Surrogate brands - the pull to adopt an 'other' nation; via sports merchandise

A growing number of consumers are choosing to wear sporting merchandise, from an‘other’ nation – whom they have no geographic or ethnic affiliation with. In addition, nation sports branding appears to have scaled pandemic heights; by reaching fever pitch, when actively carrying its message across boarders. Consumer preferences are being driven past simple behavioural characteristics; towards more transient psychographic and emotional constructs. In short, nation branded sporting uniform is no longer viewed as demanding restrictivemonogamous loyalty. Ownership of a uniform largely suggests exclusivity and encouraged competition. However, manufactures, national teams, athletes and sponsors are entering symbiotic brand relationships - where they are actively seeking publics, open to multiple adopted nationalities. This phenomenon draws consumers towards embracing temporal national identities, which are converted into an over-arching cross-border identity; ultimately gifting sports brands more significance. The following paper explores consumers’ entry into relationships with another nation, in preference to their own - in manner that has been likened to a form of surrogacy; by the authors. The aim is to stimulate further thinking in a field; which transcends national and cultural boundaries - in the interests of developing new insight, and to provide a platform for marketers to develop more effective communications.

Roche tomography of cataclysmic variables - IV. Star-spots and slingshot prominences on BV Cen

We present Roche tomograms of the G5-G8 IV/V secondary star in the long-period cataclysmic variable BV Cen reconstructed from Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle spectrograph echelle data taken on the Magellan Clay 6.5-m telescope. The tomograms show the presence of a number of large, cool star-spots on BV Cen for the first time. In particular, we find a large high-latitude spot which is deflected from the rotational axis in the same direction as seen on the K3-K5 IV/V secondary star in the cataclysmic variable AE Aqr. BV Cen also shows a similar relative paucity of spots at latitudes between 40° and 50° when compared with AE Aqr. Furthermore, we find evidence for an increased spot coverage around longitudes facing the white dwarf which supports models invoking star-spots at the L1 point to explain the low states observed in some cataclysmic variables. In total, we estimate that some 25 per cent of the Northern hemisphere of BV Cen is spotted. We also find evidence for a faint, narrow, transient emission line with characteristics reminiscent of the peculiar low-velocity emission features observed in some outbursting dwarf novae. We interpret this feature as a slingshot prominence from the secondary star and derive a maximum source size of 75000 km and a minimum altitude of 160000 km above the orbital plane for the prominence. The entropy landscape technique was applied to determine the system parameters of BV Cen. We find M1 = 1.18 +/-0.280.16Msolar and M2 = 1.05 +/-0.230.14Msolar and an orbital inclination of i = 53° +/- 4° at an optimal systemic velocity of ? = -22.3 km s-1. Finally, we also report on the previously unknown binarity of the G5IV star HD 220492.

Roche tomography of cataclysmic variables - III. Star-spots on AE Aqr

We present a Roche tomography reconstruction of the secondary star in the cataclysmic variable AE Aqr. The tomogram reveals several surface inhomogeneities that are due to the presence of large, cool star-spots. In addition to a number of lower latitude spots, the maps also show the presence of a large, high-latitude spot similar to that seen in Doppler images of rapidly rotating isolated stars, and a relative paucity of spots at a latitude of 40 degrees. In total, we estimate that some 18 per cent of the Northern hemisphere of AE Aqr is spotted.

Averroes y las cosas justas por naturaleza

En su comentario a la Ética a Nicómaco, Averroes se ocupó del pasaje donde Aristóteles distingue entre las cosas que son justas por naturaleza y aquéllas que lo son en virtud de la ley (V, 7 1134b18-1135a5). Su comentario es particularmente breve, pero plantea algunas dificultades importantes, como su alusión a un derecho naturale legale, que, según Leo Strauss, vendría a ser simplemente un derecho positivo de aceptación general. En este artículo se busca caracterizar lo justo natural y lo justo positivo en el comentario de Averroes y mostrar el alcance de la variación de los criterios propios de la justicia positiva.

Shark virgin birth produces multiple, viable offspring

Facultative automictic parthenogenesis has only recently been confirmed in the most ancient jawed vertebrates, the chondrichthyan fishes (sharks, batoids, and chimeras). To date, however, in both documented cases, the females have only produced a single parthenogen offspring, and none of these have lived for more than 3 days. We present a genetically verified case of automictic parthenogenesis by a white-spotted bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium plagiosum), in which at least 2 parthenogens were produced and survived for 5 years or more. These findings demonstrate that some female sharks are capable of producing, multiple, viable offspring through parthenogenesis.

Talking about colds and flu: The lay diagnosis of two common illnesses among older British people

This paper reports on a study of the ways in which 54 older people in South Wales (UK) talk about the symptoms and causes of cold and influenza (flu). The study was designed to understand why older people might reject or accept the offer of seasonal flu vaccine, and in the course of the interviews respondents were also asked to express their views about the nature and causes of the two key illnesses. The latter are among the most common infections in human beings. In terms of the biomedical paradigm the common cold is caused by numerous respiratory viruses, whilst flu is caused by the influenza virus. Medical diagnosis is usually made on clinical grounds without laboratory confirmation. Symptoms of flu include sudden onset of fever and cough, and colds are characterized by sneezing, sore throat, and runny nose, but in practice the symptoms often overlap. In this study we examine the degree by which the views of lay people with respect to both diagnosis and epidemiology diverge with that which is evident in biomedical discourse. Our results indicate that whilst most of the identified symptoms are common to lay and professional people, the former integrate symptoms into a markedly different observational frame from the latter. And as far as causation is concerned it is clear that lay people emphasize the role of 'resistance' and 'immunity' at least as much as 'infection' in accounting for the onset of colds and flu. The data are analyzed using novel methods that focus on the co-occurrence of concepts and are displayed as semantic networks. As well as reporting on its findings the authors draw out some implications of the study for social scientific and policy discussions concerning lay diagnosis, lay expertise and the concept of an expert patient.

A fish bradykinin (Arg0; Trp5; Leu8-bradykinin) from the defensive skin secretion of the European edible frog; Pelophylax kl. esculentus: structural characterization; molecular cloning of skin kininogen cDNA and pharmacological effects on mammalian smooth muscle

Extensive studies on bradykinin-related peptides (BRPs) generated from plasma kininogens in representative species of various vertebrate taxa, have confirmed that many amphibian skin BRPs reflect those present in putative vertebrate predators. For example, the (Val1, Thr6)-bradykinin, present in the defensive skin secretions of many ranids and phyllomedusines, can be generated from plasma kininogens in colubrid snakes - common predators of these frogs. Here, we report the presence of (Arg0, Trp5, Leu8)-bradykinin in the skin secretion of the European edible frog, Pelophylax kl. esculentus, and have found it to be encoded in single copy by a kininogen with an open-reading frame of 68 amino acid residues. This peptide is the archetypal bony fish bradykinin that has been generated from plasma kininogens of the bowfin (Amia calva), the long-nosed gar (Lepisosteus oseus) and the rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss). More recently, this peptide has been shown to be encoded within cloned kininogens of the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) spotted wolf-fish (Anarichas minor), zebrafish (Danio rerio), pufferfish (Tetraodon nigroviridis) and Northern pike (Esox lucius). The latter species is regarded as a major predator of P. kl. esculentus. Synthetic (Arg0, Trp5, Leu8)-bradykinin was previously reported as having multiphasic effects on arterial blood pressure in conscious trout and here we have demonstrated that it can antagonize the relaxation in rat arterial smooth muscle induced by canonical mammalian bradykinin. The discovery of (Arg0, Trp5, Leu8)-bradykinin in the defensive skin secretion of this amphibian completes the spectrum of vertebrate taxon-specific BRPs identified from this source.

Does airways inflammation pre-exist before late onset wheeze in children?

Epidemiological studies show that some children develop wheezing after 3 yr of age which tends to persist. It is unknown how this starts or whether there is a period of asymptomatic inflammation. The aim of this study is to determine whether lower airway allergic inflammation pre-exists in late onset childhood wheeze (LOCW). Follow-up study of children below 5 yr who had a non-bronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) performed during elective surgery. The children had acted as normal controls. A modified ISAAC questionnaire was sent out at least 7 yr following the initial BAL, and this was used to ascertain whether any children had subsequently developed wheezing or other atopic disease (eczema, allergic rhinitis). Cellular and cytokine data from the original BAL were compared between those who never wheezed (NW) and those who had developed LOCW. Eighty-one normal non-asthmatic children were recruited with a median age of 3.2 . Of the 65 children contactable, 9 (16.7%) had developed wheeze, 11 (18.5%) developed eczema and 14 (22.2%) developed hay fever. In five patients, wheeze symptoms developed mean 3.3- yr (range: 2–5 yr) post-BAL. Serum IgE and blood eosinophils were not different in the LOCW and NW, although the blood white cell count was lower in the LOCW group. The median BAL eosinophil % was significantly increased in the patients with LOCW (1.55%, IQR: 0.33 to 3.92) compared to the children who never wheezed, NW (0.1, IQR: 0.0 to 0.3, p = 0.01). No differences were detected for other cell types. There are no significant differences in BAL cytokine concentrations between children with LOCW and NW children. Before late onset childhood wheezing developed, we found evidence of elevated eosinophils in the airways. These data suggest pre-existent airways inflammation in childhood asthma some years before clinical presentation.

Research strategies to improve honeybee health in Europe

Understanding the fundaments of colony losses and improving the status of colony health will require cross-cutting research initiatives including honeybee pathology, chemistry, genetics and apicultural extension. The 7th framework of the European Union requested research to empirically and experimentally fill knowledge gaps on honeybee pests and diseases, including 'Colony Collapse Disorder' and the impact of parasites, pathogens and pesticides on honeybee mortality. The interactions among these drivers of colony loss will be studied in different European regions, using experimental model systems including selected parasites (e. g. Nosema and Varroa mites), viruses (Deformed Wing Virus, Black Queen Cell Virus, Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus) and model pesticides (thiacloprid, tau-fluvalinate). Transcriptome analyses will be used to explore host-pathogen-pesticide interactions and identify novel genes for disease resistance. Special attention will be given to sublethal and chronic exposure to pesticides and will screen how apicultural practices affect colony health. Novel diagnostic screening methods and sustainable concepts for disease prevention will be developed resulting in new treatments and selection tools for resistant stock. Research initiatives will be linked to various national and international ongoing European, North-and South-American colony health monitoring and research programs, to ensure a global transfer of results to apicultural practice in the world community of beekeepers.

Coxiella buvnetii infection of an aortic graft with multiple vertebral body erosion

Q fever is caused by Coxiella burnetii and often has an insidious clinical presentation. We describe a rare case of Q fever infection of an aortic graft presenting with pyrexia and constant severe midlumbar pain due to erosion of multiple vertebral bodies. After successful treatment with graft resection and extra-anatomic vascular reconstruction, the patient continues on lifelong antibiotic therapy. We also present regional Q fever epidemiologic data together with a review of all previously documented cases of Q fever infections of vascular prostheses.

Simultaneous optical and X-ray observations of flares and rotational modulation on the RS CVn binary HR 1099 (V711 Tau) from the MUSICOS 1998 campaign

We present simultaneous and continuous observations of the Halpha, Hbeta, He I D-3, Na I D-1,D-2 doublet and the Ca II H&K lines for the RS CVn system HR 1099. The spectroscopic observations were obtained during the MUSICOS 1998 campaign involving several observatories and instruments, both echelle and long-slit spectrographs. During this campaign, HR 1099 was observed almost continuously for more than 8 orbits of 2.(d)8. Two large optical flares were observed, both showing an increase in the emission of Halpha, Ca II H K, Hbeta and He I D-3 and a strong filling-in of the Na I D-1, D-2 doublet. Contemporary photometric observations were carried out with the robotic telescopes APT-80 of Catania and Phoenix-25 of Fairborn Observatories. Maps of the distribution of the spotted regions on the photosphere of the binary components were derived using the Maximum Entropy and Tikhonov photometric regularization criteria. Rotational modulation was observed in Halpha and He I D-3 in anti-correlation with the photometric light curves. Both flares occurred at the same binary phase (0.85), suggesting that these events took place in the same active region. Simultaneous X-ray observations, performed by ASM on board RXTE, show several flare-like events, some of which correlate well with the observed optical flares. Rotational modulation in the X-ray light curve has been detected with minimum flux when the less active G5 V star was in front. A possible periodicity in the X-ray flare-like events was also found.

The outer core lipopolysaccharide of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi is required for bacterial entry into epithelial cells

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi causes typhoid fever in humans. Central to the pathogenicity of serovar Typhi is its capacity to invade intestinal epithelial cells. The role of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the invasion process of serovar Typhi is unclear. In this work, we constructed a series of mutants with defined deletions in genes for the synthesis and polymerization of the O antigen (wbaP, wzy, and wzz) and the assembly of the outer core (waaK, waaJ, waaI, waaB, and waaG). The abilities of each mutant to associate with and enter HEp-2 cells and the importance of the O antigen in serum resistance of serovar Typhi were investigated. We demonstrate here that the presence and proper chain length distribution of the O-antigen polysaccharide are essential for serum resistance but not for invasion of epithelial cells. In contrast, the outer core oligosaccharide structure is required for serovar Typhi internalization in HEp-2 cells. We also show that the outer core terminal glucose residue (Glc II) is necessary for efficient entry of serovar Typhi into epithelial cells. The Glc I residue, when it becomes terminal due to a polar insertion in the waaB gene affecting the assembly of the remaining outer core residues, can partially substitute for Glc II to mediate bacterial entry into epithelial cells. Therefore, we conclude that a terminal glucose in the LPS core is a critical residue for bacterial recognition and internalization by epithelial cells.

A PEPTIDE FROM THE CAUDAL NEUROSECRETORY-SYSTEM OF THE DOGFISH SCYLIORHINUS-CANICULA THAT IS STRUCTURALLY RELATED TO UROTENSIN-I

Using reversed-phase HPLC in combination with a radioimmunoassay for ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), a peptide with CRH-like immunoreactivity was isolated in pure form from an extract of the caudal spinal cord region of the spotted dogfish, Scyliorhinus canicula. The primary structure of the peptide was established as Pro-Ala-Glu-Thr-Pro-Asn-Ser-Leu-Asp-Leu(10)-Thr-Phe-His-Leu-Leu-Arg-Glu-Met-Ile-Glu(20)-Ile-Ala-Lys-His-Glu-Asn-Gln-Gln-Met-Gln(30)-Ala-Asp-Ser-Asn-Arg-Arg-Ile-Met-Asp-Thr(40)-Ile . NH2. This amino acid sequence shows moderate structural similarity to Catostomus urotensin I (51%) and to human CRH (56%). The data provide, therefore, chemical evidence to support the conclusions of earlier immunohistochemical studies that the diffuse caudal neurosecretory system of elasmobranchs produces a peptide that is immunochemically related to teleost urotensin I peptides. However, the primary structure of urotensin I has been poorly conserved during evolution. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.

Agreement between self-report and medical records on signs and symptoms of respiratory illness

Background: Information on patient symptoms can be obtained by patient self-report or medical records review. Both methods have limitations. Aims: To assess the agreement between self-report and documentation in the medical records of signs/symptoms of respiratory illness (fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, headache, sinus problems, muscle aches, fatigue, earache, and chills). Methods: Respondents were 176 research participants in the Hutterite Influenza Prevention Study during the 2008-2009 influenza season with information about the presence or absence of signs/symptoms from both self-report and primary care medical records. Results: Compared with medical records, lower proportions of self-reported fever, sore throat, earache, cough, and sinus problems were found. Total agreements between self-report and medical report of symptoms ranged from 61% (for sore throat) to 88% (for muscle aches and earache), with kappa estimates varying from 0.05 (for chills) to 0.41 (for cough) and 0.51 (for earache). Negative agreement was considerably higher (from 68% for sore throat to 93% for muscle aches and earache) than positive agreement (from 13% for chills to 58% for earache) for each symptom except cough where positive agreement (77%) was higher than negative agreement (64%). Agreements varied by age group. We found better agreement for earache (kappa=0.62) and lower agreements for headache, sinus problems, muscle aches, fatigue, and chills in older children (aged =5 years) and adults. Conclusions: Agreements were variable depending on the specific symptom. Contrary to research in other patient populations which suggests that clinicians report fewer symptoms than patients, we found that the medical record captured more symptoms than selfreport. Symptom agreement and disagreement may be affected by the perspectives of the person experiencing them, the observer, the symptoms themselves, measurement error, the setting in which the symptoms were observed and recorded, and the broader community and cultural context of patients. © 2012 Primary Care Respiratory Society UK. All rights reserved.