bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Otosyphilis: A review of 85 cases
Authors: Yimtae Kwanchanok , Srirompotong Somchai , Lertsukprasert Krisna
Published: January 2007

OBJECTIVE

To review the clinical manifestations and the follow‐up hearing results of the treatment modalities in the patients with otosyphilis.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTINGS

A retrospective review between 1984 and 2000 at a university hospital. Patients who presented with cochleovestibular symptoms and were confirmed seropositive for specific treponemal tests were included. Excluded were patients older than 70, or who had other identified causes of cochleovestibular symptoms.

RESULTS

Subjects included 56 males and 29 females with an average age of 59.5 years (range, 40 to 70). Common presenting symptoms included hearing loss (90.6%), tinnitus (72.9%), and vertigo (52.9%). The cerebrospinal fluid analysis was positive in 5.4%. The overall respective hearing results in the short‐ and long‐term follow‐up were improved or stable in 93.4% and 83.3% of patients. Even though adding steroids and neurosyphilis regimens tended to improve and stabilize hearing, the results were not statistically significant among treatment modalities.

CONCLUSION

Further study about hearing outcomes among treatment modalities is suggested.

© 2007 American Academy of Otolaryngology‐Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. All rights reserved.
Recurrent and residual juvenile angiofibromas
Authors: Tyagi I , Syal R , Goyal A
Published: January 2007

Introduction: In the surgical management of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibromas the possibility of recurrences and residual tumours is always there. This study was undertaken to predict the prognostic factors determining recurrence of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma and to find out the usual sites of these tumours.

Material and methods: The medical records of 95 patients with histologically proven juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma were reviewed retrospectively. The commonest surgical approach used was a combined transpalatal and transmaxillary approach with a lazy S incision. A conservative lateral infratemporal approach was used in three cases.

Results: Complete removal of the juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma was achieved in 78 (82 per cent) of the cases in a single operation. A residual tumour was found in 17 (18 per cent) cases and recurrences occurred in 13 (13.7 per cent) cases.

Conclusions: Extensions into the pterygoid fossa and basisphenoid, erosion of the clivus, intracranial extensions medial to the cavernous sinus, invasion of the sphenoid diploe through a widened pterygoid canal, feeders from the internal carotid artery, a young age and a residual tumour were risk factors found associated with recurrence of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma.
Editors' Introduction: Alejandro Álvarez and the Launch of the Periphery Series
Authors: JOHNS FLEUR , SKOUTERIS THOMAS , WERNER WOUTER
Published: January 2007

The articles in this issue of the Leiden Journal of International Law (LJIL), on the life and work of Alejandro Álvarez, comprise the first in a series of occasional special issues planned for the LJIL, each of which will focus on the work of a leading international legal scholar from the ‘periphery’. In launching the Periphery Series, the editorial board of the LJIL had in mind the goal of focusing attention on the role played by centre–periphery dynamics in international law. The centre–periphery formulation of international affairs owes its provenance to political economy, in which context it is primarily associated with dependency theory, Immanuel Wallerstein's world systems theory, and more recently, Paul Krugman's model of the geography of trade economics. In part, the Periphery Series invites scholars to confront questions of resource allocation, dependency, and geography highlighted by those bodies of work. In addition, however, this series seeks to foster wider engagement with the discursive function of centre–periphery oppositions in international law, in their many and various iterations.
A Latin American in Paris: Alejandro Álvarez's Le droit international américain
Authors: LANDAUER CARL
Published: January 2007

This article, focusing on Alejandro Álvarez's Le droit international américain (1910), locates Álvarez in his second home, Paris, within the French sociological/historical school of ‘solidarist’ legal thought. Álvarez's book provides a heroic image of Latin America developing its own regional international law away from the decadent forces of Europe and making significant contributions to international law generally. To tell his story, Álvarez also highlights the dark side of his native continent, in part to sell Álvarez as a practitioner of a bold method. Álvarez adopts racial hierarchy as part of his explanatory model, displaying the tendency of Latin Americans of Spanish descent to identify with and distance themselves from the metropole while separating themselves from the ‘other’. And despite the progressive manifesto rhetoric of the book and its claims for the Latin American role, the substance of Álvarez's international law was ultimately fairly domesticated for his French audience.
Judge Alejandro Álvarez at the International Court of Justice (1946–1955): His Theory of a ‘New International Law’ and Judicial Lawmaking
Authors: ZOBEL KATHARINA
Published: January 2007

Judge Alejandro Álvarez had already developed a theory of a ‘new international law’ when he joined the first bench of the International Court of Justice in 1946. During his time at the Court, he elucidated his theory by means of Individual or Dissenting Opinions, always stressing the importance of the Court for judicial lawmaking. The aim of this article is to present Álvarez's concept of a ‘new international law’ and to analyse some of his individual and dissenting opinions with respect to his theory, with additional emphasis on the lawmaking function of the Court as an integral part of his approach.
The Conceptualization (Construction) of Territorial Title in the Light of the International Court of Justice Case Law
Authors: DISTEFANO GIOVANNI
Published: January 2007

The present article aims to examine a set of legal constructions related to the concept of legal title in territorial disputes. Any international jurist cannot but strongly feel the need of a theoretical approach and framework explaining the acquisition and loss of territorial sovereignty. This conceptualization will be put to the test in the light of the ICI's case law, especially, but not exclusively, the most recent ones. To this end, the article is structured in three main parts in addition to introduction: the first will be devoted to the building of a comprehensive concept of territorial title while rejecting the traditional ‘modes of acquisition’ of territorial sovereignty (part 2). Part 3 will deal with the legal processes through which territorial titles are actually created, extinguished, or modified: roughly speaking, this happens by an international agreements (legal acts) or by virtue of norm-creating facts. Last, but not least, we shall examine – in part 4 – the highly debated and sensitive topic of the relations between effectiveness and formal legal title from the standpoint of the establishment or loss of territorial sovereignty. As we have endeavoured to show in this writing the concept of legal title reunites and resolves the tension between fact (effectiveness) and formal gegal title (law). In this respect four situations will be put under scrutiny in order ultimately to test our construction of a new concept of territorial title.
‘All the Perfumes of Arabia’: The House of Lords and ‘Foreign Torture Evidence’
Authors: EVANS MALCOLM D.
Published: January 2007

Although the House of Lords has now made it clear that evidence obtained by means of torture conducted abroad by non-UK nationals is inadmissible in judicial proceedings in the United Kingdom, the position remains unsatisfactory. Restrictive approaches have been taken to many of the key issues, suggesting that there is still considerable scope for the use of evidence which is brought to light as a result of forms of ill-treatment which violate human rights standards. Moreover, the use of ‘foreign torture evidence’ by the executive is expressly sanctioned. Even if this strikes an appropriate balance between conflicting goals of public safety and judicial propriety, it cannot be said to further the realization of the international prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and is a poor reflection of the abhorrence of torture which the House of Lords itself says is a feature of domestic common law.
On Legal Cosmopolitanism: Divergences in Political Theory and International Law
Authors: ÇALI BAŞAK
Published: January 2007

Ian Balfour and Eduardo Cadava (eds.) And Justice for All?: The Claims of Human Rights, Durham, NC, Duke University Press, 2004, ISBN 0822365642, 440 pp., $20.00 (pb).

Roger Brownsword (ed.), Global Governance and the Quest for Justice, Volume 4: Human Rights, Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2005, ISBN 1841134090, 225 pp., £22.95 (pb).

Simon Caney, Justice beyond Borders: A Global Political Theory, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 019829350X, 319 pp., £24.99 (pb).
How much does Europe Contribute to Astronomy's Golden Age?
Authors: HABING HARM
Published: January 2007

In December 2000, the political leaders of the EU met in Lisbon and announced that by the year 2010 the EU will be the most competitive, dynamic, knowledge-based economy. My first reaction was: ‘They don't know what they are talking about’. It sounded to me like the pep talk of a coach of a soccer team before a match he knows his team cannot win. It is difficult to promote good science. Patience is needed: at first the results are few and only after several years of consistent policy can the trickle grow into a stream. Patience is not one of the usual qualities of success-driven politicians. Recently (and wisely) our beloved leaders lowered their ambitions and adopted a new target: by 2010 all EU members will spend 3% of their GNP on research and development. This is promising, if the money is spent wisely. To do research at the highest level money is certainly needed, but brains and organisation are needed as well. In this paper I address the question: how does European research in astronomy compare with that in the USA?
Economic History: its Past, Present and Future
Authors: VAN DER WEE HERMAN
Published: January 2007

During the 20th century, Economic History grew into one of the main sub-disciplines of the Historical and Economic Sciences. Its roots can be traced back to the 18th and 19th centuries: mercantilists as well as classical economists, and later the German and English Historical Schools, they all were already using economic-historical data to support their reflections and theories. During the inter-war period, quantification was added as an analytical tool. Immediately after the Second World War, research focused mainly on macro-economic problems, with some American scholars during this period introducing a ‘New Economic History’, Cliometrics. From the mid-1970s onwards, the interest shifted increasingly to micro-economic questions, to be interpreted as a positive movement. The shift, indeed, creates a potential for a future combination of macro- and micro-approaches in Economic History. Such a combination would stimulate the integration of the three main variables of economic life and development (structure, hazard and freedom) into a more meaningful explanatory synthesis.
Prodesse et delectare: The World of National Literatures and the World of Literature
Authors: GRABES HERBERT
Published: January 2007

In a survey of the writing of literary histories in Europe, it is first pointed out that, in classical Antiquity and in the early Christian period from the fourth to the 12th centuries, such histories were transnational. After the Middle Ages, in which we find only catalogues of particular libraries, the rise of the European nation states in early modern times motivated the writing of national literary histories. With a concentration on the development in Britain, it is then shown that this development reached its peak in the 19th century, yet is still very strong today. In comparison, some examples of histories of European literature show that such transnational histories may also be informed primarily by the principle of prodesse in presenting either written culture or only what seems favourable for the understanding of national literary history; they may, however, also give more attention to literature and the imagination than to nations or culture and in that way foster delectare.
Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Wheat Arabinoxylan by a Recombinant “Minimal” Enzyme Cocktail Containing β‐Xylosidase and Novel endo‐1,4‐β‐Xylanase and α‐l‐Arabinofuranosidase Activities
Authors: Sørensen Hanne R. , Pedersen Sven , Jørgensen Christel T. , Meyer Anne S.
Published: January 2007

This study describes the identification of the key enzyme activities required in a “minimal” enzyme cocktail able to catalyze hydrolysis of water‐soluble and water‐insoluble wheat arabinoxylan and whole vinasse, a fermentation effluent resulting from industrial ethanol manufacture from wheat. The optimal arabinose‐releasing and xylan‐depolymerizing enzyme activities were identified from data obtained when selected, recombinant enzymes were systematically supplemented to the different arabinoxylan substrates in mixtures; this examination revealed three novel α‐l‐arabinofuranosidase activities: (i) one GH51 enzyme from Meripilus giganteus and (ii) one GH51 enzyme from Humicola insolens, both able to catalyze arabinose release from singly substituted xylose; and (iii) one GH43 enzyme from H. insolens able to catalyze the release of arabinose from doubly substituted xylose. Treatment of water‐soluble and water‐insoluble wheat arabinoxylan with an enzyme cocktail containing a 20%:20%:20%:40% mixture and a 25%:25%:25%:25% mixture, respectively, of the GH43 α‐l‐arabinofuranosidase from H. insolens (Abf II), the GH51 α‐l‐arabinofuranosidase from M. giganteus (Abf III), a GH10 endo‐1,4‐β‐xylanase from H. insolens (Xyl III), and a GH3 β‐xylosidase from Trichoderma reesei (β‐xyl) released 322 mg of arabinose and 512 mg of xylose per gram of water‐soluble wheat arabinoxylan dry matter and 150 mg of arabinose and 266 mg of xylose per gram of water‐insoluble wheat arabinoxylan dry matter after 24 h at pH 5, 50 °C. A 10%:40%:50% mixture of Abf II, Abf III, and β‐xyl released 56 mg of arabinose and 91 mg of xylose per gram of vinasse dry matter after 24 h at pH 5, 50 °C. The optimal dosages of the “minimal” enzyme cocktails were determined to be 0.4, 0.3, and 0.2 g enzyme protein per kilogram of substrate dry matter for the water‐soluble wheat arabinoxylan, the water‐insoluble wheat arabinoxylan, and the vinasse, respectively. These enzyme protein dosage levels were ∼14, ∼18, and ∼27 times lower than the dosages used previously, when the same wheat arabinoxylan substrates were hydrolyzed with a combination of Ultraflo L and Celluclast 1.5 L, two commercially available enzyme preparations produced by H. insolens and T. reesei.
A 1000 year history of atmospheric sulfate concentrations in southern Asia as recorded by a Himalayan ice core
Authors: Duan Keqin , Thompson L. G. , Yao T. , Davis M. E. , Mosley‐Thompson E.
Published: January 2007

A sulfate record covering the period A.D. 1000–1997 from the Dasuopu glacier in the Himalayas reveals that this site is sensitive to anthropogenic activity originating in southern Asia. Prior to 1870 atmospheric sulfate concentrations were relatively low and constant, but thereafter concentrations have increased and since 1930 the rate of increase has accelerated rapidly. This accelerating trend in sulfate deposition is paralleled by growing SO2 emissions over southern Asia resulting from the increased energy demand. The concentration of sulfate deposited in the last 50 years exceeds that for any prior 50‐year period in the last millennium. Unlike the Greenland ice core‐derived sulfate concentrations that have declined since the 1970s, sulfate concentrations deposited on the Himalayan ice fields continue to increase, having nearly doubled since 1970. This reflects regional differences between Europe and Asia in source strength and transport pathways for atmospheric sulfate, as well as differing degrees of environmental regulation.
Improved tropospheric ozone profile retrievals using OMI and TES radiances
Authors: Worden John , Liu Xiong , Bowman Kevin , Chance Kelly , Beer Reinhard , Eldering Annmarie , Gunson Michael , Worden Helen
Published: January 2007

We perform a study for characterizing the vertical resolution of tropospheric ozone profile retrievals from the combination of simulated ultraviolet (UV) and thermal infrared (TIR) observations that are representative of the EOS Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES). Under the low thermal contrast conditions used for this simulation, we find that estimating ozone profiles by combining UV and TIR radiances results in a factor of two or more improvement in the ability to resolve boundary layer ozone, as compared with either instrument alone. In addition, there is a substantial improvement in the vertical resolution of ozone in the free troposphere (between 20% and 60%) as compared to the TES vertical resolution. This study points towards the importance of combining multiple spectral regions for dramatically improving the sounding of tropospheric trace gases.
A climate change index: Where climate change may be most prominent in the 21st century
Authors: Baettig Michèle B. , Wild Martin , Imboden Dieter M.
Published: January 2007

A Climate Change Index (CCI) is developed that is composed of annual and seasonal temperature and precipitation indicators. These indicators are aggregated to a single index that is a measure for the strength of future climate change relative to today's natural variability. The CCI does not represent climate impacts. Its aim is to comply with the increasing need of policy makers to gain a quick overview of complex scientific findings by means of summarized information. The index is calculated on the basis of three GCM simulations of the 21st century under the IPCC emission scenarios A2 and B2. The results indicate that the strongest climate changes by the end of the 21st century, relative to today's natural variability, will occur in the tropics and in high latitudes (especially in the northern hemisphere). The CCI is also calculated on a country basis, allowing for comparison with social and economic country indicators.
Danofloxacin‐mesylate is a substrate for ATP‐dependent efflux transporters
Authors: Schrickx J A , Fink‐Gremmels J
Published: January 2007

Background and purpose:

Next to its broad antimicrobial spectrum, the therapeutic advantages of the fluoroquinolone antimicrobial drug Danofloxacin‐Mesylate (DM) are attributed to its rapid distribution to the major target tissues such as lungs, intestines and the mammary gland in animals. Previous analyses revealed that effective drug concentrations are achieved also in luminal compartments of these organs, suggesting that active transport proteins facilitate excretion into the luminal space. Members of the ATP‐Binding Cassette (ABC) superfamily, including P‐gp, BCRP and MRP2 are known to be expressed in many tissue barriers and in cell‐membranes facing luminal compartments. Hence we hypothesized that DM is a substrate for one of these efflux‐transporters.

Experimental approach:

Confluent monolayers of Caco‐2 cells, grown on microporous membranes in two‐chamber devices were used. DM concentrations were measured by fluorimetric assay after HPLC of the culture media.

Key results:

DM transport across Caco‐2 cells was asymmetric, with a rate of secretion exceeding that of absorption. The P‐gp inhibitors PSC833 and GF120918 and the MRP‐inhibitor MK571 partially decreased the secretion of DM and increased its absorption rate. The BCRP inhibitor, Ko143, decreased secretion only at a concentration of 1 μM. When DM was applied together with ciprofloxacin, secretion as well as absorption of DM decreased.

Conclusions and Implications:

DM is a substrate for the efflux transporters P‐gp and MRP2, whereas the specific role of BCRP in DM transport needs further evaluation. These findings provide a mechanistic basis for the understanding of the pharmacokinetics of DM in healthy and diseased individuals.

British Journal of Pharmacology(2007)150, 463–469. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706974
Modulation of P2X7 receptor functions by polymyxin B: crucial role of the hydrophobic tail of the antibiotic molecule
Authors: Ferrari D , Pizzirani C , Gulinelli S , Callegari G , Chiozzi P , Idzko M , Panther E , Di Virgilio F
Published: January 2007

Background and purpose:

P2X7 is a membrane receptor for extracellular ATP which is highly expressed in dendritic cells, macrophages and microglia where it mediates pro‐inflammatory responses. The antibiotic polymyxin B, which binds to and neutralizes the toxic residue of bacterial lipopolysaccharide, greatly amplifies cellular responses mediated by the P2X7 receptor. However, the molecular mechanism involved is so far unknown.

Experimental approach:

We investigated the effects of polymyxin B and polymyxin B nonapeptide (PMBN) which is the deacylated amino derivative of polymyxin B lacking the N‐terminal fatty amino acid 6‐methylheptanoic/octanoic‐Dab residue, in human macrophages and HEK293 cells stably expressing the human P2X7 receptor (HEK293‐hP2X7). Differences between the two antibiotics were assessed by monitoring the following: nucleotide‐induced cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration changes, plasma membrane permeability changes, lactate dehydrogenase activity, cell morphology changes. Western blot and microscopic analyses of P2X7GFP‐expressing cells were also performed.

Key results:

In contrast to polymyxin B, the polymyxin B nonapeptide was unable to potentiate: a) the ATP‐induced Ca2+ increase, b) pore formation and consequently ATP‐mediated plasma membrane permeabilization; c) ATP‐dependent cytotoxicity. Moreover, in contrast to polymyxin B, polymyxin B nonapeptide did not affect aggregation of the P2X7 receptor subunits and it did not potentiate P2X7‐dependent cell fusion.

Conclusions and Implications:

The effects of polymyxin B depended on the presence of its N‐terminal fatty amino acid 6‐methylheptanoic/octanoic‐Dab residue as deletion of this residue abolished polymyxin B‐dependent modulation of ATP‐triggered responses. These findings are important in the search for allosteric modulators of the P2X7 receptor.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 150, 445–454. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706994
Cellular mechanisms underlying the pharmacological induction of phosphenes
Authors: Cervetto L , Demontis G C , Gargini C
Published: January 2007

Visual sensations evoked by stimuli other than luminance changes are called phosphenes. Phosphenes may be an early symptom in a variety of diseases of the retina or of the visual pathways, but healthy individuals may perceive them as well. Phosphene‐like phenomena are perhaps the most common side effect reported in clinical pharmacology. Ivabradine, a novel anti‐anginal drug that reduces heart‐rate by inhibiting the hyperpolarization activated current expressed in cardiac sinoatrial node cells (If) induces phosphenes in some patients. One hypothesis is that ivabradine interacts with the visual system by inhibiting hyperpolarization‐activated current in retinal cells (Ih). An Ih current with properties similar to cardiac If has been reported in retinal neurones. Under normal circumstances most of the random fluctuations generated within the retinal circuits do not reach the level of conscious perception because they are filtered out. Presumably, filtering occurs mostly within the retina and one serious candidate for this action is the ability of Ih to act as a negative‐feedback mechanism. Ih activation in the membrane of visual cells causes dampening of responses to slow noisy inputs thus tuning the visual system to perceptually more relevant signals of higher frequency. Ih inhibition, by altering at the retinal synapses the filtering of signals generated by thermal breakdown of rhodopsin or other fluctuations, is expected to increase the probability of phosphene occurrence. It is the purpose of the present paper to outline and discuss the features of the visual system and the pharmacological conditions relevant to phosphene perception.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 150, 383–390. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706998
Differential effects of nitric oxide synthase inhibitors on endothelium‐dependent and nitrergic nerve‐mediated vasodilatation in the bovine ciliary artery
Authors: Overend J , Martin W
Published: January 2007

Background and purpose:

We have previously demonstrated that L‐NMMA (NG‐monomethyl‐L‐arginine) selectively inhibits vasodilatation produced by endothelium‐derived nitric oxide but not nitrergic nerves in the bovine penile artery. The present study investigated whether L‐NMMA had a similar selective action in the bovine ciliary artery. We also investigated whether two recently introduced inhibitors of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), AAAN (N‐(4S)‐4‐amino‐5‐[aminoethyl]aminopentyl‐N′‐nitroguanidine) and L‐NPA (NG‐propyl‐L‐arginine), produced selective blockade of vasodilatation induced by nitrergic nerves but not endothelium‐derived nitric oxide.

Experimental approach:

Rings of bovine ciliary artery were suspended in a wire myograph for tension recording. Neurogenic (nitrergic) vasodilatation was elicited by electrical field stimulation, and endothelium‐dependent, nitric oxide‐mediated dilatation was evoked using bradykinin.

Key results:

L‐NMMA inhibited vasodilatation induced by endothelium‐derived nitric oxide but not the nitrergic nerves. In fact, L‐NMMA, acted like L‐arginine in protecting nitrergic vasodilatation against inhibition by L‐NAME (NG‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester). AAAN had no effect on vasodilatation induced by either nitrergic nerves or endothelium‐derived nitric oxide, but L‐NPA inhibited both with equal potency.

Conclusions and implications:

In the bovine ciliary artery, L‐NMMA acts as a selective inhibitor of the vasodilatation induced via endothelial NOS, without affecting that operating via nNOS. Furthermore, the putative nNOS inhibitors, AAAN and L‐NPA failed to produce the expected selective inhibition of nitrergic vasodilatation in this artery.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 150, 488–493. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707113
Regulation of mouse Heparanase gene expression in T lymphocytes and tumor cells
Authors: de Mestre Amanda M , Soe‐Htwe Thura , Sutcliffe Elissa L , Rao Sudha , Pagler Eloisa B , Hornby June R , Hulett Mark D
Published: January 2007

Heparanase (HPSE) is an endoglycosidase that cleaves heparan sulfate (HS) and plays an important role in tumor metastasis, angiogenesis and inflammation. The regulation of HPSE expression and function is tightly controlled and the increasing use of the mouse as an animal model to define the role of HPSE in many physiological and pathological settings, makes understanding the regulatory mechanisms of HPSE in this species of fundamental importance. However, the expression distribution of the mouse Hpse gene and the mechanisms that regulate its transcription are poorly defined. In this study, the mouse Hpse gene was determined to encode for two mRNA transcripts of 1.9 and 3.2 kb in length with identical open reading frames that showed similar tissue expression distribution to the human HPSE. The mouse Hpse promoter was cloned and a 478‐bp minimal promoter was identified that contained regulatory elements responsible for both basal promoter activity in mouse tumor cells as well as inducible activity in T cells. Mutagenesis and transactivation studies identified a functional site in the minimal promoter region for the transcription factor Early growth response gene 1 (Egr1). Interestingly, Egr1 acted differentially in mouse tumor cells, functioning in an activating or repressive manner in breast carcinoma or melanoma cells, respectively. Furthermore, the proximal region of the promoter, identified as important in the regulation of Hpse transcription, was shown to become accessible in T cells upon cell activation. Significantly, the maximal accessibility of the promoter occurred at 16 h post‐stimulation, which correlated with the induction kinetics of Hpse mRNA expression. In summary, this study demonstrates that mouse Hpse is expressed and regulated in a similar manner to human HPSE and also provides some novel insights into mechanisms of Hpse gene regulation that are likely to be relevant to control of the human gene.
Oxidation of the Pt∕HfO2 interface: The role of the oxygen chemical potential
Authors: Gavrikov A. V. , Knizhnik A. A. , Bagatur’yants A. A. , Potapkin B. V. , Fonseca L. R. C. , Stoker M. W. , Schaeffer J.
Published: January 2007

Using first-principles calculations we investigated the oxidation properties of model Pt∕HfO2 interfaces as a function of oxygen partial pressure. A wide range of interfacial oxygen concentrations were explored, varying from an oxygen-free interface to the case of 1 oxygen ML separating the Pt(111) slab from the first Hf plane in the monoclinic HfO2(001) slab. In all cases the interfaces were optimized using ab initio molecular dynamics. It was found that 1 ML of oxygen at the Pt∕HfO2 interface is only possible for chemical potentials equivalent to an oxygen pressure of tens of bars. With respect to silicon oxidation only the oxygen-free interface is stable. Depending on the anneal conditions, intermediate concentrations of ~0.25 or ∼0.75 ML of oxygen at the interface are possible, while the concentration of 0.5 ML is only stable over a narrow range of conditions. The band offset and work of separation were calculated for Pt∕HfO2 interfaces as a function of the oxygen concentration at the interface. The valence band offset drops sharply with increasing oxygen chemical potential, from ∼3.0 to ∼1.0 eV. The same trend is observed for the work of separation, which decreases from ∼6 J∕m2 for an oxygen-free interface to ∼1 J∕m2 for one oxygen monolayer. These findings may shed new light into recent experimental data reporting exceedingly small values for the effective work function of Pt on HfO2 and its dependence on the oxygen partial pressure during high temperature annealing.
Surface potential analyses of single-walled carbon nanotube/metal interfaces
Authors: Shiraishi Masashi , Takebe Kozaburo , Matsuoka Kenta , Saito Kazuhiro , Toda Nobuyuki , Kataura Hiromichi
Published: January 2007

The band structure of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)/metal system, including a shift in the vacuum level which appears at the SWNT/metal interface, was characterized by using a Kelvin-probe force microscopy method. In the SWNT/gold system, the shift (Δ) of the vacuum level was observed to be +5.2meV, which is one order of magnitude smaller than previously observed. When we carried out carrier doping of the SWNTs, the observed Δ was downshifted from +5.2to−52meV, which introduced some upshift in the band structure of the doped SWNTs. This change induced easier hole injection, which coincides with the field effect transistor characteristics of undoped and doped SWNT transistors. A similar analysis was also carried out for a SWNT/ferromagnet system.
An electron paramagnetic resonance study of n-type Zn1−xMnxO: A diluted magnetic semiconductor
Authors: Ben Mahmoud A. , von Bardeleben H. J. , Cantin J. L. , Chikoidze E. , Mauger A.
Published: January 2007

We present the results of an electron paramagnetic resonance study of homogeneous single phase Zn1−xMnxO thin films with Mn concentrations varying between x=0.07 and x=0.34. Our results show antiferromagnetic (AF) coupling in the entire concentration range with an effective exchange integral of J∕kB=−21.8K for x⩽0.16 much stronger than in the CdMn(S,Se,Te) series. We observe deviations from the Curie-Weiss behavior for concentrations above x=0.16 and show this to be a “universal” behavior of II-VI diluted magnetic semiconductors. Our results demonstrate that AF interactions are dominating in n-type Zn1−xMnxO (x>0.07) with a carrier concentration of 1018cm−3 contrary to previous claims. These AF interactions are responsible for high spin freezing temperatures and absence of magnetic long range order.
Patternable transparent carbon nanotube films for electrochromic devices
Authors: Hu Liangbing , Gruner George , Li Dan , Kaner Richard B. , Cech Jiri
Published: January 2007

This paper reports the application of transparent single walled carbon nanotube films on polyethylene terephthalate as flexible electrodes in electrochromic devices using polyaniline as the active layer, where Sn-doped In2O3 on plastic is not suitable due to its high sensitivity to acids. Patterning of nanotube films with resolution of 50μm is achieved by simply using the transfer printing method based on polydimethylsiloxane stamps. The combination of high optical transparency, low sheet resistance, robust mechanical and environmental stabilities, and ease of patterning of nanotube films meets the requirements for flexible voltage-driven type of displays.
Cross-plan Si∕SiGe superlattice acoustic and thermal properties measurement by picosecond ultrasonics
Authors: Ezzahri Y. , Grauby S. , Dilhaire S. , Rampnoux J. M. , Claeys W.
Published: January 2007

A pump-probe thermoreflectance technique is used for the nondestructive evaluation of thermal and acoustic properties of Si∕Si0.7Ge0.3 superlattice (SL) at room temperature. In particular, this technique allows the determination of the metal transducer/SL thermal boundary resistance, the SL cross-plan thermal conductivity, and the longitudinal sound velocity inside the SL. Several effects related to the extraction of these properties are studied, including the metal transducer thickness and electron diffusion inside it.
Effect of Au irradiation energy on ejection of ZnS nanoparticles from ZnS film
Authors: Kuiri P. K. , Ghatak J. , Joseph B. , Lenka H. P. , Sahu G. , Mahapatra D. P. , Tripathi A. , Kanjilal D. , Mishra N. C.
Published: January 2007

ZnS films deposited on Si have been irradiated with Au ions at 35 keV, 2, and 100 MeV. Sputtered particles, collected on catcher foils during irradiation, were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy. For the case of 35 keV Au irradiation, no nanoparticle (NP) could be observed on the catcher foil. However, NPs 2–7 nm in size, have been observed on the catcher foils for MeV irradiations at room temperature. For particle sizes ≥3 nm, the distributions could be fitted to power law decays with decay exponents varying between 2 and 3.5. At 2 MeV, after correction for cluster breakup effects, the decay exponent has been found to be close to 2, indicating shock waves induced ejection to be the dominant mechanism. The corrected decay exponent for the 100 MeV Au irradiation case has been found to be about 2.6. Coulomb explosion followed by thermal spike induced vaporization of ZnS seems to be the dominant mechanism regarding material removal at such high energy. In such a case the evaporated material can cool down going into the fragmentation region forming clusters.
Time-temperature-transformation diagrams for the A1 to L1 phase transformation in FePt and FeCuPt thin films
Authors: Berry D. C. , Barmak K.
Published: January 2007

The kinetics of the A1 to L10 transformation are given in the form of time-temperature-transformation diagrams. These diagrams are calculated using experimentally measured data for 1μm thick FePt and FeCuPt thin films and three variations of the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov kinetic theory. For the FePt alloys, an increase in Pt content from 45.6 to 52.5 at.% results in a >300 times increase in the annealing time needed to reach a fraction transformed of 0.95 at 300°C. Extension of the calculations for 1μm thick films to 10nm thick films using geometric corrections shows not only that thinner films result in slower kinetics for all temperatures, but also that film composition has a significant impact on the transformation behavior. Transformation in nanoparticles is highly dependent on the nucleation of the L10 phase.
Hard-wall potential function for transport properties of alkali metal vapors
Authors: Ghatee Mohammad Hadi , Niroomand-Hosseini Fatemeh
Published: January 2007

This study demonstrates that the transport properties of alkali metals are determined principally by the repulsive wall of the pair interaction potential function. The (hard-wall) Lennard-Jones (LJ) (15-6) effective pair potential function is used to calculate the transport collision integrals. Accordingly, reduced collision integrals of K, Rb, and Cs metal vapors are obtained from the Chapman-Enskog solution of the Boltzmann equation. The law of corresponding states based on the experimental transport reduced collision integral is used to verify the validity of a LJ(15-6) hybrid potential in describing the transport properties. LJ(8.5-4) potential function and a simple thermodynamic argument with the input PVT data of liquid metals provide the required molecular potential parameters. Values of the predicted viscosity of monatomic alkali metal vapor are in agreement with typical experimental data with average absolute deviations of 2.97% for K in the range of 700–1500K, 1.69% for Rb, and 1.75% for Cs in the range of 700–2000K. In the same way, the values of predicted thermal conductivity are in agreement with experiment within 2.78%, 3.25%, and 3.63% for K, Rb, and Cs, respectively. The LJ(15-6) hybrid potential with a hard-wall repulsion character conclusively predicts the best transport properties of the three alkali metal vapors.
A coarse graining method for the identification of transition rates between molecular conformations
Authors: Kube Susanna , Weber Marcus
Published: January 2007

The coarse graining method to be advocated in this paper consists of two main steps. First, the propagation of an ensemble of molecular states is described as a Markov chain by a transition probability matrix in a finite state space. Second, we obtain metastable conformations by an aggregation of variables via Robust Perron Cluster Analysis (PCCA+). Up to now, it has been an open question as to how this coarse graining in space can be transformed to a coarse graining of the Markov chain while preserving the essential dynamic information. In this article, we construct a coarse matrix that is the correct propagator in the space of conformations. This coarse graining procedure carries over to rate matrices and allows to extract transition rates between molecular conformations. This approach is based on the fact that PCCA+ computes molecular conformations as linear combinations of the dominant eigenvectors of the transition matrix.
Effect of radical species density and ion bombardment during ashing of extreme ultralow-κ interlevel dielectric materials
Authors: Worsley M. A. , Bent S. F. , Fuller N. C. M. , Tai T. L. , Doyle J. , Rothwell M. , Dalton T.
Published: January 2007

The significance of ion impact and radical species density on ash-induced modification of an extreme ultralow-κ interlevel dielectric (ILD) material (κ<2.0) in a patterned single damascene structure exposed to Ar∕O2 and Ar∕N2 dual frequency capacitive discharges is determined by combining plasma diagnostics, modeling of the ion angular distribution function, and material characterization such as angle resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Radical species density was determined by optical emission actinometry under the same conditions and in the same reactor in a previous study by the present authors. ILD modification is observed and correlated with changes in the plasma for a range of pressures (5–60mTorr), bias powers (0–350W), and percent Ar in the source gas (0%, 85%). For the Ar∕O2 discharge, extensive modification of the ILD sidewall was observed for significant ion scattering conditions, whereas minimal modification of the ILD sidewall was observed under conditions of minimal or no ion scattering. Further, for an identical increase in the O-radical density (∼ an order of magnitude), a different degree of modification was induced at the ILD trench bottom surface depending on whether pressure or percent Ar was used to increase the radical density. The different degrees of modification seemingly correlated with the relative changes in the ion current for increasing pressure or percent Ar. For the Ar∕N2 discharge, reduced damage of the ILD sidewall and trench bottom surfaces was observed for increasing pressure (increasing N-radical density) and decreasing ion current to both surfaces. It is, thus, proposed that the mechanism for modification of the porous ILD is dominated by the creation of reactive sites by ion impact under the present conditions. A detailed discussion of the results which support this proposal is presented.
Giant Goos-Hänchen displacement enhanced by dielectric film in frustrated total internal reflection configuration
Authors: Li Chun-Fang , Duan Tao , Yang Xiao-Yan
Published: January 2007

It is predicted that the Goos-Hänchen displacement in the usual frustrated total internal reflection configuration can be resonantly enhanced greatly by coating a dielectric thin film onto the surface of the first prism when the angle of incidence is larger than the critical angle for total reflection at the prism-vacuum interface and is smaller than but close to the critical angle for total reflection at the prism-film interface. Theoretical analysis shows that the displacement of transmitted beam is about half the displacement of reflected beam in the thick limit of the vacuum gap between the two prisms. This is to be compared with the relation in the usual symmetric double-prism configuration that the displacement of transmitted beam is equal to the displacement of reflected beam. Numerical simulations for a Gaussian incident beam of waist width of 100 wavelengths reveal that when the dielectric thin film is of the order of wavelength in thickness, both the reflected and transmitted beams maintain well the shape of the incident beam in the thick limit of the vacuum gap. So largely enhanced displacements would lead to applications in optical devices and integrated optics.
Adiabatic Jacobi corrections for H2+-like systems
Authors: Czakó Gábor , Császár Attila G. , Szalay Viktor , Sutcliffe Brian T.
Published: January 2007

The Coulomb three-body problem in Jacobi coordinates was solved by treating the distance of the particles having equal charge as a parameter. This method allows computation of electronic energies with finite nuclear masses while maintaining the notion of a potential energy curve. The rotationless ground-state electronic and the so-called adiabatic Jacobi correction (AJC) energies are presented for H2+, D2+, and HD+ at fixed internuclear separations. The AJCs are defined as the difference between the results obtained from calculations using proper finite and infinite nuclear masses. Except at the united atom limit, the AJCs are smaller than the traditional first-order diagonal Born-Oppenheimer corrections. Expectation values of proton-electron, p-e, and deuteron-electron, d-e, distances for HD+ have been computed as a function of internuclear separation. Similarly to the fully nonadiabatic approach, the present method is able to follow the symmetry breaking in HD+. Exact and approximate analytical and numerical results are given for counterfactual systems as well. In these cases changes are allowed for the values of the electron rest mass or the elementary charge, as well as for the mass or charge of the unique particle (electron).
Calculation of static and dynamic linear magnetic response in approximate time-dependent density functional theory
Authors: Krykunov Mykhaylo , Autschbach Jochen
Published: January 2007

We report implementations and results of time-dependent density functional calculations (i) of the frequency-dependent magnetic dipole–magnetic dipole polarizability, (ii) of the (observable) translationally invariant linear magnetic response, and (iii) of a linear intensity differential (LID) which includes the dynamic dipole magnetizability. The density functional calculations utilized density fitting. For achieving gauge-origin independence we have employed time-periodic magnetic-field-dependent basis functions as well as the dipole velocity gauge, and have included explicit density-fit related derivatives of the Coulomb potential. We present the results of calculations of static and dynamic magnetic dipole–magnetic dipole polarizabilities for a set of small molecules, the LID for the SF6 molecule, and dispersion curves for M-hexahelicene of the origin invariant linear magnetic response as well as of three dynamic polarizabilities: magnetic dipole–magnetic dipole, electric dipole–electric dipole, and electric dipole–magnetic dipole. We have also performed comparison of the linear magnetic response and magnetic dipole–magnetic dipole polarizability over a wide range of frequencies for H2O and SF6.
Rank-ordering protein-ligand binding affinity by a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann-surface area model
Authors: Wang Mingliang , Wong Chung F.
Published: January 2007

The authors describe a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann-surface area model for rank-ordering protein-ligand binding affinity in aqueous solution. Unlike many classical continuum electrostatics calculations in which the protein and ligand are treated as a uniform dielectric, this model uses quantum mechanics to explicitly describe the electronic polarization of the ligand by its environment. In solving the Poisson-Boltzmann equation, the authors use the quantum mechanical charge density directly rather than the common point-charge approximation. The authors show that useful results can be obtained by using experimental structure, by choosing a protein dielectric constant that is smaller than that typically used in classical electrostatics calculations, and by performing the calculations in a manner that can improve the odds of cancellation of errors.
Effect of sheared equilibrium plasma rotation on the classical tearing mode in a cylindrical geometry
Authors: Coelho R. , Lazzaro E.
Published: January 2007

The effect of sheared equilibrium plasma rotation on the stability of tearing modes in an Ohmic (low plasma β) regime is investigated. It is found, by means of numerical MHD simulations in a cylindrical geometry, that plasma rotation in the equivalent toroidal direction can result either in the increase or in the decrease of the instability growth rate. Perpendicular plasma viscosity and plasma rotation shear at the modes’ rational surface play a key role on assessing the effect of shear flow. While destabilizing for low viscosity plasmas (ratio of the resistive to viscous diffusion time scales τR∕τV≪1), for viscous plasmas (τR∕τV>1) shear flow reduces the growth rate. Above a given threshold in the rotation shear (that depends on the ratio τR∕τV) a tearing mode, unstable in the absence of rotation, can be stabilized. The effect of sheared toroidal flow on mode stability, in both viscosity regimes that are considered in the paper, is qualitatively independent of the aspect ratio.