bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Extracting unrecognized gene relationships from the biomedical literature via matrix factorizations
Authors: Kim Hyunsoo , Park Haesun , Drake Barry L
Published: November 2007

Background

The construction of literature-based networks of gene-gene interactions is one of the most important applications of text mining in bioinformatics. Extracting potential gene relationships from the biomedical literature may be helpful in building biological hypotheses that can be explored further experimentally. Recently, latent semantic indexing based on the singular value decomposition (LSI/SVD) has been applied to gene retrieval. However, the determination of the number of factors k used in the reduced rank matrix is still an open problem.

Results

In this paper, we introduce a way to incorporate a priori knowledge of gene relationships into LSI/SVD to determine the number of factors. We also explore the utility of the non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) to extract unrecognized gene relationships from the biomedical literature by taking advantage of known gene relationships. A gene retrieval method based on NMF (GR/NMF) showed comparable performance with LSI/SVD.

Conclusion

Using known gene relationships of a given gene, we can determine the number of factors used in the reduced rank matrix and retrieve unrecognized genes related with the given gene by LSI/SVD or GR/NMF.
Production of single chain Fab (scFab) fragments in Bacillus megaterium
Authors: Jordan Eva , Al-Halabi Laila , Schirrmann Thomas , Hust Michael , Dübel Stefan
Published: November 2007

Background

The demand on antigen binding reagents in research, diagnostics and therapy raises questions for novel antibody formats as well as appropriate production systems. Recently, the novel single chain Fab (scFab) antibody format combining properties of single chain Fv (scFv) and Fab fragments was produced in the Gram-negative bacteriumEscherichia coli. In this study we evaluated the Gram-positive bacteriumBacillus megateriumfor the recombinant production of scFab and scFvs in comparison toE. coli.

Results

The lysozyme specific D1.3 scFab was produced inB. megateriumandE. coli. The total yield of the scFab after purification obtained from the periplasmic fraction and culture supernatant ofE. coliwas slightly higher than that obtained from culture supernatant ofB. megaterium. However, the yield of functional scFab determined by analyzing the antigen binding activity was equally in both production systems. Furthermore, a scFv fragment with specificity for the human C reactive protein was produced inB. megaterium. The total yield of the anti-CRP scFv produced inB. megateriumwas slightly lower compared toE. coli, whereas the specific activity of the purified scFvs produced inB. megateriumwas higher compared toE. coli.

Conclusion

B. megateriumallows the secretory production of antibody fragments including the novel scFab antibody format. The yield and quality of functional antibody fragment is comparable to the periplasmic production inE. coli.
Acute hepatitis associated with Q fever in a man in Greece: a case report
Authors: Pape Magdalini , Xanthis Andreas , Hatzitolios Apostolos , Mandraveli Kalliopi , Savopoulos Christos , Alexiou-Daniel Stella
Published: November 2007

Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q fever. Q fever is a worldwide zoonosis that is responsible for various clinical manifestations. However, in Greece hepatitis due to Coxiella is rarely encountered. A case of Q fever associated with hepatitis is reported here. Diagnosis was made by specific serological investigation (enzyme-linked immunosorbent and indirect immunofluorescene assays) for Coxiella burnetii.
Using protein complexes to predict phenotypic effects of gene mutation
Authors: Fraser Hunter B , Plotkin Joshua B
Published: November 2007

Background

Predicting the phenotypic effects of mutations is a central goal of genetics research; it has important applications in elucidating how genotype determines phenotype and in identifying human disease genes.

Results

Using a wide range of functional genomic data from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we show that the best predictor of a protein's knockout phenotype is the knockout phenotype of other proteins that are present in a protein complex with it. Even the addition of multiple datasets does not improve upon the predictions made from protein complex membership. Similarly, we find that a proxy for protein complexes is a powerful predictor of disease phenotypes in humans.

Conclusion

We propose that identifying human protein complexes containing known disease genes will be an efficient method for large-scale disease gene discovery, and that yeast may prove to be an informative model system for investigating, and even predicting, the genetic basis of both Mendelian and complex disease phenotypes.
Hexose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase and 11β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase-1 Tissue Distribution in the Rat
Authors: Gomez-Sanchez Elise P. , Romero Damian G. , de Rodriguez Angela F. , Warden Mary P. , Krozowski Zygmunt , Gomez-Sanchez Celso E.
Published: November 2007

Intracellular concentrations of the glucocorticoids cortisol and corticosterone are modulated by the enzymes 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11β-HSD) 1 and 2. 11β-HSD1 is a reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-dependent microsomal reductase that converts the inactive glucocorticoids cortisone and 11-dehydrocorticosterone to their active forms, cortisol and corticosterone. Hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (H6PDH) is an enzyme that generates NADPH from oxidized NADP (NADP+) within the endoplasmic reticulum. In the absence of NADPH or H6PDH to regenerate NADPH, 11β-HSD1 acts as a dehydrogenase and inactivates glucocorticoids, as does 11β-HSD2. A monoclonal antibody against H6PDH was produced to study the possibility that 11β-HSD1 in the absence of H6PDH may be responsible for hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity in tissues that do not express significant amounts of 11β-HSD2. H6PDH and 11β-HSD1 expression was surveyed in a variety of rat tissues by real-time RT-PCR, Western blot analysis, and immunohistochemistry. H6PDH was found in a wide variety of tissues, with the greatest concentrations in the liver, kidney, and Leydig cells. Although the brain as a whole did not express significant amounts of H6PDH, some neurons were clearly immunoreactive by immunohistochemistry. H6PDH was amply expressed in most tissues examined in which 11β-HSD1 was also expressed, with the notable exception of the renal interstitial cells, in which dehydrogenase activity by 11β-HSD1 probably moderates activation of the glucocorticoid receptor because rat renal interstitial cells do not have significant amounts of mineralocorticoid receptors. This antibody against the H6PDH should prove useful for further studies of enzyme activity requiring NADPH generation within the endoplasmic reticulum.
One-Cell Zygote Transfer from Diabetic to Nondiabetic Mouse Results in Congenital Malformations and Growth Retardation in Offspring
Authors: Wyman Amanda , Pinto Anil B. , Sheridan Rachael , Moley Kelle H.
Published: November 2007

Fetuses of type 1 and 2 diabetic women experience higher incidences of malformations and fetal death as compared with nondiabetics, even when they achieve adequate glycemic control during the first trimester. We hypothesize that maternal diabetes adversely affects the earliest embryonic stage after fertilization and programs the fetus to experience these complications. To test this hypothesis, we transferred either one-cell mouse zygotes or blastocysts from either streptozotocin-induced diabetic or control mice into nondiabetic pseudopregnant female recipients. We then evaluated the fetuses at embryonic d 14.5 to assess fetal growth and the presence or absence of malformations. We found that fetuses from the diabetic mice transferred at the blastocyst stage but also as early as the one-cell zygote stage displayed significantly higher rates of malformations consistent with neural tube closure problems and abdominal wall and limb deformities. In addition, both these groups of fetuses were significantly growth retarded. To determine if this phenomenon was due to high glucose concentrations, two-cell embryos were cultured to a blastocyst stage in 52 mmd-glucose or l-glucose as an osmotic control, transferred into nondiabetic pseudopregnant mice, and examined at embryonic d 14.5. These embryos did not demonstrate any evidence of malformations, however, they did experience significantly higher rates of resorptions, lower implantation rates, and they were significantly smaller at embryonic d 14.5. In summary, exposure to maternal diabetes during oogenesis, fertilization, and the first 24 h was enough to program permanently the fetus to develop significant morphological changes.
Serotonin 5-HT2C Receptor Agonist Promotes Hypophagia via Downstream Activation of Melanocortin 4 Receptors
Authors: Lam Daniel D. , Przydzial Magdalena J. , Ridley Simon H. , Yeo Giles S. H. , Rochford Justin J. , O’Rahilly Stephen , Heisler Lora K.
Published: November 2007

The neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) is a well-established modulator of energy balance. Both pharmacological and genetic evidence implicate the serotonin 2C receptor (5-HT2CR) as a critical receptor mediator of serotonin’s effects on ingestive behavior. Here we characterized the effect of the novel and selective 5-HT2CR agonist BVT.X on energy balance in obese and lean mice and report that BVT.X significantly reduces acute food intake without altering locomotor activity or oxygen consumption. In an effort to elucidate the mechanism of this effect, we examined the chemical phenotype of 5-HT2CR-expressing neurons in a critical brain region affecting feeding behavior, the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. We show that 5-HT2CRs are coexpressed with neurons containing proopiomelanocortin, known to potently affect appetite, in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus of the mouse. We then demonstrate that prolonged infusion with BVT.X in obese mice significantly increases Pomc mRNA and reduces body weight, percent body fat, and initial food intake. To evaluate the functional importance of melanocortin circuitry in the effect of BVT.X on ingestive behavior, we assessed mice with disrupted melanocortin pathways. We report that mice lacking the melanocortin 4 receptor are not responsive to BVT.X-induced hypophagia, demonstrating that melanocortins acting on melanocortin 4 receptor are a requisite downstream pathway for 5-HT2CR agonists to exert effects on food intake. The data presented here not only indicate that the novel 5-HT2CR agonist BVT.X warrants further investigation as a treatment for obesity but also elucidate specific neuronal pathways potently affecting energy balance through which 5-HT2CR agonists regulate ingestive behavior.
The Salaried Middle Class in the Corporatist Welfare State
Authors: Gould Arthur
Published: November 2007

While I recognise that there are many problems involved in defining what I choose to call the salaried middle class (SMC), I will take its constituent elements to be those non-manual career hierarchies which we tend to associate with private and public bureaucracies. Galbraith’s definition of a large corporation’s technostructure comes nearest to what I mean.

‘It extends from the most senior officials to where it meets … the blue and white collar workers whose function is to perform more or less mechanically to instruction or routine. It embraces all who bring specialised knowledge, talent or experience to group decisionmaking’.

My renewed interest in this class has arisen because recent Marxist studies of social policy and the welfare state have left me dissatisfied with the constant emphasis upon capital and labour. It may be, as Parkin has pointed out, that non-Marxist sociology made too much of the manual/non-manual distinction in the past and relegated private property ‘to a theoretical limbo’ .But the reverse is now equally true.

Although Marxists often refer to the new middle class and the ‘new petit bourgeoisie’ their analysis of capitalist society is based upon a dual model of class conflict.
Government and Smoking: Policy-Making and Pressure Groups
Authors: Popham G. T.
Published: November 2007

According to official estimates cigarette smoking in Britain is responsible for 50,000 premature deaths annually, about seven times the number of people killed in road accidents. Every year some 15,000 still births result from smoking by pregnant women. The annual cost of treating smoking-related diseases was estimated to be £85 million in 1977. Furthermore, the number of working days lost yearly through illnesses associated with smoking has been put at roughly four times that lost through strikes. Even ignoring avoidable human suffering, therefore, there are strong arguments in favour of curbing smoking, though these have to be weighed against the revenue and employment provided by the tobacco industry.

For over 20 years successive British Governments have undertaken to discourage smoking but their record has been compared unfavourably with that of Governments elsewhere. Slow progress is due, in part, to the tobacco lobby’s role in the policy making process.

Policy making is a complex, continuous activity, difficult to observe and varying according to the subject. There are, however, common elements which enable generalisations to be made. First, an issue has to compete against numerous others for a place on the policy agenda.
Expression of Toll-like Receptor 2 (TLR2), TLR4, and CD14 in Biopsy Samples of Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: Upregulated Expression of TLR2 in Terminal Ileum of Patients With Ulcerative Colitis
Authors: Frolova Lenka , Drastich Pavel , Rossmann Pavel , Klimesova Klara , Tlaskalova-Hogenova Helena
Published: November 2007

Dysregulation of innate and adaptive intestinal immune responses to bacterial microbiota is supposed to be involved in pathogenetic mechanisms of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). We investigated expression of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), TLR4, and their transmembrane coreceptor CD14 inbiopsy samples from patients with IBD and in non-inflamed gut mucosa from controls. Small intestine and colon samples were obtained by colonoscopy from patients with Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC), and controls. Immunohistochemical analysis of cryostat sections using polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies specific for TLR2, TLR4, and CD14 showed a significant increase in TLR2 expression in the terminal ileum of patients with inactive and active UC against controls. Significant upregulation of TLR4 expression relative to controls was found in the terminal ileum and rectum of UC patients in remission and in the terminal ileum of CD patients with active disease. CD14 expression was upregulated in the terminal ileum of CD patients in remission and with active disease, in the cecum of UC patients in remission and with active disease, and in rectum of UC patients with active disease. Hence, dysregulation of TLR2, TLR4, and CD14 expression in different parts of the intestinal mucosa may be crucial in IBD pathogenesis.
Immunolocalization of Periostin-like Factor and Periostin During Embryogenesis
Authors: Zhu Shimei , Barbe Mary F. , Amin Neilay , Rani Shobha , Popoff Steven N. , Safadi Fayez F. , Litvin Judith
Published: November 2007

Periostin-like factor (PLF) and Periostin are alternatively spliced mRNAs. Our findings are the first to show similarities and differences between PLF and Periostin location using isoform-specific antibodies. The differences in when and where they are present during mouse embryogenesis suggest that they may have different functions. Using immunostaining techniques, we observed that PLF was highly expressed at 12.5 days postconception (dpc) in the intermediate and outer zones of most brain regions, spinal cord, cranial and spinal nerves, and chondrocytes in developing bone and in the heart wall. By 16.5 dpc, PLF was also present in ameloblasts and odontoblasts in developing teeth, and by 19.5 dpc, PLF was present at low levels only in vagal nerve bundles, discrete white matter bundles in the brain, and chondrocytes of developing ribs. Periostin, on the other hand, was absent at 12.5 dpc from dorsal spinal cord and from cranial and spinal nerves. By 16.5 dpc, Periostin was present in many spinal nerves, but absent thereafter, and at 19.5 dpc, Periostin was present in chondrocytes in developing bone but not in neural tissues. The different spatial and temporal location of PLF and Periostin in cartilage and bone cells suggests different roles for these proteins in endochondral bone formation. The early expression of PLF in brain differentiation zones and in developing axon bundles and nerves suggests that it may facilitate axon growth.
A Study of the Structure and Chemistry in Zircaloy-2 and the Resulting Oxide After High Temperature Corrosion
Authors: Hutchinson Bevis , Lehtinen Börje , Limbäck Magnus , Dahlbäck Mats
Published: November 2007

A plate of Zircaloy-2 received in the β-quenched condition was heat treated to vary systematically the size of the second phase particles (SPPs) and the content of alloying elements retained in solid solution. Scanning electron microscopy and thermoelectric power measurements were used to quantify these microstructural parameters. Specimens were exposed for different periods of time in autoclaves at 415°C and at 500°C in steam, and corrosion was assessed according to the gain in weight. Effects of the microstructure were not great but it was observed that materials having larger SPPs were somewhat more resistant to oxidation in the 415°C tests whereas those with smaller SPPs performed better at 500°C. Influences on corrosion rates that could be attributed to alloy elements in solid solution were small or perhaps nonexistent. The chemistry of oxide layers formed at 500°C has been examined by etching away the zirconium metal and then depth-profiling using sputtered neutral mass spectroscopy. There was some difference in surface topography between the materials with smaller and larger SPPs. The compositional profiles showed that the oxide was substantially under-stoichiometric below the surface in all cases, with O/Zr ratios reaching unity or even less, and extending to depths between 150 nm and 400 nm from the metal oxide interface. These results are discussed in terms of their implication for existence of a diffusional barrier layer and for the stress states that can be expected within the oxide.
The block to apoptosis in bovine two-cell embryos involves inhibition of caspase-9 activation and caspase-mediated DNA damage
Authors: Brad Amber M , Hendricks Katherine E M , Hansen Peter J
Published: November 2007

The capacity of the preimplantation embryo to undergo apoptosis in response to external stimuli is developmentally regulated. Acquisition of apoptosis does not occur in the cow embryo until between the 8- and 16-cell stages. The purpose of the present experiments was to determine the mechanism by which apoptosis is blocked in the bovine two-cell embryo. Heat shock (41 °C for 15 h) did not increase activity of caspase-9 or group II caspases (caspase-2, -3, and -7) in two-cell embryos but did in day 5 embryos. Exposure of embryos to carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) to depolarize mitochondria resulted in activation of caspase-9 and group II caspases at both stages of development. For day 5 embryos, CCCP also increased the proportion of blastomeres that underwent DNA fragmentation as determined by the TUNEL assay. In contrast, CCCP did not increase TUNEL labeling when applied at the two-cell stage. In conclusion, failure of heat shock to increase caspase-9 and group II caspase activity in the two-cell embryo indicates that the signaling pathway leading to mitochondrial depolarization and caspase activation is inhibited at this stage of development. The fact that CCCP treatment of two-cell embryos induced caspase-9 and group II-caspase activity indicates that caspase activation is possible following mitochondrial depolarization. However, since CCCP did not increase TUNEL labeling of two-cell embryos, actions of group II-caspases to activate DNases is inhibited.
Spindle assembly in the absence of chromosomes in mouse oocytes
Authors: Yang Ji-Wen , Lei Zi-Li , Miao Yi-Liang , Huang Jun-Cheng , Shi Li-Hong , OuYang Ying-Chun , Sun Qing-Yuan , Chen Da-Yuan
Published: November 2007

This study was carried out to investigate the contributions of chromosomes to spindle assembly in mouse oocytes. We generated two groups of cytoplasts (holo- and hemi-cytoplasts) by enucleation of germinal vesicle (GV), metaphase I (MI), and metaphase II (MII) oocytes using micromanipulation technology. After in vitro culture for 18 h, spindles with different shapes (bi-, mono-, or multipolar) formed in most of these cytoplasts except in hemi-GV cytoplasts. Two or more spindles were observed in most of holo-GV, holo-MI, and holo-MII cytoplasts (76.1, 77.0, and 83.7% respectively). However, the proportions of hemi-MI and hemi-MII cytoplasts with multiple sets of spindles decreased to 17.6 and 20.7% respectively. A single bipolar spindle was observed in each sham-operated oocyte generated by removing different volumes of cytoplasm from the oocytes and keeping nuclei intact. Localization of γ-tubulin showed that microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs) were dispersed at each pole of the multiple sets of spindles formed in holo-cytoplasts. However, most of the MTOCs aggregated at the two poles of the bipolar spindle in sham-operated oocytes. Our results demonstrate that chromosomes are not essential for initiating spindle assembly but for directing distinct MTOCs to aggregate to form a bipolar spindle. Some factors of undetermined nature may pre-exist in an inactive form in GV-stage ooplasm, serving as initiators of spindle assembly upon their activation. Moreover, GV materials released into the cytoplasm may facilitate spindle assembly in normal meiotic maturation.
Clinical Decision Support Tools: Performance of Personal Digital Assistant versus Online Drug Information Databases
Authors: Clauson Kevin A. , Polen Hyla H. , Marsh Wallace A.
Published: November 2007

Study Objectives. To evaluate personal digital assistant (PDA) drug information databases used to support clinical decision‐making, and to compare the performance of PDA databases with their online versions.

Design. Prospective evaluation with descriptive analysis.

Methods. Five drug information databases available for PDAs and online were evaluated according to their scope (inclusion of correct answers), completeness (on a 3‐point scale), and ease of use; 158 question‐answer pairs across 15 weighted categories of drug information essential to health care professionals were used to evaluate these databases. An overall composite score integrating these three measures was then calculated. Scores for the PDA databases and for each PDA‐online pair were compared.

Results. Among the PDA databases, composite rankings, from highest to lowest, were as follows: Lexi‐Drugs, Clinical Pharmacology OnHand, Epocrates Rx Pro, mobileMicromedex (now called Thomson Clinical Xpert), and Epocrates Rx free version. When we compared database pairs, online databases that had greater scope than their PDA counterparts were Clinical Pharmacology (137 vs 100 answers, p<0.001), Micromedex (132 vs 96 answers, p<0.001), Lexi‐Comp Online (131 vs 119 answers, p<0.001), and Epocrates Online Premium (103 vs 98 answers, p=0.001). Only Micromedex online was more complete than its PDA version (p=0.008). Regarding ease of use, the Lexi‐Drugs PDA database was superior to Lexi‐Comp Online (p<0.001); however, Epocrates Online Premium, Epocrates Online Free, and Micromedex online were easier to use than their PDA counterparts (p<0.001). In terms of composite scores, only the online versions of Clinical Pharmacology and Micromedex demonstrated superiority over their PDA versions (p<0.01).

Conclusion. Online and PDA drug information databases assist practitioners in improving their clinical decision‐making. Lexi‐Drugs performed significantly better than all of the other PDA databases evaluated. No PDA database demonstrated superiority to its online counterpart; however, the online versions of Clinical Pharmacology and Micromedex were superior to their PDA versions in answering questions.
Rituximab for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Schuna Arthur A.
Published: November 2007

Rituximab has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in combination with methotrexate for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in patients who failed to achieve adequate benefit from tumor necrosis factor‐α inhibitors. Rituximab is a biologic agent that depletes peripheral B cells—an action thought to reduce rheumatoid arthritis activity—and induces prolonged clinical improvement. Two 1000‐mg infusions administered 2 weeks apart can result in a response that lasts for months. Most patients will require retreatment, but the effect of repeated dosing on patient outcomes has not yet been determined. Combination therapy with methotrexate is recommended as this appears to achieve the best outcomes. Rituximab also has been shown to be safe, although the lack of long‐term efficacy and safety data limit its use. More studies are needed, but this agent has been demonstrated to be safe and effective in patients who fail to achieve adequate clinical response to methotrexate and tumor necrosis factor‐α inhibitors.
Candida Endophthalmitis: Focus on Current and Future Antifungal Treatment Options
Authors: Khan Fida A. , Slain Douglas , Khakoo Rashida A.
Published: November 2007

Candida endophthalmitis is a sight‐threatening manifestation of disseminated candidiasis. The occurrence of endogenous candida endophthalmitis in patients with candidemia has ranged from 0–45% in the published literature. In critically ill patients, it has even been associated with increased mortality. In recent years, use of newer antifungal therapies for invasive candidiasis has increased given the rise in infections with non‐albicans species of Candida. To identify current practices of the management of endogenous candida endophthalmitis and relevant antifungal drug research in this disease state, we conducted a MEDLINE search (1967–2006) and bibliographic search of the English‐language literature. Treatments for candida endophthalmitis have not been evaluated through well‐designed, well‐powered clinical trials. Data have mainly been presented in case reports, case series, animal studies, pharmacokinetic studies, and as small subsets of larger trials. Traditional systemic therapies have been amphotericin B with or without flucytosine or fluconazole. Cure rates with antifungal drugs alone appear to be much higher in patients with chorioretinitis than in endophthalmitis with vitreal involvement. Pars plana vitrectomy with or without intravitreal amphotericin B injections has been advocated particularly for patients with moderate‐to‐severe vitritis and substantial vision loss. Information on new antifungal agents for endophthalmitis is limited, despite increasing use in patients with candidemia. Voriconazole may be a particularly attractive agent to consider for infections with fluconazole‐resistant, voriconazole‐susceptible strains. The current patchwork of animal studies and small patient reports provide clinicians with some insight into the role of newer agents in the treatment of candida endophthalmitis. In general, it appears that chorioretinitis infections can be more readily cured with most systemic antifungal agents, whereas more aggressive treatment, often including vitrectomy with or without intravitreal antifungal administration, is needed for patients with endophthalmitis with vitritis.
Figures and wording on religious education
Authors: Gredelj Stjepan
Published: November 2007

Introduction of religious education and or education for citizenship in the first classes of elementary and secondary schools in Serbia in 2001 autumn had caused numerous controversies in public. This decision of power holders in Serbia was realized no matter of numerous voices of resistance among experts and a split within the public opinion. In the text are presented results of one public opinion poll which indicate ambivalence in the public opinion concerning this issue.
The "narcissism of minor differences" theory: Can it explain ethnic conflict?
Authors: Kolstø Pål
Published: November 2007

In many ethnic conflicts and civil wars in the 20th century the cultural differences between the warring groups were very small. The bloody conflicts between Serbs, Croatians, and Bosnians during the breakup of Yugoslavia are a case in point. This observation has led some commentators to conclude that a lack of objective cultural markers between groups may itself be conducive to violence: When the members of two groups are difficult to tell apart, violence is inserted in order to create identity boundaries between them. One particular version of this theory goes under the name ?narcissism of minor differences?. This expression goes back to Sigmund Freud, who applied it both to individual psychology and in his philosophy of culture. The notion has been largely ignored by practicing psychotherapists, but over the last decades, however, it has been discovered by journalists and social scientists and applied to cases of collective rather than individual violence. The present article examines some of the articles and books that expound the ?the narcissism of minor differences?-concept in order to assess the explanatory strength and weaknesses of this theory. .
The Middle Cenomanian basal series of Planinica, Western Serbia
Authors: Rabrenovic Dragoman , Vasic Nebojsa , Mitrovic-Petrovic Jovanka , Radulovic Vladan , Radulovic Barbara , Sreckovic-Batocanin Danica
Published: November 2007

Sedimentary rocks of the Upper Cretaceous basal series found at the village of Planinica, Western Serbia, are composed of thick coarse clastics and beds and intercalations of medium- to fine-grained clastics. The series lies transgressively over Jurassic serpentinite and peridotite, and under Upper Miocene marlstone and marly limestone. Sedimentary, petrographic, paleontological, and biostratigraphic characteristics of the basal series are described and its lithological members and their structural features are identified. From medium-grained sandy matrix in thick coarse clastics, two ammonite taxa, four brachiopod taxa (including the new taxa Orbirhynchia oweni and "Terebratula" n. gen. et sp.), and eleven echinoid taxa are described. The brachiopod species Kingena concinna Owen is used in dating the basal series as Middle Cenomanian, whereas limestone fragments in coarse clastics correspond to the Late Albian and Early Cenomanian.
Cave bear (Ursus spelaeus Rosenmüller & Heinroth) males' den from Velika Pecina in Duboka Near Kucevo, Eastern Serbia
Authors: Dimitrijevic Vesna , Calic-Ljubojevic Jelena , Bogicevic Katarina
Published: November 2007

More a 100 years after the first research in the cave Velika pecina in Duboka near Kucevo cave bear remains were discovered in a small chamber cut off from the passable channels by a 7 m high slope. A whole skull, bones of a forearm in articulation, and other skeleton parts were laying on the cave floor encrusted in travertine cover and in some places overgrown by stalagmites. Bones belonged to adult males, which found there the shelter to hibernate, in a short epizode that ended by closing the channels that once linked this part of the cave to a surface.
Crystallite size distribution of clay minerals from selected Serbian clay deposits
Authors: Simic Vladimir , Uhlík Peter
Published: November 2007

The BWA (Bertaut-Warren-Averbach) technique for the measurement of the mean crystallite thickness and thickness distributions of phyllosilicates was applied to a set of kaolin and bentonite minerals. Six samples of kaolinitic clays, one sample of halloysite, and five bentonite samples from selected Serbian deposits were analyzed. These clays are of sedimentary volcano-sedimentary (diagenetic), and hydrothermal origin. Two different types of shape of thickness distribution were found - lognormal, typical for bentonite and halloysite, and polymodal, typical for kaolinite. The mean crystallite thickness (T BWA) seams to be influenced by the genetic type of the clay sample.
Motivisanost zoonima i njihov odnos prema licnim nadimcima i licnim imenima
Authors: Zugic Radmila
Published: November 2007

Rad se zasniva na gradji od 244 zoonima, ekscerpirana iz Recnika juzne Srbije Momcila Zlatanovica, dopunjenoj manjim brojem veoma frekventnih ovih onomastickih jedinica iz licne kartoteke (punkt okoline Lebana). Ovi nazivi za zivotinje bice obelezeni zvezdicom (*). Cilj rada je da na raspolozivom korpusu sagleda mogucnosti semanticke klasifikacije zoonima i pokaze najfrekventnije motive imenovanja zivotinja. Takodje ce biti nacinjen pokusaj da se u svetlu opstelingvistickih zakonitosti, a na osnovu motiva imenovanja i nacina postanka zoonima, odredi veza ove onomasticke kategorije sa licnim imenima s jedne, i licnim nadimcima s druge strane.
Order/disorder in electrodeposited aluminum-titanium alloys
Authors: Stafford G.R. , Tsuda T. , Hussey C.L.
Published: November 2007

The composition, morphology, and crystallographic microstructure of Al-Ti alloys electrodeposited from two different chloroaluminate molten salt electrolytes were examined. Alloys containing up to 28 % atomic fraction Ti were electrodeposited at 150 ?C from 2:1 AlCl3-NaCl with controlled additions of Ti2+. The apparent limit on alloy composition is proposed to be due to a mechanism by which Al3Ti forms through the reductive decomposition of [Ti(AlCl4)3]-. The composition of Al-Ti alloys electrodeposited from the AlCl3-EtMeImCl melt at 80 ?C is limited by the diffusion of Ti2+ to the electrode surface. Alloys containing up to 18.4 % atomic fraction Ti are only obtainable at high Ti2+ concentrations in the melt and low current densities. Alloys electrodeposited from the higher temperature melt have an ordered L12 crystal structure while alloys of similar composition but deposited at lower temperature are disordered fcc. The appearance of antiphase boundaries in the ordered alloys suggests that the deposit may be disordered initially and then orders in the solid state, subsequent to the charge transfer step and adatom incorporation into the lattice. This is very similar to the disorder-trapping observed in rapidly solidified alloys. The measured domain size is consistent with a mechanism of diffusion-controlled doman growth at the examined deposition temperatures and times.
Composition of outer-sphere cations as a tool for electrochemical synthesis of novel niobium compounds
Authors: Grinevitch V.V. , Arakcheeva A.V. , Kuznetsov S.A.
Published: November 2007

The individual alkali-metal cation influence on the chemical and phase composition of electrosynthesis products has been studied in fluoride solvents with different O/Nb ratios. It was shown that the cation nature of molten electrolytes is a powerful tool to control the chemical and phase composition of the cathodic products of electrolysis in oxy-fluoride and fluoride melts. New niobium compounds were obtained by electrochemical synthesis using the outer-sphere cations composition control: tetragonal Nb6O, rhombohedral sub-oxide NbxO (x<6) and composite compounds "NbO" ?n"MeF" (Me=K, Rb, n=1, 2).
Study on the nonexistence of liquid miscibility gap in the Ce-Mn system
Authors: Tang C. , Du Y. , Xu H. , Hao S. , Zhang L.
Published: November 2007

To ascertain whether the liquid miscibility gap exists in the Ce-Mn system, 3 key alloys are prepared by arc melting the pure elements, annealed at specified temperature for 20 minutes, quenched in ice water and then subjected to X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis for phase identification and to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray analysis for microstructure observation and composition analysis. The XRD examination indicated that terminal solutions based on Ce and Mn exist in the water-quenched alloys. No compound was detected. Microstructure observation and composition analysis indicate the nonexistence of the liquid miscibility gap. The newly assessed Ce-Mn phase diagram was presented. .
Differences in morphological properties between the olivine group minerals formed in natural and industrial processes
Authors: Devic S. , Marceta L.
Published: November 2007

Olivines are a large isomorphic series of minerals, belonging to silicates group. Regardless of their chemical composition, any of these minerals can be formed both in natural and industrial processes. The aim of this work is to describe these minerals and differences of morphological properties between the olivines formed in nature, and those formed as byproducts of some industrial processes , as Process Metalurgy-Ironmaking. The olivines whose formation is tied to rock masses (natural process) and the olivines genetically tied to industrial processes of black metallurgy slags (process metallurgy-Ironmaking) are shown in this paper. The morphological properties of these minerals and their differences have been analyzed by optical microscopy in refracted and in reflected light. .
Application of MCP-N (Lif: Mg, Cu, P) TL detectors in monitoring environmental radiation
Authors: Olko Pavel , Budzanowski Maciej , Bilski Pavel , Milosevic Snezana , Obryk Barbara , Ochab Eva , Simic Miroslav , Stegnar Peter , Waligorski Michael , Zunic Zora
Published: November 2007

Thermoluminescent MCP-N detectors based on LiF:Mg,Cu,P are by about 2 orders of magnitude more sensitive than TLD-100 detectors based on conventional LiF:Mg,Ti, which makes it possible to use them in short-term monitoring of ionizing radiation in the environment (e. g., over a two-week period, rather than over 3-12 months). We describe the properties of MCP-N detectors and methods of their application in environmental monitoring. The system was tested in short and long-term exposure periods at 100 sites around Krakow region. MCP-N detectors were then applied to measure variation of radiation dose rate at four selected villages in Serbia, where depleted uranium ammunition was deployed in 1999. Together with short-term thermoluminescent dosimetry, in situ measurements using proportional counters were per formed in order to assess the range of variation of natural radiation background in these villages. The mean terrestrial kerma dose rate in these villages was found to vary between 85 and 116 nGyh?1 and the average ambient dose equivalent rate H*(10) determined by thermoluminescent detectors and by proportional counter measurements was 160 nSvh?1. These values of natural radiation back ground dose rates can be applied as reference levels for field measurements around other sites where depleted uranium ammunition was deployed.
XPS Investigation of ceramic matrixes for disposal of long-living radioactive waste products
Authors: Teterin Yury , Stefanovskij Serguei , Yudintsev Serguei , Bek-Uzarov George , Teterin Anton , Maslakov Konstantin , Utkin Igor
Published: November 2007

The synthesis of ceramic matrixes for the long-term storage of highly active radionuclide wastes and determination of physical and chemical forms of radionuclides in them is one of the important problems in radioecology. It enables to create purpose fully materials for the long-term storage of radionuclides. In the present work the samples of ceramics [CaCe0.9Ti2O6.8(I) and CaCeTi2O7(II}] formed under various conditions were investigated with the X-ray photo electron spectroscopy. It is necessary for synthesis of ceramic matrixes, for the disposal of the plutonium and others tetravalent actinides. A technique was developed for the determination of cerium oxidation state (Ce3+ and Ce4+) on the basis of the X-ray photo electron spectroscopy spectral structure characteristics. It was established that the sample (I) formed at 300 MPa and T = 1400 ?C in the air atmosphere contained on the surface two types of cerium ions in the ratio ? 63 atomic % of Ce3+ and 37 atomic % of Ce4+, and the sample (II) formed at 300 MPa and T= 1300 ?C in the oxygen atmosphere contained on its surface two types of cerium ions also, but in the ratio ? 36 atomic % of Ce3+ and 64 atomic % of Ce4+. It was established that on the surface of the studied ceramics carbonates of calcium and/or cerium could be formed under influence of the environment that leads to the destruction of ceramics.
A quasi patriarch in the state of Epirus: The autocephalous archbishop of "Boulgaria" (Ohrid) Demetrios Chomatenos
Authors: Prinzing Günter
Published: November 2007

The paper sketches the life and work of the archbishop of the autocephalous Byzantine archbishopric of Boulgaria/CAmd, Demetrios Chomatenos (fungit 1216-1236). His main work, the corpus of records Ponemata diaphora (=PD), appeared in 2002 in a critical edition in Vol. 38 of the CFHB. The PD prove to be a first quality historical source, also for the history of Serbia. This present paper is thus based on numerous new findings from the analysis of the PD and other relevant sources. In particular, it deals with the quasi-patriarchal self-understanding and work of Chomatenos, who was an excellent canonist and nomotriboumenos (legal expert): The increased rivalry between Nicaea and Epirus in the years 1215-1230 enabled him to act like a patriarch in the area controlled by the rulers of Epirus. In so far as he reached beyond the boundaries of his archbishopric in this connection, as a rule he acted with the consent of further metropolitans and bishops in the state of Epirus who ? unlike him ? were formally subject to the patriarch. This also applies for the coronation of Emperor Theodores Doukas which he carried out in 1227.
Technological and Economic Changes in the Metalliferous Mining and Smelting Industries of Tudor England
Authors: Scott James W.
Published: November 2007

The Age of the Tudors has been viewed both as an age of transition, and as an age of enterprise and innovation. Although such views more often than not have been limited to political and economic matters, they can be extended equally well to technology and industrial organization. The mining and smelting industries of England and Wales, which for centuries had contributed notably to the national product, during the Tudor Age underwent a number of technological and economic adjustments, some of permanent significance.

The purpose of this paper is to examine, in the light of contemporary and near-contemporary evidence, some of the more important changes that took place in the metalliferous mining and smelting industries of Tudor England The emphasis will be largely on technological changes, but as these gave rise to new and ever-increasing demands for industrial financing, it will be necessary also to examine certain of the concomitant economic changes that ocurred in these industries. Whether the economic changes were the outcome of technological changes, or vice versa, is not always clear. Certain technological changes emphasized the need for new methods of financing and organizing a particular mining or smelting industry, while, in turn, the reorganization of an industry tended to provide the conditions and the incentive for further technological modifications.

There were three mininar and smelting industries of importance at ihe beginning of the Tudor period — tin, lead and iron. By the end of the period, copper and calamine1 had acquired prominence, while renewed interest in gold and silver prospecting had resulted in the precious minerals assuming a fairly important, if erratic, role in this sector of the economy.
Anglo-Norman Policy and the Public Welfare
Authors: Kealey Edward J.
Published: November 2007

Sometime in the second decade of the twelfth century an anonymous clerk compiled a long awkward treatise which we call theLaws of Henry I. He pompously began by declaring, “The glorious Caesar, Henry, moderate, wise, just and valiant, sheds radiance over all his kingdom in ecclesiastical laws and secular ordinances, in writings, and in displays of good works.” On the very day that Henry died in Normandy a Saxon physician, priest, and prophet, Wulfric of Haselbury, living in seclusion in Somerset, told his feudal patron that the dead king would enter Paradise because he had kept peace, had sought justice, and had even built a splendid abbey for Benedictine monks. Few later commentators would be as generous as these two. Other historians unfavorably contrasted Henry's wisdom, wealth, and victory with his avarice, cruelty, and lust.

The law clerk's short catalog contains several surprises. It suggests Henry generated ecclesiastical laws himself, an odd, but not untrue, observation. It reports that the king performed good works, but these are never specified. Most fascinatingly, it hints that “in writings” Henry composed things other than charters and writs. Unfortunately, no such texts have survived. Thus, what we most seek to learn—the monarch's own intentions and reflections—still elude us. Henry's personal understanding of his monarchial responsibilities must therefore be interpreted from his actions, rather than traced from his plans.
Robert Boyle and Subversive Religion in the Early Restoration
Authors: Jacob J. R.
Published: November 2007

Boyle's natural philosophy as it evolved in the 1660s was the product in part of some competing philosophies and theologies. Since he defined his own thought in terms of these others, one of the best ways of understanding it and its origins would seem to be to study it in relation to this context of competing ideas—especially as this has never before been done for Boyle. This was no mere battle over philosophical and religious ideas; beneath the surface lay extreme ideological differences; the nature of society and government was at stake just as it was in Boyle's dialogue with the sects in the late 1640s and the 1650s. Indeed some of his opponents in the 1660s still represent positions against which he argued before the Restoration, and these are the ones I wish to consider here.

In 1665 or 1666 Boyle wroteA Free Inquiry into the Vulgarly Received Notion of Nature. By “the vulgarly received notion of nature” he means the conception deriving from ancient Greek philosophy, both Platonic and Aristotelian, that there is a governing agency in nature apart from God which cannot be reduced to the mechanical principles of matter and motion. This agency is called variously plastic nature, the astral spirits or the soul of the world, and as Boyle says is conceived by “the schools” as “a being that…does always that which is best.” Boyle's intention is to show that his own idea of nature is preferable to this Peripatetic and Platonic one because his goes further than its rival towards a proper understanding of the relations between Creator and creation.