bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determining optimal dose of laser therapy for attachment and proliferation of human oral fibroblasts cultured on titanium implant material
Authors: Khadra Maawan , Lyngstadaas Ståle P. , Haanæs Hans R. , Mustafa Kamal
Published: February 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of single or multiple doses of low‐level laser therapy (LLLT) on attachment and proliferation of human gingival fibroblasts in a standardized, reproducible in vitro model. Titanium discs were randomly allotted to one of three groups: group I served as a control, group II was exposed to a single laser dose of 3 J/cm2, and the three subgroups in group III were exposed to laser doses of 0.75, 1.5, and 3 J/cm2. To examine the possible thermal effects of laser exposure on the cell culture, the temperature in the Petri dish was measured for every dose used, before and during irradiation. For attachment assays, groups II and III were exposed to laser irradiation and then seeded onto titanium discs. In group III, the exposures were repeated after 3 and 6 h. Cells were cultured for 6 and 24 h and stained with Hoechst and Propidium. Attached cells were counted under a light microscope. To investigate the effect of LLLT on cell proliferation after 48 h, 72 h, and 7 days, cells were cultured on titanium discs for 24 h and then exposed to laser irradiation for 1 day and 3 consecutive days, respectively. Cell proliferation was determined by counting cells under the microscope and by a cell proliferation enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay system. No increase of temperature of the cell cultures occurred before or during laser exposure at any of the doses tested. Both single and multiple doses of LLLT significantly enhanced cellular attachment (p < 0.05). The proliferation assays showed higher cell proliferation (p < 0.05) in group III at doses of 1.5 and 3 J/cm2 after 72 h and 7 days, with agreement between staining and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. It is concluded that, in this cellular model, the attachment and proliferation of human gingival fibroblasts are enhanced by LLLT in a dose‐dependent manner. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 73A: 55–62, 2005
Isomorphism criterion for monomial graphs
Authors: Dmytrenko Vasyl , Lazebnik Felix , Viglione Raymond
Published: February 2005

Let q be a prime power, 𝔽q be the field of q elements, and k, m be positive integers. A bipartite graph G = Gq(k, m) is defined as follows. The vertex set of G is a union of two copies P and L of two‐dimensional vector spaces over 𝔽q, with two vertices (p1, p2) ∈ P and [ l1, l2] ∈ L being adjacent if and only if p2 + l2 = pl. We prove that graphs Gq(k, m) and Gq′(k′, m′) are isomorphic if and only if q = q′ and {gcd (k, q − 1), gcd (m, q − 1)} = {gcd (k′, q − 1),gcd (m′, q − 1)} as multisets. The proof is based on counting the number of complete bipartite INFgraphs in the graphs. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 48: 322–328, 2005
Mechanistic comparison of blood undergoing laser photocoagulation at 532 and 1,064 nm
Authors: Black John F. , Wade Norman , Barton Jennifer Kehlet
Published: February 2005

Background and Objectives

We seek to compare and contrast the mechanisms of blood photocoagulation under 532 and 1,064 nm laser irradiation in vitro in order to better understand the in vivo observations. We also seek to validate a finite element model (FEM) developed to study the thermodynamics of coagulation.

Study Design/Materials and Methods

We study the photocoagulation of whole blood in vitro at 532 and 1,064 nm using time‐domain spectroscopic and optical coherence tomography (OCT)‐based imaging techniques. We model the coagulation using an FEM program that includes the latent heat of vaporization (LHV) of water, consideration of the pulse shape of the laser, and the bathochromic shift in the hemoglobin absorption spectrum.

Results

We find significant similarities in the spectroscopic, chemical, and structural changes occurring in hemoglobin and in the blood matrix during photocoagulation despite the very large difference in the absorption coefficients. The more uniform temperature profile developed by the deeper‐penetrating 1,064 nm laser allows us to resolve the structural phase transition in the red blood cells (going from biconcave disc to spherocyte) and the chemical transition creating met‐hemoglobin. We find that the RBC morphology transition happens first, and that the met‐Hb transition happens at a much higher temperature ( > 90°C) than is found in slow bath heating. The FEM analysis with the LHV constraint and bathochromic shift predicts accurately the imaging results in both cases, and can be used to show that at 1,064 nm there is the potential for a runaway increase in absorption during the laser pulse.

Conclusions

Photothermally mediated processes dominate the in vitro coagulation dynamics in both regimes despite the difference in absorption coefficients. There is a significant risk under 1,064 nm irradiation of vascular lesions in vivo that the dynamic optical properties of blood will cause runaway absorption and heating. This may in turn explain some recent results at this wavelength where full‐thickness burns resulted from laser treatment. Lasers Surg. Med. 36:155–165, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
CO2 laser‐resurfacing: Increased risk of side effects after uv‐exposure—an experimental animal study
Authors: Hedelund Lene , Haedersdal Merete , Egekvist Henrik , Heidenheim Michael , Hans Christian Wulf , Poulsen Thomas
Published: February 2005

Background and Objectives

Carbon dioxide (CO2) laser resurfacing is primarily performed on photodamaged facial skin where patients are further exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) postoperatively. We examined whether pre‐ and postoperative UVR influences the development of CO2 laser‐induced side effects.

Study Design/Materials and Methods

Hairless mice (n = 211) were treated with a Sharplan CO2 laser with FeatherTouch scanner. Simulated solar irradiation was administered either preoperatively or pre‐ and postoperatively. Skin end‐points (wounds, texture changes, and pigmentary changes) were evaluated blinded by clinical evaluations, skin reflectance spectroscopy, and histological examinations.

Results

Pre‐ and postoperative UVR exposed mice obtained higher clinical scores of wounds (P < 0.02) and texture changes (P < 0.01) and developed more heavy fibrosis than mice treated with laser but no UVR. UVR exposure after CO2 laser treatment induced significant hyperpigmentation compared to unexposed control mice (P < 0.003), whereas CO2 laser treatment itself did not induce pigmentary changes.

Conclusions

UVR increases in an animal model the occurrence of postoperative side effects from CO2 laser resurfacing. Lasers Surg. Med. 36:79–84, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of hypobaric pressure on human skin: Feasibility study for port wine stain laser therapy (Part I)
Authors: Aguilar Guillermo , Svaasand Lars O. , Nelson J. Stuart
Published: February 2005

Background and Objectives

Since the development of laser‐induced photothermolysis for the therapy of port wine stain (PWS) birthmarks, clinical results have shown that dark purple lesions usually respond well to the first three to five treatments. However, for most PWS, complete blanching is never achieved, and the lesion stabilizes at a red–pink color. The aim of this feasibility study is to demonstrate that with the aid of a local vacuum applied to the lesion site prior to laser exposure, photocoagulation of the smaller PWS blood vessels may be successfully achieved.

Study Design/Materials and Methods

Suction cups were designed to fit onto the hand pieces of commercial laser devices used for PWS laser therapy. One subject with normal skin and another with PWS skin were recruited for this study. Laser pulses of various fluences were applied at atmospheric pressure or shortly after (5–15 seconds) hypobaric pressures (17–51 kPa) were placed as test sites on the forearm of both subjects. The laser‐induced purpura at the test sites was documented over the course of 1 week on both subjects and the resulting PWS blanching was optically quantified by visible reflectance spectrometry 7 months after therapy.

Results

For the subject with normal skin, the laser fluence needed with hypobaric pressure (51 kPa) to induce similar purpura intensity to that observed with atmospheric pressure was approximately 35% lower. For PWS skin, all suction application times (5–15 seconds) and hypobaric pressures (17–51 kPa) resulted in more intense purpura and the PWS blanching 7 months after treatment was clinically significant for test sites treated with hypobaric pressures ranging from 17 to 34 kPa.

Conclusions

The temporary and controlled dilation of the targeted blood vessels achieved with a local vacuum can significantly reduce the “small‐vessel‐limitation” in the treatment of PWS without increasing the risk of epidermal damage. Lasers Surg. Med. 36:124–129, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Risk of cancer after the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease: A historical cohort study
Authors: Elbaz Alexis , Peterson Brett J. , Bower James H. , Yang Ping , Maraganore Demetrius M. , McDonnell Shannon K. , Ahlskog J. Eric , Rocca Walter A.
Published: February 2005

We investigated the risk of cancer after the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) through a historical cohort study. We used the medical records‐linkage system of the Rochester Epidemiology Project to identify all incident cases of PD in Olmsted County, Minnesota from 1976 through 1995. Patients with PD were matched by age (± 1 year) and gender to referent subjects from the same population. For 196 patients and 185 referent subjects, we ascertained the incidence of cancer through medical records abstraction between the date of diagnosis (or index date) and death, loss to follow‐up, or end of study. The risk of cancer was higher among patients than in referent subjects (relative risk [RR] = 1.64; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.15–2.35; P = 0.007). The RR did not change noticeably after adjustment for smoking. The increased risk was significant for nonmelanoma skin cancer (RR = 1.76; 95% CI = 1.07–2.89; P = 0.03), but not for other more severe types of cancer; therefore, we cannot exclude the occurrence of a surveillance bias. Among PD patients, there was no relation between the risk of cancer and the cumulative dose of levodopa received or the use of other PD medications. © 2005 Movement Disorder Society
Scalable wideband speech coding using G.729 as a component
Authors: Kataoka Akitoshi , Hayashi Shinji
Published: February 2005

This paper proposes a scalable band‐split wideband speech coding system that uses G.729 as a component and can decode speech from even part of the 16 kbit/s encoded data. The configuration of the proposed scalable encoding is as follows. The 7‐kHz band speech signal is split into lower and upper bands, which are encoded separately. The lower band is scalably encoded at 12 kbit/s, and the upper band is encoded by CELP composed only of the noise codebook (4 kbit/s). In the lower band, the lower‐level encoder (core layer) is included in the upper‐level encoder (enhancement layer) as part of the functional element, to improve the performance of the whole lower‐band encoder. To further improve quality while retaining scalability to the core coder, an additional pitch prediction scheme is proposed in which the excitation component of the enhancement layer is used in the pitch component. Performance evaluation by objective measures and a subjective evaluation experiment for the proposed schemes, showed that the quality is greatly improved compared with the conventional method. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 36(3): 65–74, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10555
Color Doppler flow pattern in antenatal diagnosis of unguarded tricuspid valve
Authors: Indrani S. , Vijayalakshmi R. , Suresh S.
Published: February 2005

We describe an antenatally diagnosed case of unguarded tricuspid valve in a 15‐week fetus. Because of its rarity, the differentiation of this anomaly from other tricuspid valve dysplasias is difficult. Tricuspid regurgitation is the hallmark of Ebstein's anomaly and other tricuspid valve abnormalities, whereas in unguarded tricuspid orifice there is total absence of the valve, resulting in ‘to and fro’ flow across the right‐sided chambers. The color Doppler flow pattern helps in differentiating this anomaly from others. The antenatal diagnosis was confirmed on autopsy. Copyright © 2005 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison of different reference values of fetal blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery for predicting fetal anemia
Authors: Bartha J. L. , Illanes S. , Abdel‐Fattah S. , Hunter A. , Denbow M. , Soothill P. W.
Published: February 2005

Objectives

To compare different normal reference ranges of fetal blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery for predicting fetal anemia.

Methods

Eight reference ranges of either middle cerebral artery peak or time‐averaged mean velocities were compared using the area under the receiver–operating characteristics (ROC) curve for 113 fetal blood samples from 60 women at risk of fetal red blood cell alloimmunization.

Results

The areas under the ROC curves of the different ranges were not significantly different but there were marked differences in sensitivity (range, 7.14–91.78%) and specificity (range, 31.25–96.88%) with the currently used cut‐offs. Except for Mari's range, the best theoretical cut‐offs, defined as those having the best sensitivity with the best specificity, differed from those in current use, especially when using time‐averaged mean velocity.

Conclusions

Any of the previously reported reference ranges perform well in the non‐invasive prediction of fetal anemia. However, with the exception of Mari's curve, the currently employed cut‐offs for predicting fetal anemia should be changed, some of them markedly, in order to provide reliable support for clinical decisions. Copyright © 2005 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Health‐related quality of life among children with adverse drug reactions
Authors: Bellaire J. , Speechley K.N. , Rieder M.J. , Matsui D.M.
Published: February 2005

Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2003) 73, P10–P10; doi:
Ethnic variability in the frequency of alpha2B‐adrenergic receptor gene (ADRA2B) polymorphism
Authors: Xie H.G. , Muszkat M. , Sofowora G. , Landau R. , Cai W.M. , Kim R.B. , Smiley R.M. , Stein C.M. , Wood A.J. J.
Published: February 2005

Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2003) 73, P12–P12; doi:
A pharmacogenetic study on UDP‐glucuronosyltransferase 2B7 in human livers
Authors: Innocenti F. , Das S. , Chandler J.W. , Ramirez J. , Cooke E.J. , Ratain M.J.
Published: February 2005

Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2003) 73, P13–P13; doi:
Abnormal waves during Hurricane Camille
Authors: Guedes Soares C. , Cherneva Z. , Antão E. M.
Published: February 2005

A reanalysis is reported of the wave time series recorded during Hurricane Camille having as objective the identification of individual waves that satisfy current criteria defining abnormal or freak waves. It is shown that during the hurricane development, a very nonstationary situation has occurred during which the second‐order sea state parameters changed significantly with time. The parameters of the largest individual waves in sea states which identify abnormal waves did not show any clear trend, and such waves occurred during the development stage and not when the significant wave height was the largest. It is argued that the present criteria of identification of abnormal waves are not satisfactory, as they do not take into account the nature of the sea states in which the waves occur.
Petrology and ion microprobe U‐Pb chronology applied to a metabasic intrusion in southern Sweden: A study on zircon formation during metamorphism and deformation
Authors: Söderlund Pia , Söderlund Ulf , Möller Charlotte , Gorbatschev Roland , Rodhe Agnes
Published: February 2005

The Åker metabasite occupies a key position in a major tectonic lineament in southernmost Sweden, the Protogine Zone, which coincides closely with the eastern boundary of the late Mesoproterozoic Sveconorwegian orogen of southwest Scandinavia. Metamorphic reactions, associated with the transformation from isotropic gabbro to foliated garnet amphibolite, were identified from disequilibrium textures of which some involved release of zirconium (Zr) and growth of metamorphic zircon. Ion microprobe dating of igneous zircon gave 1562 ± 6 Ma, whereas metamorphic zircons yielded ages of 1437 ± 21, 1217 ± 75, and 1006 ± 68 Ma. The presence of baddeleyite pseudomorphs made up of saccharoidal zircon and a higher abundance of older rather than younger metamorphic zircons suggest redistribution of Zr into new zircon, first by the breakdown of baddeleyite (ZrO2) and later by the consumption of igneous phases containing trace amounts of Zr. Several generations of metamorphic zircon and the presence of 1.56 and 1.22 Ga mafic intrusions along the Protogine Zone call for a complex tectonic history probably reaching back to at least ∼1.56 Ga. Growth of metamorphic zircon at ∼1.44 Ga may relate to a regional, compressional event. The WNW trending deformational structures on both sides of the Protogine Zone may possibly relate to that event. The ∼1.22 Ga metamorphic zircons are coeval with the emplacement of numerous granitic, syenitic, and mafic intrusions along and parallel to the Protogine Zone. The age around 1.0 Ga, finally, marks Sveconorwegian metamorphism for which thermobarometry of the Åker garnet‐amphibolite suggests 1000–1200 MPa at 600°C–630°C. Thereafter, significant relative uplift of the rocks to the west of the Protogine Zone occurred on nearly vertical, north‐south trending deformation zones.
A cloud line over the Gulf Stream
Authors: Li Xiaofeng , Zheng Weizhong , Pichel William G. , Zou Cheng‐Zhi , Clemente‐Colón Pablo , Friedman Karen S.
Published: February 2005

A 1000 km long cloud‐line over the major axis of the Gulf Stream was detected in imagery from a number of satellites on April 24, 2001. Analysis of environmental conditions shows that such a cloud‐line is formed when the synoptic low‐level wind is parallel to the Gulf Stream axis and the sky is clear, conditions that rarely occur in the high‐temperature and high‐moisture Gulf Stream region. The PSU‐NCAR fifth‐generation Mesoscale Model (MM5) is used to study the cloud line. Results show that upward motion of the air in the middle of the Gulf Stream, caused by mesoscale solenoidal circulation induced by the large surface thermal gradient, is the source for the large cloud‐line formation. This cloud‐line formation mechanism is different from that of commonly observed ship cloud lines induced by ship‐stack emissions, and its extent is much longer than that of cloud lines induced by lake effects.
The influence of the Galápagos Islands on tropical temperatures, currents and the generation of tropical instability waves
Authors: Eden C. , Timmermann A.
Published: February 2005

The Galápagos Islands provide a topographic barrier for the Southern Equatorial Current (SEC) and the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC). An island wake effect can be diagnosed from the difference of an ocean general circulation model simulation which includes the Galápagos Islands and one which ignores their presence. Cold thermocline water upwells on the western side of the islands, and only during boreal winter season these cold waters can linger around the Islands at a depth of about 80 m and affect the far eastern equatorial Pacific surface waters. This effect is partly offset by the westward transport of cold surface waters by the SEC which creates a wake on the western side of the Islands. It is furthermore shown that changes in horizontal current shear, induced by the presence of the Galápagos Islands modify the generation of tropical instability waves and lead to a basin scale SST anomaly pattern.
The dielectric properties of granular media saturated with DNAPL/water mixtures
Authors: Ajo‐Franklin J. B. , Geller J. T. , Harris J. M.
Published: February 2005

We present the results of five experiments investigating the dielectric properties of granular materials partially saturated with trichloroethylene (TCE), a common dense non‐aqueous contaminant. Previous research has investigated the radar signatures of similar solvents in controlled field experiments but no core‐scale measurements have verified the appropriate petrophysical model. Broadband dielectric measurements were performed using a time domain reflectometry (TDR) system coupled to a solvent‐compatible coaxial transmission line. Two synthetic samples and three natural aquifer samples were fully saturated with water and then subjected to an axial TCE injection until breakthrough was observed. The resulting dielectric measurements show good agreement with the empirical complex refractive index model (CRIM) allowing a reasonable prediction of the radar reflectivities and transmission velocities expected in field surveys targeting pools of similar non‐aqueous contaminants.
Human Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism in Acute Insulin-Induced Hypoglycemia
Authors: Kennan Richard P , Takahashi Kan , Pan Cynthia , Shamoon Harry , Pan Jullie W
Published: February 2005

How the human brain functions under conditions of acute hypoglycemia remains a complex question by virtue of the potential simultaneous shifts in processes of perfusion, metabolism, and changing demand. We examined this issue by measuring cerebral blood flow (CBF) and oxidative metabolism (CMRO2) in insulin-induced hypoglycemic (HG) and euglycemic (EG) conditions at rest and during motor activation in normal human subjects using magnetic resonance (MR). Experiments were performed on 12 subjects (9M, 3F). The protocol consisted of insulin-induced hypoglycemia (targeting a HG of 60 mg/dL) followed by euglycemia, or in reverse order, each phase lasting approximately 1.5 h. Euglycemia was performed with the same insulin infusion rate so as to match the hypoglycemic phase. Magnetic resonance data were acquired 30 mins after the target plasma glucose was achieved so as to minimize any acute effects. Although the depth of hypoglycemia achieved in the present study was relatively small, the present data found a significant increase in flow in motor cortex with mild hypoglycemia, from 56.4±13.6 mL/100 g min (euglycemia) to 64.3±7.6 mL/100 g min (hypoglycemia). Using the Renkin-Crone exponential model of oxygen extraction with MR models of susceptibility-based relaxation, analysis of the flow measurements, relaxation and BOLD data also implied that throughout the studies, metabolism and flow remained coupled. Elementary motor task activation was not associated with any consistent larger activated flows. Thus it remains that although mild hypoglycemia induced an increase in basal flow and metabolism, a similar increase was not seen in task activation.
Does Planning Make a Difference to Urban Form? Recent Evidence from Central Scotland
Authors: Bramley Glen , Kirk Karryn
Published: February 2005

Urban form is changing in Britain, with new patterns of development reflecting economic, technological, and transportation conditions in an increasingly competitive framework. Changes in urban form have implications for the environmental sustainability, integration and cohesion, and longer term quality of life in and around cities. Britain has a comprehensive planning system with a strong rhetoric of policies towards these goals. In this paper the authors draw on evidence from recent research, primarily in central Scotland, to assess how far planning actually does make a difference to urban form rather than simply passively responding to demand. They consider some of the systematic tendencies in decentralised planning decisionmaking, some selected evidence of development outcomes, and some insights from major development case studies. The conclusions highlight the differential influence of planning between different development sectors and the obstacles to achieving a more sustainable pattern.
Love and Money in an Age of Neoliberalism: Gender, Work, and Single Motherhood in Postrevolutionary Nicaragua
Authors: Cupples Julie
Published: February 2005

Based on qualitative research conducted in 1999 and 2001 with a group of single mothers in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, this paper examines the contradictory impacts of neoliberalism on work, based on the understanding that economic restructuring can generate both crisis and a space for changes in gender identities. By focusing on the broader picture of women's work and on the intersections between paid and unpaid work, it discusses what happens to these intersections in times of intense political and economic change. Despite the hardships caused by neoliberalism, it appears that work is a site in which gender ideologies can be challenged. The paper has four main sections. First, it explores the ways in which certain cultural processes are intensified under neoliberalism which affects the relationship between constructions of masculinity and femininity. Second, it assesses the impact of neoliberalism on domestic work and the implications of this for GAD (gender and development) understandings of the double burden and of how the balance of women's paid and unpaid work changes under neoliberalism. Third, it examines the ways in which hegemonic understandings of femininities and motherhood and revolutionary legacies can be resistant to the neoliberal present. Finally, it discusses how work under neoliberalism can be a site of female empowerment or self-esteem.
Do Localization Economies Matter in Cluster Formation? Questioning the Conventional Wisdom with Data from Indian Metropolises
Authors: Chakravorty Sanjoy , Koo Jun , Lall Somik V
Published: February 2005

The large and growing literature on industrial clustering suggests that firms seek locations that provide localization economies (benefits from having common buyers and suppliers, a specialized or skilled labor pool, and informal knowledge transfers). This study of manufacturing industry clusters in three Indian metropolises suggests instead that industry location decisions are guided by market imperfections, specifically rigidities in the land market caused by state action (segregationist or environmental policies, the absence of exit policies, and activist industrial promotion policies). For the investigation the authors use geographically disaggregated industry location and size data from Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai, to analyze eight industrial sectors (food and beverages, textiles, leather, printing and publishing, chemicals, metals, machinery, and electrical and electronics). The authors test for evidence of global and local clustering and distinguish between and test for coclustering and colocation of industries. The results are indicative rather than absolute and suggest that for location decisions general urbanization economies are more important than are localization economies.
A soluble mouse brain splice variant of type 2α corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptor binds ligands and modulates their activity
Authors: Chen Alon M. , Perrin Marilyn H. , DiGruccio Michael R. , Vaughan Joan M. , Brar Bhawanjit K. , Arias Carlos M. , Lewis Kathy A. , Rivier Jean E. , Sawchenko Paul E. , Vale Wylie W.
Published: February 2005

Peptides of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) family signal through the activation of two receptors, CRF receptor type 1 (CRFR1) and type 2 (CRFR2), both of which exist as multiple splice variants. We have identified a cDNA from mouse brain encoding a splice variant, soluble CRFR2α (sCRFR2α), in which exon 6 is deleted from the gene encoding CRFR2α. Translation of this isoform produces a predicted 143-aa soluble protein. The translated protein includes a majority of the first extracellular domain of the CRFR2α followed by a unique 38-aa hydrophilic C terminus resulting from a frame shift produced by deletion of exon 6. By using RT-PCR and Southern hybridization, the relative mRNA expression levels of full-length (seven transmembrane domains) CRFR2α and the soluble form (sCRFR2α) in the mouse brain were measured with a single reaction. The results demonstrate high levels of expression of sCRFR2α in the olfactory bulb, cortex, and midbrain regions. A rabbit antiserum raised against a synthetic peptide fragment encoding the unique C terminus revealed specific sCRFR2α immunoreactivity in mouse brain slices by immunohistochemistry and in extracts of brain regions by RIA. Interestingly, the sCRFR2α immunoreactivity distribution closely approximated that of CRFR1 expression in rodent brain. A protein corresponding to sCRFR2α, expressed and purified from either mammalian or bacterial cell systems, binds several CRF family ligands with low nanomolar affinities. Furthermore, the purified sCRFR2α protein inhibits cellular responses to CRF and urocortin 1. These data support a potential role of the sCRFR2α protein as a possible biological modulator of CRF family ligands.
A high-throughput, near-saturating screen for type III effector genes from
Pseudomonas syringae
Authors: Chang Jeff H. , Urbach Jonathan M. , Law Terry F. , Arnold Larry W. , Hu An , Gombar Saurabh , Grant Sarah R. , Ausubel Frederick M. , Dangl Jeffery L.
Published: February 2005

Pseudomonas syringae
strains deliver variable numbers of type III effector proteins into plant cells during infection. These proteins are required for virulence, because strains incapable of delivering them are nonpathogenic. We implemented a whole-genome, high-throughput screen for identifying
P. syringae
type III effector genes. The screen relied on FACS and an arabinose-inducible
hrpL
σ factor to automate the identification and cloning of HrpL-regulated genes. We determined whether candidate genes encode type III effector proteins by creating and testing full-length protein fusions to a reporter called Δ79AvrRpt2 that, when fused to known type III effector proteins, is translocated and elicits a hypersensitive response in leaves of
Arabidopsis thaliana
expressing the RPS2 plant disease resistance protein. Δ79AvrRpt2 is thus a marker for type III secretion system-dependent translocation, the most critical criterion for defining type III effector proteins. We describe our screen and the collection of type III effector proteins from two pathovars of
P. syringae
. This stringent functional criteria defined 29 type III proteins from
P. syringae
pv.
tomato
, and 19 from
P. syringae
pv.
phaseolicola
race 6. Our data provide full functional annotation of the
hrpL
-dependent type III effector suites from two sequenced
P. syringae
pathovars and show that type III effector protein suites are highly variable in this pathogen, presumably reflecting the evolutionary selection imposed by the various host plants.
Clathrin-independent endocytosis of ubiquitinated cargos
Authors: Sigismund Sara , Woelk Tanja , Puri Claudia , Maspero Elena , Tacchetti Carlo , Transidico Pietro , Di Fiore Pier Paolo , Polo Simona
Published: February 2005

Plasma membrane receptors can be endocytosed through clathrin-dependent and clathrin-independent pathways. Here, we show that the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR), when stimulated with low doses of EGF, is internalized almost exclusively through the clathrin pathway, and it is not ubiquitinated. At higher concentrations of ligand, however, a substantial fraction of the receptor is endocytosed through a clathrin-independent, lipid raft-dependent route, as the receptor becomes ubiquitinated. An ubiquitination-impaired EGFR mutant was internalized through the clathrin pathway, whereas an EGFR/ubiquitin chimera, that can signal solely through its ubiquitin (Ub) moiety, was internalized exclusively by the non-clathrin pathway. Non-clathrin internalization of ubiquitinated EGFR depends on its interaction with proteins harboring the Ub-interacting motif, as shown through the ablation of three Ub-interacting motif-containing proteins, eps15, eps15R, and epsin. Thus, eps15s and epsin perform an important function in coupling ubiquitinated cargo to clathrin-independent internalization.
Inorganic polyphosphate in
Dictyostelium discoideum
: Influence on development, sporulation, and predation
Authors: Zhang Haiyu , Gómez-García María R. , Brown Michael R. W. , Kornberg Arthur
Published: February 2005

Dictyostelium discoideum
, a social slime mold that forms fruiting bodies with spores, depends on inorganic polyphosphate (poly P) for its cycles of development and for nutritional predation on bacteria. The synthesis of poly P, a polymer of tens or hundreds of phosphate residues linked by high energy, ATP-like bonds, is catalyzed in most bacteria by poly P kinase (PPK1). The eukaryote
D. discoideum
possesses a homolog of PPK1. We report here that mutants of
D. discoideum
PPK1 (DdPPK1) have reduced levels of poly P and are deficient in development. Fruiting bodies are smaller and produce fewer spores, which appear to germinate like the wild type (WT). The DdPPK1 mutant formed smaller plaques on bacterial lawns compared with those of the WT. Predation by
D. discoideum
, assessed by uptake and digestion of
Klebsiella aerogenes
, showed that fewer bacteria were taken up by the DdPPK1 mutant compared with the WT and were killed less rapidly, indicating a role of poly P and/or DdPPK1 in phagocytosis. On
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
lawns, cleared plaques were observed with the bacterial PPK1 mutant but not with the WT
P. aeruginosa
. Thus, poly P is important in predation both for the predator and prey.
Library and information science and the philosophy of science
Authors: Hjørland Birger
Published: February 2005

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to introduce the special issue of Journal of Documentation about library and information science (LIS) and the philosophy of science.

Design/methodology/approach

The most important earlier collected works about metatheories and philosophies of science within LIS are listed.

Findings

It is claimed that Sweden probably is the country in which philosophy of science has the highest priority in LIS education. The plan of the guest editor was that each epistemological position should be both introduced and interpreted in a LIS context together with a review of its influence within the field and an evaluation of the pros and cons of that position. This was only an ideal plan. It is argued that it is important that such knowledge and debate are available within the LIS‐literature itself and that the answers to such questions as “What is positivism?” are not trivial ones.

Originality/value

The introduction is written to assist readers overviewing the issue and share the thoughts of the editor in planning the issue.
Competing in times of evolution and revolution
Authors: Jenkins Wyn
Published: February 2005

Purpose

Ideas from microeconomics, market‐positioning theory and resource‐based theory have been brought together to develop a framework for discussing firm competitiveness and survival.

Design/methodology/approach

Propositions about the nature of scale economies, time, resource imitability and customer‐perceived benefits are used to provide a basis for the analysis of firms and their markets. The structures of markets and the impact of innovation and environment on these structures are discussed.

Findings

A number of hypotheses are advanced. When movements in consumer perceptions and technology are slow and predictable, leading firms may have developed enough resource capital to remain dominant. When they are not, opportunities for market leadership changes occur.

Research limitations/implications

A conclusion is that strategic management should involve the study of firms in the context of their market situation. Market‐based case studies should seek to understand how markets evolve over time by tracking changes in key variables.

Practical implications

The paper outlines factors that firms’ managers need to take into account in order to evaluate their relationships with their competitors. How these relationships impact on industry structure and the long‐term equilibrium that would result if these relationships remain unchanged is discussed.

Originality/value

A contribution to thinking about research and practical strategic management longitudinally is proposed. The approach emphasises the importance of relationships between firms and the factors that may dynamically change those relationships.
Teaching Study Skills
Authors: Thomas Kevin
Published: February 2005

Examines how the study skills module can effectively assist the teacher
when covering a wide range of courses. Also discusses how students,
using study skills, can analyse their progress and identify strengths
and weaknesses by self‐assessment. Suggests “mapping out” as a means of
assessing course stages to enable students to monitor their progress.
Management control systems and organizational development
Authors: Sisaye Seleshi
Published: February 2005

Purpose

Aims to apply organizational systems perspectives to discuss the three types of organizational development (OD) and management control systems (MCS): normative, coercive and remunerative‐instrumental (utilitarian) that affect the operating performance of teams.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines the effect that managerial power relations, cultural process and structural change intervention of these three types of control systems have on the formation (size, composition, and strategies), and operational activities (functions and assignment of tasks) of teams. The paper uses library archives research to study OD, MCS and teams. It has applied an organizational systems perspective that examines the effects of OD and MCS on teams' management.

Findings

Recent new directions in management control systems and OD process and structural intervention strategies have transformed management accounting control systems as the new administrative control innovations mechanisms for managing teams' performance and activities in industrial organizations. Accordingly, the traditional mechanistic control approach has been substituted or replaced by organic‐based processes and structures of team‐based control systems.

Practical implications

In organizations, the management of teams is multi‐dimensional, involving the simultaneous use of normative, remunerative and coercive control mechanisms. The paper advances the views that the effectiveness of team management in organizations is contingent upon several structural and process factors including the mix of these three types of compliance systems and the form of organizational setting, i.e. manufacturing or professional organizations.

Originality/value

In the management control literature, the management of teams has centered on normative or remunerative or coercive control systems. This paper shows that OD's cultural process and structural intervention strategies provide new directions to address these three types of management control system for teams in industrial organizations.
Automated design environment for serial industrial manipulators
Authors: Breijs Alexander , Klaassens Ben , Babuška Robert
Published: February 2005

Purpose

Resulting from the need for fast and insightful modeling combined with the drawbacks of available modeling environments, provides details of work developed on an automated modelling environment.

Design/methodology/approach

An automated modeling environment for serial manipulators has been implemented in Matlab/Simulink.

Findings

The manipulator configuration is defined by using a graphical user interface and the corresponding mathematical model is automatically generated. The model is exported to Matlab for analysis and control design, as well as to Simulink for simulation and verification purposes. Friction and stiction phenomena are included in the model. The simulation results can be visualized in standard plots and scopes as well as through virtual reality animations.

Practical implications

The modeling environment has been used in the design of a control system for a seven‐degree‐of‐freedom manipulator in a tunnel‐boring machine.

Originality/value

Information on the implementation of an automated modelling environment to facilitate the simultaneous design of the configuration and the corresponding control system of serial manipulators
Optimum grasp planner and vision‐guided grasping using a three‐finger hand
Authors: Boivin E. , Sharf I.
Published: February 2005

Purpose

The capability to perform dexterous operations in an autonomous manner would greatly enhance the productivity of robotic operations. In this paper, we present a new methodology for vision‐based grasping of objects or parts using a three‐finger hand as a gripper of a robotic manipulator.

Design/methodology/approach

The hand employed in our work, called SARAH, was designed for robotic operations on the space station, however, the main steps of our procedure can be applied for tasks in a manufacturing environment. Our methodology involves two principal stages: automatic synthesis of grasps for planar and revolute objects with SARAH and vision‐based pose estimation of the object to be grasped. For both stages, we assume that a model of the object is available off‐line.

Findings

In the paper, numerical results are presented for grasp synthesis of several objects with SARAH to demonstrate the feasibility and optimality of the synthesized grasps. Experimental results are also obtained with SARAH as the end‐effector of a seven‐degree‐of‐freedom robotic arm, demonstrating the feasibility of the integrated vision‐based grasping.

Research limitations/implications

The methodology described in the paper, although represents a substantial step towards automated grasping with a robotic manipulator, still requires some decision making from the user. Further work can improve the pose identification aspects of the algorithm to make them more robust and free of human intervention. As well, the grasp synthesis procedure can be expanded to handle more complex and possibly moving objects, as well as to allow for different grasp types than those considered here.

Practical implications

The work demonstrates feasibility of autonomous grasp execution in industrial setting by using a three‐finger hand as a robotic gripper.

Originality/value

The results presented in the paper demonstrate the feasibility of synthesising optimised grasps which take into account the kinematics of the gripper. We also demonstrate a real implementation of vision‐based grasping by using a robotic manipulator with a three‐finger hand.
Promotional planning in UK regional shopping centres: an exploratory study
Authors: Warnaby Gary , Man Yip Kit
Published: February 2005

Purpose

The need for a more overt marketing orientation within planned shopping centres in the UK has been noted by various authors. However, the management orientation of planned shopping centres has been described as property‐ rather than customer‐led. This article considers the role of marketing for planned shopping centres, with particular reference to regional shopping centres (RSCs). The emphasis of marketing activity in this context is primarily promotional, and the process by which promotional activities are planned and implemented by RSCs is considered and contrasted with Fill's model of the marketing communications planning process.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi‐structured interviews were undertaken with marketing managers in four of the nine RSCs in the UK (two interviews were face‐to‐face, one interview was by telephone and one interview was via e‐mail). These exploratory interviews sought to identify: respondents’ perceptions of marketing and the role of the marketing function within the organisation; the nature of the marketing/promotional objectives that were set; the identity of the target audiences for marketing/promotional activity; the process by which this activity was planned; and the specific marketing/promotional tools used. All the interviews were analysed using the template analysis technique.

Findings

Findings are reported under the following headings: role of marketing; perceptions of marketing; marketing planning; target audiences/objectives; promotional activities; and evaluation.

Research limitations/implications

This research is exploratory, comprising four interviews (however, there are only nine RSCs in the UK). More detailed research into the processes of marketing communications planning in this context should be implemented.

Practical implications

This paper shows how general models relating to theoretical aspects of marketing (in this case marketing communications planning), may need to be amended to reflect the practical reality of specific market contexts and the discussion section of the paper outlines this in more detail.

Originality/value

Following on from the above point, the paper provides a framework for marketing communications planning in the specific context of RSCs in the UK. As such, it has resonance for the practice of marketing in all planned retail developments.
Information systems outsourcing risks: a study of large firms
Authors: Gonzalez Reyes , Gasco Jose , Llopis Juan
Published: February 2005

Purpose

Despite the considerable growth of information systems (IS) outsourcing in recent years, this trend is still the object of strong criticism. This study has as its aim to show the main risks computer outsourcing entails in the case of the largest Spanish firms.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to achieve that aim, reviews the previous literature on this topic and later analyses the results of a survey carried out using a questionnaire that was answered by 357 firms.

Findings

According to the firms under analysis, the main concern in relation to IS outsourcing is the excessive dependence on the provider this type of contract can generate. Nevertheless, some characteristics of firms (mainly their size) determine to some extent what risks are seen as the most relevant.

Originality/value

The conclusions suggest that total outsourcing can turn out to be a very dangerous strategy, mainly due to the dependence it creates. This is why IS managers should consider other alternatives such as having multiple providers or resorting to selective outsourcing.
A comparison of quality management systems in the construction industries of Hong Kong and the USA
Authors: Ahmed Syed M. , Aoieong Raymond T. , Tang S.L. , Zheng Daisy X.M.
Published: February 2005

Purpose

To obtain a general opinion concerning the implementation of quality management systems (QMS) of construction‐related firms in the USA and Hong Kong, and to determine whether construction‐related firms have ever made an effort to measure quality improvement.

Design/methodology/approach

Two questionnaire surveys, one in the USA and one in Hong Kong, were conducted by sending out questionnaires to construction‐related companies. The surveys were then followed by 15 in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews with top management and quality managers of construction‐related firms in both the USA and Hong Kong.

Findings

The results of the study indicate that different perceptions towards the implementation of formal quality management systems existed between the two places. Mainly due to the lack of initiative and promotion from both clients and governments, construction companies in the USA have failed to see the need to obtain the ISO 9000 certification. In Hong Kong, however, the government's initiatives have resulted in a high percentage of companies having certified to the ISO 9000 standards. The results of the study also indicate that, though most companies used different tools for quality measurements, such measurements were mainly for monitoring and for recording purposes.

Originality/value

This is the first time that such a rigorous comparative study of quality management systems in the construction companies of two different countries has been conducted. It provides useful and practical insights into the differences and similarities between US and Hong Kong construction industries. This paper should be extremely valuable to practitioners in both countries, particularly the USA.