bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preparative isolation and purification of four flavonoids from the petals of nelumbo nucifera by high‐speed counter‐current chromatography
Authors: Guo Xingfeng , Wang Daijie , Duan Wenjuan , Du Jinhua , Wang Xiao
Published: December 2009

Introduction – Flavonoids, the primary constituents of the petals of Nelumbo nucifera, are known to have antioxidant properties and antibacterial bioactivities. However, efficient methods for the preparative isolation and purification of flavonoids from this plant are not currently available.

Objective – To develop an efficient method for the preparative isolation and purification of flavonoids from the petals of N. nucifera by high‐speed counter‐current chromatography (HSCCC).

Methodology – Following an initial clean‐up step on a polyamide column, HSCCC was utilised to separate and purify flavonoids. Purities and identities of the isolated compounds were established by HPLC‐PAD, ESI‐MS, 1H‐NMR and 13C‐NMR.

Results – The separation was performed using a two‐phase solvent system composed of ethyl acetate–methanol–water–acetic acid (4 : 1 : 5 : 0.1, by volume), in which the upper phase was used as the stationary phase and the lower phase was used as the mobile phase at a flow‐rate of 1.0 mL/min in the head‐to‐tail elution mode. Ultimately, 5.0 mg syringetin‐3‐O‐β‐d‐glucoside, 6.5 mg quercetin‐3‐O‐β‐d‐glucoside, 12.8 mg isorhamnetin‐3‐O‐β‐d‐glucoside and 32.5 mg kaempferol‐3‐O‐β‐d‐glucoside were obtained from 125 mg crude sample.

Conclusion – The combination of HSCCC with a polyamide column is an efficient method for the preparative separation and purification of flavonoids from the petals of N. nucifera. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A robust sampling approach for identification and quantification of methyl jasmonate in leaf tissue of oilseed rape for analysis of early signaling in sclerotinia sclerotiorum resistance
Authors: Wei Fang , Cheng Ji‐hua , Liu Sheng‐yi , Huang Jun‐yan , Wang Zhan , Dong Xu‐yan , Li Ping‐ping , Kong Fan‐pi , Wu Yu , Li Yan‐hua , Feng Yu‐qi , Chen Hong
Published: December 2009

Introduction – Methyl jasmonate (MJA), which is a natrual hormonal regulator, is thought to be essential for the regulation of systemic defence responses. The information about MJA levels in plant tissues is helpful for the study of the disease resistance mechanism and genetically engineered cultivars with increased resistance. Therefore, the quantification of MJA levels in plant tissues by means of a sensitive and reliable method is of interest.

Objective – Development of a film extraction method coupled with GC for determination of methyl jasmonate in leaf tisssue of oilseed rape for analysis of early signalling in sclerotinia sclerotiorum resistance.

Methodology – A robust polydimethylsiloxane film was prepared and used for extraction of MJA in leaf tissues. By using in‐solution extraction mode, optimum extraction efficiency was achieved with methanol–water (1 : 5, v/v) as extraction medium at 40°C for 60 min.

Results – Under the optimal conditions, a detection limit of 0.2 ng/mL was achieved. Excellent reproducibility was found over a linear range of 1–1000 ng/mL. MJA in leaves infected by sclerotinia sclerotiorum was determined, with the results showing that basal levels of MJA (15 ng/g) were present in noninfested controls, but increased to 313 ng/g 10 h after fungal attack.

Conclusion – The film extraction method is a simple, rapid and inexpensive sampling technique for determination of endogenous MJA in plant tissues that can be applied to most plants. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A drug utilization study to provide background data for bringing amendments in the drug dispensing policy of a pediatric referral center
Authors: Singh Inderjeet , Mittal Rajan , Shafiq Nusrat , Bharati Bhavneet , Nigah Ramesh Kumar , Pandhi P. , Chaudhary Ranjeet Roy , Malhotra Samir
Published: December 2009

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to generate data regarding the drug utilization pattern in pediatric population of our tertiary care hospital so that we could generate an essential medicine list (EML).

Background

Drug therapy accounts for a major portion of expenditure toward health care. Reduction in health care cost for an individual can be achieved by lowering the cost of drug treatment.

Methods

This was an observational study conducted in the Advanced Pediatric Centre of our hospital, during which prescriptions and case records were reviewed.

Results

During the study a total of 891 prescriptions were reviewed. Antibiotics and nutritional supplements were the major drugs prescribed. A large percentage of drugs were prescribed as trade names. Eighty three per cent of the drugs were prescribed from the National List Of Essential Medicine 2003 (India). Antibiotics accounted for the major bulk of cost of drugs, most of which were purchased by the patients.

Conclusions

Restricted use of newer antibiotics, branded drugs and prescribing from the EML could be considered as targets for reduction of cost of therapy. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Afterburn Ignition Delay and Shock Augmentation in Fuel Rich Solid Explosives
Authors: McNesby Kevin L. , Homan Barrie E. , Ritter John J. , Quine Zachary , Ehlers Rachel Z. , McAndrew Brendan A.
Published: December 2009

We present experimental and computational results that explain some aspects of measured energy release in explosions of unconfined trinitrotoluene [TNT, C6H2(NO2)3CH3], and an aluminum‐containing explosive formulation, and show how this energy release can influence shock wave velocities in air. In our interpretation, energy release is divided into early, middle, and late time regimes. An explanation is provided for the interdependence of the time regimes and their influence on the rate at which energy (detonation/explosion and afterburn) is released. We use a merging of the thermodynamic and chemical kinetic processes that predicts how chemical kinetics may determine the time delay of the afterburn of combustible gases produced by the initial detonation/explosion/fast reaction. The thermodynamic computer code CHEETAH is used to predict gaseous and solid products of early time energy release, and a chemical kinetic reaction mechanism (CHEMKIN format) is used to describe the subsequent afterburn of the gas phase products in air. Results of these calculations are compared with field measurements of unconfined explosions of 2 kg charge weights of TNT and an aluminum‐containing explosive formulation.
Effect of pomegranate juice on Angiotensin II‐induced hypertension in diabetic wistar rats
Authors: Mohan Mahalaxmi , Waghulde Harshal , Kasture Sanjay
Published: December 2009

Acute subcutaneous administration of Angiotensin II (Ang II) causes a rise in blood pressure in diabetic Wistar rats. Diabetes was induced using streptozotocin (70 mg/kg, i.v.). Chronic administration of pomegranate juice (PJ) extract (100 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg; p.o. for 4 weeks) obtained from Punica granatum (punicaceae) fruits reduced the mean arterial blood pressure and vascular reactivity changes to various catecholamines and also reversed the biochemical changes induced by diabetes and Ang II. PJ treatment also caused a significant decrease in levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in kidney and pancreas while activities of enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione reductase (GSH) showed significant elevation. The cumulative concentration response curve (CCRC) of Ang II was shifted towards right in rats treated with PJ using isolated strip of ascending colon. In histopathological examination, PJ treatment prevented the tubular degenerative changes induced by diabetes. The results suggest that the PJ extract could prevent the development of high blood pressure induced by Ang II in diabetic rats probably by combating the oxidative stress induced by diabetes and Ang II and by inhibiting ACE activity. In conclusion, PJ has antihypertensive action in Ang II diabetic model. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Generation of Histocompatible Androgenetic Embryonic Stem Cells Using Spermatogenic Cells
Authors: Zhao Qingguo , Wang Jianle , Zhang Yu , Kou Zhaohui , Liu Sheng , Gao Shaorong
Published: December 2009

Androgenetic embryonic stem (aES) cells, produced by pronuclear transplantation, offer an important autologous pluripotent stem cell source. However, the isolation of aES cells, particularly individual-specific aES cells, with the use of fertilized embryos has limited the practical applications of this technology in humans. In this study, we applied a new approach, essentially described as somatic cell nuclear transfer, and generated three aES cell line types with the use of spermatogenic cells including primary spermatocytes, round spermatids, and mature spermatozoa as donor cells, omitting the need to use fertilized embryos. Although abnormality of chimeras and absent germline competency indicated that all three types of aES cells exhibited limited pluripotency, the epigenetic status of the aES cell lines tended to resemble normal ES cells during long-term culture, and some parental-specific imprinted genes were expressed at levels comparable to those of normal ES cells. Furthermore, the histocompatibility of the aES cells was investigated by transplanting the differentiation progenies of the aES cells into major histocompatibility (MHC)-matched and -mismatched recipient mice. The results indicated that these aES cells were histocompatible with MHC-matched mice after transplantation. Our study provides evidence that MHC-competent autologous aES cells could be generated from different spermatogenic cells using nuclear transfer into oocytes, a process that could avoid the use of fertilized embryos.
Profiling fetal cardiac function in twin–twin transfusion syndrome
Authors: Stirnemann J. J. , Mougeot M. , Proulx F. , Nasr B. , Essaoui M. , Fouron J. C. , Ville Y.
Published: December 2009

Objectives

Cardiomyopathy in the recipient twin is a marker of severity in twin–twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), making it a potentially valuable tool for staging the disease. This study aimed to provide a quantitative description of cardiac function in the recipient twin.

Methods

Consecutive monochorionic pregnancies complicated with TTTS and treated by percutaneous laser coagulation underwent fetal echocardiography before surgery. An unsupervised classification analysis was conducted to identify groups of twins with similar cardiac profiles. The predictive value of the recipient twin's preoperative cardiac function based on these profiles was assessed, using perinatal death of at least one twin as the main outcome. The cardiac function profiles that we identified were compared with the current Quintero staging.

Results

A total of 107 pregnancies were included, with six of these lost to follow‐up; 63/107 complete cases were available for multivariate description of the recipient's cardiac function. Three different preoperative cardiac profiles were identified with increasing right and left myocardial performance index, decreasing right and left shortening fraction, and increasing ductus venosus pulsatility index. Although the three groups represented progressive stages of the syndrome‐related cardiomyopathy, no correlation was found with pregnancy outcome. Of Quintero Stage 1 cases, 55% showed significant alterations of cardiac function in the recipient twin.

Conclusions

Progressive cardiomyopathy can be assessed quantitatively in the recipient twin and does not influence pregnancy outcome when fetoscopic laser coagulation is the first‐line treatment. Compared with the current staging, cardiac profiling allows discrimination of cases with significant myocardial dysfunction. Copyright © 2009 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cutting‐edge information for the management of acute pancreatitis
Authors: Takada Tadahiro , Hirata Koichi , Mayumi Toshihiko , Yoshida Masahiro , Sekimoto Miho , Hirota Masahiko , Kimura Yasutoshi , Takeda Kazunori , Isaji Shuji , Wada Keita , Amano Hodaka , Gabata Toshifumi , Arata Shinjyu , Hirota Morihisa , Yokoe Masamichi , Kiriyama Seiki , Nakayama Takeo , Otomo Kuni , Tanaka Masao , Shimosegawa Tooru
Published: December 2009

Considering that the Japanese (JPN) guidelines for the management of acute pancreatitis were published in Takada et al. (J HepatoBiliary Pancreat Surg 13:2–6, 2006), doubts will be cast as to the reason for publishing a revised edition of the Guidelines for the management of acute pancreatitis: the JPN guidelines 2010, at this time. The rationale for this is that new criteria for the severity assessment of acute pancreatitis were made public on the basis of a summary of activities and reports of shared studies that were conducted in 2008. The new severity classification is entirely different from that adopted in the 2006 guidelines. A drastic revision was made in the new criteria. For example, about half of the cases that have been assessed previously as being ‘severe’ are assessed as being ‘mild’ in the new criteria. The JPN guidelines 2010 are published so that consistency between the criteria for severity assessment in the first edition and the new criteria will be maintained. In the new criteria, severity assessment can be made only by calculating the 9 scored prognostic factors. Severity assessment according to the contrast‐enhanced computed tomography (CT) grade was made by scoring the poorly visualized pancreatic area in addition to determining the degree of extrapancreatic progress of inflammation and its extent. Changes made in accordance with the new criteria are seen in various parts of the guidelines. In the present revised edition, post‐endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis is treated as an independent item. Furthermore, clinical indicators (pancreatitis bundles) are presented to improve the quality of the management of acute pancreatitis and to increase adherence to new guidelines.
Rapid Development of Fasting‐Induced Hepatic Lipidosis in the American Mink (Neovison vison): Effects of Food Deprivation and Re‐Alimentation on Body Fat Depots, Tissue Fatty Acid Profiles, Hematology and Endocrinology
Authors: Rouvinen‐Watt Kirsti , Mustonen Anne‐Mari , Conway Rebecca , Pal Catherine , Harris Lora , Saarela Seppo , Strandberg Ursula , Nieminen Petteri
Published: December 2009

Hepatic lipidosis is a common pathological finding in the American mink (Neovison vison) and can be caused by nutritional imbalance due to obesity or rapid body weight loss. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the timeline and characterize the development of hepatic lipidosis in mink in response to 0–7 days of food deprivation and liver recovery after 28 days of re‐feeding. We report here the effects on hematological and endocrine variables, body fat mobilization, the development of hepatic lipidosis and the alterations in the liver lipid classes and tissue fatty acid (FA) sums. Food deprivation resulted in the rapid mobilization of body fat, most notably visceral, causing elevated hepatosomatic index and increased liver triacylglycerol content. The increased absolute amounts of liver total phospholipids and phosphatidylcholine suggested endoplasmic reticulum stress. The hepatic lipid infiltration and the altered liver lipid profiles were associated with a significantly reduced proportion of n‐3 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) in the livers and the decrease was more evident in the females. Likewise, re‐feeding of the female mink resulted in a more pronounced recovery of the liver n‐3 PUFA. The rapid decrease in the n‐3/n‐6 PUFA ratio in response to food deprivation could trigger an inflammatory response in the liver. This could be a key contributor to the pathophysiology of fatty liver disease in mink influencing disease progression.
Efficacy and safety of a single intrathecal methylprednisolone bolus in chronic complex regional pain syndrome
Authors: Munts Alexander G. , van der Plas Anton A. , Ferrari Michel D. , Teepe‐Twiss Irene M. , Marinus Johan , Van Hilten Jacobus J.
Published: December 2009

Activated immune cells in the spinal cord may play an important role in the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain, such as occurs in response to peripheral inflammation or tissue injury. Immune activation may therefore serve as a therapeutic target for immune modulating drugs like corticosteroids. This double‐blind randomized placebo‐controlled parallel‐group trial aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of a single intrathecal administration of 60 mg methylprednisolone (ITM) in chronic patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). The primary outcome measure was change in pain (pain intensity numeric rating scale; range 0–10) after 6 weeks. With 21 subjects per group the study had a 90% power to detect a clinically relevant difference (≥2 points). After 21 patients (10 on ITM) were included, the trial was stopped prematurely after the interim analysis had shown that ITM had no effect on pain (difference in mean pain intensity numeric rating scale at 6 weeks 0.3, 95% confidence interval −0.7 to 1.3) or any other outcome measure. We did not find any difference in treatment‐emergent adverse events between the ITM and placebo group. We conclude that a single bolus administration of ITM is not efficacious in chronic CRPS patients, which may indicate that spinal immune activation does not play an important role in this phase of the syndrome.
A novel kinase inhibitor establishes a predominant role for protein kinase D as a cardiac class IIa histone deacetylase kinase
Authors: Monovich Lauren , Vega Richard B. , Meredith Erik , Miranda Karl , Rao Chang , Capparelli Michael , Lemon Douglas D. , Phan Dillon , Koch Keith A. , Chapo Joseph A. , Hood David B. , McKinsey Timothy A.
Published: December 2009

Class IIa histone deacetylases (HDACs) repress genes involved in pathological cardiac hypertrophy. The anti‐hypertrophic action of class IIa HDACs is overcome by signals that promote their phosphorylation‐dependent nuclear export. Several kinases have been shown to phosphorylate class IIa HDACs, including calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase (CaMK), protein kinase D (PKD) and G protein‐coupled receptor kinase (GRK). However, the identity of the kinase(s) responsible for phosphorylating class IIa HDACs during cardiac hypertrophy has remained controversial. We describe a novel and selective small molecule inhibitor of PKD, bipyridyl PKD inhibitor (BPKDi). BPKDi blocks signal‐dependent phosphorylation and nuclear export of class IIa HDACs in cardiomyocytes and concomitantly suppresses hypertrophy of these cells. These studies define PKD as a principal cardiac class IIa HDAC kinase.
PCSK9‐deficient mice exhibit impaired glucose tolerance and pancreatic islet abnormalities
Authors: Mbikay Majambu , Sirois Francine , Mayne Janice , Wang Gen-Sheng , Chen Andrew , Dewpura Thilina , Prat Annik , Seidah Nabil G. , Chretien Michel , Scott Fraser W.
Published: December 2009

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), a liver‐secreted plasma enzyme, restricts hepatic uptake of low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by promoting the degradation of LDL receptors (LDLR). PCSK9 and LDLR are also expressed in insulin‐producing pancreatic islet β cells, possibly affecting the function of these cells. Here we show that, compared to control mice, PCSK9‐null male mice over 4 months of age carried more LDLR and less insulin in their pancreas; they were hypoinsulinemic, hyperglycemic and glucose‐intolerant; their islets exhibited signs of malformation, apoptosis and inflammation. Collectively, these observations suggest that PCSK9 may be necessary for the normal function of pancreatic islets.
Transabdominal amnioinfusion in preterm premature rupture of membranes
Authors: Singla Anshuja , Yadav Poonam , Vaid Neelam B. , Suneja Amita , Faridi Mohammad M.A.
Published: December 2009

Objective

To evaluate the effect of transabdominal amnioinfusion on prolongation of pregnancy, and maternal and neonatal outcomes in preterm premature rupture of membranes (pPROM).

Methods

We conducted a prospective randomized controlled study of women with pPROM during singleton live pregnancy—between 26 and 33 + 6 weeks—whose amniotic fluid index (AFI) was less than the 5th percentile. The study group underwent transabdominal amnioinfusion at admission and then weekly if their AFI fell below the 5th percentile again. The control group received expectant management.

Results

The difference in the mean interval from pPROM to delivery between the groups was not statistically significant. Neonatal and maternal outcomes were significantly improved in the study group compared with the control group (fetal distress [10% vs 37%]; early neonatal sepsis [17% vs 63%]; neonatal mortality [17% vs 63%]; spontaneous delivery [83% vs 53%]; and postpartum sepsis [7% vs 33%]).

Conclusion

Transabdominal amnioinfusion reduced fetal distress, early neonatal sepsis, and neonatal mortality. In the study group, more participants delivered spontaneously and there were fewer cases of postpartum sepsis, although the pPROM–delivery interval was not increased.
Hydrodynamics in Holocene Lake Mega-Chad
Authors: Bouchette Frédéric , Schuster Mathieu , Ghienne Jean-François , Denamiel Cléa , Roquin Claude , Moussa Abderamane , Marsaleix Patrick , Duringer Philippe
Published: December 2009

Holocene Lake Mega-Chad (LMC) was the largest late Quaternary water-body in Africa. The development of this giant paleo-lake is related to a northward shift of the isohyetes interpreted as evidence for an enhanced Monsoon (African Humid Period). Numerous preserved coastal features have been described all around the LMC shore. Such features reveal the main paleo-hydrodynamical tendencies. In the context of a closed water-body like LMC, hydrodynamics are forced mainly by winds. We use a three-dimensional numerical model (SYMPHONIE) to simulate the mean hydrodynamics in LMC under both Harmattan-like (northeasterly trade winds) and Monsoon-like (southwesterly winds) forcings. The northern part of LMC displays coastal features, such as sand spits, that are consistent with the simulations forced by Harmattan-like winds. Geomorphic features related to Monsoon-driven hydrodynamics are not clearly expressed. They could have developed during the early stage of LMC but subsequently reworked. At the time of sand-spit building, Harmattan-like driven hydrodynamics prevailed and related coastal features were preferentially preserved in the sedimentary record.
Starch granule size distribution in wheat grain in relation to shading after anthesis
Authors: LI W. , YAN S. , YIN Y. , WANG Z.
Published: December 2009

Granule size distribution of wheat starch is an important characteristic that may affect the functionality of wheat products. Light intensity is one of the main factors affecting grain yield and quality. Two high-yield winter wheat cultivars were grown under shade to evaluate the effect of low light intensity after anthesis on starch granule size distribution and starch components in wheat grains at maturity. Shading caused a marked drop in both grain yield and starch yield and led to a significant reduction in the proportion (both by volume and by surface area) of B-type starch granules (⩽9·9 μm), with an increase in those of A-type starch granules (>9·9 μm). This would suggest that the production of B-type starch granules was more sensitive to shading than that of A-type starch granules. It was also found that the proportion by volume of A-type starch granules was significantly increased and that of B-type starch granules was significantly decreased by shading at different grain filling stages, especially at middle and late grain-filling stages. However, shading had little effect on the proportional number of B-type starch granules. The present results suggested that, under dim light conditions, the limited substrate for starch accumulation was mainly partitioned towards hypertrophy (larger granules) not hyperplasia (more) of starch granules.
‘MAYBE IT WAS HER FATE AND MAYBE SHE RAN OUT OF BLOOD’: FINAL CAREGIVERS' PERSPECTIVES ON ACCESS TO CARE IN OBSTETRIC EMERGENCIES IN RURAL INDONESIA
Authors: D'AMBRUOSO LUCIA , BYASS PETER , QOMARIYAH SITI NURUL
Published: December 2009

Maternal mortality persists in low-income settings despite preventability with skilled birth attendance and emergency obstetric care. Poor access limits the effectiveness of life-saving interventions and is typical of maternal health care in low-income settings. This paper examines access to care in obstetric emergencies from the perspectives of service users, using established and contemporary theoretical frameworks of access and a routine health surveillance method. The implications for health planning are also considered. The final caregivers of 104 women who died during pregnancy or childbirth were interviewed in two rural districts in Indonesia using an adapted verbal autopsy. Qualitative analysis revealed social and economic barriers to access and barriers that arose from the health system itself. Health insurance for the poor was highly problematic. For providers, incomplete reimbursements, and low public pay, acted as disincentives to treat the poor. For users, the schemes were poorly socialized and understood, complicated to use and led to lower quality care. Services, staff, transport, equipment and supplies were also generally unavailable or unaffordable. The multiple barriers to access conferred a cumulative disadvantage that culminated in exclusion. This was reflected in expressions of powerlessness and fatalism regarding the deaths. The analysis suggests that conceiving of access as a structurally determined, complex and dynamic process, and as a reciprocally maintained phenomenon of disadvantaged groups, may provide useful explanatory concepts for health planning. Health planning from this perspective may help to avoid perpetuating exclusion on social and economic grounds, by health systems and services, and help foster a sense of control at the micro-level, among peoples' feelings and behaviours regarding their health. Verbal autopsy surveys provide an opportunity to routinely collect
information on the exclusory mechanisms of health systems, important information for equitable health planning.
THE IMPACT OF MATERNAL BIRTH MONTH ON REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE: CONTROLLING FOR SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CONFOUNDERS
Authors: KEMKES ARIANE
Published: December 2009

Based on a 1900 census sample of 34,166 post-reproductive females (≥45 years), the birth month effect was put to the test, for both lifetime fertility as well as child survival, controlling for maternal birth cohort (1826–1835, 1836–1845, 1846–1855), Duncan's SEI, urbanity, nativity, literacy and marital duration. Testing for potential cohort effects did not indicate a temporal trend in fertility by maternal birth month (seasonal Mann-Kendall test, p=0.578), while a minute increase in offspring survival was detected (p<0.001, Sen's estimator of slope=0.02, 95% CI=0.02 to 0.03). Further analyses of the maternal birth month effect on child survival were therefore seized. For lifetime fertility, ANOVA results indicated that maternal birth month was a major predictor for total offspring count (F11, 33606=1809.0, p<0.001), accounting for 37.2% of the total variability. In addition to main effects, a statistically significant interaction effect was observed (F538, 33606=2.2, p<0.001), with a corresponding effect size of η2=0.40. Planned contrasts revealed that birth-month-specific differences in fertility achieved statistical significance (F11, 31798=1712.9, p<0.001), while post-hoc multiple comparisons for literacy and nativity displayed an inverse relationship with fertility, which meets demographic expectations. Controlling for all factors of interest, models of cohort-specific offspring counts (independent ANOVAs for 1826–1835: F157, 3467=26.3, p<0.001; 1836–1845: F182, 10299=75.5, p<0.001; 1846–1855: F199, 19859=137.9, p<0.001) indicated that women born in the first half of the year (particularly, January, February, April and May) achieved above-average parity, while those born in the latter half (namely, July, October, November and December) displayed markedly lower fertility averages. These monthly disparities are in line with previous observations and appear to be linked to seasonal optimal ripening of the oocyte or seasonal preovulatory over-ripeness ovopathy (Jongbloet, 1992).
Numerical investigation of the compressible flow past an aerofoil
Authors: CHEN LI-WEI , XU CHANG-YUE , LU XI-YUN
Published: December 2009

Numerical investigation of the compressible flow past an 18% thick circular-arc aerofoil was carried out using detached-eddy simulation for a free-stream Mach numberM∞= 0.76 and a Reynolds numberRe= 1.1 × 107. Results have been validated carefully against experimental data. Various fundamental mechanisms dictating the intricate flow phenomena, including moving shock wave behaviours, turbulent boundary layer characteristics, kinematics of coherent structures and dynamical processes in flow evolution, have been studied systematically. A feedback model is developed to predict the self-sustained shock wave motions repeated alternately along the upper and lower surfaces of the aerofoil, which is a key issue associated with the complex flow phenomena. Based on the moving shock wave characteristics, three typical flow regimes are classified as attached boundary layer, moving shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interaction and intermittent boundary layer separation. The turbulent statistical quantities have been analysed in detail, and different behaviours are found in the three flow regimes. Some quantities, e.g. pressure-dilatation correlation and dilatational dissipation, have exhibited that the compressibility effect is enhanced because of the shock wave/boundary layer interaction. Further, the kinematics of coherent vortical structures and the dynamical processes in flow evolution are analysed. The speed of downstream-propagating pressure waves in the separated boundary layer is consistent with the convection speed of the coherent vortical structures. The multi-layer structures of the separated shear layer and the moving shock wave are reasonably captured using the instantaneous Lamb vector divergence and curl, and the underlying dynamical processes are clarified. In addition, the proper orthogonal decomposition analysis of the fluctuating pressure field illustrates that the dominated modes are associated with the moving shock waves and the separated shear layers in the trailing-edge region. The results obtained in this study provide physical insight into the understanding of the mechanisms relevant to this complex flow.
Invisible Enemies: Bacteriology and the Language of Politics in Imperial Germany
Authors: Gradmann Christoph
Published: December 2009

The Argument

The text analyzes the related semantics of bacteriology and politics in imperial Germany. The rapid success of bacteriology in the 1880s and 1890s was due not least to the fact that scientific concepts of bacteria as “the smallest but most dangerous enemies of mankind” (R. Koch) resonated with contemporary ideas about political enemies. Bacteriological hygiene was expected to provide answers to social and political problems. At the same time metaphors borrowed from bacteriological terminology were incorporated into the political language of the time. While the “high command of our doctors” (F. J. Cohn) fought diseases, some contemporaries were identified with members of the evil species of “bacillus communis odii.”

Both imperialistic politics and bacteriological science relied on images of inferior and invisible but potent enemies. Both were able to increase their prestige via a mutual interchange of their vocabularies.
Invisible Architectures
Authors: Rheinberger Hans-Jörg
Published: December 2009

The Argument

In this essay I will sketch a few instances of how, and a few forms in which, the “invisible” became an epistemic category in the development of the life sciences from the seventeenth century through the end of the nineteenth century. In contrast to most of the other papers in this issue, I do not so much focus on the visualization of various little entities, and the tools and contexts in which a visual representation of these things was realized. I will be more concerned with the basic problem of introducing entities or structures that cannot be seen, as elements of an explanatory strategy. I will try to review the ways in which the invisibility of such entities moved from the unproblematic status of just being too small to be accessible to the naked or even the armed eye, to the problematic status of being invisible in principle and yet being indispensable within a given explanatory framework. The epistemological concern of the paper is thus to sketch the historical process of how the “unseen” became a problem in the modern life sciences. The coming into being of the invisible as a space full of paradoxes is itself the product of a historical development that still awaits proper reconstruction.
Locating Rods and Cones: Microscopic Investigations of the Retina in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Berlin and Würzburg
Authors: Schickore Jutta
Published: December 2009

The Argument

This paper is concerned with the diversity of microscopic research in nineteenth-century life sciences. It examines how two researchers, Ernst Wilhelm Brücke and Heinrich Müller, investigated the structure and function of the retina. They did so in significantly different ways, thereby developing quite different accounts of this organ and its role in the process of vision. Both investigators were carrying out microscopic investigations, both were particularly concerned with interpreting their findings in terms of physiological function, and both employed the physical sciences in their microscopic research. Their approaches differed, however, with respect to the manner of handling and preparing the tissues, as well as with respect to the conceptual tools they applied to their findings.

The cases indicate that the common tendency to associate microscopic research mainly with morphological studies of organic material is not appropriate. To understand nineteenth-century microscopy and its place in the sciences of life, close attention should be paid to the manner in which microscopic investigations were performed. It is only then that the flexibility and versatility of microscopic research comes into view.
CONSCIENCE, VOLITIONAL NECESSITY, AND RELIGIOUS EXEMPTIONS
Authors: Koppelman Andrew
Published: December 2009

Why do we grant religious exemptions? Many distinguished scholars and judges have been drawn to the idea that conscience is entitled to special protection, because a person in its grip cannot obey the law without betraying his deepest, most identity-defining commitments. The weakness of this justification is shown by philosopher Harry Frankfurt's account of what he calls “volitional necessity,” which clarifies the structure of the argument that invocations of conscience imply. Frankfurt shows that a person can be bound in this way by allegiances that there is no reason to respect; volitional necessity can arise from anything at all that a person cares about. Conscience is thus a poor basis for claims upon other people. Accommodation must rather depend on some idea of the value of religion.
A bilingual advantage in task switching
Authors: PRIOR ANAT , MACWHINNEY BRIAN
Published: December 2009

This study investigated the possibility that lifelong bilingualism may lead to enhanced efficiency in the ability to shift between mental sets. We compared the performance of monolingual and fluent bilingual college students in a task-switching paradigm. Bilinguals incurred reduced switching costs in the task-switching paradigm when compared with monolinguals, suggesting that lifelong experience in switching between languages may contribute to increased efficiency in the ability to shift flexibly between mental sets. On the other hand, bilinguals did not differ from monolinguals in the differential cost of performing mixed-task as opposed to single-task blocks. Together, these results indicate that bilingual advantages in executive function most likely extend beyond inhibition of competing responses, and encompass flexible mental shifting as well.
Greenlandic schoolchildren’s compliance with national dietary guidelines
Authors: Niclasen Birgit , Schnohr Christina W
Published: December 2009

Objective

The aim of the present study was to examine to what extent children and adolescents in Greenland comply with the national dietary guidelines, and to analyse the influence of habitation and family affluence on the compliance with dietary guidelines.

Design

Data were from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey in Greenland. The 2006 survey included 2462 students aged 11 to 17 years.

Results

The proportion of students complying with the national dietary guidelines varied from 14 % to 87 % depending on the food item. Sweets and soft drinks had the lowest compliance. The oldest children had the following characteristics compared with the younger children: fewer ate traditional Greenlandic foods, fewer ate fruit, fewer ate breakfast daily on school days and more drank soft drinks frequently. More boys than girls ate traditional Greenlandic foods often, while more girls ate vegetables daily. The least favourable eating habits in general were found among children from low affluent families and children in villages.

Conclusions

Many Greenlandic schoolchildren did not comply with the national dietary guidelines. Despite a higher intake of traditional foods as a whole, children in villages and less affluent children were less likely to comply with guidelines. A strong relationship between diet, family affluence and availability was found. The study findings indicate that factors such as availability, cost and seasonal variation are important to the intake of both imported and traditional Greenlandic foods. The findings should be taken into consideration when promoting the national guidelines.
Validation of an FFQ to estimate the intake of fatty acids using erythrocyte membrane fatty acids and multiple 3d dietary records
Authors: Zhang Bo , Wang Ping , Chen Chao-gang , He Qi-qiang , Zhuo Shu-yu , Chen Yu-ming , Su Yi-xiang
Published: December 2009

Objective

The estimation of dietary intake in population-based studies is often assessed by the FFQ. The objective of our study is to evaluate the validity of an FFQ used to assess dietary fatty acid intake among middle-aged Chinese adults in Southern China.

Design

The method of triads was applied to obtain the validity coefficients (VC) of the FFQ for specific fatty acids. A subsample was randomly selected from an earlier cross-sectional study. The FFQ and 3d dietary records were used for dietary assessment, and the fatty acid composition of erythrocyte membranes was determined as the biomarker.

Results

The Spearman correlation coefficients between the FFQ and 3d dietary records were moderate to good (r= 0·28–0·66). The VC of the FFQ estimated by the method of triads were 0·72, 0·61, 0·65, 0·75 and 0·67 for MUFA, totaln-6 fatty acids, α-linolenic acid, EPA and DHA, respectively. The VC could not be calculated for SFA, PUFA and totaln-3 fatty acids because of negative correlations among the three measurements. But, the correlations between the FFQ and the dietary records were moderate for these fatty acids.

Conclusions

Our FFQ applied in Southern Chinese adults was valid to estimate their dietary fatty acid intake and was thus suitable for use in a large cohort study.
Television food advertising and the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity: a multicountry comparison
Authors: Goris Janny M , Petersen Solveig , Stamatakis Emmanuel , Veerman J Lennert
Published: December 2009

Objective

To estimate the contribution of television (TV) food advertising to the prevalence of obesity among 6–11-year-old children in Australia, Great Britain (England and Scotland only), Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden and the United States.

Design

Data from contemporary representative studies on the prevalence of childhood obesity and on TV food advertising exposure in the above countries were entered into a mathematical simulation model. Two different effect estimators were used to calculate the reduction in prevalence of overweight and obesity in the absence of TV food advertising in each country; one based on literature and one based on experts’ estimates.

Setting

Six- to eleven-year-old children in six Western countries.

Results

Estimates of the average exposure of children to TV food advertising range from 1·8 min/d in The Netherlands to 11·5 min/d in the United States. Its contribution to the prevalence of childhood obesity is estimated at 16 %–40 % in the United States, 10 %–28 % in Australia and Italy and 4 %–18 % in Great Britain, Sweden and The Netherlands.

Conclusions

The contribution of TV advertising of foods and drinks to the prevalence of childhood obesity differs distinctly by country and is likely to be significant in some countries.
Antidunes on steep slopes
Authors: Recking A. , Bacchi V. , Naaim M. , Frey P.
Published: December 2009

When rates of subcritical flow are increased on gentle slopes, the bed successively produces ripples, dunes, and flat beds. Antidunes (defined here as all bed undulations for which the surface gravity waves are in phase with the bed profile) appear only in high flow rates and may be found in some extreme natural flow events. Inversely, on steep slopes flume experiment (S ≥ 1% approximately) flows are supercritical and antidunes are observed to appear just after the beginning of sediment motion and to disappear for high flow rates. Using data from new experiments, we seek to improve the prediction of antidune geometry on steep slopes. An equation for antidune wavelength was deduced from dimensional analysis and fitted to new experimental data. The equation was successfully evaluated using a data set extended to 167 values with data from the literature, obtained on both steep and gentle slopes. This equation gives results very similar to the usual analytical equation from Kennedy when tested on the results from gentle slope experiments but proved to be better adapted for antidune wavelength on steep slopes.
Modeling of the impacts of China's anthropogenic pollutants on the surface ozone summer maximum on the northern Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Li Jie , Wang Zifa , Akimoto Hajime , Tang Jie , Uno Itsushi
Published: December 2009

The current debate about the role of anthropogenic pollutants in a unique broad summer maximum pattern at a remote site (Waliguan, 3810 asl) on the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau is continuing. This study quantifies the impacts of anthropogenic emissions and stratosphere‐to‐troposphere exchange (STE) on surface ozone on the Tibetan Plateau using a regional chemical transport model with an on‐line tracer tagging module. The model is shown to be well suited for simulating the unique seasonal variation at Waliguan. Model results clearly show that the regional transport of photochemically produced ozone in China is responsible for the summer maximum on the northern Tibetan Plateau with a contribution of ∼10–25 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) in summer, which is more than ∼5 ppbv of the contribution to STE. The weak local ozone photochemical production (−0.5–0.1 ppbv/day) suggests that this transport to the Tibetan Plateau mostly concentrates on photochemical products. The unique strong near‐surface convergence and upper layer divergence driven by elevated surface heating and low air density over the Tibetan Plateau in summer is its dynamic cause. These transported anthropogenic pollutants are likely to rise to the upper troposphere and circulate globally. This study also demonstrates that the effect of convection on surface ozone over the northern Tibetan Plateau is compensated by the advective updrafts in summer.
Spin and valence states of iron in (Mg0.8Fe0.2)SiO3 perovskite
Authors: Grocholski B. , Shim S.‐H. , Sturhahn W. , Zhao J. , Xiao Y. , Chow P. C.
Published: December 2009

The spin and valence states of iron in (Mg0.8Fe0.2)SiO3 perovskite were measured between 0 and 65 GPa using synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy. Samples were synthesized in situ in the laser‐heated diamond cell under reducing conditions. The dominant spin state of iron in perovskite is high spin at pressures below 50 GPa. Above 50 GPa, the spectra shows severe changes which can be explained by appearance of two distinct iron sites with similar site weightings. One site has Mössbauer parameters consistent with high spin Fe2+, while the other has the parameters previously interpreted as intermediate spin. The latter intermediate‐spin assignment is not unique, as similar Mössbauer parameters have been reported for high spin Fe2+ in almandine at ambient pressure. However, our data do not rule out the existence of low‐spin iron, which may exist with a smaller fraction and explain the observation of lower spin moments in the X‐ray emission spectroscopy of perovskite at high pressure. From these considerations, our preferred interpretation is that iron in perovskite is mixed or high spin to at least 2000 km depths in the mantle, consistent with computational results. Our study also reveals that reducing conditions do not inhibit the formation of Fe3+ in perovskite at deep‐mantle pressures.
Transcriptional and post-translational regulation of adiponectin
Authors: Liu Meilian , Liu Feng
Published: December 2009

Adiponectin is an adipose-tissue-derived hormone with anti-diabetic, anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatory functions. Adiponectin circulates in the bloodstream in trimeric, hexameric and high-molecular-mass species, and different forms of adiponectin have been found to play distinct roles in the regulation of energy homoeostasis. The serum levels of adiponectin are negatively correlated with obesity and insulin resistance, yet the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. In the present review, we summarize recent progress made on the mechanisms regulating adiponectin gene transcription, multimerization and secretion. We also discuss the potential relevance of these studies to the development of new clinical therapy for insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes and other obesity-related metabolic disorders.
‘Unknown’ proteins and ‘orphan’ enzymes: the missing half of the engineering parts list – and how to find it
Authors: Hanson Andrew D. , Pribat Anne , Waller Jeffrey C. , Crécy-Lagard  Valérie de
Published: December 2009

Like other forms of engineering, metabolic engineering requires knowledge of the components (the ‘parts list’) of the target system. Lack of such knowledge impairs both rational engineering design and diagnosis of the reasons for failures; it also poses problems for the related field of metabolic reconstruction, which uses a cell's parts list to recreate its metabolic activities in silico. Despite spectacular progress in genome sequencing, the parts lists for most organisms that we seek to manipulate remain highly incomplete, due to the dual problem of ‘unknown’ proteins and ‘orphan’ enzymes. The former are all the proteins deduced from genome sequence that have no known function, and the latter are all the enzymes described in the literature (and often catalogued in the EC database) for which no corresponding gene has been reported. Unknown proteins constitute up to about half of the proteins in prokaryotic genomes, and much more than this in higher plants and animals. Orphan enzymes make up more than a third of the EC database. Attacking the ‘missing parts list’ problem is accordingly one of the great challenges for post-genomic biology, and a tremendous opportunity to discover new facets of life's machinery. Success will require a co-ordinated community-wide attack, sustained over years. In this attack, comparative genomics is probably the single most effective strategy, for it can reliably predict functions for unknown proteins and genes for orphan enzymes. Furthermore, it is cost-efficient and increasingly straightforward to deploy owing to a proliferation of databases and associated tools.