bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of community health workers in the care of persons with diabetes
Authors: Norris S. L. , Chowdhury F. M. , Van Le K. , Horsley T. , Brownstein J. N. , Zhang X. , Jack L. , Satterfield D. W.
Published: June 2006

Aims  The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the effectiveness of community health workers in supporting the care of persons with diabetes.

Methods  Computerized searches were conducted of multiple electronic bibliographic dababases until March 2004. We identified studies in any language and of any design that examined the effectiveness of diabetes‐related interventions involving community health workers and reported outcomes in persons with diabetes. Results were synthesized narratively.

Results  Eighteen studies were identified, including eight randomized controlled trials. Most studies focused on minority populations in the USA. The roles and duties of community health workers in diabetes care were varied, ranging from substantial involvement in patient care to providing instrumental assistance in education sessions taught by other health professionals. Participants were generally satisfied with their contacts with community health workers and participant knowledge increased. Improvements in physiological measures were noted for some interventions and positive changes in lifestyle and self‐care were noted in a number of studies. There were few data on economic outcomes, but several studies demonstrated a decrease in inappropriate health care utilization.

Conclusions  Diabetes programmes include community health workers as team members in a variety of roles. There are some preliminary data demonstrating improvements in participant knowledge and behaviour. Much additional research, however, is needed to understand the incremental benefit of community health workers in multicomponent interventions and to identify appropriate settings and optimal roles for community health workers in the care of persons with diabetes.
Glucocorticoid Release and Memory Consolidation in Men and Women
Authors: Andreano Joseph M. , Cahill Larry
Published: June 2006

Glucocorticoid hormones have been shown to enhance memory consolidation when applied at low doses posttraining, but are ineffective or impair memory at high doses. In a test of whether this quadratic relationship also exists for endogenously released glucocorticoids, healthy men and women received cold-pressor stress (CPS) or a control procedure immediately after reading a relatively neutral story and were tested for retention 1 week later. Cortisol levels in response to the stressor were assayed from saliva. CPS significantly elevated salivary cortisol in both sexes, but enhanced memory only in male subjects. Among CPS-treated male subjects, there was a significant quadratic correlation between cortisol release posttraining and subsequent memory. Thus, these findings represent the first demonstration of an inverted-U relationship between activity of endogenous stress hormones and human memory.
Predicting Cognitive Control From Preschool to Late Adolescence and Young Adulthood
Authors: Eigsti Inge-Marie , Zayas Vivian , Mischel Walter , Shoda Yuichi , Ayduk Ozlem , Dadlani Mamta B. , Davidson Matthew C. , Aber J. Lawrence , Casey B.J.
Published: June 2006

In this longitudinal study, the proportion of time preschoolers directed their attention away from rewarding stimuli during a delay-of-gratification task was positively associated with efficiency (greater speed without reduced accuracy) at responding to targets in a go/no-go task more than 10 years later. The overall findings suggest that preschoolers' ability to effectively direct their attention away from tempting aspects of the rewards in a delay-of-gratification task may be a developmental precursor for the ability to perform inhibitory tasks such as the go/no-go task years later. Because performance on the go/no-go task has previously been characterized as involving activation of fronto-striatal regions, the present findings also suggest that performance in the delay-of-gratification task may serve as an early marker of individual differences in the functional integrity of this circuitry.
The Speed of Individual Face Categorization
Authors: Jacques Corentin , Rossion Bruno
Published: June 2006

How fast does the human visual system discriminate individual faces? To address this question, we used a continuous-stimulation paradigm in which event-related potentials (ERPs) to a face stimulus are recorded with respect to another face stimulus, rather than to a preceding blank-screen baseline epoch. Following the shift between two face stimuli, posterior sites showed an early negative ERP deflection that started at 130 ms and peaked at 160 ms, the latency of the N170, an ERP component associated with discriminating faces from objects. The ERP we recorded was larger in amplitude when the preceding stimulus was perceived as a different individual face rather than the same individual face, although face pairs were of equal physical distance in the two conditions. These findings provide direct evidence that individual face discrimination in humans can take place as early as 130 ms following stimulus onset, during the same time window as face detection.
Probing the Visual Representation of Faces With Adaptation
Authors: Jiang Fang , Blanz Volker , O'Toole Alice J.
Published: June 2006

Sensory adaptation and visual aftereffects have long given insight into the neural codes underlying basic dimensions of visual perception. Recently discovered perceptual adaptation effects for complex shapes like faces can offer similar insight into high-level visual representations. In the experiments reported here, we demonstrated first that face adaptation transfers across a substantial change in viewpoint and that this transfer occurs via processes unlikely to be specific to faces. Next, we probed the visual codes underlying face recognition using face morphs that varied selectively in reflectance or shape. Adaptation to these morphs affected the perception of “opposite” faces both from the same viewpoint and from a different viewpoint. These results are consistent with high-level face representations that pool local shape and reflectance patterns into configurations that specify facial appearance over a range of three-dimensional viewpoints. These findings have implications for computational models of face recognition and for competing neural theories of face and object recognition.
View-Specific Coding of Face Shape
Authors: Jeffery Linda , Rhodes Gillian , Busey Tom
Published: June 2006

Monkey and human cortex contain view-specific face neurons, but it remains unclear whether they code face shape. We tested the view specificity of face-shape coding by inducing figural face aftereffects at one viewpoint (3/4 left) and testing generalization to different viewpoints (front view and 3/4 right). The aftereffects were induced by adaptation to consistent figural distortions (contracted or expanded), which shifts the distortion perceived as most normal toward the adapting distortion. The strong aftereffect that was observed at the adapting view was significantly and substantially reduced for both front-view test faces and mirror-image (3/4 right) test faces, indicating view specificity. The limited transfer across mirror views is strong evidence of view specificity, given their figural similarity. The aftereffects survived a size change between adaptation and test faces (Experiment 2), a result that rules out low-level adaptation as an explanation. These results provide strong evidence that face-shape coding is view-specific.
I Thought You Were Looking at Me
Authors: Jenkins Rob , Beaver John D. , Calder Andrew J.
Published: June 2006

Gaze direction is an important social signal in humans and other primates. In this study, we used an adaptation paradigm to investigate the functional organization of gaze perception in humans. Adaptation to consistent leftward or rightward gaze produced a powerful illusion that virtually eliminated observers' perception of gaze in the adapted direction; gaze to that side was seen as pointing straight ahead, though perception of gaze to the opposite side was unimpaired. This striking dissociation held even when retinotopic mapping between adaptation and test stimuli was disrupted by changes in size or head orientation, suggesting that our findings do not reflect adaptation to low-level visual properties. Moreover, adaptation to averted gaze did not affect judgments of line bisection, illustrating that our findings do not reflect a general spatial bias. Our findings provide evidence that humans have distinct populations of neurons that are selectively responsive to particular directions of seen gaze.
Unit Bias
Authors: Geier Andrew B. , Rozin Paul , Doros Gheorghe
Published: June 2006

People seem to think that a unit of some entity (with certain constraints) is the appropriate and optimal amount. We refer to this heuristic as unit bias. We illustrate unit bias by demonstrating large effects of unit segmentation, a form of portion control, on food intake. Thus, people choose, and presumably eat, much greater weights of Tootsie Rolls and pretzels when offered a large as opposed to a small unit size (and given the option of taking as many units as they choose at no monetary cost). Additionally, they consume substantially more M&M's when the candies are offered with a large as opposed to a small spoon (again with no limits as to the number of spoonfuls to be taken). We propose that unit bias explains why small portion sizes are effective in controlling consumption; in some cases, people served small portions would simply eat additional portions if it were not for unit bias. We argue that unit bias is a general feature in human choice and discuss possible origins of this bias, including consumption norms.
Ordinary Variations in Maternal Caregiving Influence Human Infants' Stress Reactivity
Authors: Hane Amie Ashley , Fox Nathan A.
Published: June 2006

We sought to extend earlier work by examining whether there are ordinary variations in human maternal caregiving behavior (MCB) that are related to stress reactivity in infants. We observed 185 mother-infant dyads and used standard coding systems to identify variations in caregiving behavior. We then created two extreme groups and found that infants receiving low-quality MCB showed more fearfulness, less positive joint attention, and greater right frontal electroencephalographic asymmetry than infants receiving high-quality MCB. Group differences in stress reactivity were not a result of measured infant temperament. However, infants receiving low-quality MCB manifested significantly more negative affect during caregiving activities than did infants receiving high-quality MCB. The results suggest that ordinary variations in MCB may influence the expression of neural systems involved in stress reactivity in human infants.
Mark–recapture by genetic tagging reveals restricted movements by bush rats (Rattus fuscipes) in a fragmented landscape
Authors: Peakall R. , Ebert D. , Cunningham R. , Lindenmayer D.
Published: June 2006

We applied genetic tagging (the identification of individuals by genetic markers) as part of a demographic and genetic analysis of a manipulative study of bush rats Rattus fuscipes in a fragmented landscape in south‐eastern Australia. Our study comprised bush rat populations from 30 remnant patches embedded within an extensive exotic pine plantation. Genetic tagging was applied at 12 sites where eight or more animals were encountered in the initial census. Out of a total of 701 DNA samples, we determined (by genetic analysis at 11 microsatellite loci) that 588 bush rat individuals were sampled. Genetic tagging proved to be highly effective, with 97% of animals uniquely identified with three loci, and all animals identified by six loci. Mark–recapture distances moved by genetically tagged animals from the control sites and post‐perturbation treatment samples were highly restricted, with a mean of 35 m (35.3±4.5, mean±se, max. 280 m, n=109). This mean distance moved appears to be lower than for other comparable studies of the species. Fragmentation and above‐average densities of animals may partially explain this result. An analysis of the factors affecting mark–recapture distance indicated that there was a significant effect of trap layout on the maximum movement detected, but no significant difference in mark–recapture distance between the sexes. We have demonstrated that genetic tagging can facilitate traditional capture–mark–recapture studies in bush rats and pave the way for subsequent population genetic analyses that can offer additional insights not available from ecology alone.
Implications of ‘cyclical’ population dynamics for the conservation of Irish hares (Lepus timidus hibernicus)
Authors: Reynolds J. C. , O'Mahony D. , Aebischer N. J.
Published: June 2006

The Irish hare Lepus timidus hibernicus is of priority conservation concern in Northern Ireland, based on a perceived decline in abundance during the 20th century and on two surveys in 1994–1996 and 2002 that suggested low densities. We reanalysed a 10‐year time series [Northern Ireland Rabbit Survey (NIRS)] that has been key evidence of decline, to derive an annual index of abundance during 1986–1995. This showed a rise to a double peak followed by a trough. We compared these Northern Ireland data with two datasets for Lepus timidus scoticus. A 40‐year annual index derived from hare bags on Scottish shooting estates [National Game‐Bag Census (NGC)] showed strong fluctuations, each lasting several years. Autocorrelation analysis of the NGC data showed elements of cyclical behaviour, with distinct phases and a 16‐year period. A previously published 30‐year survey of introduced L. t. scoticus in northern England also showed large multi‐year fluctuations and phasic behaviour, albeit on a shorter time scale. The NIRS index was strongly correlated with NGC data for the same years, suggesting that it too reflected part of a natural population dynamic. The Species Action Plan for L. t. hibernicus in Northern Ireland includes the aims of maintaining the existing range and demonstrating increase by 2005, and of doubling the population by 2010. We suggest that these aims and the supporting monitoring strategy are inappropriate for a species that shows multi‐annual fluctuations in abundance throughout its geographical range. It is important to distinguish self‐correcting population processes from trends requiring remedial conservation action.
Management of N mineralization from crop residues of high N content using amendment materials of varying quality
Authors: Rahn C.R. , Bending G.D. , Turner M.K. , Lillywhite R.D.
Published: June 2006

Abstract. A potential technique for reducing overwinter leaching from high N containing crop residues is to immobilize the N released during decomposition by co‐incorporating materials of a wider C : N ratio. This article describes the use of laboratory incubation experiments to investigate the effects of a wide range of such amendment materials on the mineralization of N from sugar beet and brassica leaf residues in a sandy loam and a silt loam. These materials were of varying quality, with C : N ratio ranging from 15 : 1 to 520 : 1, and cellulose content from 0 to 34%. Amendments were added at a fixed rate of 3.5 mg C g−1 of dry soil, equivalent to around 10 t ha−1 C (to 20 cm depth). The soils were then incubated at 15°C, and net mineral N derived from the leaves was measured at regular intervals over 168 days. Net mineralization of residue N was greatest with molasses (C : N ratio of 18 : 1), whereas paper waste (C : N ratio of 520 : 1) reduced N mineralized by up to 90% compared with a soil‐only control. As the concentration of cellulose and lignin in the amendment materials increased, so the amounts of N mineralized decreased, with 62 and 54% of variance in N mineralized explained by cellulose and lignin content, respectively. Reduced levels of mineral N were associated with higher levels of biomass‐N. The levels of N2O‐N lost from sugar beet residues on day 14 were significantly reduced from 66 to 5 g ha−1 where compactor (cardboard) waste had been mixed into sandy loam, but this effect was not observed in the silt loam. These techniques could lead to greater efficiency of N use in rotations through reduction in N losses, and provide alternative routes for disposal of wastes when the EC Landfill Directive is implemented.
Assessment of the effect of time and temperature on the availability of residual phosphate in a glasshouse study of four soils using the Olsen method
Authors: Javid S. , Rowell D.L.
Published: June 2006

Abstract. The Olsen method is an indicator of plant‐available phosphorus (P). The effect of time and temperature on residual phosphate in soils was measured using the Olsen method in a pot experiment. Four soils were investigated: two from Pakistan and one each from England (calcareous) and Colombia (acidic). Two levels of residual phosphate were developed in each soil after addition of phosphate by incubation at either 10 °C or 45 °C. The amount of phosphate added was based on the P maximum of each soil, calculated using the Langmuir equation. Ryegrass was used as the test crop. The pooled data for the four soils incubated at 10 °C showed good correlation between Olsen P and dry matter yield or P uptake (r2= 0.85 and 0.77, respectively), whereas at 45 °C, each soil had its own relationship and pooled data did not show correlation of Olsen P with dry matter yield or P uptake. When the data at both temperatures were pooled, Olsen P was a good indicator of yield and uptake for the English soil. For the Pakistani soils, Olsen P after 45 °C treatment was an underestimate relative to the 10 °C data and for the Colombian soil it was an overestimate. The reasons for these differences need to be explored further before high temperature incubation can be used to simulate long‐term changes in the field.
Improving the physical properties of soil from the Biancana Badlands, Tuscany, Italy, by use of amendment materials
Authors: Agostini F. , Sparvoli E. , De Siena C.
Published: June 2006

Abstract. Weakly weathered clay bedrock and samples of A horizon of a developed Biancana soil were incubated with compost or green manure in the presence of two physical forms of gypsum: one mined and ground and the other from flue‐gas desulphurization (FGDG). The gypsum efficiency was evaluated in combination with two organic polymers: polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyacrylamide. Compost and green manure increased permeability only in the presence of gypsum. The FGDG was more effective than the mined gypsum, alone or in combination with PVA.
COMPARATIVE SEQUENCE ANALYSIS OF DIATOM SILICON TRANSPORTERS: TOWARD A MECHANISTIC MODEL OF SILICON TRANSPORT1
Authors: Thamatrakoln Kimberlee , Alverson Andrew J. , Hildebrand Mark
Published: June 2006

Silicon is an important element in biology, for organisms ranging from unicellular algae to humans. It acts as a structural material for both plants and animals, but can also function as a metabolite or regulator of gene expression, affecting a wide range of cellular processes. Molecular details of biological interaction with silicon are poorly understood. Diatoms, the largest group of silicifying organisms, are a good model system for studying this interaction. The first proteins shown to directly interact with silicon were diatom silicon transporters (SITs). Because the basis for substrate recognition lies within the primary sequence of a protein, identification of conserved amino acid residues would provide insight into the mechanism of SIT function. Lack of SIT sequences from a diversity of diatoms and high sequence conservation in known SITs has precluded identification of such residues. In this study, PCR was used to amplify partial SIT sequences from eight diverse diatom species. Multiple gene copies were prevalent in each species, and phylogenetic analysis showed that SITs generally group according to species. In addition to partial SIT sequences, full‐length SIT genes were identified from the pennate diatom, Nitzschia alba (Lewin and Lewin), and the centric diatom Skeletonema costatum (Greville) Cleve. Comparing these SITs with previously identified SITs showed structural differences between SITs of centrics and pennates, suggesting differences in transport mechanism or regulation. Comparative amino acid analysis identified conserved regions that may be important for silicon transport, including repeats of the motif GXQ. A model for silicon uptake and efflux is presented that is consistent with known aspects of transport.
A SYNECHOCOCCUS PCC7942 ΔCCMM (CYANOPHYCEAE) MUTANT PSEUDOREVERTS TO AIR GROWTH WITHOUT REGAINING CARBOXYSOMES1
Authors: Emlyn‐Jones Daniel , Woodger Fiona J. , Andrews T. John , Price G. Dean , Whitney Spencer M.
Published: June 2006

In the cyanobacteria, intracellular structures called carboxysomes function to concentrate CO2 around the relatively inefficient CO2‐fixing enzyme RUBISCO. Mutants devoid of carboxysomes, such as the Synechococcus PCC7942 ΔccmM mutant, are able to grow at high‐CO2 (2% v/v CO2 in air) but perish in air. By growing ΔccmM in air containing 0.23% CO2, and then normal air (0.037%) it was possible to isolate spontaneous pseudorevertant colonies (PsrΔccmM) that still lack ccmM and carboxysomes but can grow in air with a maximal doubling time ∼4‐fold greater than wild type. Inorganic carbon (Ci) uptake and accumulation in PsrΔccmM was >3‐fold greater than wild type and ΔccmM. However, little, or no, change was detected in the transcript abundance of known genes involved in Ci uptake. Significant differences only in the icfA and rbcLS mRNA levels were observed in PsrΔccmM that corresponded with measured changes in IcfA (carboxysomal carbonic anhydrase) and RUBISCO contents. Genomic sequencing spanning icfA, rbcLS, and various Ci transporter and associated gene regions did not identify mutations unique to PsrΔccmM that might impart the growth‐in‐air phenotype. Moreover, the phenotype could not be conferred to ΔccmM by complementation studies with PsrΔccmM genomic DNA fragments, suggesting that it probably results from two or more, as yet unidentified, mutations. The generation of PsrΔccmM demonstrates, for the first time, that carboxysomes are not obligatory for the growth of cyanobacteria in air. We speculate that PsrΔccmM has gained some form of post‐translational up‐regulation of Ci transport.
REASSESSMENT OF THE LITTLE‐KNOWN CRUSTOSE RED ALGAL GENUS POLYSTRATA (GIGARTINALES), BASED ON MORPHOLOGY AND SSU rDNA SEQUENCES1
Authors: Kato Aki , Baba Masasuke , Kawai Hiroshi , Masuda Michio
Published: June 2006

The taxonomic distinctiveness of the crustose red algal genus Polystrata Heydrich (Peyssonneliaceae) is confirmed on the basis of morphological and molecular data. The vegetative and reproductive morphology of the type species Polystrata dura Heydrich is newly described. Polystrata thalli are thick multi‐layered crusts, each crust of which is composed of a mesothallus, a superior perithallus, and an inferior perithallus. P. dura is characterized by a poorly developed inferior perithallus consisting of single‐celled perithallial filaments and each layer of multi‐layered crusts being closely adherent to the parental layer. This Polystrata species is identical to Peyssonnelia species, the type genus of the Peyssonneliaceae in the morphology of sexual reproductive organs: a carpogonial branch and an auxiliary cell branch are formed laterally on respective nemathecial filaments; the gonimoblasts are developed from connecting filaments and auxiliary cells; the spermatangia are produced in male and female nemathecia; and the spermatangial filament produces a series of one to four paired spermatangia that form a whorl surrounding each central cell (the Peyssonnelia dubyi‐type development). Polystrata fosliei (Weber‐van Bosse) Denizot is clearly distinguished from P. dura by an inferior perithallus as well‐developed as the superior perithallus, and each layer of multi‐layered crusts being loosely adherent to the parental layer. In our small subunit rDNA trees of the Peyssonneliaceae, these Polystrata species formed a clade with low to medium supports, although the phylogenetic position of Polystrata was unresolved in this family. Therefore, the thallus structure of Polystrata may be regarded as an important taxonomic character at the genus rank.
EFFECT OF EDTA ADDITIONS ON NATURAL TRICHODESMIUM SPP. (CYANOPHYTA) POPULATIONS1
Authors: Burns James A. , Zehr Jonathan P. , Montoya Joseph P. , Kustka Adam B. , Capone Douglas G.
Published: June 2006

Despite nearly two decades of intensive research, many questions regarding the physiology and ecology of the marine, non‐heterocystous cyanobacterium, Trichodesmium, remain unresolved. We note here the effect of EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetate) on N2 fixation by Trichodesmium, and the use of EDTA as a means of extending the viability of natural Trichodesmium spp. populations. We examined nitrogenase activity (NA) as a function of EDTA concentration, time of collection, light level, and iron addition. Samples collected early in the day and treated with EDTA maintain a steady rate of activity for hours longer than controls. Furthermore, samples preincubated through the night with EDTA were active the next morning, compared with controls that were inactive. The discovery that (10–50 μM) low concentrations of EDTA prolong the duration of NA of Trichodesmium during experimental manipulations without affecting the rate of acetylene reduction allows for longer term manipulative experiments to be conducted.
TEMPERATURE THRESHOLD AS A BIOGEOGRAPHIC BARRIER IN NORTHERN INDIAN OCEAN MACROALGAE1
Authors: Schils Tom , Wilson Simon C.
Published: June 2006

The most eastern point of the Arabian Peninsula, Ras Al Hadd, marks the boundary between the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. This geographic landmark coincides with an abrupt floristic turnover, probably one of the sharpest biotic transitions known in marine biogeography. The floras of different Arabian localities across this floristic break were compared using macrophyte distribution data throughout the Indian Ocean and seasonal sea‐surface temperature (SST) data. The localities from the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman differ significantly from those of the Arabian Sea based on their species richness, species composition, average distribution range per species, general temperature affinity of the composing species, and seasonal temperature data of the coastal waters. Pooling the temperature data into two groups (SST3avg, average SST of the three warmest seasons; SSTmin, minimum of the seasonal SSTs) revealed a temperature limit at 28°C using both the temperature affinity data of the floras and the seasonal temperatures recorded for the specific Arabian localities, which significantly separates the Arabian Sea from localities of both Gulfs. Finally, SST data of the Indian Ocean were analyzed using this upper temperature threshold of macrophytes at 28°C and the lower temperature limit of corals at 25°C, revealing general macrophyte diversity patterns.
Acute Alcohol Intoxication Suppresses the Interleukin 23 Response to Klebsiella pneumoniae Infection
Authors: Happel Kyle I. , Odden Anthony R. , Zhang Ping , Shellito Judd E. , Bagby Gregory J. , Nelson Steve
Published: June 2006

Background: Bacterial pneumonia is a widely recognized infection in the alcohol‐abusing patient. Interleukin 23 (IL‐23) is a recently described cytokine critical for IL‐17 induction and host survival during Klebsiella pneumoniae infection, a pulmonary pathogen commonly seen in alcoholics. We investigated the effect of acute alcohol intoxication on the IL‐23 response to this infection.

Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice were given an intraperitoneal injection of ethanol (3.0 g/kg) or phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS) 30 minutes before infection. Alveolar macrophages (AM) were cultured with bacteria in ethanol (0, 50, and 100 mM) to determine alcohol's effect on AM IL‐23 expression, the bioactivity of which was determined by splenocyte IL‐17 inducing activity. The role of IL‐10 in alcohol‐mediated suppression of AM IL‐23 p19 mRNA expression was assessed using wild‐type (WT) and IL‐10 knock‐out (KO) mice. Efficacy of AM pretreatment with interferon γ (IFN‐γ) on IL‐23 expression before ethanol exposure and infection was evaluated.

Results: In vivo, acute intoxication suppresses the lung and bronchoalveolar lavage cell IL‐23 response to pathogen. This effect was confirmed in vitro as ethanol dose‐dependently inhibits AM IL‐23 during infection. Acute intoxication increases lung and BAL cell IL‐10 mRNA expression 2 hours after in vivo infection and, in vitro, recombinant IL‐10 inhibits AM IL‐23 expression. However, alcohol impairs IL‐23 similarly in AM harvested from both WT and IL‐10 KO mice. Interferon γ pretreatment strongly inhibits AM IL‐23 production in both the presence and absence of alcohol.

Conclusions: Acute alcohol intoxication inhibits the pulmonary IL‐23 response to K. pneumoniae infection both in vivo and in vitro, an effect independent of IL‐10 induction. Interferon γ priming antagonizes IL‐23 and is, therefore, not likely to be a useful adjuvant therapy in restoring IL‐23/IL‐17 responses during infection and intoxication.
Longitudinal Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of the Alcohol‐Preferring Rat. Part II: Effects of Voluntary Chronic Alcohol Consumption
Authors: Pfefferbaum Adolf , Adalsteinsson Elfar , Sood Rohit , Mayer Dirk , Bell Richard , McBride William , Li Ting‐Kai , Sullivan Edith V.
Published: June 2006

Background: Tracking the dynamic course of human alcoholism brain pathology can be accomplished only through naturalistic study and without opportunity for experimental manipulation. Development of an animal model of alcohol‐induced brain damage, in which animals consume large amounts of alcohol following cycles of alcohol access and deprivation and are examined regularly with neuroimaging methods, would enable hypothesis testing focused on the degree, nature, and factors resulting in alcohol‐induced brain damage and the prospects for recovery or relapse.

Methods: We report the results of longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of the effects of free‐choice chronic alcohol intake on the brains of 2 cohorts of selectively bred alcohol‐preferring (P) rats. In the companion paper, we described the MRI acquisition and analysis methods, delineation of brain regions, and growth patterns in total brain and selective structures of the control rats in the present study. Both cohorts were studied as adults for about 1 year and consumed high doses of alcohol for most of the study duration. The paradigm involved a 3‐bottle choice with 0, 15 (or 20%), and 30% (or 40%) alcohol available in several different exposure schemes: continuous exposure, cycles of 2 weeks on followed by 2 weeks off alcohol, and binge drinking in the dark.

Results: Brain structures of the adult P rats in both the alcohol‐exposed and the water control conditions showed significant growth, which was attenuated in a few measures in the alcohol‐exposed groups. The region with the greatest demonstrable effect was the corpus callosum, measured on midsagittal images.

Conclusion: The P rats showed an age–alcohol interaction different from humans, in that normal growth in selective brain regions that continues in adult rats was retarded.
Plasma Etching of Nano‐Structured Precursor‐Derived Ceramic Composites
Authors: Lee Sea‐Hoon , Aldinger Fritz
Published: June 2006

This paper reports on the analysis of the microstructure of precursor‐derived ceramics by plasma etching and field emission scanning electron microscopy. By applying this technique, the nano‐crystals in Si–C–N‐based ceramics and composites can be clearly observed without difficulty.
Contemporary Golden‐Like Lusters on Ceramics: Morphological, Chemical, and Structural Properties
Authors: Hélary Doriane , Darque‐Ceretti Evelyne , Aucouturier Marc
Published: June 2006

This paper describes an investigation on contemporary luster layers produced by a Spanish craftsman who is working on reproducing the traditional Islamic recipes. Various analytical investigations (AFM, HR‐SEM, PIXE, RBS, TEM, XPS, GIXRD) were carried out. The aim of this study is to establish the chemical nature and physical structure of the luster layer constituted by silver and copper particles of nanometric dimensions. This information is used to expand on a formation model of a luster layer.
Processing–Property Relations in Grain‐Oriented Lead Metaniobate Ceramics Fabricated by Layered Manufacturing
Authors: Hagh Nader Marandian , Nonaka Kazuhiro , Allahverdi Mehdi , Safari Ahmad
Published: June 2006

Highly grain‐oriented lead metaniobate (PbNb2O6; PN) ceramics were prepared by a layered manufacturing (LM) process. This process has enabled us to obtain a net‐shaped piezoelectric ceramic component with grain orientation of f∼89%, and improvement in electromechanical properties. The LM feedstock (filament) includes equiaxed (matrix; 90 vol%) and anisometric PN templates (10 vol%), both dispersed uniformly in a thermoplastic binder. The needle‐like PN templates were synthesized by molten salt synthesis technique, while the equiaxed PN powder was prepared by conventional ceramic processing methods. The processing conditions were studied and optimized to obtain orthorhombic phase fine powder and anisometric templates.

Samples were obtained through layer‐by‐layer deposition of the filament through a small diameter (500 μm) nozzle. After binder removal, the PN samples were sintered in a temperature range of 1150°–1300°C for 1 h. SEM observation revealed strong grain orientation perpendicular to the deposition direction. Relative permittivity at the Curie point (Tc: 560°C) was 18 100 and 14 600 for the LM and random polycrystalline samples, respectively. Improved properties in piezoelectric figure of merit by 71%, d33 by 23%, and g33 by 31% were observed in the grain‐oriented samples. Remnant polarization also showed about 80% improvement, increasing from 4.5 to 8.1 μC/cm2 for the grain‐oriented LM samples.
The Anorthite–Diopside System: Structural and Devitrification Study. Part II: Crystallinity Analysis by the Rietveld–RIR Method
Authors: Barbieri Luisa , Bondioli Federica , Lancellotti Isabella , Leonelli Cristina , Montorsi Monia , Ferrari Anna Maria , Miselli Paola
Published: June 2006

The crystallization behavior of 10 binary glasses belonging to the CaO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2 quaternary system and two glasses corresponding to anorthite and diopside composition was investigated by X‐ray diffraction, thermal, and thermomechanical analyses, and scanning electron microscopy. Particular emphasis is laid on the quantitative X‐ray diffraction analysis by the Rietveld–reference intensity ratio combined procedure, which seems to be a useful tool to obtain time–temperature–transformation diagrams. Results showed that to obtain glass–ceramics with a significant crystalline phase presence, it is necessary to treat samples at 1000°C for 4 h or at 1100°C for 1 h.
A Phenotypic Recessive, Post‐Entry Block in Rabbit Cells that Results in Aberrant Trafficking of HIV‐1
Authors: Cutiño‐Moguel Teresa , Fassati Ariberto
Published: June 2006

Rabbit cells are poorly permissive to HIV‐1 infection, but little is known about the nature of this block. Here, we show that the block to infection is mainly at the level of reverse transcription (RT), is independent of the cell receptor used by the virus for entry, cannot be effectively saturated with high doses of virus or virus‐like particles, and has a recessive phenotype in human–rabbit heterokaryons. RT complexes (RTCs) extracted from human and rabbit cells have different densities but are both competent for RT in an in vitro endogenous assay. Cell fractionation showed that HIV‐1 is trafficked in a different way in human and rabbit cells and that correct intracellular trafficking is linked to efficient RT and high infectivity in vivo. Viral DNA accumulated in rabbit cell nuclei only at a later stage and failed to associate with chromatin, suggesting a further block prior to integration. Our data point to the existence of cellular factors regulating the early stages of intracytoplasmic and possibly intranuclear HIV‐1 trafficking.
Genomic screen for substance dependence and body mass index in southwest California Indians
Authors: Ehlers Cindy L. , Wilhelmsen Kirk C.
Published: June 2006

Substance abuse and obesity are health disparities that may afflict Native Americans more than some other ethnic groups. One theoretical assumption concerning Native people is that the long history of dependence on foraging and subsistence agriculture may have led to selective enrichment of traits that improve genetic fitness, so called ‘thrifty’ or ‘fat sparing’ genes. We have speculated that this same selective pressure may have enriched for genetic variants that increase the risk for consumption of alcohol and drugs of abuse. Here, we report the results of a genome scan that compared findings for two consumption phenotypes: ‘any drug dependence and/or regular tobacco use’ and body mass index (BMI) in southwest California (SWC) Indian families. Variance component analyses from SOLAR were used to generate log of the odds ratio (LOD) scores. Evidence for linkage was found on chromosome 6 for both the ‘any drug’ (LOD score = 3.3) and BMI (LOD score = 2.3) phenotypes. Bivariate analyses of the two phenotypes revealed a combined LOD score of 4.1 at that location. Additional loci on chromosomes 6, 15, 16 and 21 were found for the ‘any drug’ phenotype, and on chromosomes 8, 16 and 18 for BMI (LOD scores ranged between 1.2 and 2.3). These results provide suggestive evidence for linkage for substance abuse and BMI in this Mission Indian population and, furthermore, provide preliminary data suggesting that ‘consumption phenotypes’ may share some genetic determinants.
ApoE allelic variability influences pupil response to cholinergic challenge and cognitive impairment
Authors: Scinto L.F.M.
Published: June 2006

Exaggerated pupil response to dilute tropicamide has been suggested as an early biological marker for Alzheimer’s disease. The current study links apolipoprotein E (ApoE) allelic variability to the magnitude of pupil response in a sample of community‐dwelling elderly without a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Possession of an ɛ4 allele influences both the likelihood of exhibiting an exaggerated pupil response above a predetermined cut‐off (13% above baseline diameter) and the absolute overall magnitude of the response. Allelic variability was also shown to correlate with cognitive impairments in memory and attention. The data in this study further elucidate the nature of the biological bond between an exaggerated pupil response and the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. ApoE allelic variability is probably linked to pupil response through its influence on tau hyperphosphorylation. The early Alzheimer’s pathology seen in the Edinger–Westphal area of cranial nerve III, a major centre for pupil control, is primarily tau‐based with significant cell loss in this nucleus leading to central denervation hypersensitivity even in elderly who are clinically silent but who have early pathology.
CLASSIFICATION OF FOODBORNE PATHOGENS BY FOURIER TRANSFORM INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY AND PATTERN RECOGNITION TECHNIQUES
Authors: AL‐HOLY MURAD A. , LIN MENGSHI , AL‐QADIRI HAMZAH , CAVINATO ANNA G. , RASCO BARBARA A.
Published: June 2006

Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy was used to classify various foodborne pathogens (Bacillus cereus, Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli and Listeria spp.) at the genus and strain level by pattern recognition techniques. Spectra were obtained on bacterial suspensions in 0.9% NaCl on Anodisc (aluminum oxide) filters (105–106 cfu/mm2) (Whatman Inc., Clifton, NJ). Species and strain‐specific FT‐IR vibrational combination bands were present at wave numbers between 1700 and 700 cm−1. Clear segregations between different genera, species and strains of bacteria were observed by principal component analysis. Results of soft independent modeling of class analogy demonstrated that the tested foodborne bacterial strains could be correctly classified (>94%), confirming that FT‐IR can detect biochemical differences between bacterial cells. FT‐IR is a promising technique for the identification of foodborne pathogens and could provide rapid identification and classification of bacteria.
Changes in North Atlantic Radiocarbon Reservoir Ages During the Allerød and Younger Dryas
Authors: Bondevik Stein , Mangerud Jan , Birks Hilary H. , Gulliksen Steinar , Reimer Paula
Published: June 2006

Estimates of the radiocarbon age of seawater are required in correlations between marine and terrestrial records of the late Quaternary climate. We radiocarbon-dated marine shells and terrestrial plant remains deposited in two bays on Norway's west coast between 11,000 and 14,000 years ago, a time of large and abrupt climatic changes that included the Younger Dryas (YD) cold episode. The radiocarbon age difference between the shells and the plants showed that sea surface reservoir ages increased from 400 to 600 years in the early YD, stabilized for 900 years, and dropped by 300 years within a century across the YD-Holocene transition.
A Faulty Survey of Algebra's Roots
Authors: Katz Victor
Published: June 2006

Unknown Quantity
. A Real and Imaginary History of Algebra.
By John Derbyshire
. Joseph Henry Press, Washington, DC, 2006. 382 pp. $27.95, C$31.95. ISBN 0-309-09657-X.

The author describes his account of what algebraic ideas are like, how they developed historically, and who were responsible for them as written for the nonmathematician, but that has not stopped him from including numerous formulae.
Language Control in the Bilingual Brain
Authors: Crinion J. , Turner R. , Grogan A. , Hanakawa T. , Noppeney U. , Devlin J. T. , Aso T. , Urayama S. , Fukuyama H. , Stockton K. , Usui K. , Green D. W. , Price C. J.
Published: June 2006

How does the bilingual brain distinguish and control which language is in use? Previous functional imaging experiments have not been able to answer this question because proficient bilinguals activate the same brain regions irrespective of the language being tested. Here, we reveal that neuronal responses within the left caudate are sensitive to changes in the language or the meaning of words. By demonstrating this effect in populations of German-English and Japanese-English bilinguals, we suggest that the left caudate plays a universal role in monitoring and controlling the language in use.
A Virulence Locus of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Encodes a Protein Secretion Apparatus
Authors: Mougous Joseph D. , Cuff Marianne E. , Raunser Stefan , Shen Aimee , Zhou Min , Gifford Casey A. , Goodman Andrew L. , Joachimiak Grazyna , Ordoñez Claudia L. , Lory Stephen , Walz Thomas , Joachimiak Andrzej , Mekalanos John J.
Published: June 2006

Bacterial pathogens frequently use protein secretion to mediate interactions with their hosts. Here we found that a virulence locus (HSI-I) of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
encodes a protein secretion apparatus. The apparatus assembled in discrete subcellular locations and exported Hcp1, a hexameric protein that forms rings with a 40 angstrom internal diameter. Regulatory patterns of HSI-I suggested that the apparatus functions during chronic infections. We detected Hcp1 in pulmonary secretions of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and Hcp1-specific antibodies in their sera. Thus, HSI-I likely contributes to the pathogenesis of
P. aeruginosa
in CF patients. HSI-I–related loci are widely distributed among bacterial pathogens and may play a general role in mediating host interactions.
STUDY OF MAGNETIZATION IN MANGANITE SYSTEM IN THE PRESENCE OF LATTICE DISTORTION
Authors: ROUT G. C. , PARHI N. , BEHERA S. N.
Published: June 2006

The manganites of the type Re1-xAxMnO3( Re = La , Nd , A = Ca , Sr , Ba ) are believed to be half metallic magnets exhibiting colossal magnetoresistance (CMR). The manganite system is described by a simple model Hamiltonian consisting of the hopping of the itinerant d-electrons in the doubly degenerate egband of Mn ions which is split by a static J-T lattice distortion due to band Jahn-Teller (J-T) effect. An external magnetic field results in further Zeeman splitting of the same egband. The ferromagnetism is assumed to originate from the exchange interaction between the spins of the localized core t2gelectrons. The J-T split itinerant (eg) bands are assumed to hybridize rather strongly with the on-site localized (t2g) levels. In the model under consideration the magnetization (m) as well as the lattice strain (e) are expected to depend on the model parameters of the system: i.e. the position of the localized level (d) with respect to the Fermi level, the strength of hybridization (v), the magnetic exchange coupling constant (g1), J-T coupling constant (g), external magnetic field (b) and the impurity concentration (x). The equations for the magnetization and the lattice distortion are solved self-consistently. The effect of different interactions on the quasiparticle bands and the density of states (DOS) are analyzed in detail to understand the evolution of the physical properties of the system on switching the interactions. The temperature dependence of the magnetization due to the localized electrons and that induced in the conduction band are studied.
GAUDIN MAGNET WITH IMPURITY AND ITS GENERALIZED KNIZHNIK–ZAMOLODCHIKOV EQUATION
Authors: LIMA-SANTOS A. , UTIEL WAGNER
Published: June 2006

This work is concerned with the formulation of the boundary quantum inverse scattering method for the xxz Gaudin magnet coupled to boundary impurities with arbitrary exchange constants. The Gaudin magnet is diagonalized by taking a quasi-classical limit of the inhomogeneous lattice. Using the method proposed by Babujian, the integral representation for the solution of the Knizhnik–Zamolodchikov equation is explictly constructed and its rational limit discussed.
ULTRAMETRIC RANDOM FIELD
Authors: YU. KHRENNIKOV A. , KOZYREV S. V.
Published: June 2006

Gaussian random field on general ultrametric space is introduced as a solution of pseudodifferential stochastic equation. Covariation of the introduced random field is computed with the help of wavelet analysis on ultrametric spaces.

Notion of ultrametric Markovianity, which describes independence of contributions to random field from different ultrametric balls is introduced. We show that the random field under investigation satisfies this property.
ON THE ASYMPTOTICS OF THE DENSITY IN PERTURBED SPDE'S WITH SPATIALLY CORRELATED NOISE
Authors: MÁRQUEZ-CARRERAS DAVID
Published: June 2006

We consider a general type of perturbed stochastic partial differential equations: [Formula: see text] with null initial conditions, [Formula: see text] a second-order partial differential operator and [Formula: see text] a Gaussian noise, white in time and correlated in space. It has been proved that there exists a smooth density [Formula: see text], t > 0, x ∈ ℝd, for the law of the solution of above-mentioned equation. Here, we find the Taylor expansion of this density [Formula: see text] on the diagonal.