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The article presents information on the history of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA was aware that water and sewer services are essential for neighborhood livability and understood the significant costs associated with their upkeep and development. Yet, despite recognizing that its grant program had major implications for racial segregation in land use, the EPA treated civil rights as optional rather than mandatory. The author states that this approach mirrored the evasion of responsibility seen in other federal agencies, as highlighted by Christopher Bonastia, who noted that civil rights often lack meaningful enforcement when they become politically or economically costly. The EPA’s inaction, despite knowing the harm caused by its grants, underscores the deep connections between environmental protection and structural racism.

Almost a decade after Sweden first declared that it would follow a feminist foreign policy (FFP), a further eleven countries from across Europe, North and South America, and North and West Africa have adopted, or have signaled an interest in potentially adopting, an FFP in the future. These developments have been accompanied by a growing body of feminist scholarship. Although still in its infancy, this literature can generally be divided between more normative accounts and those that are empirically focused, with particular attention paid to the FFPs of Sweden and Canada. Yet, few studies compare FFPs' uptake across different countries and regions, examine its connections to longer histories of ideas around women and gender, or unpack the policy intersections FFP (tentatively) engages. Contributing to these different areas, Part I provides an overview of the history of FFP, interrogates FFP in the context of Foreign Policy Analysis, and explores what FFP can achieve in the current (liberal) global system. Part II turns to consider policy intersections in relation to the climate crisis, migration, militarism, and bodies. Thinking through its origins, policy intersections, and potential future(s), the contributors to this Forum explore FFP's multiple and contested future(s). Ultimately, the Forum takes stock of this feminist turn in foreign policy at a critical point in its development and considers what future possibilities it may hold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, Brazil and Poland have elected governments that are sceptical of both the liberal international order and gender. In both cases, contemporary administrations have bolstered the pre-existing anti-gender offensive of religious and secular conservative forces and converted this into legislation and public policy. Yet, at the same time, both have also created National Action Plans around the UN's Women, Peace and Security agenda. Why is this the case? Why do two governments that see gender as an 'ideology' continue to work on WPS? Using a feminist institutionalist framework, this article draws on content analysis of the NAPs and semi-structured in-depth interviews with stakeholders in Brazil and Poland to explore this puzzle. We argue that the WPS agenda has survived in these political contexts due the presence of key 'femocrats' within the state; the influence of international institutions; and the symbolic power that the WPS agenda gives to these countries on the world stage. As such, the article makes a key contribution to the literature on the WPS agenda and also bolsters the argument for a complication of the idea of gender 'backlash' – in domestic and international audiences, states are willing to adopt different attitudes to gender if it furthers their interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Valuing Clean Air: The EPA and the Economics of Environmental Protection By Charles Halvorson. Rather than retreading a mythic narrative hinging on the Reagan administration's evisceration of the do-gooder agency, Halvorson shows how the agency was internally fragmented in the 1970s, as well as how the Reagan administration was criticized by the Republican Party for cudgeling the EPA's budget. [Extracted from the article]

This introduction provides an overview of the gendered nature of politics and international relations, before a brief summary of the articles that make-up this special issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across politics and public discourse, feminism is experiencing a global renaissance. Yet feminist academic work is divided over the burgeoning use of the term, particularly in reference to economic and international development policy. For some, feminism has been co-opted for neoliberal economic ends; for others, it remains a critical force across the globe. This article explores the nascent feminist foreign policies of Sweden and Canada. Employing a discourse analysis of both states' policy documents, it asks what the term "feminist" meant in preliminary attempts at constructing a feminist foreign policy. It argues that although both use the term "feminist," they understand the term very differently, with Sweden centering it in domestic and international commitments to change, while Canada places greater emphasis on the private sector. This suggests that this policy agenda is still developing its central concepts, and is thus ripe for intervention on the part of policymakers and civil society organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nationalism has long been understood to be a deeply gendered phenomenon. This article provides an overview of some of the key concepts and literature in the study of gender and nationalism, including women; gender; the nation and the intersection of sexuality, race, and migration; and gender within nationalist imaginations. It offers some future research agendas that might be pursued in work on gender and nationalism—namely the gendered dimensions of populism or "new" nationalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the inception of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) in 2000, feminist academia has been closely interested in the developing women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda in international affairs. The majority of this work has emerged from within feminist international relations (Mcleod 2015 ; Shepherd 2008) and feminist legal studies. Less attention has been paid to the WPS agenda by feminist political science. As a result, less consideration has been given to political institutions within the WPS framework. This paper argues that the design and implementation of postconflict political institutions is an important component of the WPS agenda and one which deserves greater attention. It demonstrates that using certain tenets of feminist political science, and feminist institutionalism in particular, can offer key insights into greater understanding of the importance of political institutions within postconflict societies. The article illustrates how political institutions have been underconsidered within academic work on the WPS agenda. It then argues that political institutions are an important part of the puzzle when it comes to implementing the WPS agenda. It shows how feminist institutional theory can help to provide key insights into the nature of postconflict institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common soft‐tissue sarcoma in children and adolescents and accounts for 3% of all pediatric tumors. Subtypes include alveolar, spindle cell, embryonal, mixed‐type, pleomorphic, and rhabdomyosarcoma with ganglionic differentiation. The National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was queried for patients diagnosed with any type of rhabdomyosarcoma between 1973 and 2014. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and incidence were studied with χ2 analysis. Survival was modeled with Kaplan–Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the effect of age and gender on survival. Pleomorphic subtype had higher grade and larger sized tumors compared to other subtypes (p < 0.05). Pleomorphic and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma had the worst overall survival with a 26.6% and 28.9% 5‐year survival, respectively. Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma had the highest 5‐year survival rate (73.9%). Tumor size was negatively correlated with survival months, indicating patients with larger tumors had shorter survival times (p < 0.05). Presence of higher‐grade tumors and metastatic disease at presentation were negatively correlated with survival months (p < 0.05). No significant differences in the survival were found between gender or race between all of the subtypes (p > 0.05). This study highlights key differences in the demographic and survival rates of the different types of rhabdomyosarcoma that can be used for more tailored patient counseling. We also demonstrate that large, population‐level databases provide sufficient data that can be used in the analysis of rare tumors. © 2019 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 37:2226–2230, 2019 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Fibrillin microfibrils are extensible polymers that endow connective tissues with long-range elasticity and have widespread distributions in both elastic and non-elastic tissues. They act as a template for elastin deposition during elastic fibre formation and are essential for maintaining the integrity of tissues such as blood vessels, lung, skin and ocular ligaments. A reduction in fibrillin is seen in tissues in vascular ageing, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, skin ageing and UV induced skin damage, and age-related vision deterioration. Most mutations in fibrillin cause Marfan syndrome, a genetic disease characterised by overgrowth of the long bones and other skeletal abnormalities with cardiovascular and eye defects. However, mutations in fibrillin and fibrillin-binding proteins can also cause short-stature pathologies. All of these diseases have been linked to dysregulated growth factor signalling which forms a major functional role for fibrillin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reproductive rights are an under-theorised aspect of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, most clearly typified in United Nations Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 1325 and successive resolutions. Yet reproductive rights are central to women’s security, health and human rights. Although they feature in the 2015 Global Study on 1325, there is less reference to reproductive rights, and to abortion specifically, in the suite of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions themselves, nor in the National Action Plans (NAPs, policy documents created by individual countries to outline their implementation plans for 1325). Through content analysis of all resolutions and NAPs produced to date, this article asks where abortion is in the WPS agenda. It argues that the growing centrality of the WPS agenda to women’s rights in transitioning societies means that a lack of focus on abortion will marginalize the topic and stifle the development of liberal legalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased emphasis on competency-based learning modules and widespread departure from traditional models of Halstedian apprenticeship have made surgical simulation an increasingly appealing component of medical education. Surgical simulators are available in numerous modalities, including virtual, synthetic, animal, and non-living models. The ideal surgical simulator would facilitate the acquisition and refinement of surgical skills prior to clinical application, by mimicking the size, color, texture, recoil, and environment of the operating room. Simulation training has proven helpful for advancing specific surgical skills and techniques, aiding in early and late resident learning curves. In this review, the current applications and potential benefits of incorporating simulation-based surgical training into residency curriculum are explored in depth, specifically in the context of plastic surgery. Despite the prevalence of simulation-based training models, there is a paucity of research on integration into resident programs. Current curriculums emphasize the ability to identify anatomical landmarks and procedural steps through virtual simulation. Although transfer of these skills to the operating room is promising, careful attention must be paid to mastery versus memorization. In the authors' opinions, curriculums should involve step-wise employment of diverse models in different stages of training to assess milestones. To date, the simulation of tactile experience that is reminiscent of real-time clinical scenarios remains challenging, and a sophisticated model has yet to be established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The scapholunate interosseous ligament (SLIL) is an important contributor to wrist stability and functionality. SLIL injury is debilitating and therefore many surgical techniques have been proposed, but the optimal treatment modality remains debated. This meta-analysis reviews the available literature comparing surgical techniques used in the treatment of chronic SLIL to determine the best approach. Methods. An electronic search of the literature was conducted to identify all randomized controlled trials and cohort studies published before January 2019 that evaluated clinical outcomes of capsulodesis reconstruction, the modified Brunelli technique, and the reduction and association of the scaphoid and lunate (RASL) procedure for treatment of chronic SLIL. A chi-square analysis was performed to identify possible differences between each technique for several outcome measures. Results. A total 20 studies encompassing 409 patients met inclusion criteria. Average age among patients was 36.7 years, and 68.2% of patients were male. Reductions in visual analog scale pain scale; Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scores; and increases in grip strength and range of motion were observed for all techniques. Capsulodesis was superior to the modified Brunelli technique regarding preserved range of motion. Conclusions. No significant differences were observed among any of the techniques for pain, DASH score, and grip strength outcomes. Capsulodesis, modified Brunelli, and RASL surgical techniques for the treatment of chronic SLIL injuries may all be seen as reliable methods of treatment of chronic SLIL injuries. While future trials directly comparing these methods are needed, this study suggests there is no superiority of one technique over another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Aphasia assessment is traditionally divided into formal and informal approaches. Informal assessment is useful in developing a rich understanding of the person with aphasia's performance, e.g., describing performance in the context of real‐world activities, and exploring the impact of environmental and/or partner supports upon communication. However, defining ‘informal assessment’ is problematic and can result in clinical issues including idiosyncratic practices regarding why, when and how to apply informal assessment. Aims: To examine the extent to which the informal assessment literature can guide speech and language therapists (SLTs) in their clinical application of informal assessment for post‐stroke aphasia. Methods & Procedures: A scoping review methodology was used. A systematic search of electronic databases (Scopus, Embase, PyscInfo, CINAHL, Ovid Medline and AMED) gave informal assessment references between 2000 and 2017 to which title/abstract and full‐text screening against inclusion criteria were applied. Data were extracted from 28 resulting documents using an extraction template with fields based on the review's purpose. Main Contribution: This review examines the informal assessment guidance regarding: rationale; areas of interest for informal assessment; available methods; procedural guidance; documentation; and analytical frameworks. The rationale for using informal assessment included several aspects such as gaining a ‘representative’ sample of the individual's language. Ten communication areas of interest were found with 13 different assessment methods. The procedural guidance for these methods varied considerably, with the exception of conversation and semi‐structured interviewing. Overall, documentation guidance was limited but numerous analytical frameworks were found. Conclusions: Several informal assessment methods are available to SLTs. However, information is mixed regarding when they might be used or how they might be applied in terms of their administration, documentation and analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The year 2015 marked the 20th year of the commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) crops. During the period from 1996 to 2014, the global hectarage of these crops increased 100-fold, making it the fastest adopted crop technology in recent times. The overall economic gains from these crops have been estimated to be USD133.4 billion over the period from 1996 to 2013, and have been divided roughly 50% each to farmers in developed and developing countries. The environmental benefits include contributing to the practice of minimal till agriculture and a decrease in the use of pesticides. But what are the downsides of this technology? In this review I look at some of the problems related to weeds becoming resistant to glyphosate (the main ingredient that is used on herbicide tolerant crops), how these can be overcome and whether glyphosate can cause cancer. I also discuss the problem of insects becoming resistant to the toxins that are used in insect resistant crops and how these are being addressed. I look at what scientists around the world are saying on this topic and then consider GM crops that are in the pipeline of benefit to developing countries and whether any of these are likely to be commercialised in the foreseeable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feminist institutionalism is concerned with the ‘rules of the game’ in political institutions. It is interested to explore how institutions create gender-just conditions in terms of the policies and actions they undertake and the make-up of the elected representatives they contain. It also has a growing interest in how institutions can resist or obstruct positive gendered change. It is argued here that employing the concept of ‘critical actors’ alongside a feminist institutionalist framework can further our understanding of why some institutions resist change. Using the example of abortion legislation in Northern Ireland, this article illustrates how the literatures on feminist institutionalism and critical actors can, when combined, help to build a fuller narrative of why gendered policy change does not happen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In recent years, several decisions have been made regarding the devolution of abortion laws from central government at Westminster to the devolved regions of the United Kingdom. This article considers the decision to devolve abortion law to Scotland. It addresses Westminster debates from the time, employing a discursive analysis to examine the arguments made for this legislative move. It argues that the debate was largely a proxy argument for the broader question of Westminster–Edinburgh relations and Scottish independence. It further argues that utilising abortion in this way is problematic, and politicises an area which is better seen as an issue solely of women's rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feminist critics of power-sharing argue that power-sharing structures privilege ethnic/ethnonational identity and impede women's descriptive and substantive political representation. This paper extends these arguments to consider the extent to which consociational theory addresses the role of civil society and women's political voice in postconflict societies. We argue that power-sharing is overly concerned with formal representation to the detriment of understanding the role civil society can play in peace building. Whilst we acknowledge the importance of civil society retaining a critical distance from political institutions, we suggest several mechanisms for incorporating civil society into power-sharing arrangements. We argue that a consideration of civil society can highlight the gendered issues that are ignored in power-sharing settings, and we conclude that a broader understanding of both “politics” and “conflict” is required for power-sharing to be more equitable to women's descriptive and substantive representation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Literature considering international human rights mechanisms stresses that they have the best chance of success when they are closest to ideas which already exist within national contexts. Research which addresses women's human rights bodies, such as the Convention Against All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325), argues that they function best when reinterpreted to fit the local context. Yet, situations where this domestic norm translation is occurring, but policy change is not achieved, have received little consideration. Why do some contexts, even where norm translation occurs, resist policy change? This article examines Northern Ireland, where these women's rights bodies are used extensively in the women's sector, but where change has not occurred. It argues that norm translation is not the only important factor, and that a greater consideration of local political structures is needed in order to more fully explain policy resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Westminster's legislation regarding marriage rights for same sex couples has not been extended to Northern Ireland. Similarly, Northern Ireland has never been under the jurisdiction of the 1967 Abortion Act, making abortion effectively illegal in the province unless it is necessary to preserve the long-term life or health of the woman. This article considers contemporary political debate around abortion and same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland to ask; how are controversial (but non-sectarian) issues such as abortion and same sex marriage dealt with in a divided society? Using data from the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey and selected debates from the Northern Irish Assembly, it considers how political parties and post-conflict governance have shaped debate on these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An interview with feminist activist Fidelma Ashe and Gorana Mlinarević, activist and researcher at Goldsmiths, University of London, is presented. Ashe and Mlinarević discussed the motivations in researching gender in divided societies particularly on changing masculinities. They discussed the role of academic-activism in solving gender-related issues. The two also discussed the role of women in peace building.

This article investigates the relationship between American political culture and grassroots environmentalism in the 1970s. To do so, it examines how the white working class residents of Love Canal, New York, claimed health and a healthy environment as rights of citizenship. To date, the Canal has remained a sore spot for environmental scholarship; this article demonstrates how the analytic difficulties posed by the Canal stem from the crosscurrents of American political culture in the late 1970s. Canal residents put their local experience into several larger frames of reference: the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, the plight of Cuban and Vietnamese refugees, and a culture of skepticism toward government and medical authority. Residents' use of these frameworks illustrates two broader points about American political culture in the late 1970s. First, the claim to health as a right rather than a privilege, articulated by health radicals throughout the 1960s, had by the late 1970s been decoupled from its origins in left-liberal struggles. Second, the crosscurrents of localism, nativism, racism, and anti-authoritarianism characteristic of the reactionary populism of urban working-class whites could, quite logically for their proponents, co-exist with rights-based claims to health and a healthy environment. Love Canal demands that we embed our narratives about the development of environmental politics--environmental justice in particular--within a broader story about deregulation, the rise of the New Right, and the political and economic marginalization of the working class in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A type II peroxiredoxin gene (XvPrx2) was isolated from a Xerophyta viscosa (Baker) cDNA cold-stress library. The polypeptide displayed significant similarity to other plant type II peroxiredoxins, with the conserved amino acid motif (PGAFTPTCS) proposed to constitute the active site of the enzyme. Northern blot analyses showed that XvPrx2 gene was stress-inducible in response to abiotic stresses while gel analyses revealed that XvPrx2 homologues exist within the X. viscosa proteome. Using a yellow fluorescent reporter protein, the XvPrx2 protein localised to the cytosol. A mutated protein (XvV7) was generated by converting the valine at position 76 to a cysteine and an in vitro DNA protection assay showed that, in the presence of either XvPrx2 or XvV7, DNA protection occurred. In addition, an in vivo assay showed that increased protection was conferred to Escherichia coli cells overexpressing either XvPrx2 or XvV7. The XvPrx2 activity was maximal with DTT as electron donor and H2O2 as substrate. Using E. coli thioredoxin, a 2-15-fold lower enzyme activity was observed. The XvPrx2 activity with glutathione was significantly lower and glutaredoxin had no measurable effect on this reaction. The XvV7 protein displayed significantly lower activity compared with XvPrx2 for all substrates assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is scope for additional research into the specific linguistic and sequential structures used in speech and language therapist (SLT)-led therapeutic conversations with people with aphasia (PWA). Whilst there is some evidence that SLTs use different conversational strategies than the partners of PWA, research to date has focussed mainly on measuring the effects of conversation-based therapies—not on analysing therapeutic conversations taking place between SLTs and PWA. Aims: This paper presents an analysis of the use ofoh-prefacing by some PWA during therapeutic supported conversations with SLTs. Methods & Procedures: Normally occurring therapeutic conversations between SLTs and PWA after stroke were qualitatively analysed using Conversation Analysis. Interactions with five PWA were video-recorded, involving three different specialist stroke SLTs. Outcomes & Results: The analysis revealed a difference in the way some PWA use turns that display understanding (e.g.,oh right) versus those that continue the conversation, merely claiming understanding (e.g.,right). This use ofoh-prefacing is similar to that described in the literature on typical conversations. In our data, SLTs are shown to treatoh-prefaced turns differently from non-oh-prefaced turns, by pursuing the topic in the latter, and progressing on to a new topic in the former. Conclusions: At least some PWA useoh-prefacing in the same way as non-language-impaired adults to display understanding of information versus merely claiming to understand. The SLTs in our data are shown to treat non-oh-prefaced turns as mere claims of understanding by providing the PWA with additional information, using supported conversation techniques, and pursuing additional same-topic talk, whereasoh-prefaced turns are treated as displays of understanding by being confirmed, and leading to changes of topic. This study is a first step in providing SLTs with a clearer understanding of the ways in which they are assessing the understanding of PWA, which may in turn help them better support non-therapy staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the benefits of genetic engineering to small farmers in developing countries. Topics discussed are benefits of genetically modified (GM) seeds in China, India, and South Africa; technology transfer done by African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), and genetically modified organism (GMO), Bt variety of cotton in Burkina Faso.

Plant diseases not found in many other parts of the world can be found in Africa. These diseases severely hinder crop production, potentially resulting in a lack of food security. Many of the disease problems are amenable to both classical and modern breeding solutions. However, some are challenging diseases that require the use of genetic modification. This paper discusses some of the diseases whereby genetically modified crops (GMO) can provide a solution. They include maize resistant to the endemic African Maize streak virus, cassava resistant to Cassava mosaic virus, and bananas resistant to bacterial wilt. In addition, other traits of value to farmers in Africa may include maize resistant to insects, post-harvest fungi and to weeds, drought-tolerant maize and vitamin-enriched crops. Consideration is given to some of the concerns preventing governments from approving the commercialization of these crops, including food and safety issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and aim The Australian general practitioner ( GP) teaching workforce will need to expand in order to provide for the increasing number of medical students and doctors-in-training. Understanding factors that motivate GPs to become involved in teaching in their clinical practice environments is important for developing recruitment and retention strategies. Method Thirty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with a cross section of GP teachers and were subjected to thematic analysis. Themes were identified and further classified as motivations and prerequisites for teaching. Results The desire to update clinical knowledge was the most frequently mentioned motivation for teaching, and was described as a strategy for GP teachers to preserve clinical competence through the opportunity to learn new aspects of medicine from junior colleagues. Other motivations included personal fulfillment and enjoyment of teaching, the opportunity to pass on general practice skills and knowledge, promoting general practice as a career, and fulfilling a sense of responsibility to the profession and community. Peers, students and patients also influenced the decision to teach. Most GPs identified that time, workload, availability of space and adequate financial remuneration were prerequisites for teaching. Practice owners also often determined the GP teachers' capacity to teach. Discussion To increase the recruitment and retention of GP teachers, it is recommended that teaching organisations give more recognition to teaching as a clinical professional development activity, place more emphasis on GPs' personal enjoyment, professional responsibility and pride in teaching, and increase engagement with practice owners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TNF-stimulated gene/protein-6 (TSG-6) is expressed by many different cell types in response to proinflammatory cytokines and plays an important role in the protection of tissues from the damaging consequences of acute inflammation. Recently, TSG-6 was identified as being largely responsible for the beneficial effects of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells, for example in the treatment of animal models of myocardial infarction and corneal injury/allogenic transplant. The protective effect of TSG-6 is due in part to its inhibition of neutrophil migration, but the mechanisms underlying this activity remain unknown. In this study, we have shown that TSG-6 inhibits chemokine-stimulated transendothelial migration of neutrophils via a direct interaction (KD, ~25 nM) between TSG-6 and the glycosaminoglycan binding site of CXCL8, which antagonizes the association of CXCL8 with heparin. Furthermore, we found that TSG-6 impairs the binding of CXCL8 to cell surface glycosaminoglycans and the transport of CXCL8 across an endothelial cell monolayer. In vivo this could limit the formation of haptotactic gradients on endothelial heparan sulfate proteoglycans and, hence, integrin-mediated tight adhesion and migration. We further observed that TSG-6 suppresses CXCL8-mediated chemotaxis of neutrophils; this lower potency effect might be important at sites where there is high local expression of TSG-6. Thus, we have identified TSG-6 as a CXCL8-binding protein, making it, to our knowledge, the first soluble mammalian chemokine-binding protein to be described to date. We have also revealed a potential mechanism whereby TSG-6 mediates its anti-inflammatory and protective effects. This could inform the development of new treatments for inflammation in the context of disease or following transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The current study investigates the pharmacotherapeutic use of morphine as a preventative treatment for stress-enhanced fear learning, an animal model that closely mimics symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a chronic and debilitating anxiety disorder characterized by exaggerated fear and/or anxiety that may develop as a result of exposure to a traumatic event. In this model, rats are exposed to a severe stressor (15foot shocks) in one environment (Context A) and then subsequently exposed to a milder form of the same stressor (single foot shock) in a different environment (Context B). Animals that did not receive prior shock treatment exhibit fear responsiveness to Context B in line with the severity of the single shock given in this context. Animals that had received prior shock treatment in Context A exhibit an exaggerated learned fear response to Context B. Furthermore, animals receiving a single dose of morphine immediately following the severe stressor in Context A continue to show an enhanced fear response in Context B. However, animals receiving repeated morphine administration (three injections) after exposure to the severe stressor in Context A or a single dose of morphine at 48h after the severe stressor no longer exhibit an enhancement in fear learning to Context B. These results are consistent with clinical studies suggesting that morphine treatment following a severe stressor may be useful in preventing or reducing the severity of PTSD in at-risk populations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Stritzel Thomson JL, Parrish DL, Parker-Stetter SL, Rudstam LG, Sullivan PJ. Growth rates of rainbow smelt in Lake Champlain: effects of density and diet. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract - We estimated the densities of rainbow smelt ( Osmerus mordax) using hydroacoustics and obtained specimens for diet analysis and groundtruthed acoustics data from mid-water trawl sampling in four areas of Lake Champlain, USA-Canada. Densities of rainbow smelt cohorts alternated during the 2-year study; age-0 rainbow smelt were very abundant in 2001 (up to 6 fish per m2) and age-1 and older were abundant (up to 1.2 fish per m2) in 2002. Growth rates and densities varied among areas and years. We used model selection on eight area-year-specific variables to investigate biologically plausible predictors of rainbow smelt growth rates. The best supported model of growth rates of age-0 smelt indicated a negative relationship with age-0 density, likely associated with intraspecific competition for zooplankton. The next best-fit model had age-1 density as a predictor of age-0 growth. The best supported models ( N = 4) of growth rates of age-1 fish indicated a positive relationship with availability of age-0 smelt and resulting levels of cannibalism. Other plausible models were contained variants of these parameters. Cannibalistic rainbow smelt consumed younger conspecifics that were up to 53% of their length. Prediction of population dynamics for rainbow smelt requires an understanding of the relationship between density and growth as age-0 fish outgrow their main predators (adult smelt) by autumn in years with fast growth rates, but not in years with slow growth rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thomson JA, Widjaja C, Darmaputra AAP, Lowe A, Matheson MC, Bennett CM, Allen K, Abramson MJ, Hosking C, Hill D, Dharmage SC. Early childhood infections and immunisation and the development of allergic disease in particular asthma in a high-risk cohort: a prospective study of allergy-prone children from birth to six years. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2010: 21: 1076-1085. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S The role of early childhood infections and immunisation in the development of allergic diseases remains controversial. To examine these associations, six hundred and twenty infants with first-degree relatives with allergic diseases were recruited into the Melbourne Atopy Cohort Study. Information on risk factors and outcomes was collected by interviewer administered questionnaire and was based on parental report and/or a physician's diagnosis. Risk factors examined included early childhood infections (including gastroenteritis, otitis media and lower respiratory tract infections) and immunisations in the first 2 yr of life. Outcomes were current asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema at 6 yr of age. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis were used to estimate relative risk (RR) and assess confounding. By 6 yr, 79% of the original cohort remained in the study. Those with at least three episodes of gastroenteritis showed an increased risk (crude RR 2.36, 95%CI 1.41 3.95; adjusted RR 2.03 95%CI 1.50 2.75) for the later development of asthma at age 6. Of the scheduled immunisations, Sabin immunisation in the second year had a reduced risk of asthma at 6 yr (crude RR 0.60, 95%CI 0.37 0.98; adjusted RR 0.63 95%CI 0.39 1.02). Combined diphtheria and tetanus (CDT) immunisation in the first year had an increased risk of asthma at 6 yr (RR 1.76, 95%CI 1.11 2.78; adjusted RR 1.88 95%CI 1.28 2.77). Recurrent gastroenteritis in early childhood is associated with a later risk of asthma. This may reflect a cause and effect relationship, or exposure to common risk factors. In contrast, Sabin immunisation in the second year is associated with a decreased risk of asthma in later childhood. CDT immunisation in the first year may be a risk factor for asthma, but the need for CDT immunisation may also be a marker of increased risk of asthma in later childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses considerations that should be made with regard to advances in the early recognition of reading impairment. The authors recommend that research look at the definition of reading and the heterogeneity of poor readers, the longitudinal dynamic relations, early identification that leads to prescriptive early intervention, and early identification in a multilingual and multicultural population. The article examines each article in this special issue and analyzes how they apply to the considerations suggested by the authors.

Abstract: NHC-promoted O- to C-carboxyl transfer of 3-allyl indolyl phenyl carbonates generates 3-allyl-3-phenoxycarbonyl-oxindoles with good catalytic efficiency, which are readily converted into (±)-N-benzyl-coerulescine and (±)-horsfiline. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Sounds, whether speech or non-speech, vary in how rapidly their peak amplitudes are reached. The time taken for sounds to reach their maximum amplitude is known as the rise time and this variable is an important perceptual cue for representation of the sound amplitude envelope. In the experiments described here healthy adult volunteers passively listened to tones varying in rise time. An oddball design was used and both N1 and MMN components were examined. Experiment 1 contrasted tone stimuli of 15 ms vs. 185 ms rise time. The shorter 15 ms rise time stimuli elicited an N1b over central frontal electrodes of significantly greater amplitude than the 185 ms rise time stimuli. MMN was also observable for both the 15 ms and 185 ms rise time tones when the same stimuli served as deviant vs. standard. Experiment 2 explored the possible confound of rise time and overall stimulus intensity change (tones with shorter rise times sound louder). New stimuli were created in which overall stimulus intensity between short and long rise times was perceptually matched. N1b amplitude differences to the contrastive rise times were still observed, suggesting that N1b may reflect an auditory cortex detector mechanism sensitive to changes in rise time, relatively independently of sound intensity changes. These findings are discussed with reference to their implications for speech perception processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Screening of a range of azolium salts, bases and solvents for reactivity indicates that triazolinylidenes, generated in situ with KHMDS in THF, promote the Steglich rearrangement of oxazolyl carbonates with high catalytic efficiency (typical reaction time 5 mm at <1.5 mol % NHC). This protocol shows wide substrate applicability, even allowing the efficient generation of vicinal quaternary centers. An improved experimental procedure is also described that allows a simplified one-pot reaction protocol to be employed with similarly high catalytic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Potential links between the language and motor systems in the brain have long attracted the interest of developmental psychologists. In this paper, we investigate a link often observed (e.g., [Wolff, P.H., 2002. Timing precision and rhythm in developmental dyslexia. Reading and Writing, 15 (1), 179–206.] between motor tapping and written language skills. We measure rhythmic finger tapping (paced by a metronome beat versus unpaced) and motor dexterity, phonological and auditory processing in 10-year old children, some of whom had a diagnosis of developmental dyslexia. We report links between paced motor tapping, auditory rhythmic processing and written language development. Motor dexterity does not explain these relationships. In regression analyses, paced finger tapping explained unique variance in reading and spelling. An interpretation based on the importance of rhythmic timing for both motor skills and language development is proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article comments on the findings of a research on dynamic development and dynamic education. It focuses on the role of these findings in extending the behavior genetic questions and analysis of skill development processes and variations and in analyzing the use of education in the development process. It examines cognitive processes through independent measures of performance in order to analyze the developmental stability of skills. The consideration of the environment as a variable that affects a child's overall development is discussed.

Children with developmental dyslexia appear to be insensitive to basic auditory cues to speech rhythm and stress. For example, they experience difficulties in processing duration and amplitude envelope onset cues. Here we explored the sensitivity of adults with developmental dyslexia to the same cues. In addition, relations with expressive and receptive rhythm tasks, such as tempi recognition and manual tapping to a metronome, were explored. Our goal was to investigate whether the auditory deficits seen in dyslexia are specific to cues to speech rhythm and stress, or are part of a wider rhythmic awareness problem. A group of 19 undergraduate students with dyslexia were compared with 20 age- and ability-matched controls. The findings confirmed a relationship between auditory rhythm sensitivity and literacy in adults, as well as showing an association with metronome inter-tap-interval variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty children (Grades 4 to 6) who met research criteria for dyslexia were randomly assigned to a treatment (attention training) or contact control (reading fluency training) group during their regular language arts block at a school that had emphasized multisensory, structured language treatment for reading disability. A university team provided either individual attention training (sustained, selective, alternating, and divided attention) or reading fluency training during the first 10 sessions and group composition instruction during the next 10 sessions. Analysis of variance evaluated the significance of Treatment × Session interactions from pretest to midtest (before composition instruction began) and midtest to posttest (when compositon instruction ends). Treatment × Time interactions were not significant between pretest and midtest, but the Treatment × Time interactions were significant from midtest to posttest for Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Second Edition Written Composition and Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System Verbal Fluency (attention treatment group improved more over time). Individual children showed the same pattern as group results. For child dyslexics in upper elementary school, attention training did not transfer directly to improved composition but prior attention training led to faster improvement in composing and oral verbal fluency once composition instruction was introduced. Effective instruction for dyslexia may depend on the sequencing as well as the nature of instructional components and require specialized instruction for writing as well as reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we explore whether structural characteristics of the phonological lexicon affect serial recall in typically developing and dyslexic children. Recent work has emphasized the importance of long-term phonological representations in supporting short-term memory performance. This occurs via redintegration (reconstruction) processes, which show significant neighborhood density effects in adults. We assessed whether serial recall in children was affected by neighborhood density in word and nonword tasks. Furthermore, we compared dyslexic children with typically developing children of the same age or reading level. Dyslexic children are held to have impaired phonological representations of lexical items. These impaired representations may impair or prevent the use of long-term phonological representations to redintegrate short-term memory traces. We report significant rime neighborhood density effects for serial recall of both words and nonwords, for both dyslexic and typically developing children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Initial confirmatory factor analyses showed that parental ratings of 209 children and youth with dyslexia in a family genetics study loaded onto factors for Inattention (Self-Regulation of Covert Attention based on two indicators—Focused and Goal-Directed Attention) and Hyperactivity (Overt Behavior based on two indicators—Motor Control and Inhibition); neither indicator is correlated with age. Structural equation modeling then evaluated a multi-level neural architecture with Covert Attention and Overt Behavior at one level, Word-Level Language Processes (Orthographic, Phonological, and Rapid Automatic Naming) at a second level, and Reading and Writing Achievement at a third level. Covert Attention, but not Overt Behavior, was significantly related to factors for orthographic coding of written words and rapid naming of orthographic stimuli, but not to the phonological coding factor for aural words. These orthographic, rapid naming, and phonological factors had significant paths to reading and writing outcomes, but the Covert Attention factor had links to reading and writing outcomes only through the mediating orthographic and rapid naming factors. Treatment and brain imaging studies provided converging evidence that attention may exert greater effects on orthographic word form than phonological word form. The neurolinguistic significance for a complex brain system, modeled at different levels of analysis, is that non-language processes such as attention may exert distal influences even though language exerts direct proximal influences on reading and writing outcomes; this claim is supported by recent physiological findings about the role of fast visual system as an attention gating mechanism in processing letter sequences. The educational significance is that instruction should direct dyslexic's attention to the orthographic units within written words to facilitate the translating of orthographic into phonological word forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strategy of 'complementation by functional sufficiency' was used to isolate XvVHA-c″1, a vacuolar adenosine triphosphatase (V-ATPase) proteolipid subunit c″ homologue from Xerophyta viscosa. Xv VHA-c″1 rescued Escherichia coli srl::Tn10 mutants that were subjected to a 1.2 M sorbitol osmotic stress. Bioinformatics analyses conducted on XvVHA-c″1 revealed all signature characteristics that are common amongst subunit c homologues, which include the four transmembrane domain motifs and a conserved glutamate residue in the fourth transmembrane domain. XvVHA-c″1 shares 90.96% identity with the Oryza sativa (Japonica) subunit c homologue and 86.67% identity with a putative vacuolar ATP synthase proteolipid subunit c′ from Arabidopsis thaliana, at the amino acid level. Southern hybridization analysis conducted on X. viscosa genomic DNA confirmed the presence of XvVHA-c″1 in the X. viscosa genome. Northern hybridization analysis was conducted on X. viscosa tissue subjected to NaCl stress, dehydration and - 20°C shock, in response to which upregulated transcript levels of XvVHA- c″1 were seen. XvVHA-c″1's functional relevance was established through complementation using a Saccharomyces cerevisiae rma3 knockout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is now well-established that there is a causal connection between children's phonological skills and their acquisition of reading and spelling. Here we study low-level auditory processes that may underpin the development of phonological representations in children. Dyslexic and control children were given a battery of phonological tasks, reading and spelling tasks and auditory processing tasks. Potential relations between deficits in dyslexic performance in the auditory processing tasks and phonological awareness were explored. It was found that individual differences in auditory tasks requiring amplitude envelope rise time processing explained significant variance in phonological processing. It is argued that developmentally, amplitude envelope cues may be primary in establishing well-specified phonological representations, as these cues should yield important rhythmic and syllable-level information about speech. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of the plasmid pTF-FC2 to transfer genes into plants was investigated. Using this plasmid as the backbone two plasmids were constructed namely pTD1 and pDER-bar. These plasmids contained, as plant selectable markers, the nptII and the bar genes, respectively. The nptII gene was flanked by the right and left borders and the bar gene was not. Transgenic plants were obtained through the co-cultivation of tobacco leaf discs with the Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404(pAL4404)(pDER-bar). Molecular and genetic analysis indicated that the bar gene had been stably integrated into the plant genome and had been inherited in a Mendelian fashion. Integration was shown to be polar and unidirectional and in some cases the entire plasmid was found to have integrated into the plant genome. Interestingly, no plants were generated from tobacco leaf discs that were co-cultivated with the strain C58C1(pMP90)(pTD1). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The strategy of ‘complementation by functional sufficiency’ was used to isolate a cDNA designated XVSAP1 from a cDNA library constructed from dehydrated Xerophyta viscosa Baker leaves. Analysis of the cDNA sequence indicated a highly hydrophobic protein with six transmembrane regions. Southern blot analysis revealed that there are at least two copies of XVSAP1 in X. viscosa. The deduced amino acid sequence showed 49% identity to WCOR413, a low‐temperature‐regulated protein from wheat. The protein also showed between 25% to 56% identity to WCOR413‐like proteins from Arabidopsis thaliana. Expression of XVSAP1 in Escherichia coli (srl::Tn10) conferred osmotic stress tolerance when the cells were grown in 1 M sorbitol. Analysis of gene expression using semi‐quantitative RT‐PCR indicated that XVSAP1 is induced by dehydration, salt stress (100 mM), both low (4 °C) and high temperature (42 °C) and high light treatment (1500 µmol m–2 s–1). These results suggest that XVSAP1 may have a significant role to play in the response of X. viscosa to abiotic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Examines the amplitude envelope onset detection of children with developmental dyslexia. Causes of developmental dyslexia; Acoustic structure of amplitude modulation; Neural representation of speech.