays important roles in facilitating DNA replication fork progression and sister chromatid cohesion that would otherwise impede the replication fork in rrm3Δ cells.
A Microsatellite-Based Genetic Linkage Map of the Cichlid Fish,Astatotilapia burtoni(Teleostei): A Comparison of Genomic Architectures Among Rapidly Speciating Cichlids
Authors: Sanetra Matthias , Henning Frederico , Fukamachi Shoji , Meyer Axel 
Published: September 2008

AbstractCichlid fishes compose an astonishingly large number of species and formed species flocks in record-breaking time. To facilitate efficient genome scans and comparisons of cichlid genomes, we constructed a medium-density genetic linkage map of microsatellite markers of Astatotilapia burtoni. The mapping cross was derived from two inbred laboratory lines to obtain F2 progeny by intercrossing. The map revealed 25 linkage groups spanning 1249.3 cM of the genome (size ∼950 Mb) with an average marker spacing of 6.12 cM. The seven Hox clusters, ParaHox C1, and two paralogs of Pdgfrβ were mapped to different linkage groups, thus supporting the hypothesis of a teleost-specific genome duplication. The A. burtoni linkage map was compared to the other two available maps for cichlids using shared markers that showed conservation and synteny among East African cichlid genomes. Interesting candidate genes for cichlid speciation were mapped using SNP markers.
The Phenomics and Expression Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping of Brain Transcriptomes Regulating Adaptive Divergence in Lake Whitefish Species Pairs (Coregonus sp.)
Authors: Whiteley Andrew R , Derome Nicolas , Rogers Sean M , St-Cyr Jérôme , Laroche Jérôme , Labbe Aurélie , Nolte Arne , Renaut Sébastien , Jeukens Julie , Bernatchez Louis 
Published: September 2008

AbstractWe used microarrays and a previously established linkage map to localize the genetic determinants of brain gene expression for a backcross family of lake whitefish species pairs (Coregonus sp.). Our goals were to elucidate the genomic distribution and sex specificity of brain expression QTL (eQTL) and to determine the extent to which genes controlling transcriptional variation may underlie adaptive divergence in the recently evolved dwarf (limnetic) and normal (benthic) whitefish. We observed a sex bias in transcriptional genetic architecture, with more eQTL observed in males, as well as divergence in genome location of eQTL between the sexes. Hotspots of nonrandom aggregations of up to 32 eQTL in one location were observed. We identified candidate genes for species pair divergence involved with energetic metabolism, protein synthesis, and neural development on the basis of colocalization of eQTL for these genes with eight previously identified adaptive phenotypic QTL and four previously identified outlier loci from a genome scan in natural populations. Eighty-eight percent of eQTL-phenotypic QTL colocalization involved growth rate and condition factor QTL, two traits central to adaptive divergence between whitefish species pairs. Hotspots colocalized with phenotypic QTL in several cases, revealing possible locations where master regulatory genes, such as a zinc-finger protein in one case, control gene expression directly related to adaptive phenotypic divergence. We observed little evidence of colocalization of brain eQTL with behavioral QTL, which provides insight into the genes identified by behavioral QTL studies. These results extend to the transcriptome level previous work illustrating that selection has shaped recent parallel divergence between dwarf and normal lake whitefish species pairs and that metabolic, more than morphological, differences appear to play a key role in this divergence.
Sex Change by Gene Conversion in a Caenorhabditis elegans fog-2 Mutant
Authors: Katju Vaishali , LaBeau Elisa M , Lipinski Kendra J , Bergthorsson Ulfar 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans primarily reproduces as a hermaphrodite. Independent gene conversion events in mutant obligately outcrossing populations of C. elegans [fog-2(lf)] spontaneously repaired the loss-of-function mutation in the fog-2 locus, thereby reestablishing hermaphroditism as the primary means of reproduction for the populations.
Perils of Parsimony: Properties of Reduced-Rank Estimates of Genetic Covariance Matrices
Authors: Meyer Karin , Kirkpatrick Mark 
Published: September 2008

AbstractEigenvalues and eigenvectors of covariance matrices are important statistics for multivariate problems in many applications, including quantitative genetics. Estimates of these quantities are subject to different types of bias. This article reviews and extends the existing theory on these biases, considering a balanced one-way classification and restricted maximum-likelihood estimation. Biases are due to the spread of sample roots and arise from ignoring selected principal components when imposing constraints on the parameter space, to ensure positive semidefinite estimates or to estimate covariance matrices of chosen, reduced rank. In addition, it is shown that reduced-rank estimators that consider only the leading eigenvalues and -vectors of the “between-group” covariance matrix may be biased due to selecting the wrong subset of principal components. In a genetic context, with groups representing families, this bias is inverse proportional to the degree of genetic relationship among family members, but is independent of sample size. Theoretical results are supplemented by a simulation study, demonstrating close agreement between predicted and observed bias for large samples. It is emphasized that the rank of the genetic covariance matrix should be chosen sufficiently large to accommodate all important genetic principal components, even though, paradoxically, this may require including a number of components with negligible eigenvalues. A strategy for rank selection in practical analyses is outlined.
A Role for Acp29AB, a Predicted Seminal Fluid Lectin, in Female Sperm Storage inDrosophila melanogaster
Authors: Wong Alex , Albright Shannon N , Giebel Jonathan D , Ram K Ravi , Ji Shuqing , Fiumera Anthony C , Wolfner Mariana F 
Published: September 2008

AbstractFemales of many animal species store sperm for taxon-specific periods of time, ranging from a few hours to years. Female sperm storage has important reproductive and evolutionary consequences, yet relatively little is known of its molecular basis. Here, we report the isolation of a loss-of-function mutation of the Drosophila melanogaster Acp29AB gene, which encodes a seminal fluid protein that is transferred from males to females during mating. Using this mutant, we show that Acp29AB is required for the normal maintenance of sperm in storage. Consistent with this role, Acp29AB localizes to female sperm storage organs following mating, although it does not appear to associate tightly with sperm. Acp29AB is a predicted lectin, suggesting that sugar–protein interactions may be important for D. melanogaster sperm storage, much as they are in many mammals. Previous association studies have found an effect of Acp29AB genotype on a male's sperm competitive ability; our findings suggest that effects on sperm storage may underlie these differences in sperm competition. Moreover, Acp29AB's effects on sperm storage and sperm competition may explain previously documented evidence for positive selection on the Acp29AB locus.