bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Teaching biotechnology through case studies—can we improve higher order thinking skills of nonscience majors?
Authors: Dori Yehudit J. , Tal Revital T. , Tsaushu Masha
Published: October 2003

Teaching nonscience majors topics in biotechnology through case studies is the focus of this research. OurBiotechnology, Environment, and Related Issuesmodule, developed within theScience for Allframework, is aimed at elevating the level of students' scientific and technological literacy and their higher order thinking skills. The research goal was to investigate nonscience major students' ability to use various thinking skills in analyzing environmental and moral conflicts presented through case studies in the Biotechnology Module. The research population consisted of about 200 nonscience majors in eight classes of grades 10–12 from heterogeneous communities. We found a significant improvement in students' knowledge and understanding and higher order thinking skills at all academic levels. The scores that low academic level students achieved in the knowledge and understanding category were higher than their high academic level peers' scores. In the higher order thinking skills—question posing, argumentation, and system thinking—a significant difference in favor of the high academic level students was found. The gap that had existed between low and high academic level students narrowed. Most students reported that the biotechnological topics that they had studied were interesting and relevant. Based on these results, we advocate a curriculum that exposes students to scientific controversies through case studies with environmental and moral implications. Our research has shown that this approach is likely to contribute to developing scientific and technological literacy along with higher order thinking skills of nonscience majors. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Sci Ed87:767–793, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/sce.10081
Science teachers' diagnosis and understanding of students' preconceptions
Authors: Morrison Judith A. , Lederman Norman G.
Published: October 2003

Research has established that students enter their science classes with ideas about the natural world that do not align with accepted scientificbeliefs. The diagnosis of these student preconceptions may be seen as aninitial, crucial step in the process of teacher‐facilitated conceptualchange. So as to capture what science teachers do in their everydayclassroom routines to diagnose these student preconceptions, in‐depthobservations and interviews were conducted with four exemplary secondaryscience teachers. The teachers' strategies for diagnosing students' preconceptions, their use of information found through diagnosis, and the teachers' understanding of students' preinstructional ideas were all analyzed. The four teachers in this study did not use any formal assessment tools such as pretests, concept maps, interviews, or journal writing to diagnose students' ideas, although they all stated that finding out what students know prior to instruction is important. The teachers all declared that they used questioning to gather information on student ideas but were seen in their classes to rely heavily on low‐level, recall questions. One of the teachers, the most experienced, did conduct class discussions where the students were encouraged to express their ideas and preconceptions. The four teachers' understanding of what student preconceptions consist of and the justification for attempting to diagnose these ideas was seen to be weak.The implications of these findings and recommendations for teacher trainingare made in the article. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 87:849–867, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/sce.10092
Treponema denticola cystalysin catalyzes β‐desulfination of L‐cysteine sulfinic acid and β‐decarboxylation of L‐aspartate and oxalacetate
Authors: Cellini Barbara , Bertoldi Mariarita , Borri Voltattorni Carla
Published: October 2003

Pyridoxal 5′‐phosphate‐dependent cystalysin from Treponema denticola catalyzes the β‐displacement of the β‐substituent from both L‐aspartate and L‐cysteine sulfinic acid. The steady‐state kinetic parameters for β‐desulfination of L‐cysteine sulfinic acid, k
cat and K
m, are 89±7 s−1 and 49±9 mM, respectively, whereas those for β‐decarboxylation of L‐aspartate are 0.8±0.1 s−1 and 280±70 mM. Moreover, cystalysin in the pyridoxamine 5′‐phosphate form has also been found to catalyze β‐decarboxylation of oxalacetate as shown by consumption of oxalacetate and a concomitant production of pyruvate. The k
cat and K
m of this reaction are 0.15±0.01 s−1 and 13±2 mM, respectively. Possible mechanistic and physiological implications are discussed.
Monitoring genome‐wide changes in gene expression in response to endogenous cytokinin reveals targets in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Hoth Stefan , Ikeda Yoshihisa , Morgante Michele , Wang Xiujie , Zuo Jianru , Hanafey Michael K. , Gaasterland Terry , Tingey Scott V. , Chua Nam-Hai
Published: October 2003

Cytokinins have been implicated in developmental and growth processes in plants including cell division, chloroplast biogenesis, shoot meristem initiation and senescence. The regulation of these processes requires changes in cytokinin‐responsive gene expression. Here, we induced the expression of a bacterial isopentenyl transferase gene, IPT, in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings to study the regulation of genome‐wide gene expression in response to endogenous cytokinin. Using MPSS (massively parallel signature sequencing) we identified 823 and 917 genes that were up‐ and downregulated, respectively, following 24 h of IPT induction. When comparing the response to cytokinin after 6 and 24 h, we identified different clusters of genes showing a similar course of regulation. Our study provides researchers with the opportunity to rapidly assess whether genes of interest are regulated by cytokinins.
Introduction
Authors: Blok Aad
Published: October 2003

The last few decades of the twentieth century witnessed a rapid development in information and communication technologies (ICT), which has contributed to such drastic economic, social, and cultural changes that they are commonly referred to as the “Information Revolution”. This Information Revolution is believed by many to be so influential and comprehensive that it is bringing about an epochal rupture in global economic, social, cultural, and political history comparable to the previous major historical shifts of the Agrarian Revolution and the Industrial Revolution. Naturally, a development so pervasive has been analysed by a great number of scholars from various disciplines, among whom social theorists, in all their diversity, have been the most numerous. Here is not the place for even a concise overview of the rich variety of theorizing and analysis of the Information Revolution and the resulting Information Society, but much of the theorization of the relationship between work and the most recent information revolution can still be traced to the initial statements about “postindustrial society”, “de-industrialization” and “globalization”.
Presbyterian spirituality in southern Africa
Authors: Duncan Graham A.
Published: October 2003

Presbyterian spirituality in southern Africa has often been treated as non-existent, yet it is a vibrant reality which is at one and the same time catholic, evangelical and contextual. Founded in Christ alone, it holds the authority of scripture as normative and as the source of the unity of God's people, as can be seen in the way it derives from the marks of the church – the Word preached, the sacraments celebrated and discipline rightly exercised. It is relational and involves communing with God, others, oneself and the environment. While conscious of the early church tradition out of which it arises, it is continuous with that tradition and is open to the spiritual insights of other traditions. It demonstrates both catholic and evangelical emphases and is adaptable within the context of African spirituality. As a result, it has a broad church ethos marked by fluidity, tolerance and appreciation of those sources that enrich it.
Just a closer walk with thee: New Orleans-style jazz and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in 1950s Britain
Authors: McKay George
Published: October 2003

This article looks at a particular moment in the relation between popular music and social protest, focusing on the traditional (trad) jazz scene of the 1950s in Britain. The research has a number of aims. One is to reconsider a cultural form dismissed, even despised by critics. Another is to contribute to the political project of cultural studies, via the uncomplicated strategy of focusing on music that accompanies political activism. Here the article employs material from a number of personal interviews with activists, musicians, fans from the time, focusing on the political development of the New Orleans-style parade band in Britain, which is presented as a leftist marching music of the streets. The article also seeks to shift the balance slightly in the study of a social movement organisation (the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, CND), from considering it in terms of its ‘official’ history towards its cultural contribution, even innovation. Finally, the article looks at neglected questions around Americanisation and jazz music, with particular reference to power and the past.
Space oddities: aliens, futurism and meaning in popular music
Authors: McLeod Ken
Published: October 2003

Despite the rampant popularity of space, alien and futuristic imagery in popular culture, little scholarship has recognised the impact of such themes on popular music. This article explores the complex relationship between the numerous uses of space, alien and techno futuristic themes in popular music and the construction of various marginalised identities. Arranged roughly chronologically from early 1950s rock and roll to late 1990s techno, I discuss how many artists, such as Bill Haley, David Bowie and George Clinton, have used such imagery to promote various nonconformist ideologies and identities ranging from African-American empowerment to Gay and Lesbian agendas. This article also relates developments in scientific space research and popular science fiction culture to corresponding uses of space and alien imagery in various forms of popular music. In general, popular music's use of futuristic space and alien themes denotes a related neo-Gnostic withdrawal and alienation from traditionally dominant cultural structures in an attempt to unite us with a common ‘other’ that transcends divisions of race, gender, sexual preference, religion or nationality.
Scatter-hoarding by musky rat-kangaroos, Hypsiprymnodon moschatus, a tropical rain-forest marsupial from Australia: implications for seed dispersal
Authors: Dennis Andrew J.
Published: October 2003

Tropical forests around the world contain animals that scatter-hoard fruits and seeds but few are known in Australian tropical forests. This study used both direct observation and spool-and-line tracking of simulated fruits to demonstrate that Australia's smallest kangaroos disperse large numbers of rain-forest fruits and seeds. They did so in two ways, either by scatter-hoarding or by carrying them away from the source to devour the flesh before dropping the seed on to the litter surface. The fruits used included a range of fruit types but particularly species with large fleshy fruit. Caches occurred as a single fruit pressed into the soil and covered with litter a mean distance of 17 m (±2.7 SE) and up to 68 m from the source. Musky rat-kangaroos handled up to 2700 fruits ha-1 mo-1 and they dispersed up to 900 fruits ha-1 mo-1 and cached up to 690 fruits ha-1 mo-1. This behaviour is a significant example of convergent evolution, which reflects similar behaviour found in agoutis, acouchies and squirrels on other continents.
Efficient plot-based floristic assessment of tropical forests
Authors: Phillips Oliver L. , Vásquez Martínez Rodolfo , Núñez Vargas Percy , Lorenzo Monteagudo Abel , Chuspe Zans Maria-Elena , Galiano Sánchez Washington , Peña Cruz Antonio , Timaná Martin , Yli-Halla Markku , Rose Sam
Published: October 2003

The tropical flora remains chronically understudied and the lack of floristic understanding hampers ecological research and its application for large-scale conservation planning. Given scarce resources and the scale of the challenge there is a need to maximize the efficiency of both sampling strategies and sampling units, yet there is little information on the relative efficiency of different approaches to floristic assessment in tropical forests. This paper is the first attempt to address this gap. We repeatedly sampled forests in two regions of Amazonia using the two most widely used plot-based protocols of floristic sampling, and compared their performance in terms of the quantity of floristic knowledge and ecological insight gained scaled to the field effort required. Specifically, the methods are assessed first in terms of the number of person-days required to complete each sample (‘effort’), secondly by the total gain in the quantity of floristic information that each unit of effort provides (‘crude inventory efficiency’), and thirdly in terms of the floristic information gained as a proportion of the target species pool (‘proportional inventory efficiency’). Finally, we compare the methods in terms of their efficiency in identifying different ecological patterns within the data (‘ecological efficiency’) while controlling for effort. There are large and consistent differences in the performance of the two methods. The disparity is maintained even after accounting for regional and site-level variation in forest species richness, tree density and the number of field assistants. We interpret our results in the context of selecting the appropriate method for particular research purposes.
Nodulation and dinitrogen fixation of legume trees in a tropical freshwater swamp forest in French Guiana
Authors: Koponen Piia , Nygren Pekka , Domenach Anne Marie , Le Roux Christine , Saur Etienne , Roggy Jean Christophe
Published: October 2003

Nodulated legume trees comprised 43% of the stand basal area in the low, most frequently flooded microsites, and 23% in higher, drier microsites in a tropical freshwater swamp forest in French Guiana. Dinitrogen fixation in Pterocarpus officinalis, Hydrochorea corymbosa and Inga pilosula was confirmed by acetylene reduction assay (ARA), presence of leghaemoglobin in nodules and the 15N natural abundance method. The results for Zygia cataractae were inconclusive but suggested N2 fixation in drier microsites. Nodulated Inga disticha had a 15N-to-14N ratio similar to non-N2-fixing trees, but ARA indicated nitrogenase activity and leghaemoglobin was present in nodules. All bacterial strains were identified as Bradyrhizobium spp. according to the partial 16S rDNA sequences, and they were infective in vitro in the model species Macroptilium atropurpureum. About 35-50% of N in the leaves of P. officinalis, H. corymbosa and I. pilosula was fixed from the atmosphere. Dinitrogen fixation was estimated to contribute at least 8-13% and 17-28% to whole-canopy N in high and low microsites, respectively. Symbiotic N2 fixation appears to provide both a competitive advantage to legume trees under N-limited, flooded conditions and an important N input to neotropical freshwater swamp forests.
Roosting ecology and social organization of the spotted-winged fruit bat, Balionycteris maculata (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae), in a Malaysian lowland dipterocarp forest
Authors: Hodgkison Robert , Balding Sharon T. , Akbar Zubaid , Kunz Thomas H.
Published: October 2003

The aims of this study were to investigate the roosting ecology and social organization of the spotted-winged fruit bat, Balionycteris maculata (Megachiroptera), within an old-growth Malaysian dipterocarp forest, and test the hypothesis that males spend a significantly greater proportion of the night in the immediate vicinity of their day roosts than females. Balionycteris maculata roosted in cavities and formed small harem groups that consisted of one adult male accompanied by up to nine adult females and their dependent young. Both male and female bats foraged locally, within approximately 1 km of their roost sites. However, in contrast to females, which remained away from the roost site throughout the night, both harem and solitary adult males divided their nightly activity between foraging and returning to their roost sites. Individual females were also found roosting sequentially with up to three different males. Hence, these results suggest that B. maculata has a resource-defence polygynous mating system, in which the roost cavity may represent a critical and defendable resource by which males recruit and gain improved reproductive access to females. Roost cavities occupied by B. maculata were found within a number of different forest structures, including ant nests, termite nests and the root masses of epiphytes. The consistent shape and position of the cavities, along with a single observation of cavity enlargement, provide the first evidence of roost-cavity excavation, by a megachiropteran bat, within the nests of social insects. Although the cues by which females select their roost sites are unclear, some aspect of roost cavity size, or condition, may provide a possible means by which females can assess the reproducÍtive fitness of potential mates.
Ontology mapping: the state of the art
Authors: KALFOGLOU YANNIS , SCHORLEMMER MARCO
Published: October 2003

Ontology mapping is seen as a solution provider in today's landscape of ontology research. As the number of ontologies that are made publicly available and accessible on the Web increases steadily, so does the need for applications to use them. A single ontology is no longer enough to support the tasks envisaged by a distributed environment like the Semantic Web. Multiple ontologies need to be accessed from several applications. Mapping could provide a common layer from which several ontologies could be accessed and hence could exchange information in semantically sound manners. Developing
such mappings has been the focus of a variety of works originating from diverse communities over a number of years. In this article we comprehensively review and present these works.
We also provide insights on the pragmatics of ontology mapping and elaborate on a theoretical approach for defining ontology mapping.
The Life and Times of Li Hongzhi: Falun Gong and Religious
Biography
Authors: Penny Benjamin
Published: October 2003

When the suppression of the falun gong started in July 1999, one of the targets of the government's propaganda was the biography of Li Hongzhi, its founder and leader. This article examines two versions of a biography of Li Hongzhi published by the falun gong in 1993 and 1994 that are no longer available. This biography presents Li as possessing superhuman abilities and god-like insight. In my analysis, I place this biography in the context of a centuries-old tradition of religious biography in China showing that, in textual terms, it represents a contemporary example of that venerable genre. As with its precursors, this biography seeks to establish a genealogy of the figure whose life is recorded and to buttress the orthodoxy of his doctrine.
The Plant Life of China: Diversity and Distribution. By G.P. Chapman and Y.Z. Wang. [Berlin: Springer, 2002. xiii+257 pp. ISBN 3-540-42257-9.]
Authors: Jim C.Y.
Published: October 2003

This book is not one of those publications filled with colourful photographs or illustrations that delight the eye but numb the mind, but rather a labour of love that distils the knowledge of plants in China of two scholars who have plenty of experience on the subject matter. The study is based largely on published analyses of flora in China, both in English and in Chinese. It has a botanical orientation, and concentrates on the taxonomic aspects of the diversity of plant life in China, despite the inclusion of the word “distribution” in its subtitle. Readers should not anticipate many discussions of the plant-geographical, geobotanical or phytogeographical flavour in the tradition of N. Polunin or R. Good.
Population structure of coypus (Myocastor coypus) in their region of origin and comparison with introduced populations
Authors: Guichón M. Laura , Doncaster C. Patrick , Cassini Marcelo H.
Published: October 2003

The first population recapture study of indigenous coypus Myocastor coypus is reported in protected areas of Argentine pampas within a region where the species is hunted for food and fur. Quarterly live trapping at two sites captured a high proportion of all coypus present (96% of juveniles; 85% of adults, independently of season, site and sex). Survival (from mortality or emigration) was constant across sites and seasons, and higher for juvenile males than females (88% and 71%, respectively) and lower for adult males than females (45% and 81%). Most turn‐over in numbers was replaced by births, and immigrating males tended to be the largest individuals present. Sex ratios were male‐biased amongst juveniles and female‐biased amongst adults. Taken together, these results are consistent with local resource competition in habitat rendered low in quality by crowding inside the locally protected areas. The indigenous coypu population matured more slowly, and to a smaller maximum body size, than coypus studied in introduced populations in North America and particularly in northern Europe. Cold European winters may have contributed to the evolution of precocious sexual maturity and larger body sizes in European compared with indigenous populations.
Activity patterns, home ranges and burrow use of aardvarks (Orycteropus afer) in the Karoo
Authors: Taylor W. A. , Skinner J. D.
Published: October 2003

Eight aardvarks Orycteropus afer were fitted with radio‐transmitters at Tussen die Riviere Nature Reserve between June 1996 and December 1997. Two became habituated and could be approached to a distance of 1 m. Activity patterns, home ranges and burrow use were investigated using telemetry and direct observations. In winter, aardvarks emerged above ground earlier, returned to burrows earlier and were active for shorter periods than in summer. They were nocturnal except occasionally in winter when some individuals foraged above ground before sunset. Home ranges varied between 133 ha and 302 ha and range overlap occurred within and between both sexes. Densities were c. eight animals per 1000 ha. Aardvarks used steep slopes (>15°) less than would have been expected according to availability. Average lengths of consecutive burrow use for three aardvarks were 4.9, 6.9 and 8.6 days, with some burrows being abandoned after only 1 day and one burrow being used for 38 days.
Are children of Holocaust survivors less well‐adapted? A meta‐analytic investigation of secondary traumatization
Authors: van IJzendoorn Marinus H. , Bakermans‐Kranenburg Marian J. , Sagi‐Schwartz Abraham
Published: October 2003

H. Keilson (1979) coined the term “sequential traumatization” for the accumulation of traumatic stresses confronting the Holocaust survivors before, during, and after the war. A central question is whether survivors were able to raise their children without transmitting the traumas of their past. Through a series of meta‐analyses on 32 samples involving 4,418 participatns, we tested the hypothesis of secondary traumatization in Holocaust survivor families. In the set of adequately designed nonclinical studies, no evidence for the influence of the parents' traumatic Holocaust experiences on their children was found. Secondary traumatization emerged only in studies on clinical participants, who were stressed for other reasons. A stress‐diathesis model is used to interpret the absence of secondary traumatization in nonclinical offspring of Holocaust survivors.
Co‐twin control study of relationships among combat exposure, combat‐related PTSD, and other mental disorders
Authors: Koenen Karestan C. , Lyons Michael J. , Goldberg Jack , Simpson John , Williams Wesley M. , Toomey Rosemary , Eisen Seth A. , True William , Tsuang Ming T.
Published: October 2003

The well‐documented association between combat‐related PTSD (C‐PTSD) and other mental disorders may be an artifact of shared familial vulnerability. This study uses a co‐twin control design to examine whether the association between C‐PTSD and other mental disorders persists after adjusting for shared familial vulnerability. Data were from male monozygotic‐twin pairs in the Vietnam Era Twin Registry. Logistic regression analyses demonstrated that combat exposure, adjusted for C‐PTSD, was significantly associated with increased risk for alcohol and cannabis dependence and that C‐PTSD mediated the association between combat exposure and both major depression and tobacco dependence. We conclude C‐PTSD comorbidity persists after controlling for shared vulnerability. Combat exposure is directly and indirectly, through C‐PTSD, associated with increased risk for other mental disorders.
Uptake of BRCA1 Genetic Testing in Adult Sisters and Daughters of Known Mutation Carriers in Norway
Authors: Bodd Trine Levin , Reichelt Jon , Heimdal Ketil , Møller Pål
Published: October 2003

This study was undertaken to examine transmission of information to first‐degree relatives of BRCA1 mutation carriers and uptake of genetic testing. The intention was to consider revision of current legislation related to privacy if information on life‐saving health care was not disseminated to at‐risk family members. The Norwegian Radium Hospital provides clinical genetics services for families at high risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Together with major hospitals nationwide we provide medical surveillance. Nearly all expenses are covered by the National Health insurance. Because of the high number of families with founder mutations in BRCA1, we are in a unique position to gather information about these groups. Within a consecutive series, we identified 75 BRCA1 mutation carriers and registered information transmission and uptake of genetic testing 6 months or more after the index mutation carriers had been informed about their mutation status. These 75 BRCA1 mutation carriers had 172 living first‐degree relatives, aged 18 years or older (84 females, 88 males). Forty‐four out of 54 (81.5%) of females over 30 had opted for genetic testing. The testing rate among all relatives was 43%. At any age, 63% of the females underwent genetic testing compared with 24% of the males (p<0.05). The overwhelming majority of adult females at risk opted for genetic testing. Males with daughters more frequently than males without daughters asked for testing. The findings give neither reason to reconsider legislation on privacy, nor for us to consider more aggressive methods of contacting relatives.
Towards quality assurance in the determination of lysosomal enzymes: A two‐centre study
Authors: Lukacs Z. , Keil A. , Peters V. , Kohlschütter A. , Hoffmann G. F. , Cantz M. , Kopitz J.
Published: October 2003

The definitive diagnosis of lysosomal storage disorders depends on the determination of enzymatic activities in cells, tissues or body fluids. At present, neither an evaluation of the different methods nor an interlaboratory quality assurance scheme is available. We have therefore determined the activities of total hexosaminidase, hexosaminidase A and β‐galactosidase in the same samples (n=15) at two metabolic centres in Germany. Three different enzymatic methods were employed, two of which were based on leukocytes as enzyme source and one on dried blood spots. The results obtained by the two different methods using leukocytes proved comparable. In contrast, assays with dried blood spots showed poor correlation with results from leukocytes, possibly because enzymatic activity in dried blood is mainly derived from soluble plasma proteins. Nevertheless, accurate detection of a true enzyme deficiency was also possible in dried blood spots. All enzymes were highly stable when mailed frozen (recovery 98–120%). Enzymatic activities in dried blood samples were also stable at room temperature and were not affected even by exposure to elevated temperatures (50°C for 3h). Dried blood seems to be especially well suited for mailing from distant healthcare facilities, although more accurate results can be expected from leukocytes. In summary, comparability and pitfalls within a lysosomal quality assurance programme were evaluated.
Stereoselective analysis of 2‐hydroxysebacic acid in urine of patients with Zellweger syndrome and of premature infants fed withmedium‐chain triglycerides
Authors: Muth A. , Mosandl A. , Wanders R. J. A. , Nowaczyk M. J. M. , Baric I. , Böhles H. , Sewell A. C.
Published: October 2003

The chiral metabolite 2‐hydroxysebacic acid (2‐HS) is considered to be an important diagnostic marker for peroxisomal disorders. The pathway of formation of 2‐HS, excreted in increased amounts in patients with peroxisomal diseases, is not absolutely clear. Moreover, there is no information about the enantiomeric distribution of 2‐HS in human urine. Here, we describe the stereodifferentiation of 2‐HS in urine samples of nine patients with Zellweger syndrome (ZS), and for the first time in urine samples of premature infants fed a medium‐chain triglyceride (MCT)‐containing diet. Using enantioselective multidimensional gas chromatography—mass spectrometry, an increased excretion of 2R‐HS was observed in all investigated ZS patients. 2‐HS was also present in urine samples of premature infants fed MCT. Analogously to the ZS patients, a dominant 2R‐HS excretion in the urine samples of the premature infants was identified. The formation of 2‐HS is expected to result from the same or similar pathways as described for ZS patients. Additionally, we determined the absolute configuration of urinary 3‐hydroxysebacic acid (3‐HS) in the cases investigated. The enantioselective analysis provides further information for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with impaired peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation. Further insight into the metabolic origin and the biochemical pathway leading to these urinary metabolites is provided.
Mutation and biochemical analysis in carnitine palmitoyltransferase type II (CPT II) deficiency
Authors: Olpin S. E. , Afifi A. , Clark S. , Manning N. J. , Bonham J. R. , Dalton A. , Leonard J. V. , Land J. M. , Andresen B. S. , Morris A. A. , Muntoni F. , Turnbull D. , Pourfarzam M. , Rahman S. , Pollitt R. J.
Published: October 2003

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase type II (CPT II) deficiency has three basic phenotypes, late‐onset muscular (mild), infantile/juvenile hepatic (intermediate) and severe neonatal. We have measured fatty acid oxidation and CPT II activity and performed mutation studies in 24 symptomatic patients representing the full clinical spectrum of disease. Severe and intermediate phenotypes show a clear correlation with biochemical indices and genetic analysis revealed causative mutations in most patients. Studies of mild phenotypes suggest a more complex interaction, with higher residual fatty acid oxidation, a wider range of CPT II activity (10–60%) but little evidence of genotype‐phenotype correlation. Residual CPT II mutant protein from myopathic patients shows thermal instability at 41°C. The common 'polymorphisms' V3681 and M647V are strikingly overrepresented in the myopathic patients, the implication being that they may significantly influence the manifestation of clinical disease and could therefore potentially be considered as a susceptibility variants. Among myopathic individuals, males comprised 88! of patients, suggesting increased susceptibility to clinical disease. A small number of symptomatic patients appear to have significant residual CPT II activity (42–60%) The synergistic interaction of partial deficiencies of CPT II, muscle adenosine monophosphate deaminase and possibly other enzymes of muscle energy metabolism in the aetiology of episodic myopathy deserves wider consideration.
Exercise intolerance, muscle pain and lactic acidaemia associated with a 7497G>A mutation in the tRNASer(UCN) gene
Authors: Grafakou O. , Hol F. A. , Otfried Schwab K. , Siers M. H. , Ter Laak H. , Trijbels F. , Ensenauer R. , Boelen C. , Smeitink J.
Published: October 2003

A 13‐year‐old girl with non‐familial exercise intolerance, muscle pain and lactic acidaemia underwent a muscle biopsy for suspected mitochondrial disease. Muscle morphology showed 25% ragged‐red fibres and 80% COX‐negative staining. Enzymatic activities of mitochondrially co‐encoded respiratory chain enzymes (complexes I, III, and IV) were decreased in muscle but normal in cultured skin fibroblasts. mtDNA analysis revealed the presence of the 7497G>A mutation in the tRNASer(UCN) gene, homoplasmic in skeletal muscle and 90% in leukocytes. Analysis of the mother's mtDNA showed 10% heteroplasmy in blood. It may be concluded that the 7497G>A mutation is associated with a muscle‐only disease presentation for which high levels of mutated mtDNA are required. Exercise intolerance and muscle pain in otherwise normal children warrants further mitochondrial evaluation.
Structural development of the Jurassic Magnetic Quiet Zone off Morocco and identification of Middle Jurassic magnetic lineations
Authors: Roeser H. A. , Steiner C. , Schreckenberger B. , Block M.
Published: October 2003

Geophysical investigations carried out during twoMeteorcruises have revealed weak linear magnetic anomalies in those parts of the Jurassic Magnetic Quiet Zone (JMQZ) off Morocco that are not affected by Cenozoic igneous activity. The linear magnetic anomalies are not correlated with variations in relief or structure of oceanic crust. Using the reversal sequence M25‐M41, the anomalies of the JMQZ can be modeled with a half spreading rate of 2.2 cm/yr. Extrapolation of the weak lineations back to the slope anomaly S1 results in a breakup age of 170 Ma. According to this interpretation the crust of the JMQZ off Morocco has formed during the time 170–155 Ma (Bajocian to Oxfordian). However, much lower spreading rates (around 1 cm/yr) cannot be excluded. S1 coincides with a poorly developed “seaward dipping reflector sequence” (SDRS), which is most likely its source. The SDRS corroborates the earlier claim that S1 marks the ocean‐continent transition. Seaward of S1 is a 70‐km‐wide strip of horizontal reflectors that become landward dipping to the west in the uppermost part of the basement; it parallels S1 over a distance of 200 km and may indicate excessive magma supply within the first 2 m.y. of seafloor spreading. Similar landward dipping reflectors are observed also in the conjugate Sohm Abyssal Plain off Nova Scotia. The average magnetization of the landward dipping reflectors is much lower than that of the SDRS. A lower crustal body with a seismic velocity of ∼7.3 km/s, which formed during the Neogene beneath the eastern part of the Essaouira Rise, has only a weak magnetization (<0.5 A/m).
Seismic cycle and rheological effects on estimation of present‐day slip rates for the Agua Blanca and San Miguel‐Vallecitos faults, northern Baja California, Mexico
Authors: Dixon Timothy , Decaix Julien , Farina Fred , Furlong Kevin , Malservisi Rocco , Bennett Richard , Suarez‐Vidal Francisco , Fletcher John , Lee Jeff
Published: October 2003

Geodesy can be used to infer long‐term fault slip rates, assuming a model for crust and upper mantle rheology. We examine the sensitivity of fault slip rate estimates to assumed rheology for the Agua Blanca and San Miguel‐Vallecitos faults in northern Baja California, Mexico, part of the Pacific–North America plate boundary zone. The Agua Blanca fault is seismically quiet, but offset alluvial fans indicate young activity. Current seismicity is confined to the nearby San Miguel‐Vallecitos fault, a small offset fault better aligned with plate motion. GPS measurements between 1993 and 1998 suggest that both faults are active, with a combined slip rate of 4–8 mm yr−1regardless of rheological model. However, slip rate estimates for the individual faults are sensitive to assumed rheology. Elastic half‐space models yield 2–3 mm yr−1for the Agua Blanca fault, and somewhat faster rates for the San Miguel‐Vallecitos fault, 2–4 mm yr−1, with uncertainties of about 1 mm yr−1. Models incorporating viscoelastic rheology and seismic cycle effects suggest a faster slip rate for the Agua Blanca fault, 6 ± 1 mm yr−1, and a slower rate for the San Miguel‐Vallecitos fault, 1 ± 1 mm yr−1, in better agreement with geological data, but these rates are sensitive to assumed rheology. Numerical simulations with a finite element model suggest that for similar rheological and friction conditions, slip on the San Miguel‐Vallecitos fault should be favored due to better alignment with plate motion. Long‐term faulting processes in the larger offset Agua Blanca fault may have lowered slip resistance, allowing accommodation of motion despite misalignment with plate motion.
Long‐term variation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave
Authors: Connolley W. M.
Published: October 2003

During the period 1968–1999, the character of circum‐Antarctic anomalies in sea level pressure, sea ice edge, and sea surface temperature changed substantially. An Antarctic Circumpolar Wave (ACW) is only clearly visible in the period 1985–1994. Before, and perhaps after this, the signal, particularly in sea level pressure, is quite different with no clear sign of precession. Accompanying the change from precessional to nonprecessional modes is a change in the spatial pattern of variability and a change in the predictability of atmospheric anomalies from oceanic forcing. Evidence from general circulation model integration suggests that during the precessional mode of the ACW, there is enhanced predictability, as would be required to support a coupled ocean–atmosphere interaction.
Inherent optical properties of the central Arctic surface waters
Authors: Pegau W. Scott
Published: October 2003

Measurements of the inherent optical properties were collected during the summer of 1998 above the Chukchi Plateau. These measurements show that attenuation by particles is sometimes very low, but absorption by colored dissolved organic materials (CDOM) is generally high, so the waters of the study site should not be considered to be among the clearest natural waters. The CDOM increases the absorption of shortwave radiation between 350 and 700 nm by over 30% in the top 10 m when compared to the clearest natural waters. Optical properties representative of those measured during phytoplankton blooms show that heating of the top 10 m can increase substantially during blooms. The increased absorption near the sea surface provides more heat for melting the bottom of the ice than previous models have assumed.
Seasonal evolution of the albedo of multiyear Arctic sea ice
Authors: Perovich D. K. , Grenfell T. C. , Light B. , Hobbs P. V.
Published: October 2003

As part of ice albedo feedback studies during the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) field experiment, we measured spectral and wavelength‐integrated albedo on multiyear sea ice. Measurements were made every 2.5 m along a 200‐m survey line from April through October. Initially, this line was completely snow covered, but as the melt season progressed, it became a mixture of bare ice and melt ponds. Observed changes in albedo were a combination of a gradual evolution due to seasonal transitions and abrupt shifts resulting from synoptic weather events. There were five distinct phases in the evolution of albedo: dry snow, melting snow, pond formation, pond evolution, and fall freeze‐up. In April the surface albedo was high (0.8–0.9) and spatially uniform. By the end of July the average albedo along the line was 0.4, and there was significant spatial variability, with values ranging from 0.1 for deep, dark ponds to 0.65 for bare, white ice. There was good agreement between surface‐based albedos and measurements made from the University of Washington's Convair‐580 research aircraft. A comparison between net solar irradiance computed using observed albedos and a simplified model of seasonal evolution shows good agreement as long as the timing of the transitions is accurately determined.
Assimilation of surface velocity data into a primitive equation coastal ocean model
Authors: Oke Peter R. , Allen J. S. , Miller Robert N. , Egbert Gary D. , Kosro P. M.
Published: October 2003

A data assimilation system (DAS) of the wind‐driven, mesoscale shelf circulation off the Oregon coast is developed. The DAS assimilates low‐pass filtered surface velocity measurements, obtained from land‐based high‐frequency coastal radar arrays, into a primitive equation coastal ocean model using a sequential optimal interpolation scheme. Inhomogeneous and anisotropic estimates of the forecast error covariances required for the assimilation are assumed to be proportional to typical cross‐correlations between modeled variables. These correlations are estimated from an ensemble of model simulations for 18 different summers. Similarly, the observation error covariances are assumed to be proportional to the actual covariances of the observations. A time‐distributed averaging procedure (TDAP) that effectively low‐pass filters the model forecast for comparison with the observations and introduces the corrections to the model state gradually over time is used in order to overcome problems of data compatibility and initialization. The correlations between direct subsurface current measurements and subsurface currents obtained from model‐only and assimilation experiments for the summer of 1998 are 0.42 and 0.78, respectively, demonstrating the effectiveness of the DAS. Our estimates of the error covariances are shown to be appropriate through a series of objective statistical tests. Analysis of the term balances of the model equations show that the dominant modeled dynamical balances are preserved by the DAS and that uncertainties in the spatial variability of the wind forcing are likely to be one source of model error. By varying the relative magnitudes of the estimated forecast and observation error covariances the DAS is shown to be most effective when approximately 80% of the analysis is made up of the model solution.
Characterization of springtime leads in the Beaufort/Chukchi Seas from airborne and satellite observations during FIRE/SHEBA
Authors: Tschudi M. A. , Curry J. A. , Maslanik J. A.
Published: October 2003

Airborne remote sensing observations in the vicinity of the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) camp in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas during May 1998 are used to characterize leads. This characterization was accomplished using observations from a passive microwave radiometer, video camera, and infrared pyrometer. An automated methodology is presented to determine lead fraction, width, and orientation. Refrozen lead fraction decreased in the latter half of May, due in part to local convergence in the ice pack. Airborne passive microwave and video observations are combined to produce a lead width distribution for the SHEBA region. Narrow leads are most prevalent, with lead fraction decreasing exponentially with increasing lead width. Lead orientation showed a preference in a northwesterly direction, which is consistent with prevailing wind patterns and ocean circulation. The lead width distribution and lead orientation observed by the airborne sensors are similar to the characteristics derived from an advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) albedo image encompassing the Beaufort/Chukchi Seas during the same time period. The AVHRR albedos in the SHEBA vicinity are also comparable to the larger region. These similarities suggest that the area of study used by SHEBA investigators was representative of the Western Arctic during this time period for these surface characteristics.
Morphodynamic equilibrium in straight tidal channels: Combined effects of the Coriolis force and external overtides
Authors: Schramkowski G. P. , de Swart H. E.
Published: October 2003

A new physical mechanism that is potentially relevant for the equilibrium morphodynamics of tide‐dominated estuaries and in understanding the occurrence of lateral shoals in these systems is identified. The mechanism acts in relatively straight and wide channels (width of the order of the horizontal tidal excursion length) in which both external overtides and the Coriolis force affect sediment transport. This is investigated by analyzing an idealized model, which consists of the 3D shallow water equations, mass conservation for suspended load, and a bed evolution equation. The model is forced by a prescribed depth‐averaged tidal current. It is demonstrated that, when viewed in the direction of the flood flow, a flood (ebb)‐dominant current generates a net cross‐sectional sediment transport to the left (right) in the Northern Hemisphere. A morphodynamic equilibrium is established by a counteracting dispersive sediment flux, generated by shear stresses that increase toward shallower water. This dispersive flux is much larger than the flux due gravitational downslope effects. The equilibrium bed profile has a constant slope in the lateral direction that varies as cos(φ), where φ is the phase difference between the M2 and M4 external horizontal tide. Hence, the smallest depths are found on the left (right) in case of a flood (ebb)‐dominant current. Typical cross‐channel depth differences may be as large as several meters. Velocity data collected in the Dutch Western Scheldt estuary are used to tune the hydrodynamic parameters in the model. Analysis of the bathymetric data seems to confirm the qualitative results of the model.
Sources of the solar wind at solar activity maximum
Authors: Neugebauer M. , Liewer P. C. , Smith E. J , Skoug R. M. , Zurbuchen T. H.
Published: October 2003

The photospheric sources of solar wind observed by the Ulysses and ACE spacecraft from 1998 to early 2001 are determined through a two‐step mapping process. Solar wind speed measured at the spacecraft is used in a ballistic model to determine a foot point on a source surface at a solar distance of 2.5 solar radii. A potential‐field source‐surface model is then used to trace the field and flow from the source surface to the photosphere. Comparison of the polarity of the measured interplanetary field with the polarity of the photospheric source region shows good agreement for spacecraft latitudes equatorward of 60°. At higher southern latitudes, the mapping predicts that Ulysses should have observed only outward directed magnetic fields, whereas both polarities were observed. A detailed analysis is performed on four of the solar rotations for which the mapped and observed polarities were in generally good agreement. For those rotations, the solar wind mapped to both coronal holes and active regions. These findings for a period of high solar activity differ from the findings of a similar study of the solar wind in 1994–1995 when solar activity was very low. At solar minimum the fastest wind mapped to the interior of large polar coronal holes while slower wind mapped to the boundaries of those holes or to smaller low‐latitude coronal holes. For the data examined in the present study, neither spacecraft detected wind from the small polar coronal holes when they existed and the speed was never as high as that observed by Ulysses at solar minimum. The principal difference between the solar wind from coronal holes and from active regions is that the O7+/O6+ ion ratio is lower for the coronal hole flow, but not as low as in the polar coronal hole flow at solar minimum. Furthermore, the active‐region flows appear to be organized into several substreams unlike the more monolithic structure of flows from coronal holes. The boundaries between plasma flows from neighboring sources are marked by large magnetic holes, plasma sheets, and low entropy, independent of whether the sources have the same or opposite magnetic polarities. The evolution of solar wind properties between 1 AU and the 1.6–5.4 AU solar distance of Ulysses is also briefly discussed.