Cross-disciplinary Studies Research Articles

B lymphocytes: how they develop and function

AbstractThe discovery that lymphocyte subpopulations participate in distinct components of the immune response focused attention onto the origins and function of lymphocytes more than 40 years ago. Studies in the 1960s and 1970s demonstrated that B and T lymphocytes were responsible primarily for the basic functions of antibody production and cell-mediated immune responses, respectively. The decades that followed have witnessed a continuum of unfolding complexities in B-cell development, subsets, and function that could not have been predicted. Some of the landmark discoveries that led to our current understanding of B lymphocytes as the source of protective innate and adaptive antibodies are highlighted in this essay. The phenotypic and functional diversity of B lymphocytes, their regulatory roles independent of antibody production, and the molecular events that make this lineage unique are also considered. Finally, perturbations in B-cell development that give rise to certain types of congenital immunodeficiency, leukemia/lymphoma, and autoimmune disease are discussed in the context of normal B-cell development and selection. Despite the significant advances that have been made at the cellular and molecular levels, there is much more to learn, and cross-disciplinary studies in hematology and immunology will continue to pave the way for new discoveries.

The Akropong approach to multi-sector project planning

We introduce an approach to cross-sector project planning developed in the context of a climate change adaptation strategy being carried out in Ghana. The approach, which uses a simplified cross-impact approach, should be applicable in many cross-sector or cross-disciplinary studies in which the work is carried out by sector or discipline-specific teams.

Paleoecology and paleobiogeographic patterns of mid-Holocene mollusks from the Beagle Channel (southern Tierra del Fuego, Argentina).

As the Beagle Channel lies between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, this is a critical region for the interpretation of faunal distributions in the Magellan Region. This work proposes a paleoenvironmental interpretation of the Holocene, inferred from malacological data. The development of different local benthic paleocommunities during the mid-Holocene is associated with the diversity of habitats inside this channel. The analysis of records of Venus antigua and Ensis macha through time and their geographic links to ecological factors showed that these taxa are typical elements of the cold-temperate seas throughout the Magellan Region, showing a similar range of distribution and paleodistribution. The presence of these taxa in life position (AMS 14C of 6,276±41 years BP) suggests that during the mid-Holocene the Beagle Channel was a path for dispersion of these taxa between the two oceans. Whether Venus antigua andEnsis macha are Pleistocene survivors or Holocene migrants is herein discussed. In the future, integrated cross-disciplinary studies will be necessary for a better understanding of the biogeographic relationships among magellanic mollusks.

Paleoecology and paleobiogeographic patterns of mid-Holocene mollusks from the Beagle Channel (southern Tierra del Fuego, Argentina)

As the Beagle Channel lies between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, this is a critical region for the interpretation of faunal distributions in the Magellan Region. This work proposes a paleoenvironmental interpretation of the Holocene, inferred from malacological data. The development of different local benthic paleocommunities during the mid-Holocene is associated with the diversity of habitats inside this channel. The analysis of records of Venus antigua and Ensis macha through time and their geographic links to ecological factors showed that these taxa are typical elements of the cold-temperate seas throughout the Magellan Region, showing a similar range of distribution and paleodistribution. The presence of these taxa in life position (AMS 14C of 6,276±41 years BP) suggests that during the mid-Holocene the Beagle Channel was a path for dispersion of these taxa between the two oceans. Whether Venus antigua andEnsis macha are Pleistocene survivors or Holocene migrants is herein discussed. In the future, integrated cross-disciplinary studies will be necessary for a better understanding of the biogeographic relationships among magellanic mollusks.

Sperm competition: linking form to function

BackgroundUsing information from physics, biomechanics and evolutionary biology, we explore the implications of physical constraints on sperm performance, and review empirical evidence for links between sperm length and sperm competition (where two or more males compete to fertilise a female's eggs). A common theme in the literature on sperm competition is that selection for increased sperm performance in polyandrous species will favour the evolution of longer, and therefore faster swimming, sperm. This argument is based on the common assumption that sperm swimming velocity is directly related to sperm length, due to the increased thrust produced by longer flagella.ResultsWe critically evaluate the evidence for links between sperm morphology and swimming speed, and draw on cross-disciplinary studies to show that the assumption that velocity is directly related to sperm length will rarely be satisfied in the microscopic world in which sperm operate.ConclusionWe show that increased sperm length is unlikely to be driven by selection for increased swimming speed, and that the relative lengths of a sperm's constituent parts, rather than their absolute lengths, are likely to be the target of selection. All else being equal, we suggest that a simple measure of the ratio of head to tail length should be used to assess the possible link between morphology and speed. However, this is most likely to be the case for external fertilizers in which females have relatively limited opportunity to influence a sperm's motility.

Saucer-shaped intrusions: Occurrences, emplacement and implications

Magmatic intrusions and fluidized injected sands represent the two main types of sheet intrusions in the Earth's crust. In this paper we show that both intrusion types often display a saucer-like geometry, as revealed by 3D seismic imaging and field observations. Saucer-shaped intrusions are fairly common in sedimentary basins, as for example offshore in the Norwegian and North Sea basins and onshore in the Karoo Basin of South Africa. The formation of the saucer geometry is controlled by the low-viscosity of the injected fluid and by the interaction between a growing shallow hydraulic fracture and overburden deformations. Statistics gathered from observations and modelling show a linear relationship between the depth of emplacement and the size of the saucer-shaped intrusions. We anticipate future cross-disciplinary studies aiming to discover other occurrences of saucer-shaped intrusions and to identify the physical processes controlling the development of this fundamental geometry.

Estado nutricional en la marginación y la pobreza de adultos triquis del estado de Oaxaca, México

To further understanding of the nutritional transition process by studying possible changes over time in the nutritional status of the Triqui ethnic group in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. A retrospective study was conducted using anthropometric data available from three prior studies (end of the 19th century, 1940, and 2002). Means and z scores for height, weight, and body mass index of Triqui adults were calculated using Frisancho reference data. Statistical analyses of the results were performed with Student's t and chi-square tests. Sociocultural information was collected through interviews and direct observations, as well as from the available literature. The height of Triqui adults has remained very low. A majority of Triqui women were found to be short or very short; this, coupled with the low level of education and high rates of illiteracy and monolingualism, is indicative of a culture that does not favor females. The appearance of overweight and obesity among the men studied in 2002, relative to those studied in 1940, is cause for concern. Overweight was also recorded among the women in 2002. Despite the limitations shared by all retrospective studies, these results confirm that the nutritional status of the Triquis is different now from what it was 60 years ago and that these changes are related to the cultural changes the group is experiencing. To further understand this epidemiologic phenomenon, where malnutrition and obesity coexist, cross-disciplinary studies are needed to analyze the biological, social, and cultural factors involved, so that culturally-appropriate measures can be adopted.

Editorial July 2007

Welcome to Volume 3, Issue 1 of the International Journal for Educational Integrity.
 
 Since the last issue, the journal has received a large number of submissions; unfortunately, however, most of the submissions did not meet the journal's publishing criteria and were therefore rejected by the reviewers. Reasons for rejection included the following:
 
 The topic was not relevant to the readership of the IJEI. While the journal necessarily covers a broad and interdisciplinary range of topics, this does not mean that anything vaguely related to education will be reviewed and/or accepted.
 The submission was a thinly disguised version of an an already published paper. The IJEI only accepts original, previously unpublished work. If the paper has previously been presented at a conference, but not published in the proceedings, it will be considered eligible for review. However, please ensure that all related work is appropriately self-cited. For those interested in the controversial topic of selfplagiarism,
 please see the recent publication:
 
 Bretag, T. & Carapiet, S. (2007), A preliminary study to determine the extent of selfplagiarism in Australian academic research, in Plagiary: Cross-Disciplinary Studies in Plagiarism, Fabrication and Falsification. Vol 2(5), 1-15. http://www.plagiary.org/ 
 
 The standard of work, from both a research and presentation perspective, was not of an appropriate standard. The IJEI encourages scholars from a variety of educational environments to submit papers, but asks that authors seek editorial assistance where necessary to ensure the readability of the submission. Early career researchers are encouraged to seek assistance with methodology and presentation of findings.
 
 After delaying publication of the journal for some months, I am pleased to publish the current issue with four high-quality and diverse papers. The first, by Geoffrey Crisp from the University of Adelaide, reports on the results of an online staff survey on attitudes to plagiarism issues and the resources in place at that institution to deal with plagiarism. In the second paper, Lorie Kloda and Karen Nicholson from McGill University in Quebec, explore the role of libraries in Canada to promote academic integrity. The third paper looks at educational integrity from a very different point of view. Mike Steer and Frances Gentle, from the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children in Newcastle, Australia, discuss educational integrity in the context of providing 'educational accommodations' to students who are blind or visually impaired. The fourth and final paper in this issue also takes an unusual perspective. Martin Lipscomb, from the University of the West of England, presents an exemplar homophobic argument as a means of calling for 'communicative integrity' between educators and students. Lipscomb makes the case that communicative integrity is a necessary pre-requisite for open dialogue in moral education. All four papers make a valuable and unique contribution to the field.
 
 Given our experience with the current issue, we have decided to publish papers as soon as they have been accepted by reviewers and all recommended revisions have been made. This will not only change the 'look' of the journal, but will ensure that new work is disseminated in a timely fashion. It is anticipated that this will also encourage others researching in the broad field of academic/educational integrity to write and submit high quality papers to the IJEI.
 
 Finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Helen Marsden for her contribution as a Foundation Editor on the journal in 2005 and 2006. Helen has accepted a position with the Department of Education, Science and Training in Canberra, and we wish her all the best in this next exciting phase of her career.
 
 I hope readers enjoy the current issue, and I look forward to receiving submissions for the next issue/s, or for the upcoming 3rd Asia-Pacific Conference on Educational Integrity: Creating a Culture of Integrity, to be held at the University of South Australia, 6-7 December 2007. Please send all submissions for both media to me directly at tracey.bretag@unisa.edu.au.
 
 Tracey Bretag,
 Editor, International Journal for Educational Integrity.
 Co-Chair, 3rd Asia-Pacific Conference on Educational Integrity: Creating a Culture of Integrity
 http://www.unisa.edu.au/educationalintegrity/conference/

Digital Resource Semantic Management of Islamic Buildings Case Study on Isfahan Islamic Architecture Digital Collection

This article describes an innovative way to facilitate and to provide a collaborative semantic management of digital resources of Islamic historical buildings. The approach combines a topic maps-based semantic support to the 5W1H model (Where, Who, When, What, Who and How) with objective of enabling comprehensive semantics of digital contents for research and education purposes. The topic maps-based semantic support enables to reduce the problems of semantic gaps among different communities (cultural, linguistic ambiguities among various types of multi-disciplinary experts). Furthermore, a multi-faceted resource category management, applied to metadata sets and related semantic features, allows metadata optimization of the description of the cultural resources. This innovative approach has been used to build the Isfahan Islamic Architecture Database (IIAD) Collection as a case study. The research demonstrates that a topic maps-based semantic model applied to collaborative metadata management paradigms can be easily exploited as a tool to enhance traditional architectural and cross-disciplinary studies.

Digital Resource Semantic Management of Islamic Buildings Case Study on Isfahan Islamic Architecture Digital Collection

This article describes an innovative way to facilitate and to provide a collaborative semantic management of digital resources of Islamic historical buildings. The approach combines a topic maps-based semantic support to the 5W1H model (Where, Who, When, What, Who and How) with objective of enabling comprehensive semantics of digital contents for research and education purposes. The topic maps-based semantic support enables to reduce the problems of semantic gaps among different communities (cultural, linguistic ambiguities among various types of multi-disciplinary experts). Furthermore, a multi-faceted resource category management, applied to metadata sets and related semantic features, allows metadata optimization of the description of the cultural resources. This innovative approach has been used to build the Isfahan Islamic Architecture Database (IIAD) Collection as a case study. The research demonstrates that a topic maps-based semantic model applied to collaborative metadata management paradigms can be easily exploited as a tool to enhance traditional architectural and cross-disciplinary studies.

The Ascent of NESCent

The National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent), in Durham, North Carolina, was established in December 2004 to foster synthetic, collaborative, cross-disciplinary studies in evolutionary biology. The center sponsors scientific catalysis meetings to stimulate new approaches to research and working groups for in-depth investigations of particular topics. NESCent also offers faculty sabbaticals and postdoctoral fellowships, as well as education and outreach opportunities.

Researching the community of inquiry framework: Review, issues, and future directions

Since its publication in The Internet and Higher Education, Garrison, Anderson, and Archer's [Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2–3), 87–105.] community of inquiry (CoI) framework has generated substantial interest among online learning researchers. This literature review examines recent research pertaining to the overall framework as well as to specific studies on social, teaching, and cognitive presence. We then use the findings from this literature to identify potential future directions for research. Some of these research directions include the need for more quantitatively-oriented studies, the need for more cross-disciplinary studies, and the opportunities for identifying factors that moderate and/or extend the relationship between the framework's components and online course outcomes.

Globalizing space and Earth science–the International Heliophysical Year Education and Outreach Programme

AbstractThe International Heliophysical Year (IHY) in 2007 & 2008 will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) and, following its tradition of international research collaboration, will focus on the cross-disciplinary studies of universal processes in the heliosphere.The main goal of the IHY Education and Outreach Programme is to create more global access to exemplary resources in space and Earth science education and public outreach. By taking advantage of the IHY organization with representatives in every nation and in the partnership with the United Nations Basic Space Science Initiative (UNBSSI), we aim to promote new international partnerships. Our goal is to assist in increasing the visibility and accessibility of exemplary programmes and in the identification of formal or informal educational products that would be beneficial to improve space and Earth science knowledge in a given country; leaving a legacy of enhanced global access to resources and of world-wide connectivity between those engaged in education and public outreach efforts that are related to IHY science.Here we describe how to participate in the IHY Education and Outreach Programme and the benefits in doing so. Emphasis will be given to the role played by developing countries; not only in selecting useful resources and helping in their translation and adaptation, but also in providing different approaches and techniques in teaching.

IL-20 and Atherosclerosis

Achronic inflammatory process, initiated by lipoprotein extravasation and oxidation in the intimal space, builds up atherosclerotic plaques in the arterial wall. See page 2090 Cytokines are fundamental actors of inflammation as they exert autocrine and paracrine effects and allow intercellular communication between effector and target cells. More than fifty cytokines have been identified by now. Shortly after their discovery, novel and unexpected biological actions of cytokines are brought to light by cross-disciplinary studies. Thus, the intersection between the cardiovascular and the immunology research fields has prompted an increasing number of studies focusing on the identification of either proatherogenic or antiatherogenic effects of cytokines (please see Tedgui and Mallat 1 for extensive review). Blumberg et al2 …

Process Theories: Crossdisciplinary Studies in Dynamic Categories

Book Review| October 01 2005 Process Theories: Crossdisciplinary Studies in Dynamic Categories Process Theories: Crossdisciplinary Studies in Dynamic Categories, JOHANNA SEIBT. GEORGE W. SHIELDS GEORGE W. SHIELDS Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Process Studies (2005) 34 (2): 303–306. https://doi.org/10.2307/44797604 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation GEORGE W. SHIELDS; Process Theories: Crossdisciplinary Studies in Dynamic Categories. Process Studies 1 January 2005; 34 (2): 303–306. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/44797604 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveUniversity of Illinois PressProcess Studies Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Copyright © 2005, Center for Process Studies Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Adaptation to environmental stress: a rare or frequent driver of speciation?

Recent results of evolutionary genomics and other research programmes indicate an important role for environment-dependent selection in speciation, but the conceptual frameworks of speciation genetics and environmental stress physiology have not been fully integrated. Only a small number of model systems have been established for cross-disciplinary studies of this type in animals and plants. In these taxa (e.g. Drosophila and Arabidopsis/Arabis), studies of the mechanistic basis of various stress responses are increasingly combined with attempts to understand their evolutionary consequences. Our understanding of the role of environmental stress in speciation would benefit from studies of a larger variety of taxa. We pinpoint areas for future study and predict that in many taxa 'broad' hybrid zones maintained by ecological selection will be valuable venues for addressing the link between environmental stress, adaptation, and speciation.

Sir Richard John Harrison. 8 October 1920 – 17 October 1999

Richard Harrison was a convivial man, equally at ease having a drink with his friends discussing science issues, and as Chair of a relatively large Department of Anatomy directing teaching and research. After graduating in natural sciences at Cambridge and medicine from St Bartholemew's Hospital in 1944, Richard Harrison started his research in comparative reproduction on a variety of mammals. Horses, goats, deer, primates, seals and whales were just some of the species to which he dedicated his career as a comparative anatomist, but equally important was his strong interest in function. This was not the orthodox career of a medical doctor, but as he would frequently say, ‘ you can always tell a man who is from Bart's, but you cannot tell him very much’. We have to remember that horses and medicine were not, at that time, from the same stable, and the boundaries between anatomy and physiology were very distinct. Richard Harrison was early into the integration of structure and function and a pioneer of cross–disciplinary studies that are now so much a feature of modern anatomy departments.In 1946 Harrison moved to a lectureship in anatomy at Glasgow and there he received the degree of DSc in 1948. The early phases of his research on reproduction focused on the ovary and the placenta, a structure unique to mammals created from a uniquely mammalian tissue, trophectoderm, and developed de novo during each pregnancy. In 1949 he published his first of several Nature papers, this being on multiovular follicles in the ovaries of lower primates. His critical examination of the ovaries of some of the lower primates revealed the presence of several multiovular follicles and multinuclear oocytes, an unusual observation for primates. The majority of the multiple forms of follicles in all of the ovaries investigated showed either early or advanced signs of atresia. In many oocytes, in which the zona pellucida had not developed, small groups of granulosa cells had invaded the ooplasm. It is probable, he concluded, that multiovular follicles and multinuclear oocytes do represent atretic changes, although it had been reported for other species that they could reach maturity and ovulate. The findings from this study supported the view that was gaining favour at the time; namely, that in a mammal that produced only a single offspring in each pregnancy, many oocytes are potentially available for ovulation.

Stage Fright: Modernism, Anti-Theatricality, and Drama (review)

THE COMPAKATIST MARTIN PUCHNER. Stage Fright: Modernism, Anti-Theatricality, and Drama. Baltimore/London: Johns Hopkins UP, 2002. ? + 234 pp. Martin Puchner's book, in the light ofcritical theory about the modemist era, makes a new point of entry into the issues of how genres (dramatic and nondramatic as well) may have constituted an anti-theatrical tradition as resistance to theater by transforming its spaces, actors, and objects. Unlike most studies that deny anti-theatricality as a category oftheater, Puchner shows how the tradition ofantitheatricalism presents an ambivalence that finds its counterpart in what he names "(pro) theatricalism" and that both are closely intertwined and have similar aesthetic goals. By analyzing the values ofmodernism as an attack to the theater, he locates the emergence ofsuch a modernist "ambivalence" that uses the theater as basis for avant-garde practices in various genres. Puchnertraces a genealogy ofthis tradition dividing his book into three major sections, thereby accounting for avant-garde theatricalism in the form ofvarious modemist literary works that he views as antitheatrical . Locating this tradition back to its founder Richard Wagner, Part I, "The Invention ofTheatricality," is the point ofdeparture for the subsequent emergence ofsuch a modemist "ambivalent" stance about the theater. Part ?, "The Modernist Closet Drama," gathers such texts that are marked by their modemist ambivalence (in various forms and genres) in regards to the theater. Specifically important to the author is how although these works resist the theater yet they never leave it alone. Stéphane Mallarmé's "closet drama," exemplified in such works like Hérodiade and Igitur, defies the usual literary genres to present what Puchner proposes to call "theater-texts. " James Joyce's novelistic use ofthe theater in "Circe" opens up to a new narrative form based on what he names "the choreography oflanguage." In the same vein, Puchner shows how Gertrude Stein's dramatic texts such like Four Saints never take the dramatic form for granted. These texts are essential in that they, according to the author, characterize this tradition of resistance to theater and establish it as one type ofanti-theatricalism to an extreme: what he defines as a diegetic theater. Thus part III "The Diegetic Theater" explores more of these new forms of dramatic texts and their ambivalence towards theater. Such is the case with the poetry of William Butler Yeats in terms of stage and acting (precisely through dance). Puchner then leads us to the familiar epic theatre ofBertold Brecht in its use ofacting, gesture, and text, thereby transforming the theater into a new function. His argument finally closes with the link between this tradition and the postwar stage, specifically in the theater of Samuel Beckett and how gestures tend to disappear entirely to present a new form ofanti-theatricalism rooted in the theater itself. Concluding his work with how this "anti-theatrical impulse" impacted postmodernist genres, Puchner makes a convincing statement about a tradition that has been wrongly categorized and neglected in theoretical studies. Although this comparative study deals with a rich array oftexts targeting readers that are supposed to be familiar with them, yet it is remarkable in shedding a new light on both theater and cross-disciplinary studies. Puchner's book should be regarded as a capital addition to the history oftheater as well as an innovative theoretical approach rooted in literary history. Anne V. Cirella-UrrutiaHuston Tillotson College Vol. 28 (2004): 165 ...

A critical review of the clinical effects of therapeutic irradiation damage to the brain: the roots of controversy.

We critically examined the damaging affects of therapeutic irradiation by comparing results from cross-disciplinary studies of early- and late-delayed radiotherapy effects. Focus is attained by concentrating on clinical treatment issues (volume of brain, dose, timing of effects, age, modality types, and stereotactic treatment techniques), rather than on methodological means or problems, which is necessary to understand the mechanisms and characteristics of radiotherapy-induced behavioral dysfunction including cognition. We make observations and hypotheses about the actual risks from radiotherapy that could be informative in the treatment decision process, and which may lessen the concerns of some patients and their families about the risks they take when receiving radiation. Conditions that predispose to radiation injury are reviewed: (1) higher doses even to part of the brain versus lower doses to the whole brain, (2) combined treatment modalities, (3) malignancy itself, (4) radiation early during postnatal brain development, and (5) late-delayed effects (more than 3 years posttreatment). Current neurocognitive frameworks for understanding cognitive change over time in children and adults are summarized, along with the literature on effects of brain tumors and treatment on depression. No studies have as yet identified candidate brain regions that are more sensitive to radiotherapy. Two studies have provided early, preliminary evidence for a specific vulnerability of visual attention/memory to the early stage of late radiation damage. Furthermore, radiation effects appear severe only in a minority of patients. Risk is related to direct and indirect effects of cancer type, concurrent clinical factors, and premorbid risk factors.

This Way to Paradise: On Creole Researchers, Hybrid Disciplines, and Pidgin Writing

When I was beginning my research career in the 1970s, the first wave of ‘interdisciplinary studies’ came in. A group of researchers from different disciplines would receive common funding to study the same phenomenon. The desired result was a complete description of the ‘object’ from all possible ‘sides’, contributing to a ‘holistic image’. The actual result was a bunch of separate reports, unintelligible to anyone from another discipline, sour faces, and a strengthened conviction that ‘they’ were doing ‘weird things’. I thought that ‘cross-disciplinary studies’ was a better description of the exercise, as everybody was cross at the end, including the sponsors. From the perspective of three decades, it is easy to see what was wrong. The whole idea was grounded in two implicit assumptions: of the essence of things (to be ‘discovered’ and ‘documented’) and of perfect language (where words stand unwaveringly for things and are therefore perfectly translatable). By the end of the 1970s, however, things started to take a different turn, as Clifford Geertz (1980) observed. ‘The turn’ was first labeled as interpretative, then as linguistic, and then as narrative, but the direction was unmistakable. After decades of modeling itself upon the natural sciences, the social sciences had redirected their genre towards literature and art, and genres began to blur. Twenty-three years later, lots of bizarre effects are visible. Volume 10(3): 430–434 Copyright © 2003 SAGE (London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi)