bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among ethnic minority groups in England: results of a national household survey
Authors: CRAWFORD M. J. , NUR U. , McKENZIE K. , TYRER P.
Published: July 2005

Background. Socio-cultural factors impact on the extent of suicidal ideation and attempted suicide but the relative importance of these factors among people from different ethnic groups in Britain has not been explored. We examined the prevalence of suicidal ideation, the incidence of attempted suicide, and the extent of service utilization following attempted suicide among representative samples of White, Irish, Black Caribbean, Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani individuals living in England.

Method. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the EMPIRIC study, a cross-sectional survey of 4281 adults aged 16–74 years, living in private households in England.

Results. Lifetime suicidal ideation was generally lower in ethnic minority groups but higher among those born in the UK than those who migrated to England as adults. Risk factors for suicidal ideation have much in common across different ethnic groups; current symptoms of mental distress being the most important. White British and Irish respondents were twice as likely to receive medical attention following attempted suicide than those from other ethnic groups.

Conclusions. Services need to adapt in order to ensure that people from ethnic minorities receive appropriate psychological and medical care following attempted suicide.
Identity Politics, Past and Present
Authors: Pritchett Wendell E.
Published: July 2005

Burgmann has produced an interesting analysis of the liberating potential of the Seattle Movement. However, “identity politics,” as the term is currently employed, does not provide a useful framework for understanding the recent past, and therefore it cannot help academics in their attempts to analyze the meaning of current trends. Instead of using the flawed framework of “identity politics,” scholars should look to the opportunities and limitations inherent in all modern social movements.
Left Labor Agitators in the Pacific Rim of the Early Twentieth Century
Authors: Shor Francis
Published: July 2005

As part of the global circulation of capital and labor in the early twentieth century, labor and left activists traveled throughout the Pacific Rim. Highlighting the biographical and political journeys of two important left labor agitators of the period, Patrick Hickey and J. B. King, this essay considers the role of the agitator and the meaning of the left for the mobilization of working people during the first three decades of the twentieth century. Hickey and King both had early experiences with radical unions in North America, Hickey with the Western Federation of Miners in Utah and King with the Industrial Workers of the World in British Columbia. Their paths intersected in the formation of the left Federation of Labour (the “Red Feds”) in New Zealand. Both went on to play significant roles in Australian left labor circles in the years before, during, and after the First World War. Diverging over strategy and tactics during this time, Hickey became involved with the Labor Party of Australia and King eventually joined the Communist Party of Australia. Their biographical and political journeys reveal significant insights into the splits within the left and the public role of left labor agitators in the Pacific Rim during this period.
Controlling the effects of demographic risks: the role of pension indexation schemes
Authors: ALHO JUHA M. , HOUGAARD JENSEN SVEND E. , LASSILA JUKKA , VALKONEN TARMO
Published: July 2005

Within a model featuring demographic uncertainty, this paper studies a pension reform where public pension benefits are indexed to the total wage bill rather than to the average wage level. This implies a decline in the variability of contribution rates and an increase in the variability of replacement rates. While thus shifting some of the adjustment burden following demographic shocks to pensioners, the trade-off in risks is found to be fairly moderate.
Overview of the Issue
Authors: BROWN JEFFREY , HABERMAN STEVEN , MILEVSKY MOSHE , ORSZAG MIKE
Published: July 2005

Since the inception of the Journal, it has been published in conjunction with the International Network of Pension Regulators and Supervisors (INPRS), a network setup and administered by the OECD. Because of the importance of pension supervision, it has become clear that a network such as the INPRS is not enough and as a result a new international organization, International Organisation of Pension Supervisors (IOPS), has been formed and will deal with issues relating to pensions supervision. The OECD will provide secretariat services for IOPS as it did for INPRS. Going forward, we are grateful to have the support from IOPS to be publishing the Journal in association with them. The OECD's private pension working party will handle more policy-related issues and we are also grateful to have the support from this group. Going forward therefore the Journal will be published in association with IOPS and the OECD.
Determination of eddy diffusivity in the lowermost stratosphere
Authors: Hegglin M. I. , Brunner D. , Peter T. , Staehelin J. , Wirth V. , Hoor P. , Fischer H.
Published: July 2005

We present a 2D‐advection‐diffusion model that simulates the main transport pathways influencing tracer distributions in the lowermost stratosphere (LMS). The model describes slow diabatic descent of aged stratospheric air, vertical (cross‐isentropic) and horizontal (along isentropes) diffusion within the LMS and across the tropopause using equivalent latitude and potential temperature coordinates. Eddy diffusion coefficients parameterize the integral effect of dynamical processes leading to small scale turbulence and mixing. They were specified by matching model simulations to observed CO distributions. Interestingly, the model suggests mixing across isentropes to be more important than horizontal mixing across surfaces of constant equivalent latitude, shining new light on the interplay between various transport mechanisms in the LMS. The model achieves a good description of the small scale tracer features at the tropopause with squared correlation coefficients R2 = 0.72…0.94.
Measurements of continuous spectra of atmospheric absorption coefficients from UV to NIR via optical method
Authors: Mogo S. , Cachorro V. E. , Sorribas M. , de Frutos A. , Fernández R.
Published: July 2005

In this study we extend from the visible to the UV a traditional method for studying the radiative properties of black carbon. We apply this measuring possibility to a practical study carried out in the Southern Iberian Peninsula during summer 2004. Using an optical technique based on the integrating sphere method, absorption coefficients, σa, were determined in the visible and in the ultraviolet regions of spectrum. The obtained values are representative of remote areas including during desert episodes that reach this area. To analyse the spectral shape of σa we derived a parameter (αa) which is the slope of the linear fit of the log‐log plot of σa versus λ. This parameter is similar to the Ångstrom exponent used for extinction. The reported αa values for the UV appear as very original data in the literature.
The ICAM‐1 antisense oligonucleotide ISIS‐3082 prevents the development of postoperative ileus in mice
Authors: The Frans O , De Jonge Wouter J , Bennink Roel J , Van Den Wijngaard Rene M , Boeckxstaens Guy E
Published: July 2005

Intestinal manipulation (IM) during abdominal surgery triggers the influx of inflammatory cells, leading to postoperative ileus. Prevention of this local muscle inflammation, using intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1) and leukocyte function‐associated antigen‐1‐specific antibodies, has been shown to shorten postoperative ileus. However, the therapeutic use of antibodies has considerable disadvantages.

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of ISIS‐3082, a mouse‐specific ICAM‐1 antisense oligonucleotide, on postoperative ileus in mice.

Mice underwent a laparotomy or a laparotomy combined with IM after treatment with ICAM‐1 antibodies, 0.1–10 mg kg−1 ISIS‐3082, saline or ISIS‐8997 (scrambled control antisense oligonucleotides, 1 and 3 mg kg−1). At 24 h after surgery, gastric emptying of a 99mTC labelled semi‐liquid meal was determined using scintigraphy. Intestinal inflammation was assessed by myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in ileal muscle whole mounts.

IM significantly reduced gastric emptying compared to laparotomy. Pretreatment with ISIS‐3082 (0.1–1 mg kg−1) as well as ICAM‐1 antibodies (10 mg kg−1), but not ISIS‐8997 or saline, improved gastric emptying in a dose‐dependent manner. This effect diminished with higher doses of ISIS‐3082 (3–10 mg kg−1).

Similarly, ISIS‐3082 (0.1–1 mg kg−1) and ICAM‐1 antibodies, but not ISIS‐8997 or higher doses of ISIS‐3082 (3–10 mg kg−1), reduced manipulation‐induced inflammation. Immunohistochemistry showed reduction of ICAM‐1 expression with ISIS‐3082 only.

ISIS‐3082 pretreatment prevents postoperative ileus in mice by reduction of manipulation‐induced local intestinal muscle inflammation. Our data suggest that targeting ICAM‐1 using antisense oligonucleotides may represent a new therapeutic approach to the prevention of postoperative ileus.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2005) 146, 252–258. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706303
Efficacy of antiepileptic isomers of valproic acid and valpromide in a rat model of neuropathic pain
Authors: Winkler Ilan , Blotnik Simcha , Shimshoni Jakob , Yagen Boris , Devor Marshall , Bialer Meir
Published: July 2005

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are often utilized in the treatment of neuropathic pain. The major AED valproic acid (VPA) is of particular interest as it is thought to engage a variety of different neural mechanisms simultaneously. However, the clinical use of VPA is limited by two rare but life‐threatening side effects: teratogenicity and hepatotoxicity.

We synthesized VPA's corresponding amide: valpromide (VPD), two of VPAs isomers and their corresponding amides; valnoctic acid (VCA), valnoctamide (VCD), diisopropyl acetic acid (DIA), diisopropylacetamide (DID), and VPD's congener: N‐methyl‐VPD (MVPD). VCD, DID and VPD are nonteratogenic, potentially nonhepatotoxic, and exhibit better anticonvuslant potency than VPA.

In this study, we assessed the antiallodynic activity of these compounds in comparison to VPA and gabapentin (GBP) using the rat spinal nerve ligation model of neuropathic pain (SNL, Chung model).

VCA and MVPD were inactive. However, VPD (20–100 mg kg− 1), VCD (20–100 mg kg− 1) and DID (20–90 mg kg− 1) produced dose‐related reversal of tactile allodynia with ED50 values of 61, 52 and 58 mgkg− 1, respectively. All the amides were more potent than VPA (ED50=269 mgkg− 1). The antiallodynic effect of VPA, VPD, VCD and DID was obtained at plasma concentrations of 125, 24, 18 and 7 mg l− 1, respectively, with a good pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic correlation and a minimal lag response.

VCD and DID were found to have minimal motor and sedative side effects at analgesic doses, and were equipotent to GBP, currently the leading drug in neuropathic pain treatment. Consequently, VCD and DID have potential to become new drugs for the treatment of neuropathic pain.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2005) 146, 198–208. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706310
Evolving the concept of regulation of vascular tone in humans
Authors: Taddei Stefano
Published: July 2005

Elucidation of mechanisms regulating microcirculatory vascular tone is a key issue in the knowledge of human pathophysiology. Anandamide is an endogenous lipidic cannabinoid (CB) characterized by potent vasodilator activity acting mainly through the activation of CB receptors, located on the vessel walls, and the vanilloid receptor 1, located on sensory peptidergic nerve endings within the external layers of vessel walls. In humans, cutaneous anandamide administration causes forearm skin vasodilation by activating vanilloid receptor 1 presumably on primary sensory nerves, while intrabrachial infusion of the same compound is devoid of effect on forearm muscle microcirculation. Taken together, these results indicate that, apart from a possible distrectual difference, the effect of anandamide is specific for the abluminal, but not for the endoluminal, part of the vessel wall. Thus, it is conceivable that, at least in the peripheral microcirculation, this compound could act as an autocrine/paracrine agent and not as a circulating hormone. In line with this possibility, it has been demonstrated that anandamide can be produced by macrophages and therefore its biological effect might increase in clinical conditions characterized by augmented activity of this cell line, including cardiogenic, hemorrhagic and endotoxic shock and even in atherosclerosis, inflammation and ischemia. Moreover, increased serum values of anandamide have been found in patients with endotoxic shock. However, decisive information concerning the role of anandamide in humans will be obtained when specific antagonists or inhibitors will be available. In that case, the anandamide system might represent a potential target for the treatment of important cardiovascular conditions, including severe shock.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2005) 146, 165–166. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706316
Functional expression of the P2Y14 receptor in murine T‐lymphocytes
Authors: Scrivens Michelle , Dickenson John M
Published: July 2005

Quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) analysis has previously shown that the P2Y14 receptor is expressed in peripheral immune cells including lymphocytes. Although in transfected cells the P2Y14 receptor couples to pertussis toxin‐sensitive Gi/o protein, the functional coupling of endogenously expressed P2Y14 receptors to the inhibition of adenylyl cyclase activity has not been reported. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to determine whether the P2Y14 receptor is functionally expressed in murine spleen‐derived T‐ and B‐lymphocyte‐enriched populations.

RT–PCR analysis detected the expression of P2Y14 receptor mRNA in whole spleen and isolated T‐ and B‐lymphocytes.

In T cells, UDP‐glucose (EC50=335 nM) induced a small but significant inhibition (circa 20%) of forskolin‐stimulated cAMP accumulation, suggesting functional coupling of endogenously expressed P2Y14 receptors to the inhibition of adenylyl cyclase activity. In contrast, the other putative P2Y14 receptor agonists UDP‐galactose, UDP‐glucuronic acid and UDP‐N‐acetylglucosamine had no significant effect alone but behaved as partial agonists by blocking UDP‐glucose responses. In B cells, UDP‐glucose (100 μM) had no significant effect on forskolin‐stimulated cAMP accumulation.

Treatment of T cells with pertussis toxin (Gi/o blocker) abolished the inhibitory effects of UDP‐glucose on forskolin‐stimulated cAMP accumulation.

T‐cell proliferation in response to anti‐CD3 monoclonal antibody (1 μg ml−1) was significantly inhibited by UDP‐glucose (59% inhibition; p[IC50]=5.9±0.3), UDP‐N‐acetylglucosamine (37%; 6.1±0.3), UDP‐galactose (56%; 8.2±0.2) and UDP‐glucuronic acid (49%; 6.3±0.2). Interleukin‐2‐ (5 ng ml−1) induced T‐cell proliferation was also significantly inhibited by all four agonists.

In summary, we have shown that the P2Y14 receptor appears to be functionally expressed in murine spleen‐derived T‐lymphocytes. These observations suggest that UDP‐glucose and related sugar nucleotides presumably via the P2Y14 receptor may play an important role in modulating immune function.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2005) 146, 435–444. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706322
A Haplotype Similarity Based Transmission/Disequilibrium Test under Founder Heterogeneity
Authors: Yu Kai , Zhang Shuanglin , Borecki Ingrid , Kraja Aldi , Xiong Chengjie , Myers Richard , Province Michael
Published: July 2005

Taking advantage of increasingly available high‐density single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers across the genome, various types of transmission/disequilibrium tests (TDT) using haplotype information have been developed. A practical challenge arising in such studies is the possibility that transmitted haplotypes have inherited disease‐causing mutations from different ancestral chromosomes, or do not bear any disease‐causing mutations (founder heterogeneity). To reduce the loss of signal strength due to founder heterogeneity, we propose an SP‐TDT test that combines a sequential peeling procedure with the haplotype similarity based TDT method. The proposed SP‐TDT method is applicable to any size of nuclear family with or without ambiguous phase information. Simulation studies suggest that the SP‐TDT method has the correct type I error rate in stratified populations, and enhanced power compared with some existing haplotype similarity based TDT methods. Finally, we apply the proposed method to study the association of the leptin gene with obesity from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study.
MtDNA and Y‐chromosome Variation in Kurdish Groups
Authors: Nasidze Ivan , Quinque Dominique , Ozturk Murat , Bendukidze Nina , Stoneking Mark
Published: July 2005

In order to investigate the origins and relationships of Kurdish‐speaking groups, mtDNA HV1 sequences, eleven Y chromosome bi‐allelic markers, and 9 Y‐STR loci were analyzed among three Kurdish groups: Zazaki and Kurmanji speakers from Turkey, and Kurmanji speakers from Georgia. When compared with published data from other Kurdish groups and from European, Caucasian, and West and Central Asian groups, Kurdish groups are most similar genetically to other West Asian groups, and most distant from Central Asian groups, for both mtDNA and the Y‐chromosome. However, Kurdish groups show a closer relationship with European groups than with Caucasian groups based on mtDNA, but the opposite based on the Y‐chromosome, indicating some differences in their maternal and paternal histories. The genetic data indicate that the Georgian Kurdish group experienced a bottleneck effect during their migration to the Caucasus, and that they have not had detectable admixture with their geographic neighbours in Georgia. Our results also do not support the hypothesis of the origin of the Zazaki –speaking group being in northern Iran; genetically they are more similar to other Kurdish groups. Genetic analyses of recent events, such as the origins and migrations of Kurdish‐speaking groups, can therefore lead to new insights into such migrations.
Mechanism for Atrial Tachyarrhythmia in Chronic Volume Overload‐Induced Dilated Atria
Authors: HIROSE MASAMICHI , TAKEISHI YASUCHIKA , MIYAMOTO TAKUYA , KUBOTA ISAO , LAURITA KENNETH R. , CHIBA SHIGETOSHI
Published: July 2005

Introduction: Atrial dilatation associated with chronic volume overload (CVO) plays an important role in the development of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the underlying mechanisms are unknown.

Methods and Results: CVO‐induced atrial dilatation was created in Japanese white rabbits using arteriovenous shunt formation for 6 weeks. Epicardial action potentials were measured from both atria in Langendorff‐perfused sham‐operated control hearts (n = 8) and in CVO hearts (n = 8) using high‐resolution optical mapping techniques. The left atrial diameter was greater in CVO hearts (16.0 ± 0.4 mm) compared to control hearts (11.0 ± 0.8 mm). During steady‐state pacing, right and left atrial conduction velocities were significantly lower in CVO hearts compared to control hearts (P < 0.01). Rapid atrial pacing did not induce atrial tachyarrhythmia (AT) in any control hearts. However, in seven of eight CVO hearts 16 episodes of AT were induced, of which 9 exhibited a single reentrant circuit. The remaining 7 episodes exhibited a focal pattern of excitation without evidence of reentry. Interestingly, the activation rate was higher during reentry (16.1 ± 1.5 Hz) compared to focal AT (9.8 ± 1.0 Hz). In addition, 15 of 16 episodes occurred in the posterior left atrium (PLA). In all seven CVO hearts, AT was self‐sustained for more than 10 minutes.

Conclusion: CVO caused atrial dilatation, conduction slowing, and AT associated with reentrant and focal excitation originating from the PLA. These results suggest that the PLA may play an important role in AT induction associated with CVO‐induced atrial dilation.
Investigation of the cause of the high-to-low mode confinement transition following multifaceted asymmetric radiation from edge formation in DIII-D
Authors: Stacey W. M. , Friis Z. W. , Petrie T. W. , Leonard A. W.
Published: July 2005

The common observation that the onset of a core MARFE (multifaceted asymmetric radiation from edge) is followed immediately by a H-L (high-to-low) confinement mode transition in DIII-D [J. Luxon, Nucl. Fusion 42, 614 (2002)] was investigated by comparing a theoretical prediction of the threshold nonradiative power across the separatrix needed to maintain H mode with an experimental determination of the nonradiative power flowing across the separatrix. It was found that in three shots with continuous gas fueling the increased neutral influx associated with the MARFE formation caused a sharp increase in the predicted threshold nonradiative power crossing the separatrix that was required for the plasma to remain in H mode to a value comparable to the experimental power crossing the separatrix.
Anomalous hysteresis properties of iron films deposited on liquid surfaces
Authors: Ye Quan-Lin , Feng Chun-Mu , Xu Xiao-Jun , Jin Jin-Sheng , Xia A-Gen , Ye Gao-Xiang
Published: July 2005

A nearly free sustained iron film system, deposited on silicone oil surfaces by vapor-phase deposition method, has been fabricated and its crystal structure as well as magnetic properties has been studied. Both the temperature-dependent coercivity Hc(T) and exchange anisotropy field HE(T) of the iron films possess a maximum peak around the critical temperature Tcrit=10–15 and 4K, respectively. Our experimental results show that the anomalous hysteresis properties mainly result from the oxide surfaces of the films with spin-glass-like phase below freezing temperature Tf=30–50K.
Emergence of the genuine Johari–Goldstein secondary relaxation in m-fluoroaniline after suppression of hydrogen-bond-induced clusters by elevating temperature and pressure
Authors: Hensel-Bielówka S. , Paluch M. , Ngai K. L.
Published: July 2005

The dielectric spectra of the glass former, m-fluoroaniline (m-FA), at ambient pressure show the presence of a secondary relaxation, which was identified in the literature as the universal Johari–Goldstein (JG) β relaxation. However, published elastic neutron scattering and simulation data [D. Morineau, C. Alba-Simionesco, M. C. Bellisent-Funel, and M. F. Lauthie, Europhys. Lett. 43, 195 (1998); D. Morineau and C. Alba-Simionesco, J. Chem. Phys. 109, 8494 (1998)] showed the presence of hydrogen-bond-induced clusters of limited size in m-FA at ambient pressure and temperature of the dielectric measurements. The observed secondary relaxation may originate from the hydrogen-bond-induced clusters. If so, it should not be identified with the JG β relaxation that involves essentially all parts of the molecule and has certain characteristics [K. L. Ngai and M. Paluch, J. Chem. Phys. 120, 857 (2004)], but then arises the question of where is the supposedly universal JG β relaxation in m-FA. To gain a better understanding and resolving the problem, we perform dielectric measurements at elevated pressures and temperatures to suppress the hydrogen-bond-induced clusters and find significant changes in the dielectric spectra. The secondary relaxation observed at ambient pressure in m-FA is suppressed, indicating that indeed it originates from the hydrogen-bond-induced clusters. The spectra of m-FA are transformed at high temperature and pressure to become similar to that of toluene. The new secondary relaxation that emerges in the spectra has properties of a genuine JG relaxation like in toluene.
Finite-element modeling of acoustic chaos to sonic infrared imaging
Authors: Han Xiaoyan , Islam Md. Sarwar , Newaz G. , Favro L. D. , Thomas R. L.
Published: July 2005

The technique of sonic infrared imaging (SIR) consists of the excitation of an object with a short pulse of high-power 15–40-kHz sound, in combination with imaging of the object’s surface temperature as a function of time with an infrared video camera. SIR is effective for detecting both surface and subsurface cracks. The recent discovery of acoustic chaos has provided a means for greatly enhancing the effectiveness of SIR. Some of the authors have recently shown analytically that a simple mechanical model of a transducer, in forced contact with a structureless sample, and driven by a pure 20-kHz source will produce chaotic sound. The chaos results from the combination of the 20-kHz vibration and the bouncing of the transducer from the sample surface. Here we describe a more realistic, finite-element model, including bouncing, that also spontaneously produces chaotic sound.
Plasma wave resonant detection of femtosecond pulsed terahertz radiation by a nanometer field-effect transistor
Authors: Teppe F. , Veksler D. , Kachorovski V. Yu. , Dmitriev A. P. , Xie X. , Zhang X.-C. , Rumyantsev S. , Knap W. , Shur M. S.
Published: July 2005

We report on the room-temperature, resonant detection of femtosecond pulsed terahertz radiation obtained by optical rectification in a ZnTe crystal. The detection was realized using a 250nm gate length GaAs∕AlGaAs heterostructure field-effect transistor. We show that physical mechanism of the detection is related to the plasma waves excited in the transistor channel. The detection is strongly enhanced by increasing the drain current and driving the transistor into the plasma wave instability region. Our results clearly show that plasma wave nanometer transistors can be efficient and fast detectors for terahertz spectroscopic imaging based on the femtosecond pulsed THz sources.
Magnetoresistance sensor with an out-of-plane magnetized sensing layer
Authors: van Dijken Sebastiaan , Coey J. M. D.
Published: July 2005

A concept for a linear and reversible magnetoresistance sensor is demonstrated using a magnetic spin valve. The sensor is based on coherent rotation of an out-of-plane magnetized sensing layer in parallel-to-plane applied magnetic fields. For Pt∕CoFe sensing layers, the sensor response depends critically on the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of the CoFe film and, therefore, on its thickness tCoFe. Sensors with small tCoFe exhibit a high linearity up to applied fields of about 50mT, but their magnetic field sensitivity is rather small. The sensitivity, however, increases with tCoFe and it reaches its maximum value just below the spin reorientation transition in the CoFe sensing layer.
A giant pyroelectric effect of a rigid rod-like polymer, poly[(s)-(-)-2-propionic acid methyl isocyanate]
Authors: Sugita Atsushi , Yamashira Yuhji , Tasaka Shigeru
Published: July 2005

Electric activity of a rigid rod-like polymer, poly[(s)-(-)-2-propionic acid methyl isocyanate] (Pc*IC), in a solid state is reported. A measurement of a displacement-field hysteresis loop reveals that Pc*IC chain systems possessed polarization for which the direction can be inversed by an external field. Remanent polarization and a coercive field were determined to be 16.4mC∕m2 and 15.7MV∕m, respectively, at 20°C. The polymer also exhibited the excellent pyroelectricity. A pyroelectric coefficient of about 300μmC∕m2K at 95°C was one magnitude larger than those of other pyroelectric polymers and was almost comparable with those of some inorganic pyroelectric materials.
Rearrangement of ferroelectric domain structure induced by chemical etching
Authors: Shur V. Ya. , Lobov A. I. , Shur A. G. , Kurimura S. , Nomura Y. , Terabe K. , Liu X. Y. , Kitamura K.
Published: July 2005

The rearrangement of the domain structure induced by chemical etching has been observed in periodically poled MgO-doped stoichiometric lithium tantalate single crystals. Topographic and piezoresponse scanning probe microscopy have been used for measuring the etching relief height and domain wall position after etching. The considerable shift of the domain wall during etching by pure hydrofluoric acid has been revealed by analysis of the experimental data. We have found that the wall motion proceeded after the termination of the etching procedure. We have shown that the whole consequence of the domain wall positions during etching is recorded in the etching relief height and can be extracted with high spatial and temporal resolution.
Korean Fishing Communities in Transition: Limitations of Community-Based Resource Management
Authors: Cheong So-Min
Published: July 2005

This paper addresses limitations of community-based resource management by examining Korean fishing communities making the transition into tourism. It challenges local-centered views of resource management implemented through a homogeneous, cooperative, and self-reliant community. Local communities more often than not consist of diverse groups, demonstrate internal political dynamics, and need external resources in times of crisis. Utilizing three case studies of depressed Korean fishing communities, the author emphasizes the significance of external linkages, and concludes that existing community-based resource management is not adequate to the task of transition.
Forecasting Urban Land-Use Demand Using a Metropolitan Input-Output Model
Authors: Jun Myung-Jin
Published: July 2005

The purpose of this paper is to develop an urban land-use-demand forecast model using a metropolitan input–output model and gravity-type spatial interaction models. The feasibility of the proposed model is tested with actual data from the Seoul metropolitan area by estimating the effects of urban-growth-control policy on urban economy, employment, population, and land-use demand. Three main features are highlighted: (1) the proposed model can estimate and project urban land-use demand on a firm theoretical foundation because land-use demand is determined by the interindustrial and interspatial relations of production, income formation, and consumption through metropolitan input–output multipliers; (2) the proposed model has practical advantages over other urban land-use models in terms of operational cost because it is relatively easy to operate within the input–output framework and it has fewer requirements of data and parameter calibration; and (3) the proposed model has the capability to incorporate changes in attractiveness, accessibility, land availability, and other policy variables in projecting and estimating urban land-use demand, which is an important feature for policy evaluation. The simulation results prove the feasibility of the proposed model as an urban-policy evaluation tool, which provides significant implications to urban policy analysts. The simulation results indicate that a growth-control policy decreases output and employment for the overall urban economy. The model results also show that a city with a growth-control policy is negatively impacted with regards to output, employment, population, and residential and nonresidential land-use demand, whereas the surrounding cities receive positive spillover effects due to the land-use regulation.
Landscapes of Survival and Escape: Social Networking and Urban Livelihoods in Ghana
Authors: Hanson Kobena T
Published: July 2005

The interactions that take place between individuals, and the reciprocity networks and trust that people negotiate daily, are important assets that reduce socioeconomic vulnerability and increase opportunities. However, the pressures of economic change can exert opposing forces on social capital—strengthening it, as reciprocity networks are increasingly called into play, and eroding it, as households' ability to cope deteriorates and trust breaks down. Drawing on the above, I examine the complex ways in which individuals in Koforidua, Ghana network for resources, identity, and space by using their social interactions. I focus specifically on how networks are employed as assets to guard against and alleviate the hardships of a changing socioeconomic landscape. Network interactions are explored through four key lenses: (a) household, kin, and neighborhood ties; (b) alumni ties; (c) occupational ties; and (d) religious associations. I conclude that the ongoing networks, symbolizing different scales of social space, are what guide individuals to appropriate forums. They make survival possible. They also encapsulate and communicate identity.
Long-term night chilling of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) does not result in reduced CO2 assimilation
Authors: Singh Bir , Haley Luke , Nightengale Jamie , Kang Won Hee , Haigler Candace H. , Holaday A. Scott
Published: July 2005

The aim of this study was to characterise the response of CO2 assimilation (A) of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) to short- and long-term exposures to night chilling. We hypothesised that short-term exposures to night chilling would induce reductions in gs and, therefore, A during the following days, while growth of cotton plants for several weeks in cool night conditions would cause elevated leaf carbohydrate content, leading to the down-regulation of the capacity for A. Transferring warm-grown seedlings of wild type cotton, transgenic cotton with elevated sucrose-phosphate synthase activity (SPS+) that might produce and export more sucrose from the leaf, and a segregating null to cool nights (9°C minimum) for 1 or 2 d caused a small reduction in A (12%) and gs (21–50%) measured at 28°C. Internal CO2 did not change, suggesting some biochemical restriction of A along with a gs restriction. After 30 d, new leaves that developed in cool nights exhibited acclimation of A and partial acclimation of gs. Despite the elevated leaf carbohydrate content when plants were grown to maturity with night chilling, no reduction in A, gs, carboxylation capacity, electron transport capacity, or triose-phosphate utilisation capacity occurred. Instead, growth in cool nights tended to retard the diminishing of photosynthetic parameters and gs for aging stem and subtending leaves. However, elevated SPS activity did not affect any photosynthetic parameters. Therefore, when cotton that is well fertilised with nitrogen is grown with continuous night chilling, photosynthesis should not be negatively affected. However, an occasional exposure to cool nights could result in a small reduction in A and gs for leaves that have developed in warm night conditions.
Light-acclimation of cladode photosynthetic potentials in Casuarina glauca: trade-offs between physiological and structural investments
Authors: Niinemets Ülo , Lukjanova Aljona , Sparrow Ashley D. , Turnbull Matthew H.
Published: July 2005

Many arid and saline habitat species possess sparse canopies with cylindrical foliage that is considered relatively invariable along environmental gradients. However, even in sparse canopies strong gradients of light develop between the canopy top and bottom. We studied structural and photosynthetic acclimation to within-canopy light gradient in Casuarina glauca Sieb. ex Spreng., the photosynthetic organs of which are cylindrical cladodes. Seasonal average integrated quantum flux density (Qint) varied 25-fold between the canopy top and the canopy bottom. Cladode cross-sectional shape was unaffected by irradiance, but cladode dry mass per unit total area (MA) varied 2-fold within the canopy light gradient. This resulted primarily from light-dependent changes in cladode thickness (volume to total area ratio,V / AT) and to a lesser extent from changes in cladode density (D, MA = DV / AT). Nitrogen content, and the volume of mesophyll per unit surface area increased with increasing Qint and V / AT, resulting in positive scaling of foliage photosynthetic potential (capacity of photosynthetic electron transport and maximum Rubisco carboxylase activity per unit area) with light. However, nitrogen content per unit dry mass and the volume fraction of mesophyll decreased with increasing irradiance. This was explained by greater fractional investment in mechanical tissues in cladodes with greater volume to surface area ratio. This trade-off between photosynthetic and support investments reduced the cladode photosynthetic plasticity. Our study demonstrates a significant acclimation potential of species with cylindrical foliage that should be included in larger-scale carbon balance estimations of arid and saline communities.
Application of DIVA vaccines and their companion diagnostic tests to foreign animal disease eradication
Authors: Pasick John
Published: July 2005

The risk of foreign animal disease introduction continues to exist despite Canada's strict regulations concerning the importation of animals and animal products. Given the rapidity with which these diseases can spread, especially in areas with dense livestock populations, eradication efforts which rely solely on quarantine and stamping-out measures can present a formidable undertaking. This, combined with growing economic and ethical considerations, has led to renewed interest in the use of vaccination as a tool in controlling foreign animal disease outbreaks. Vaccination has effects at the individual and population levels. Efficacious vaccines reduce or prevent clinical signs without necessarily preventing virus replication. They may also increase the dose of virus needed to establish an infection and/or reduce the level and duration of virus shedding following infection. Vaccine effectiveness within a population is a function of its ability to reduce virus transmission. Transmission is best described by the reproductive ratio, R, which is defined as the average number of new infections caused by one infectious individual. By helping to reduce the R-value below 1, vaccination can be an effective adjunct in abbreviating an outbreak. Nevertheless, vaccination can also complicate serological surveillance activities that follow eradication, if the antibody response induced by vaccination is indistinguishable from that which follows infection. This disadvantage can be overcome by the use of DIVA vaccines and their companion diagnostic tests. The term DIVA (differentiating infected from vaccinated individuals) was coined in 1999 by J. T. van Oirschot of the Central Veterinary Institute, in the Netherlands. It is now generally used as an acronym for ‘differentiating infected from vaccinated animals’. The term was originally applied to the use of marker vaccines, which are based on deletion mutants of wild-type microbes, in conjunction with a differentiating diagnostic test. The DIVA strategy has been extended to include subunit and killed whole-virus vaccines. This system makes possible the mass vaccination of a susceptible animal population without compromising the serological identification of convalescent individuals. The DIVA approach has been applied successfully to pseudorabies and avian influenza eradication, and has been proposed for use in foot-and-mouth disease and classical swine fever eradication campaigns. This paper will survey current vaccine technology, the host immune response, and companion diagnostic tests that are available for pseudorabies, foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever and avian influenza.
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes in protection against equine infectious anemia virus
Authors: McGuire Travis C. , Fraser Darrilyn G. , Mealey Robert H.
Published: July 2005

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are associated with virus control in horses infected with equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). Early in infection, control of the initial viremia coincides with the appearance of CTL and occurs before the appearance of neutralizing antibody. In carrier horses, treatment with immunosuppressive drugs results in viremia before a change in serum neutralizing antibody occurs. Clearance of initial viremia caused by other lentiviruses, including human immunodeficiency virus-1 and simian immunodeficiency virus, is also associated with CTL and not neutralizing antibody. In addition, depletion of CD8+cells prior to infection of rhesus monkeys with simian immunodeficiency prevents clearance of virus and the same treatment of persistently infected monkeys results in viremia. Cats given adoptive transfers of lymphocytes from vaccinated cats were protected and the protection was MHC-restricted, occurred in the absence of antiviral humoral immunity, and correlated with the transfer of cells with feline immunodeficiency virus-specific CTL and T-helper lymphocyte activities. Therefore, a lentiviral vaccine, including one for EIAV, needs to induce CTL. Based on initial failures to induce CTL to EIAV proteins by any means other than infection, we attempted to define an experimental system for the evaluation of methods for CTL induction. CTL epitopes restricted by the ELA-A1 haplotype were identified and the MHC class I molecule presenting these peptides was identified. This was done by expressing individual MHC class I molecules from cDNA clones in target cells. The target cells were then pulsed with peptides and used with effector CTL stimulated with the same peptides. In a preliminary experiment, immunization of three ELA-A1 haplotype horses with an Env peptide restricted by this haplotype resulted in CTL in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) which recognized the Env peptide and virus-infected cells, but the CTL response was transient. Nevertheless there was significant protection against clinical disease following EIAV challenge of these immunized horses when compared with three control horses given the same virus challenge. These data indicated that responses to peptides in immunized horses needed to be enhanced. Optimal CTL responses require help from CD4+T lymphocytes, and experiments were done to identify EIAV peptides which stimulated CD4+T lymphocytes in PBMC from infected horses with different MHC class II types. Two broadly cross-reactive Gag peptides were identified which stimulated only an interferon γ response by CD4+T lymphocytes, which indicated a T helper 1 response is needed for CTL stimulation. Such peptides should facilitate CTL responses; however, other problems in inducing protection against lentiviruses remain, the most significant of them being EIAV variants that can escape both CTL and neutralizing antibody. A possible solution to CTL escape variants is the induction of high-avidity CTL to multiple EIAV epitopes.
Efficacy and safety of a feline immunodeficiency virus vaccine
Authors: Huang Chengjin , Conlee Douglas , Loop Jennifer , Champ Deborah , Gill Mike , Chu Hsien-Jue (Steve)
Published: July 2005

Fel-O-Vax FIV is an inactivated virus vaccine designed as an aid in the prevention of infection of cats, 8 weeks or older, by feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). It contains two genetically distinct FIV strains. The efficacy of this vaccine was demonstrated in a vaccination–challenge study designed to meet various regulatory requirements for registering the vaccine. Eight-week-old kittens were vaccinated with an immunogenicity vaccine which contained minimal release levels of FIV antigens formulated with a proprietary adjuvant system. Twelve months later, all vaccinates and controls were challenged with a heterologous FIV strain. Following the vigorous challenge exposure, cats were monitored for FIV viremia. It was found that 16% of the vaccinated cats developed viremia while 90% of the controls became persistently infected with FIV, which demonstrated that the vaccine was efficacious and the protective immunity lasted for at least 12 months. The safety of the vaccine was demonstrated by a field safety trial in which only 22 mild reactions of short duration were observed following administering 2051 doses of two pre-licensing serials of Fel-O-Vax FIV to cats of various breeds, ages and vaccination histories. Thus, Fel-O-Vax FIV is safe and efficacious for the prevention of FIV infection in cats.
Feline immunodeficiency virus diagnosis after vaccination
Authors: Andersen Philip R. , Tyrrell Phyllis
Published: July 2005

Prior to the widespread use of vaccination for the control of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection, diagnosis was made by the detection of antibodies against FIV. A number of commercial animal side tests perform quite well for this determination, with positive predictive values between 91 and 100% and negative predictive values between 96 and 100%. Furthermore, results of these tests could be confirmed by western blot analysis of FIV test-positive sera. Currently, a killed whole virus FIV vaccine has been made available to practitioners. Vaccinated cats seroconvert by ELISA and western blot, making presently available diagnostic tests, which rely on antibody detection, useless in cats after vaccination. The advisory panels of the American Association of Feline Practitioners and Academy of Feline Medicine both recommend testing for feline leukemia virus antigen and FIV antibody before vaccination.
An overview of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies
Authors: Takemura K. , Kahdre M. , Joseph D. , Yousef A. , Sreevatsan S.
Published: July 2005

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are fatal neurodegenerative disorders of humans and animals associated with an accumulation of abnormal isoforms of prion protein (PrP) in nerve cells. The pathogenesis of TSEs involves conformational conversions of normal cellular PrP (PrPc) to abnormal isoforms of PrP (PrPSc). While the protein-only hypothesis has been widely accepted as a causal mechanism of prion diseases, evidence from more recent research suggests a possible involvement of other cellular component(s) or as yet undefined infectious agent(s) in PrP pathogenesis. Although the underlying mechanisms of PrP strain variation and the determinants of interspecies transmissibility have not been fully elucidated, biochemical and molecular findings indicate that bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle and new-variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in humans are caused by indistinguishable etiological agent(s). Cumulative evidence suggests that there may be risks of humans acquiring TSEs via a variety of exposures to infected material. The development of highly precise ligands is warranted to detect and differentiate strains, allelic variants and infectious isoforms of these PrPs. This article describes the general features of TSEs and PrP, the current understanding of their pathogenesis, recent advances in prion disease diagnostics, and PrP inactivation.
Can artificial sweeteners help control body weight and prevent obesity?
Authors: Benton David
Published: July 2005

The possible role played by artificial sweeteners in the long-term maintenance of body weight is considered. Although artificial sweeteners can play a role in a short-term energy-controlled diet, the evidence that they are helpful over a longer period is limited. In those in the recommended weight range there is evidence of compensation; that is, the consumption of low-energy foods is followed by an increased energy intake to make up the lost energy. Energy compensation is more likely in those not displaying dietary restraint. The desire to remove sugar from the diet reflects an assumption that its intake is associated with obesity. However, the consumption of energy-dense food, that almost entirely reflects a high fat and low water content, is the best predictor of obesity. Diets offering a high proportion of energy in the form of carbohydrate tend to contain low levels of fat. There are several reports that the use of artificial sweeteners leads to an increased consumption of fat. The weak ability of fat to satisfy hunger makes it easy to overeat fatty foods; in contrast, carbohydrates promote a feeling of ‘fullness’. Various short-term studies have found that carbohydrate consumed as a liquid, rather than a solid, is more likely to result in weight gain.