bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Changes in bone mineral density of adolescent mothers during the 12-month postpartum period
Authors: Malpeli Agustina , Mansur José L , De Santiago Soledad , Villalobos Rosa , Armanini Alicia , Apezteguía María , González Horacio F
Published: December 2009

Objective

Bone mineral density (BMD) loss has been described in adult women in the 12-month postpartum period. However, little is known about the precise BMD pattern in adolescent mothers. The present study aimed to evaluate BMD in Argentinean adolescent mothers followed up during the 12-month postpartum period.

Design

Analytical, prospective clinical trial. BMD and body composition were determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; bone mineral content (BMC) and BMD were measured in the lumbar spine (L2–L4), femoral neck (FN), femur trochanter (TR), total hip (TH) and total body. Changes in BMD and BMC were analysed using ANOVA for pairwise comparisons. Other comparisons were performed with the paired-samplettest and Wilcoxon test; Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to analyse the relationship among continuous variables.

Setting

La Plata, Argentina.

Subjects

Adolescent mothers (n35; 17 years old or less) were recruited within 15 d after delivery. Studies and follow-up were performed at 15 d and 3, 6 and 12 months postpartum.

Results

BMD and BMC losses at 3 and 6 months and recovery at 12 months fitted a quadratic curve (ANOVA) at the three sites studied (FN, TH, TR), in total-body BMD (P= 0·000) and BMC (P= 0·038). At hip sites, BMD loss occurred at 3 months (FN,P= 0·000; TR,P= 0·000; TH,P= 0·000) and 6 months (FN,P= 0·000; TR,P= 0·000; TH,P= 0·000) compared with basal values. Percentage BMD loss immediately after delivery up to 6 months was about 5 %.

Conclusions

Adolescents showed significant BMD and BMC losses at 6 months postpartum, with an almost total recovery at 12 months in all sites studied.
Length of residence and obesity among immigrants in Spain
Authors: Gutiérrez-Fisac Juan L , Marín-Guerrero Ana , Regidor Enrique , Guallar-Castillón Pilar , Banegas Jose R , Rodríguez-Artalejo Fernando
Published: December 2009

Objective

Various studies in the USA and Canada have consistently shown a positive association between length of residence of immigrants and obesity. Studies in European countries have obtained less consistent results. The present work assesses the influence of length of residence on the frequency of obesity in immigrants in the city of Madrid, Spain.

Design

We studied a sample of 7155 persons aged 18 years and over residing in the city of Madrid, who were was surveyed between November 2004 and May 2005. Information was collected on immigrant status (country of birth), length of residence in Spain, obesity, sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle.

Results

Compared with the Spanish population, the odds for obesity in the immigrant population by length of residence was less than one in all groups, becoming closer to one with increasing time of residence (OR = 0·67, 0·73 and 0·81 for immigrants with less than 2, 2–4 and 5–9 years of residence in Spain, respectively), up to 10 or more years of residence, when it declined (OR = 0·69). The magnitude of this association was considerably reduced after adjusting for sociodemographic variables and for perceived health, but was not further modified after adjusting for lifestyle variables.

Conclusions

Length of residence of immigrants in the city of Madrid is not associated with the frequency of obesity. It is possible that the circumstances immigrants encounter after arriving in Spain do not involve an overexposure to factors favouring obesity, relative to those they bring with them.
When the Press Fails: Political Power and the News Media from Iraq to Katrina. By W. Lance Bennett, Regina G. Lawrence, and Steven Livingston. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007. 278p. $22.50 cloth, $15.00 paper.
Authors: Mickiewicz Ellen
Published: December 2009

It takes a vacuum for the American mainstream press to seize an opening to perform its vital role. And it takes a crack in what the authors portray as an edifice of official secrecy, lying, intimidation, and retribution for the mainstream press to do its job—holding public officials to standards of accountability.
Response to W. Lance Bennett's Review of Television, Power, and the Public in Russia
Authors: Mickiewicz Ellen
Published: December 2009

W. Lance Bennett is rightly pessimistic about a state with government-run mass media, on the one hand, and unchecked corruption, on the other. The massive and partially acknowledged corruption operates menacingly at all levels of society, a phenomenon mainly of the post-Soviet period. And the situation is bound to worsen as the economic crisis grows. However, it is unlikely that this decade of rampant corruption is the source of most heuristics that Russians use, for the derivation and content of shortcuts to navigate news tend to be drawn from early experiences under Soviet rule.
The Problem of Single-Party Predominance in an Unconsolidated Democracy: The Example of Argentina
Authors: Anderson Leslie E.
Published: December 2009

Parties can be a crucial to democratic function but not all parties or party systems are democratic. Some parties are fully competitive within a pluralist system while others, notably hegemonic parties, are antithetical to democracy. Between competitive, pluralist party systems and hegemonic party systems lie predominant party systems. These are compatible with democracy where democracy is fully consolidated but inhibit democratic consolidation in settings with an authoritarian history or where the rule of law is incomplete. The effect of predominant parties in unconsolidated democracies has not been fully studied in comparative context. I scrutinize this problem in Argentina, which has followed an electoral calendar for two decades, but lacks a fully pluralist system of power-sharing among two nationally-competitive parties. The authoritarian background of Peronism, of Argentina itself and the limited competitive potential of the Radical Party have curtailed democratic development. The article underscores the seriousness of Argentina's dilemma by contrasting its situation with Democratic Party predominance in the United States Deep South in the 1940s. The comparison of democratic development in an older democracy with that of a newer democracy illustrates that some of the processes of consolidation are similar and that the experience of older democracies may indicate possible solutions for newer democracies.
What Is Political Psychology?
Authors: Monroe Kristen Renwick , Chiu William , Martin Adam , Portman Bridgette
Published: December 2009

We contribute to a greater understanding of political psychology by 1) collecting data in a more systematic way for the intellectual community, 2) sensitizing students to the extent to which any intellectual discipline is socially constructed and is a work in progress, 3) heightening awareness of the political aspects of intellectual life, 4) exposing readers to the wide variety of diverse approaches and methodologies utilized by political psychologists, and 5) suggesting the range of topics that political psychology can address successfully and the range of techniques it can utilize.
International Cooperation as Interagency Cooperation: Examples from Wildlife and Habitat Preservation
Authors: Pahre Robert
Published: December 2009

Cooperation between two agencies presents much the same problem whether these agencies are found in different countries or in the same country. This similarity is generally overlooked because the issues over which agencies negotiate often differ—defense and trade policy at the international level, transportation or land use at the domestic level. Demonstrating the analytical similarity of international cooperation to domestic interagency cooperation requires holding issue area constant while allowing interstate and intrastate units to vary. To do this, I focus on cooperation over wildlife and habitat preservation at the domestic and international levels in the US and Canada. I explain this variation in cooperation in a simple theory in which agency goals and certain features of species interact. Variation between successful and unsuccessful cooperation in this issue area is governed solely by characteristics of the species and agency goals in each management unit, and does not depend on whether a problem is “international” or “domestic.” For scholars who think in terms of nation-states interacting in an anarchic international system, this points to a very different unit of analysis. For those who emphasize the domestic politics of international cooperation, this moves us away from executives constrained by legislatures to look at sub-units within each executive.
Waking Up in the Poll Booth
Authors: Goodin Robert E. , Rice James Mahmud
Published: December 2009

Judging from Gallup Polls in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, opinion often changes during an election campaign. Come election day itself, however, opinion often reverts back nearer to where it was before the campaign began. That that happens even in Australia, where voting is compulsory and turnout is near-universal, suggests that differential turnout among those who have and have not been influenced by the campaign is not the whole story. Inspection of individual-level panel data from 1987 and 2005 British General Elections confirms that between 3 and 5 percent of voters switch voting intentions during the campaign, only to switch back toward their original intentions on election day. One explanation, we suggest, is that people become more responsible when stepping into the poll booth: when voting they reflect back on the government's whole time in office, rather than just responding (as when talking to pollsters) to the noise of the past few days' campaigning. Inspection of Gallup Polls for UK snap elections suggests that this effect is even stronger in elections that were in that sense unanticipated.
The Politics of the Death Penalty
Authors: Morone James A.
Published: December 2009

Sixteen avuncular men stare at the camera in the book's epilogue. One clutches a Bible, two smile, 11 are black or Hispanic, and all are among the 127 men and women released from death row after reformers uncovered evidence of their innocence. Frank Baumgartner, Suzanna De Boef, and Amber Boydstun will be speaking for many readers when they start their book by writing simply, “It has been shocking” (p. xiii). The phenomenon is also a stunning public policy mystery.
Measuring the Quality of Life in the U.S.: Political Reflections
Authors: Satz Debra
Published: December 2009

Per capita gross domestic product (GDP) is not the best indicator of a nation's well-being. A nation can be relatively wealthy, but many of its people may be living under circumstances of misery and deprivation. Some people may be unable to transform their own wealth into things that really matter to them (think of those with severe disabilities or ill health); background social arrangements may have significant causal effects on individual well-being (think of physical security); and some of the most important components of a person's well-being may be nonmonetary (think of the importance of family and friends). A nation's GDP tells us nothing about how its wealth is distributed for different public purposes. (Recall the criticism by Martin Luther King, Jr., of America's priorities in 1967: “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”) Nor does GDP reveal how wealth is distributed among a nation's people. It may, therefore, tell us little about how the nation's very poorest members are faring.
Editor's Introduction
Authors: Isaac Jeffrey C.
Published: December 2009

In political science as in life, timing is everything. Actors act. Events unfold. Institutions evolve. Regimes transition. Journals change hands. Articles accepted under one editor are readied for publication by another. And all the while things happen politically. In the broadest sense political science at its best is a never-ending, recursive conversation about this ongoing flow of events, in which the object of our inquiry—society—is a constantly shifting target that is at once reflected in, tracked by, and influenced by our intellectual labors, and in which our inquiry itself incessantly shifts, grows, and simply moves onwards, however one judges this forward movement.
Tracing hillslope sediment production and transport with in situ and meteoric 10Be
Authors: Jungers Matthew C. , Bierman Paul R. , Matmon Ari , Nichols Kyle , Larsen Jennifer , Finkel Robert
Published: December 2009

We use in situ‐produced and meteoric 10Be, analyzed in soils from 28 pits on four hillcrest‐parallel transects along a 14° hillslope in the Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina, as tracers of soil production and transport. We rely upon amalgamation both to investigate and smooth spatial variability in 10Be concentrations. Lidar indicates that the hillslope is topographically complex and that soil is moved downslope diffusively until it encounters the ephemeral channel network and is rapidly exported. In situ‐produced 10Be, measured in depth profiles, indicates that over millennial timescales, soils are mixed above the soil‐saprolite boundary. In contrast, meteoric 10Be concentrations increase with depth and are correlated to concurrent increases of dithionite‐extractable Al and pH, observations explained by similar Al and Be mobility in the soil. The concentrations of both meteoric and in situ‐produced 10Be increase downslope proportional to the maximum soil particle path length. The data suggest virtual downslope soil velocities of 1.1–1.7 cm yr−1 in a well‐mixed active transport layer ∼60 cm thick. The thickness of this transport layer is constant downslope and depends on the rooting depth and consequent root wad thickness of downed trees on the slope, both of which reflect depth to the soil/saprolite boundary. Both meteoric and in situ‐produced 10Be suggest that soil production is balanced by surface denudation at rates between 10 and 13 m Myr−1. Soil residence times on the slope range from 21 to 33 kyr based on the meteoric 10Be inventories. Major element geochemical analysis suggests little if any elemental loss during soil transport downslope.
Estimation of the lateral correlation structure of subsurface water content from surface‐based ground‐penetrating radar reflection images
Authors: Irving James , Knight Rosemary , Holliger Klaus
Published: December 2009

Over the past decade, significant interest has been expressed in relating the spatial statistics of surface‐based reflection ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) data to those of the imaged subsurface volume. A primary motivation for this work is that changes in the radar wave velocity, which largely control the character of the observed data, are expected to be related to corresponding changes in subsurface water content. Although previous work has indeed indicated that the spatial statistics of GPR images are linked to those of the water content distribution of the probed region, a viable method for quantitatively analyzing the GPR data and solving the corresponding inverse problem has not yet been presented. Here we address this issue by first deriving a relationship between the 2‐D autocorrelation of a water content distribution and that of the corresponding GPR reflection image. We then show how a Bayesian inversion strategy based on Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling can be used to estimate the posterior distribution of subsurface correlation model parameters that are consistent with the GPR data. Our results indicate that if the underlying assumptions are valid and we possess adequate prior knowledge regarding the water content distribution, in particular its vertical variability, this methodology allows not only for the reliable recovery of lateral correlation model parameters but also for estimates of parameter uncertainties. In the case where prior knowledge regarding the vertical variability of water content is not available, the results show that the methodology still reliably recovers the aspect ratio of the heterogeneity.
MetPetDB: A database for metamorphic geochemistry
Authors: Spear Frank S. , Hallett Benjamin , Pyle Joseph M. , Adalı Sibel , Szymanski Boleslaw K. , Waters Anthony , Linder Zak , Pearce Shawn O. , Fyffe Matthew , Goldfarb Dennis , Glickenhouse Nickolas , Buletti Heather
Published: December 2009

We present a data model for the initial implementation of MetPetDB, a geochemical database specific to metamorphic rock samples. The database is designed around the concept of preservation of spatial relationships, at all scales, of chemical analyses and their textural setting. Objects in the database (samples) represent physical rock samples; each sample may contain one or more subsamples with associated geochemical and image data. Samples, subsamples, geochemical data, and images are described with attributes (some required, some optional); these attributes also serve as search delimiters. All data in the database are classified as published (i.e., archived or published data), public or private. Public and published data may be freely searched and downloaded. All private data is owned; permission to view, edit, download and otherwise manipulate private data may be granted only by the data owner; all such editing operations are recorded by the database to create a data version log. The sharing of data permissions among a group of collaborators researching a common sample is done by the sample owner through the project manager. User interaction with MetPetDB is hosted by a web‐based platform based upon the Java servlet application programming interface, with the PostgreSQL relational database. The database web portal includes modules that allow the user to interact with the database: registered users may save and download public and published data, upload private data, create projects, and assign permission levels to project collaborators. An Image Viewer module provides for spatial integration of image and geochemical data. A toolkit consisting of plotting and geochemical calculation software for data analysis and a mobile application for viewing the public and published data is being developed. Future issues to address include population of the database, integration with other geochemical databases, development of the analysis toolkit, creation of data models for derivative data, and building a community‐wide user base. It is believed that this and other geochemical databases will enable more productive collaborations, generate more efficient research efforts, and foster new developments in basic research in the field of solid earth geochemistry.
Snow metamorphism under alternating temperature gradients: Morphology and recrystallization in surface snow
Authors: Pinzer B. R. , Schneebeli M.
Published: December 2009

The composition of the lower atmospheric boundary layer can be strongly influenced by snow photochemistry. Surface snow, where air‐snow interactions take place, is viewed as slowly changing quasi‐isothermal snow, implied by the observation of mainly rounded snow crystals. The role of snow for photochemistry is therefore expected to be purely geometric. However, large temperature gradients are often observed in these layers, which would imply high recrystallization and faceting. In controlled laboratory experiments we showed that temperature gradients on the order of 100 K m−1 do not lead necessarily to faceting if their sign changes with a daily cycle. The shape of snow crystals does not reflect necessarily the metamorphic process. With time‐lapse X‐ray tomography, recrystallization rates as high as 60% of the total ice mass were observed during 12 hours. The high recrystallization rates in apparently isothermal snow not only contradict the current understanding of snow metamorphism, they also might influence chemical air‐snow interactions.
Cosmogenic 36Cl in karst waters: Quantifying contributions from atmospheric and bedrock sources
Authors: Johnston V. E. , McDermott F.
Published: December 2009

Improved reconstructions of cosmogenic isotope production through time are crucial to understand past solar variability. As a preliminary step to derive atmospheric 36Cl/Cl solar proxy time‐series from speleothems, we quantify 36Cl sources in cave dripwaters. Atmospheric 36Cl fallout rates are a potential proxy for solar output; however extraneous 36Cl derived from in‐situ production in cave host‐rocks could complicate the solar signal. Results from numerical modeling and preliminary geochemical data presented here show that the atmospheric 36Cl source dominates in many, but not all cave dripwaters. At favorable low elevation, mid‐latitude sites, 36Cl based speleothem solar irradiance reconstructions could extend back to 500 ka, with a possible centennial scale temporal resolution. This would represent a marginal improvement in resolution compared with existing polar ice core records, with the added advantages of a wider geographic range, independent U‐series constrained chronology, and the potential for contemporaneous climate signals within the same speleothem material.
Gadanki radar observations of F region field‐aligned irregularities during June solstice of solar minimum: First results and preliminary analysis
Authors: Patra A. K. , Phanikumar D. V. , Pant T. K.
Published: December 2009

In this paper we present the first results of F region field‐aligned irregularities (FAI) made during the summer of low solar condition using the Gadanki mesosphere‐stratosphere‐troposphere radar. FAI echoes were observed on all 20 nights of radar observations and were mostly confined to the postmidnight hours. Echo morphology is found to be very different from the equinoctial postsunset features reported earlier from Gadanki. Echo SNRs are lower by 25 dB than their equinoctial postsunset counterparts but are quite comparable to those of the equinoctial decaying FAI during the postmidnight hours. The Doppler velocities, which lie in the range of ±100 m s−1, are predominantly upward‐northward during 0000–0300 LT and downward‐southward afterward, in contrast to those observed as predominantly downward‐southward associated with the decaying equinoctial postmidnight F region FAI. Spectral widths of the summer echoes, which are well below 50 m s−1 and are very similar to those of the decaying equinoctial irregularities, represent the presence of weak plasma turbulence. Simultaneous observations made using a collocated ionosonde show no ionogram trace during 2200–0530 LT except for a few cases of weak spread F events. Concurrent ionosonde observations made from magnetic equatorial location Trivandrum also show very similar results. The observations are discussed in the light of current understanding on the postmidnight occurrence of F region irregularities in the summer of low solar condition.
GPS total electron content variations associated with a polar cap arc
Authors: Jayachandran P. T. , Hosokawa K. , MacDougall J. W. , Mushini S. , Langley R. B. , Shiokawa K.
Published: December 2009

We report an example of total electron content (TEC) variations, using Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements, associated with a polar cap arc detected by an all‐sky imager and ionosonde at a polar cap station. During the transit of the arc, GPS signals along the arc length showed an increase of ∼2 TEC units whereas GPS signals perpendicular to the arc showed only an increase of ∼0.3 TEC units. This indicates that the GPS TEC variations associated with a polar cap arc are dependent on the geometry of the GPS raypaths with respect to the arc. Ionosonde measurements confirm that this arc was an E region feature at ∼110 km with peak electron density of 5.4 × 1011 el/m3. Estimated speed of the arc using a GPS triangulation method was about 300 m/s.
Precipitation and precipitable water: Their temporal‐spatial behaviors and use in determining monsoon onset/retreat and monsoon regions
Authors: Lu Er , Zeng Xubin , Jiang Zhihong , Wang Yafei , Zhang Qiang
Published: December 2009

Precipitation (P) is conventionally used for determining monsoon onset/retreat. It can roughly separate monsoon regions from nonmonsoon regions. Zeng and Lu (2004) found that precipitable water (W) can also determine the monsoon onset/retreat but cannot determine the monsoon regions. Temporal‐spatial behaviors of P and W are compared in this article with observed data and results of previous theoretical analyses, and the comparison is used to understand the performances of P and W in determining the monsoon onset/retreat and monsoon regions. It is shown that W increases everywhere from winter to summer, dominated by the large seasonal change of temperature. P increases from winter to summer mainly in monsoon regions; it decreases or does not change much in most of the nonmonsoon regions. Whether P increases or not from winter to summer depends on whether the increase of W is greater than the increase of temperature. Synoptic variations of P and W have positive correlations everywhere. The increases of P and W from winter to summer in monsoon regions make both able to determine the climatic monsoon onset and retreat. The positive correlations of daily P and W in monsoon onset and retreat seasons make the interannual variations of the monsoon onset and retreat determined from P able to be determined from W. The decrease or small change of P from winter to summer in most of the nonmonsoon regions and the increase of W in nonmonsoon regions make P able to roughly determine the monsoon regions while W fails to.
Estimation of the equivalent Rayleigh friction in mesosphere/lower thermosphere region from the migrating diurnal tides observed by TIMED
Authors: Xu Jiyao , Smith A. K. , Liu H.‐L. , Yuan W. , Wu Qian , Jiang Guoying , Mlynczak M. G. , Russell J. M.
Published: December 2009

We use Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere, Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) global temperature and wind data from 2002 to 2007 to investigate the damping of the diurnal tide. Horizontal winds are measured by TIDI and are calculated from SABER temperature measurements. The determination of tidal winds from SABER temperature depends on the damping and, therefore, the discrepancy between TIDI and SABER determinations of the wind tides can be used to calculate the tidal damping. This damping is approximated here by an equivalent Rayleigh friction (ERF), and it is adjusted to minimize the difference in winds derived from SABER and TIDI data. The results show that during some periods the ERF coefficient can be very large over narrow vertical regions of about 5 km (∼10−5 s−1 in low latitudes and about 10−4 s−1 in midlatitudes). The magnitude and shape of the vertical profiles change with latitude and season. The peak in the vertical profile of ERF is larger and located at a higher altitude in summer than in winter and the ERF coefficients at 40° are stronger than at 20° in both hemispheres. The ERF deduced in this study, without a priori assumption about the mechanism of the damping, shows a seasonal variation that is clearly consistent with the seasonal variation of the zonal mean wind; the maximum ERF generally coincides with the altitudes of strongest wind reversal in the mesopause region.
An Appalachian Amazon? Magnetofossil evidence for the development of a tropical river‐like system in the mid‐Atlantic United States during the Paleocene‐Eocene thermal maximum
Authors: Kopp Robert E. , Schumann Dirk , Raub Timothy D. , Powars David S. , Godfrey Linda V. , Swanson‐Hysell Nicholas L. , Maloof Adam C. , Vali Hojatollah
Published: December 2009

On the mid‐Atlantic Coastal Plain of the United States, Paleocene sands and silts are replaced during the Paleocene‐Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) by the kaolinite‐rich Marlboro Clay. The clay preserves abundant magnetite produced by magnetotactic bacteria and novel, presumptively eukaryotic, iron‐biomineralizing microorganisms. Using ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy and electron microscopy, we map the magnetofossil distribution in the context of stratigraphy and carbon isotope data and identify three magnetic facies in the clay: one characterized by a mix of detrital particles and magnetofossils, a second with a higher magnetofossil‐to‐detrital ratio, and a third with only transient magnetofossils. The distribution of these facies suggests that suboxic conditions promoting magnetofossil production and preservation occurred throughout inner middle neritic sediments of the Salisbury Embayment but extended only transiently to outer neritic sediments and the flanks of the embayment. Such a distribution is consistent with the development of a system resembling a modern tropical river‐dominated shelf.
Diversity and abundance of Korarchaeota in terrestrial hot springs of Iceland and Kamchatka
Authors: Reigstad Laila Johanne , Jorgensen Steffen Leth , Schleper Christa
Published: December 2009

Korarchaeota constitute a recently proposed and little characterized kingdom of Archaea that might have diverged before the lineages of Crenarchaeota and Euryarchaeota split. To assess the diversity, distribution and abundance of Korarchaeota, we analysed 19 terrestrial hot springs in Hveragerdi and Krysuvik, Iceland, and in Kamchatka, Russia. The springs were 70–97 °C with pH 2.5–6.5. Out of 19 springs, 12 tested positive for Korarchaeota with specific primers. A Korarchaeota 16S rDNA library was made from each of these. From the 301 clones sequenced, 87 unique sequences were obtained from Iceland and 33 from Kamchatka. The similarity between Kamchatkan and Icelandic 16S rDNA sequences and that of Candidatus Korarchaeum cryptofilum was ⩽93.5%. Phylogenetic analyses revealed a clear separation between sequences retrieved from terrestrial and marine habitats. Within the terrestrial sequences, four clusters could be recognized showing a geographic distribution with surprisingly low diversity. Furthermore, the abundance of Korarchaeota 16S rDNA in the 12 environmental samples was analysed using quantitative PCR (qPCR), showing that Korarchaeota represent only a minor fraction of the microbial community in hot springs; however, in some cases they constitute up to 7% of all Archaea. Taxonomic profiling of an Icelandic Korarchaeota-positive habitat revealed an Aquificales-dominated community. In fact, Aquificales were dominating or present in high numbers in all 12 positive sites. Chemical analyses of three Korarchaeota-positive hot springs showed their occurrence in variable water chemistry. Our data provide new information on Korarchaeota habitats and shed light on their abundance, diversity, distribution and coexisting organisms.
Evidence for phosphonate usage in the coral holobiont
Authors: Thomas S , Burdett H , Temperton B , Wick R , Snelling D , McGrath J W , Quinn J P , Munn C , Gilbert J A
Published: December 2009

Phosphonates are characterized by a stable carbon–phosphorus bond and commonly occur as lipid conjugates in invertebrate cell membranes. Phosphonoacetate hydrolase encoded by the phnA gene, catalyses the cleavage of phosphonoacetate to acetate and phosphate. In this study, we demonstrate the unusually high phnA diversity in coral-associated bacteria. The holobiont of eight coral species tested positive when screened for phnA using degenerate primers. In two soft coral species, Sinularia and Discosoma, sequencing of the phnA gene showed 13 distinct groups on the basis of 90% sequence identity across 100% of the sequence. A total of 16 bacterial taxa capable of using phosphonoacetate as the sole carbon and phosphorus source were isolated; 8 of which had a phnA+ genotype. This study enhances our understanding of the wide taxonomic and environmental distribution of phnA, and highlights the importance of phosphonates in marine ecosystems.
Microbial methane production in deep aquifer associated with the accretionary prism in Southwest Japan
Authors: Kimura Hiroyuki , Nashimoto Hiroaki , Shimizu Mikio , Hattori Shohei , Yamada Keita , Koba Keisuke , Yoshida Naohiro , Kato Kenji
Published: December 2009

To identify the methanogenic pathways present in a deep aquifer associated with an accretionary prism in Southwest Japan, a series of geochemical and microbiological studies of natural gas and groundwater derived from a deep aquifer were performed. Stable carbon isotopic analysis of methane in the natural gas and dissolved inorganic carbon (mainly bicarbonate) in groundwater suggested that the methane was derived from both thermogenic and biogenic processes. Archaeal 16S rRNA gene analysis revealed the dominance of H2-using methanogens in the groundwater. Furthermore, the high potential of methane production by H2-using methanogens was shown in enrichments using groundwater amended with H2 and CO2. Bacterial 16S rRNA gene analysis showed that fermentative bacteria inhabited the deep aquifer. Anaerobic incubations using groundwater amended with organic substrates and bromoethanesulfonate (a methanogen inhibitor) suggested a high potential of H2 and CO2 generation by fermentative bacteria. To confirm whether or not methane is produced by a syntrophic consortium of H2-producing fermentative bacteria and H2-using methanogens, anaerobic incubations using the groundwater amended with organic substrates were performed. Consequently, H2 accumulation and rapid methane production were observed in these enrichments incubated at 55 and 65 °C. Thus, our results suggested that past and ongoing syntrophic biodegradation of organic compounds by H2-producing fermentative bacteria and H2-using methanogens, as well as a thermogenic reaction, contributes to the significant methane reserves in the deep aquifer associated with the accretionary prism in Southwest Japan.
Regional Body Composition: Cross‐calibration of DXA Scanners—QDR4500W and Discovery Wi
Authors: Covey Margaret K. , Berry Jean K. , Hacker Eileen D.
Published: December 2009

Differences exist in body composition assessed by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometers (DXAs) between devices produced by different manufacturers and different models from the same manufacturer. Cross‐calibration is needed to allow body composition results to be compared in multicenter trials or when scanners are replaced. The aim was to determine reproducibility and extent of agreement between two fan‐beam DXA scanners (QDR4500W, Discovery Wi) for body composition of regional sites. The sample was: 39 women 50.6 ± 9.6 years old with BMI 26.8 ± 5.5 kg/m2, body fat 33 ± 7%. Four whole body scans (two on each device) were performed over 3 weeks. Major variables were fat mass, nonosseous lean mass, and bone mineral content (BMC) for the truncal and appendicular regions. Extent of agreement was assessed using Bland and Altman plots. Both devices demonstrated good precision with mean test–retest differences close to zero for fat mass, nonosseous lean mass, and BMC of the truncal and appendicular regions. Evaluation of interdevice agreement revealed significant differences for truncal and appendicular BMC, nonosseous lean mass, and fat mass. The greatest interdevice difference was for truncal fat mass (0.69 ± 0.60 kg). Differences in truncal and appendicular fat mass increased in magnitude at higher mean values. Furthermore, differences in truncal and appendicular fat mass were strongly related to BMI (R = −0.61, R = −0.55, respectively). In conclusion, in vivo cross‐calibration is important to ensure comparability of regional body composition data between scanners, especially for truncal fat mass and for subjects with higher BMI.
Atomic nitrogen doping and p-type conduction in SnO2
Authors: Pan S. S. , Li G. H. , Wang L. B. , Shen Y. D. , Wang Y. , Mei T. , Hu X.
Published: December 2009

We report the atomic N-doped SnO2 films with p-type conduction grown via reactive sputtering at high nitrogen partial pressure. From the high-resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and x-ray diffraction patterns, it is deduced that the N 1s with binding energy of 397 eV could be attributed to the atomic N in the SnO2 films. In addition, the results of Hall effect measurement indicate that the atomic N incorporated substitutionally at O sites act as acceptors, which is responsible for the p-type conduction of the N-doped SnO2 films. It is believed that these findings should stimulate further research on p-type SnO2 films and SnO2-based ultraviolet optoelectronic devices.
Inverted magnetoresistance in dual spin valve structures with a synthetic antiferromagnetic free layer
Authors: Fowley C. , Chun B. S. , Wu H. C. , Abid M. , Cho J. U. , Noh S. J. , Kim Y. K. , Shvets I. V. , Coey J. M. D.
Published: December 2009

We report an oscillation of the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) ratio as a function of Ru layer thickness in the CoFe/Cu/[CoFe/Ru/CoFe]SAF/Cu/CoFe/IrMn dual spin valve (SV) structure. A normal GMR with a positive sign is observed for the thickness of Ru providing a ferromagnetic interlayer exchange coupling (IEC). The inverted GMR is observed for the thickness of Ru providing an antiferromagnetic IEC, which is consistent with IEC period across the Ru spacer as well as the electrical separation of the overall structure into two SVs connected in parallel.
Hydrogen storage capacity of C60(OM)12 (M=Li and Na) clusters
Authors: Peng Qi , Chen Gang , Mizuseki Hiroshi , Kawazoe Yoshiyuki
Published: December 2009

By using density functional theory, the hydrogen storage capacity of C60(OM)12 (M=Li and Na) clusters has been studied. The atomic charge transfer process has been analyzed to explain the reason why H2 molecules can be attracted. Through our calculation, we found that C60(OM)12 (M=Li and Na) possesses an adequate hydrogen binding energy which is suitable for practical storage usage at ambient temperature. When these clusters reach their maximum H2 uptake capacity, the mean hydrogen binding energy is 0.115 eV/H2 for C60(OLi)12⋅54H2 and 0.122 eV/H2 for C60(ONa)12⋅54H2 with the gravimetric hydrogen percentage of 9.78 and 8.33 wt %, respectively.
Dynamic functional evolution of an odorant receptor for sex-steroid-derived odors in primates
Authors: Zhuang Hanyi , Chien Ming-Shan , Matsunami Hiroaki
Published: December 2009

Odorant receptors are among the fastest evolving genes in animals. However, little is known about the functional changes of individual odorant receptors during evolution. We have recently demonstrated a link between the in vitro function of a human odorant receptor, OR7D4, and in vivo olfactory perception of 2 steroidal ligands—androstenone and androstadienone—chemicals that are shown to affect physiological responses in humans. In this study, we analyzed the in vitro function of OR7D4 in primate evolution. Orthologs of
OR7D4
were cloned from different primate species. Ancestral reconstruction allowed us to reconstitute additional putative
OR7D4
orthologs in hypothetical ancestral species. Functional analysis of these orthologs showed an extremely diverse range of OR7D4 responses to the ligands in various primate species. Functional analysis of the nonsynonymous changes in the Old World Monkey and Great Ape lineages revealed a number of sites causing increases or decreases in sensitivity. We found that the majority of the functionally important residues in OR7D4 were not predicted by the maximum likelihood analysis detecting positive Darwinian selection.
Electron lambda-tomography
Authors: Quinto Eric Todd , Skoglund Ulf , Öktem Ozan
Published: December 2009

Filtered back-projection and weighted back-projection have long been the methods of choice within the electron microscopy community for reconstructing the structure of macromolecular assemblies from electron tomography data. Here, we describe electron lambda-tomography, a reconstruction method that enjoys the benefits of the above mentioned methods, namely speed and ease of implementation, but also addresses some of their shortcomings. In particular, compared to these standard methods, electron lambda-tomography is less sensitive to artifacts that come from structures outside the region that is being reconstructed, and it can sharpen boundaries.
Regulation of amygdalar PKA by β-arrestin-2/phosphodiesterase-4 complex is critical for fear conditioning
Authors: Li Yuting , Li Haohong , Liu Xing , Bao Guobin , Tao Yezheng , Wu Ziyan , Xia Peng , Wu Chunfu , Li Baoming , Ma Lan
Published: December 2009

β-arrestins, key regulators of receptor signaling, are highly expressed in the central nervous system, but their roles in brain physiology are largely unknown. Here we show that β-arrestin-2 is critically involved in the formation of associative fear memory and amygdalar synaptic plasticity. In response to fear conditioning, β-arrestin-2 translocates to amygdalar membrane where it interacts with PDE-4, a cAMP-degrading enzyme, to inhibit PKA activation.
Arrb2
−/−
mice exhibit impaired conditioned fear memory and long-term potentiation at the lateral amygdalar synapses. Moreover, expression of the β-arrestin-2 in the lateral amygdala of
Arrb2
−/−
mice, but not its mutant form that is incapable of binding PDE-4, restores basal PKA activity and rescues conditioned fear memory. Taken together, our data demonstrate that the feedback regulation of amygdalar PKA activation by β-arrestin-2 and PDE-4 complex is critical for the formation of conditioned fear memory.
Posttranslational control of transcription factor FixK
2
, a key regulator for the
Bradyrhizobium japonicum
–soybean symbiosis
Authors: Mesa Socorro , Reutimann Luzia , Fischer Hans-Martin , Hennecke Hauke
Published: December 2009

Rhizobial FixK-like proteins play essential roles in activating genes for endosymbiotic life in legume root nodules, such as genes for micro-oxic respiration. In the facultative soybean symbiont,
Bradyrhizobium japonicum
, the FixK
2
protein is the key player in a complex regulatory network. The
fixK
2
gene itself is activated by the 2-component regulatory system FixLJ in response to a moderate decrease of the oxygen tension, and the FixK
2
protein distributes and amplifies this response to the level of approximately 200 target genes. Unlike other members of the cAMP receptor protein family, to which FixK
2
belongs, the FixK
2
protein does not appear to be modulated by small effector molecules. Here, we show that a critical, single cysteine residue (C183) near the DNA-binding domain of FixK
2
confers sensitivity to oxidizing agents and reactive oxygen species. Oxidation-dependent inactivation occurs not only in vitro, as shown with cell-free transcription assays, but also in vivo, as shown by microarray-assisted transcriptome analysis of the FixK
2
regulon. The oxidation mechanism may involve a reversible dimerization by intermolecular disulfide-bridge formation and a direct, irreversible oxidation at the cysteine thiol, depending on the oxidizing agent. Mutational exchange of C183 to alanine renders FixK
2
resistant to oxidation, yet allows full activity, shown again both in vitro and in vivo. We hypothesize that posttranslational modification by reactive oxygen species is a means to counterbalance the cellular pool of active FixK
2
, which would otherwise fill unrestrictedly through FixLJ-dependent synthesis.
Believers' estimates of God's beliefs are more egocentric than estimates of other people's beliefs
Authors: Epley Nicholas , Converse Benjamin A. , Delbosc Alexa , Monteleone George A. , Cacioppo John T.
Published: December 2009

People often reason egocentrically about others' beliefs, using their own beliefs as an inductive guide. Correlational, experimental, and neuroimaging evidence suggests that people may be even more egocentric when reasoning about a religious agent's beliefs (e.g., God). In both nationally representative and more local samples, people's own beliefs on important social and ethical issues were consistently correlated more strongly with estimates of God's beliefs than with estimates of other people's beliefs (Studies 1–4). Manipulating people's beliefs similarly influenced estimates of God's beliefs but did not as consistently influence estimates of other people's beliefs (Studies 5 and 6). A final neuroimaging study demonstrated a clear convergence in neural activity when reasoning about one's own beliefs and God's beliefs, but clear divergences when reasoning about another person's beliefs (Study 7). In particular, reasoning about God's beliefs activated areas associated with self-referential thinking more so than did reasoning about another person's beliefs. Believers commonly use inferences about God's beliefs as a moral compass, but that compass appears especially dependent on one's own existing beliefs.
Single-molecule measurements of synthesis by DNA polymerase with base-pair resolution
Authors: Christian Thomas D. , Romano Louis J. , Rueda David
Published: December 2009

The catalytic mechanism of DNA polymerases involves multiple steps that precede and follow the transfer of a nucleotide to the 3′-hydroxyl of the growing DNA chain. Here we report a single-molecule approach to monitor the movement of
E. coli
DNA polymerase I (Klenow fragment) on a DNA template during DNA synthesis with single base-pair resolution. As each nucleotide is incorporated, the single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer intensity drops in discrete steps to values consistent with single-nucleotide incorporations. Purines and pyrimidines are incorporated with comparable rates. A mismatched primer/template junction exhibits dynamics consistent with the primer moving into the exonuclease domain, which was used to determine the fraction of primer-termini bound to the exonuclease and polymerase sites. Most interestingly, we observe a structural change after the incorporation of a correctly paired nucleotide, consistent with transient movement of the polymerase past the preinsertion site or a conformational change in the polymerase. This may represent a previously unobserved step in the mechanism of DNA synthesis that could be part of the proofreading process.
Small RNA as global regulator of carbon catabolite repression in
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Sonnleitner Elisabeth , Abdou Laetitia , Haas Dieter
Published: December 2009

In the metabolically versatile bacterium
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, the RNA-binding protein Crc is involved in catabolite repression of a range of degradative genes, such as
amiE
(encoding aliphatic amidase). We found that a CA-rich sequence (termed CA motif) in the
amiE
translation initiation region was important for Crc binding. The small RNA CrcZ (407 nt) containing 5 CA motifs was able to bind the Crc protein with high affinity and to remove it from
amiE
mRNA in vitro. Overexpression of
crcZ
relieved catabolite repression in vivo, whereas a
crcZ
mutation pleiotropically prevented the utilization of several carbon sources. The sigma factor RpoN and the CbrA/CbrB two-component system, which is known to maintain a healthy carbon–nitrogen balance, were necessary for
crcZ
expression. During growth on succinate, a preferred carbon source, CrcZ expression was low, resulting in catabolite repression of
amiE
and other genes under Crc control. By contrast, during growth on mannitol, a poor carbon source, elevated CrcZ levels correlated with relief of catabolite repression. During growth on glucose, an intermediate carbon source, CrcZ levels and
amiE
expression were intermediate between those observed in succinate and mannitol media. Thus, the CbrA–CbrB–CrcZ–Crc system allows the bacterium to adapt differentially to various carbon sources. This cascade also regulated the expression of the
xylS
(
benR
) gene, which encodes a transcriptional regulator involved in benzoate degradation, in an analogous way, confirming this cascade's global role.