bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Flash Pyrolysis Study of M2TNR (M: Carbohydrazide or Semicarbazide) by T‐jump/FTIR Spectroscopy
Authors: Sun Yuan‐Hua , Zhang Tong‐Lai , Zhang Jian‐Guo , Qiao Xiao‐Jing , Yang Li
Published: June 2006

Flash pyrolysis of (CHZ)2TNR and (SCZ)2TNR was conducted by T‐jump/FTIR spectroscopy under 0.1 MPa Ar atmosphere. The results show that eleven IR‐active gas products obtained during flash pyrolysis process of the two title compounds are NO, CO, HCN, NH3, NO2, N2O, HNCO, HNO2, CO2, H2O and HCHO, of which NO and CO are the main gas products. The molar fraction of the individual product in the pyrolysis gas mixture was described as a function of time. At least some of the NO2, N2O and H2O can result from the oxidization reaction of NH3 during flash pyrolysis of (CHZ)2TNR. It can be concluded that the two compounds are not worthy of further in‐depth consideration of the adoption in detonators as eco‐friendly primary explosive, and should not be used as gas generation composition of automobile crash airbag system taking into account the toxicity.
Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Etoposide Analogues as Cytotoxic Agents
Authors: Liu Ying‐Qian , Yang Hua , Tian Xuan
Published: June 2006

Five novel compounds composed of etoposide and 5‐fluorouracil derivatives joined by an ester linkage were prepared and evaluated for their antitumor potential. Most of these analogues have exhibited promising in vitro cytotoxic activity against cell cultures of murine leukaemia P‐388 and human lung carcinoma A‐549. The results presented herein challenged the long‐standing structure‐activity relationships, which proposed that a free 4′‐hydroxyl group is essential structural requirement for etoposide‐like activity. And in addition, the 4′‐position was suggested to tolerate chemical modifications such as esterification. The preliminary testing results also indicated that the design and synthesis of these compounds were beneficial for therapeutic values of etoposide.
Synthesis, Structure and Magnetic Properties of a New Low‐Spin Iron(III) Complex [FeL3] {L = [HNC(CH3)]2C(CN)}
Authors: Nishijo Junichi , Nishi Nobuyuki
Published: June 2006

High‐temperature treatment of acetonitrile with CaC2 and FeCl2 afforded crystals of the new iron(III) S = 1/2 low‐spin complexes [FeL3]ROH (R = CH3 or C2H5), whose crystal structures were determined by single‐crystal X‐ray structural analysis. The methanol complex consists of a one‐dimensional arrangement of the iron moieties, while each methanol molecule is separated from each other by the complexes. On the other hand, the ethanol complex contains a two dimensional arrangement of the iron moieties and one dimensionally aligned ethanol molecules elongated perpendicular to the sheet. Because of the large difference in the inter‐complex overlap patterns between the ligands, the two materials show quite different magnetic properties. The magnetism of the crystal containing ethanol is well described by the singlet–triplet model with the antiferromagnetic interaction 2J/kB = –7.5 K, while that containing methanol obeys the Curie law with a negligibly small Weiss temperature.(© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006)
Molecular and Electronic Structures of Homoleptic Nickel and Cobalt Complexes with Non‐Innocent Bulky Diimine Ligands Derived from Fluorinated 1,4‐Diaza‐1,3‐butadiene (DAD) and Bis(arylimino)acenaphthene (BIAN)
Authors: Khusniyarov Marat M. , Harms Klaus , Burghaus Olaf , Sundermeyer Jörg
Published: June 2006

The diimine complexes with bulky fluorinatedN‐substituents [NiII(FDAD)2]1and [CoII(FDAD)2]2[FDAD =N,N′‐bis(pentafluorophenyl)‐2,3‐dimethyl‐1,4‐diaza‐1,3‐butadiene]as well as diimine complexes with extended π system [NiII(FBIAN)2]3and [CoI(FBIAN)3]4(FBIAN = bis[N‐{3,5‐bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl}imino]acenaphthene) were synthesized. Compound4represents the first complex with three bis(imino)acenaphthene ligands synthesized so far. The molecular structures of the complexes1–4were determined by X‐ray crystallography at 193 K. Complexes1,2and3comprise the divalent metal ions with pairs of radical monoanionic ligands, whereas4is best described as a cobalt(I) complex with two neutral (FBIAN)0and one (FBIAN)1–ligand in the radical monoanionic form. The electronic structures of the paramagnetic cobalt complexes2and4were investigated by SQUID measurements and X‐band EPR spectroscopy. Both complexes possess a doublet ground state, with electron density located mostly in the metal d‐orbitals. The doublet–quartet energy gap for4was established to be 159 cm–1. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006)
Bis‐Ruthena(III)cycles [Ru(C∩N)2(N∩N)]PF6 as Low‐Potential Mediators for PQQ Alcohol Dehydrogenase (C∩N = 2‐phenylpyridinato or 4‐(2‐tolyl)pyridinato, N∩N = bpy or phen)
Authors: Le Lagadec Ronan , Alexandrova Larissa , Estevez Hebert , Pfeffer Michel , Laurinavičius Valdas , Razumiene Julija , Ryabov Alexander D.
Published: June 2006

Bis‐cyclometalated analogs of tris(2,2′‐bipyridine)ruthenium(II), namely [RuIII(C∩N)2(N∩N)]PF6 complexes 3, are prepared in 52–57 % yield from the mono‐cyclometalated N,N‐dimethylbenzylamine (dmbaH) derivatives [RuII(dmba)(N∩N)(MeCN)2]PF6 (N∩N = bpy or phen) and mercurated 2‐phenylpyridinato‐ or 4‐(2‐tolyl)pyridinato (C∩N) species Hg(C∩N)Cl. Two new bis‐ruthenacycles studied by X‐ray crystallography revealed a C1 symmetry, with the C and N atoms of different C∩N ligands trans to the nitrogen atoms of the N∩N ligand. The reduction potential of the RuII/III feature of 3 is as low as ca.–0.2 V (vs. SCE in MeCN). Complexes 3 display a unique mediating ability in moving electrons from the reduced active site of PQQ‐dependent alcohol dehydrogenase (PQQ‐ADH) to an electrode with 1,2‐propanediol as a substrate at a working potential of +0.1 V. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006)
Diastereoselective [4+3] Cycloadditions of Enantiopure Nitrogen‐Stabilized Oxyallyl Cations
Authors: MaGee David I. , Godineau Edouard , Thornton Paul D. , Walters Michael A. , Sponholtz Deborah J.
Published: June 2006

Diastereoselective trapping of chiral enantiopure oxyallyl cations by common dienes is reported. Excellent diastereoselectivities were obtained and depending on which auxiliary was used cycloadditions proceeded through a chelated or non‐chelated pathway. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006)
Evaluating the spatial relationship of event‐related potential and functional MRI sources in the primary visual cortex
Authors: Whittingstall Kevin , Stroink Gerhard , Schmidt Matthias
Published: June 2006

The integration of electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can provide considerable insight into brain functionality. However, the direct relationship between neural and hemodynamic activity is still poorly understood. Of particular interest is the spatial correspondence between event‐related potential (ERP) and fMRI sources. In the current study we localized sources generated by a checkerboard stimulus presented to eight subjects using both EEG and fMRI. The location of the sources of the visual evoked potential (VEP) were estimated at each timepoint and compared to the location of peak fMRI activity. In the majority of participants we found that the N75 dipole location coincides with a region of positive blood oxygenation level‐dependent (BOLD) activation and the P100 dipole location coincides with a region of negative BOLD activation. These findings demonstrate the importance of including the negative BOLD response in combined EEG/fMRI studies. Hum Brain Mapp, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Technology management in services: knowledge‐based vs. knowledge‐embedded services
Authors: Kang Hyungu
Published: June 2006

Technology has had a profound effect on how services are designed and delivered. There have been many changes emerging in services as a result of technology.

This paper describes and provides illustrations of a framework which is useful for technology management in the service sector. The framework focuses on managing according to where the value is added in the service: in the service production system/process (knowledge‐embedded) or in the worker him/herself (knowledge‐based).

This paper explores the strategic technology management issues on different types of service.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effects of age and number of employees on managerial activities: an exploratory study of West Midlands small firms in the Central Technology Belt
Authors: Walker David S. , Tobias Andrew M.
Published: June 2006

Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) are widely recognized and acknowledged as vital and significant contributors to economic development. In many countries, the SME sector is a major source of employment, revenue generation, innovation and technological advancement. Its importance to economic development cannot be overemphasized. The UK is no exception.

This exploratory study focuses on a sample of West Midlands‐based businesses that are located within the area known as the Central Technology Belt and examines the effect of the age and size of businesses (measured in number of employees) on their managerial capability. The work will contribute to a longitudinal study assessing the managerial capabilities of small businesses more widely.

The data discussed in this paper is part of comprehensive ongoing research into SMEs in the Central Technology Belt of the UK and has been subjected by the authors to a range of parametric and non‐parametric statistical analyses.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Non-invasive in vivo detection of the carotenoid antioxidant substance lycopene in the human skin using the resonance Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Darvin M E , Gersonde I , Albrecht H , Meinke M , Sterry W , Lademann J
Published: June 2006

A non-invasive optical method forin vivodetermination of the concentration of carotenoid antioxidant substance lycopene in the skin, based on resonance Raman spectroscopy, is presented. The Ar+laser with an excitation wavelength at 514.5 nm was used, which corresponds to the maximum of the absorption of lycopene. This wavelength excited more lycopene than other carotenoids, because of the different absorption spectra of the carotenoids in the green spectral range. The absence of the reabsorption of carotenoids at the present wavelength and the elimination of the influences of heterogeneities of the skin, such as microstructure and pigmentation on Raman measurements by the use of a broad excitation laser beam, allows lycopene to be measured at a high accuracy. The utilization of the measurements of back reflected light from the skin allowed measurements to be performed on volunteers with all skin types.
One‐Pot Synthesis of a Polyrotaxane via Selective Threading of a PEI‐b‐PEG‐b‐PEI Copolymer
Authors: Choi Hak Soo , Ooya Tooru , Yui Nobuhiko
Published: June 2006

Summary: A functional polyrotaxane of a PEI‐b‐PEG‐b‐PEI copolymer is synthesized in aqueous solution in a one‐pot sequence. To obtain a polyrotaxane with PEG‐block‐selective inclusion complexes, the solution pH of the polypseudorotaxane is lowered to 4.4 in the presence of 9‐anthraldehyde (AN), which triggers the expulsion of the α‐cyclodextrins (α‐CDs) from the flank PEI chains.

Synthetic strategy of a block‐selective polyrotaxane between a PEI‐b‐PEG‐b‐PEI copolymer and α‐cyclodextrins.

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Synthetic strategy of a block‐selective polyrotaxane between a PEI‐b‐PEG‐b‐PEI copolymer and α‐cyclodextrins.
Macroporous Poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) Hydrogels with Adjustable Size “Cut‐off” for the Efficient and Reversible Immobilization of Biomacromolecules
Authors: Fänger Christian , Wack Holger , Ulbricht Mathias
Published: June 2006

Summary: Poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) hydrogels with varied degree of crosslinking (DC) were synthesized by using poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as an additive. A phase separated (“macroporous”) morphology was formed when using PEG contents of ≥20 wt.‐%. Temperature‐dependent degrees of swelling had been measured, and average mesh sizes of the swollen polymer network had been calculated. The loading of the hydrogels with labelled dextrans with various molar masses and bovine serum albumin (BSA)—via swelling of the shrunken gel in a cold solution—and their subsequent unloading—via immersion in hot water—were studied in detail. The loading efficiencies were close to zero for PNIPA prepared at PEG contents of ≤10 wt.‐%, and they increased sharply to about 100% for PNIPA prepared with PEG contents of ≥20 wt.‐%. A complete unloading was achieved as well. For macroporous PNIPA prepared at 40 wt.‐% PEG content, the loading efficiency was a function of the DC, and the “cut‐off” observed as a function of dextran or protein size correlated with the mesh size of the hydrogel. The function of these “smart” hydrogels can be explained by the temperature‐induced “pumping” of the solution into the gel bulk via the permanent pores, along with an uptake into the adjacent hydrogel network. Those materials could be used as matrices for the efficient and reversible immobilization of (bio)macromolecules.

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A Novel Phosphorus‐Containing Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Nanocomposite with Both Flame Retardancy and Anti‐Dripping Effects
Authors: Wang De‐Yi , Ge Xin‐Guo , Wang Yu‐Zhong , Wang Chuan , Qu Ming‐Hai , Zhou Qian
Published: June 2006

Summary: It is a big challenge to improve simultaneously both the flame retardancy and the melt‐dripping resistance of polymeric materials such as PET. In this paper, a novel intumescent flame retardant, DPSPB, was synthesized and blended with copolyester PET‐co‐DDP/O‐MMT nanocomposites, which were synthesized by polycondensation of TPA, EG, DDP, and O‐MMT. The resulting PET‐co‐DDP/O‐MMT/DPSPB nanocomposites exhibit very good flame retardance and dripping resistance, e.g., LOI = 29, UL‐94 V‐0. SEM, XRD, and XPS were used to investigate the relationships between the structures and properties of the composites. It is proved that DPSPB offers excellent protection for the structure of nanocomposites, which is responsible for the good anti‐dripping properties of the nanocomposites.

Residues of copolyesters after combustion: common nanocomposite residue of PDMN (left) and the novel nanocomposite residue of PDMN/DPSPB (right).

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Residues of copolyesters after combustion: common nanocomposite residue of PDMN (left) and the novel nanocomposite residue of PDMN/DPSPB (right).
Preparation and Properties of PVC Ternary Nanocomposites Containing Elastomeric Nanoscale Particles and Exfoliated Sodium‐Montmorillonite
Authors: Wang Qingguo , Zhang Xiaohong , Jin Yan , Gui Hua , Dong Weifu , Lai Jinmei , Liu Yiqun , Gao Jianming , Huang Fan , Song Zhihai , Qiao Jinliang
Published: June 2006

Summary: A novel rigid PVC ternary nanocomposite containing NBR‐ENP and untreated Na‐MMT has been fabricated. X‐ray diffraction XRD, TEM and SEM observations revealed that the untreated Na‐MMT was exfoliated and most NBR‐ENPs (about 90 nm) were separately dispersed in the PVC matrix. DMTA and TGA demonstrated that the PVC ternary nanocomposites had a higher glass transition temperature and a higher decomposition temperature than neat PVC, while the toughness increased simultaneously. Combustion tests showed that the exfoliated clay in the PVC/NBR‐ENP/MMT ternary nanocomposites did not improve the flame retardancy after ignition under strong heat flux.

Schematic diagram of the fabrication procedure of PVC/NBR‐ENP/Na‐MMT ternary nanocomposites.

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Schematic diagram of the fabrication procedure of PVC/NBR‐ENP/Na‐MMT ternary nanocomposites.
On spectral theory for Schrödinger operators with strongly singular potentials
Authors: Gesztesy Fritz , Zinchenko Maxim
Published: June 2006

We examine two kinds of spectral theoretic situations: First, we recall the case of self‐adjoint half‐line Schrödinger operators on [a , ∞), a ∈ ℝ, with a regular finite end point a and the case of Schrödinger operators on the real line with locally integrable potentials, which naturally lead to Herglotz functions and 2 × 2 matrix‐valued Herglotz functions representing the associated Weyl–Titchmarsh coefficients. Second, we contrast this with the case of self‐adjoint half‐line Schrödinger operators on (a , ∞) with a potential strongly singular at the end point a . We focus on situations where the potential is so singular that the associated maximally defined Schrödinger operator is self‐adjoint (equivalently, the associated minimally defined Schrödinger operator is essentially selfadjoint) and hence no boundary condition is required at the finite end point a . For this case we show that the Weyl–Titchmarsh coefficient in this strongly singular context still determines the associated spectral function, but ceases to posses the Herglotz property. However, as will be shown, Herglotz function techniques continue to play a decisive role in the spectral theory for strongly singular Schrödinger operators. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
DFT modeling of biological systems
Authors: Raugei Simone , Gervasio Francesco Luigi , Carloni Paolo
Published: June 2006

Biological systems are particularly challenging to model with first‐principles quantum mechanical methods. This difficulty arises both from the size of the bio‐molecules and from the complexity of the phenomena in which they are involved. Yet many problems of great biological interest can be treated only by first‐principle methods. Here we outline the state‐of‐the art of ab initio (Density Functional Theory, DFT) biological modeling by presenting a brief survey of new trends in the development of algorithms as well as few representative applications. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Films Prepared with Oxidized Banana Starch: Mechanical and Barrier Properties
Authors: Zamudio‐Flores Paul B. , Vargas‐Torres Apolonio , Pérez‐González José , Bosquez‐Molina Elsa , Bello‐Pérez Luis A.
Published: June 2006

Films were prepared using oxidized banana starch and glycerol. Oxidized banana starch was synthesized at three oxidation levels (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% of active chlorine). Thermal gelatinization and casting were used for film preparation. Tensile strength, elongation, X‐ray diffraction pattern and water vapor permeability were tested. The tensile strength of the films was higher when the oxidation level of the banana starch was higher. When films were stored for 30 and 60 days, there were no statistical differences in tensile strength. However, differences occurred when those films were compared with the films stored for 90 days. The film with added sunflower oil presented the lowest value of elongation at 30 and 60 days of storage. When elongation values were assessed at 90 days of storage no statistical differences (α=0.05) were found among the films prepared from native starch with added sunflower oil, oxidized banana starch with 1.0% and oxidized banana starch with 1.5% oxidation level. All films had a B‐type X‐ray pattern. When the oxidation level in the starch increased, the peaks of crystallinity of the films increased as well. An additive effect was shown due to the higher interactions among polymer chains and among polymer and glycerol molecules as determined by the mechanical properties of the films analyzed. The corrected water vapor permeability (WVPc) of the films stored for 30 and 60 days did not show statistical differences (α=0.05). The films prepared with oxidized banana starch had the highest WVPc and those values increased when the oxidation level in the starch was higher. Oxidized banana starch can be used for preparation of films with adequate physicochemical characteristics.
Mannose 6-phosphate Receptor (MPR 300) Proteins from Goat and Chicken Bind Human IGF-II
Authors: Koduru Suresh , Yadavalli Sivaramakrishna , Nadimpalli Siva Kumar
Published: June 2006

Mannose 6-phosphate receptor proteins (MPR 300 and 46) in mammals have been shown to mediate transport of lysosomal enzymes to lysosomes intracellularly. Both receptors are also expressed on the plasma membrane. Only MPR 300 protein on the plasma membrane has been shown to be a multifunctional protein which in addition to binding mannose 6-phosphate containing proteins also binds human insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) causing its internalization [Hille-Rehfeld, A. (1995) Mannose 6-phosphate receptors in sorting and transport of lysosomal enzymes. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1241: 177–194]. This property has been shown to be exhibited by other mammalian receptors but not by the chicken and frog receptors. In a recent study however it was shown that the fish embryo MPR 300 binds human IGF-II. [Mendez, E., Planas, J.V., Castillo, J., Navarro, I. and Gutierrez, J. (2001) Identification of a type II insulin-like growth factor receptor in fish embryos. Endocrinology, 142: 1090–1097]. In the present study, we demonstrate that the purified goat and chicken liver receptors bind human IGF-II by employing cross-linking experiments (purified receptors and radiolabeled IGF-II) and by ligand blotting (using purified receptors and biotinylated IGF-II). Further CEF cells (chicken embryonic fibroblasts) that are known to contain the putative MPR 300 protein were employed to demonstrate that the CEF cell receptor binds human IGF-II.
Wnt pathway mutations selected by optimal β‐catenin signaling for tumorigenesis
Authors: Cho Kwang-Hyun , Baek Songjoon , Sung Myong-Hee
Published: June 2006

Mutations in components of the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway are observed to be the earliest initiating event for most colorectal tumors. The majority of the mutations occur in the tumor suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), even though there are other genes that are capable of modulating the pathway activity. Moreover, the specific APC mutations associated in colon cancer indicate the possibility that the tumor selects for certain truncated forms of APC that partially retain its function, namely, inhibition of β‐catenin. We estimated the effects of various mutations in APC and other known mutations using a recent mathematical model of the Wnt pathway that was constructed to represent the conserved core molecular events. We provide evidence that APC mutations are selected not based on the maximal level of β‐catenin but rather based on distinct state of activity that appears to be optimal for the tissue‐specific tumorigenesis. This optimal level is determined by balancing β‐catenin signaling and the induction of Axin2 that acts as a potent negative feedback. The predominant pattern of APC mutations may provide synergistic oncogenic effects that promote colorectal tumorigenesis: the optimal signaling for cell survival and renewal, disrupted cell adhesion, chromosomal instability, and altered asymmetric division of stem cells.
A novel apoptosis cascade mediated by lysosomal lactoferrin and its participation in hepatocyte apoptosis induced by d‐galactosamine
Authors: Katunuma Nobuhiko , Le Quang Trong , Murata Etsuko , Matsui Atsushi , Majima Eiji , Ishimaru Naozumi , Hayashi Yoshio , Ohashi Atsushi
Published: June 2006

A new apoptosis cascade mediated by lysosomal lactoferrin was found in apoptotic liver induced by d‐galactosamine. Caspase‐3 and lactoferrin were increased in the apoptotic liver cytoplasm and serum transaminases were elevated. Recombinant lactoferrin stimulated procaspase‐3 processing at 10−6–10−7
M to an extent similar to that by granzyme B in vitro. Lactoferrin changed procaspase‐3 structure susceptible to the processing. Synthetic peptide Y679‐K695 in lactoferrin molecule inhibited the processing of procaspase‐3 by lactoferrin. Lactoferrin in lysosomes was decreased and lactoferrin released into cytoplasm was increased quantitatively in d‐galactosamine induced apoptotic liver, and procaspase‐3 in cytoplasm was processed to caspase‐3.
Clinical diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis
Authors: Simoes J.A. , Discacciati M.G. , Brolazo E.M. , Portugal P.M. , Dini D.V. , Dantas M.C.M.
Published: June 2006

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of Amsel's criteria individually or in combinations of two for the clinical diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis. Methods: This cross‐sectional study enrolled 135 women at UNICAMP, and evaluated Amsel's four clinical criteria. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated for each criterion individually, in combinations of two, and for the classic test with at least three criteria present. The Nugent method was used as gold standard. Results: The most sensitive individual criteria were pH and vaginal discharge (97%), the latter having lowest specificity (26%). The criterion with highest specificity was the presence of clue cells (86%). The combination of two criteria showed sensitivity of 83% to 93%, and specificity of 82% to 94%. Conclusion: The accuracy of Amsel's clinical criteria individually or in combinations of two was as accurate as the presence of at least three criteria for the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis.
RETHINKING EARLY NINETEENTH-CENTURY ASYLUM REFORM
Authors: BROWN MICHAEL
Published: June 2006

This article seeks, through the medium of a case study of the York Lunatic Asylum scandal of 1813 to 1815, to rethink aspects of the existing historiography of early nineteenth-century asylum reform. By moving away from the normative medical historical focus on ‘madness’ and ‘custody’, it relates the reform of lunatic asylums to the wider social, cultural, and political currents of the early nineteenth century. In particular, it demonstrates how the conflict over the administration of the York Asylum represented a clash between different conceptions of social power and public accountability which were rooted in mutually opposed cultural ideologies. In addition, by bringing more recent work on identity and performance to bear on a classic set of historical issues, it also seeks to investigate how the reform of lunatic asylums, and the cultural shifts which they embodied, impacted upon the social identities of medical practitioners engaged in the charitable care of the sick and mad.
THE LESSONS OF ABADAN AND SUEZ FOR BRITISH FOREIGN POLICYMAKERS IN THE 1960s
Authors: BECK PETER J.
Published: June 2006

Responding positively to the 1957 ‘funding experience’ initiative encouraging Whitehall departments to use history more systematically in their everyday work, the Foreign Office commissioned a pilot project centred upon the 1951 Anglo-Iranian Abadan crisis. The resulting study, completed by Rohan Butler in 1962, included a lengthy section drawing lessons from the historical narrative. During the early 1960s Butler's Abadan history, attracting interest and comment from both ministers and officials, fed into ongoing reviews of British foreign policy and methods stimulated by the 1956 Suez debacle and Britain's initial failure to join the Common Market (1963). Confronting policymakers with the contemporary realities affecting Britain's role in the world, the history prompted serious thinking about the case for a radical change of direction in both foreign policy and methods. Generally speaking, the Foreign Office has made little use of history in the actual policymaking process. From this perspective, this episode, centred upon Butler's Abadan history, offers a useful case study illuminating any appraisal of history's potential as a policy input, most notably concerning the role of historical analogies in the formulation, conduct, and presentation of British foreign policy.
The lack of sustained effect of bright light in non-seasonal major depression
Authors: MARTINY KLAUS , LUNDE MARIANNE , UNDÉN MOGENS , DAM HENRIK , BECH PER
Published: June 2006

Background. Recently accumulated evidence has demonstrated that bright-light therapy in combination with antidepressants is effective in patients with non-seasonal major depression. Whether bright light has a sustained effect after discontinuation is, however, poorly investigated.

Method. In this double-blind randomized study we report the results from a 4-week follow-up period in patients with major non-seasonal depression who had been treated for 5 weeks with sertraline combined with bright-light therapy or sertraline combined with dim-light therapy. At the beginning of the follow-up period the light therapy was stopped while sertraline treatment continued for 4 weeks.

Results. Depression scores decreased substantially in both groups, resulting in high response and remission rates in both groups after 9 weeks of treatment. The difference in depression scores at week 5, favouring the bright-light-treated group, disappeared gradually in the 4-week follow-up period, resulting in similar end-point scores.

Conclusions. Bright light did not have a sustained effect after discontinuation. The offset of effect was complete after 4 weeks.
Keeping it in the family: narrative maps of ageing and young athletes' perceptions of their futures
Authors: PHOENIX CASSANDRA , SPARKES ANDREW C.
Published: June 2006

Drawing upon interviews with 22 young athletes aged on average 20 years, this article examines the ways in which they used observations of the ageing and old age of their family members to shape the ways in which they anticipated the ageing of their own bodies. The representations of the bodies, roles and lifestyles of their parents and grandparents provided ‘narrative maps’ that held pre-presentations of the young athletes' possible futures. They included both preferred and feared scenarios about middle age and old age, particularly the opportunities they would have for maintaining physical activity and the appearance of their bodies. The young men's and the young women's narrative maps differed: the women's accounts of old age gave more prominence to the loss of appearance, while the men's focused more on the loss of control and independence. The informants were highly sensitised to the biological dimensions of ageing which, for them, meant the inevitable decline of the material body, especially in performance terms, and both genders recognised social dimensions, particularly that responsibilities to jobs and family would constrain the time available for exercise. To understand more fully young athletes' experiences of self-ageing, and the family as a key arena for the embodied projection and inscription of ageing narratives, further research is required.
The ‘Deaf Ear’ of Classicism: Searching for the Female Voice in French Tragédie Lyrique
Authors: NANCY SARAH
Published: June 2006

This article considers the paradoxical manifestations of rejection or suspicion concerning the voice and the feminine at the very moment of the creation of tragédie lyrique at the end of the seventeenth century in France. It examines the relationship between these elements and asks what they have in common that may be perceived as threatening. What is at stake is not only the period's capacity to experiment with pleasure through the elaboration of rules, but also, beyond this delimited historical perspective, the appreciation of the element of danger that is inherent in the experience of any artistic performance, and the roles played by the voice and the feminine in such an experience.
Re-assessment of risk factors for sporadic Salmonella serotype Enteritidis infections: a case-control study in five FoodNet Sites, 2002–2003
Authors: MARCUS R. , VARMA J. K. , MEDUS C. , BOOTHE E. J. , ANDERSON B. J. , CRUME T. , FULLERTON K. E. , MOORE M. R. , WHITE P. L. , LYSZKOWICZ E. , VOETSCH A. C. , ANGULO F. J.
Published: June 2006

Active surveillance for laboratory-confirmed Salmonella serotype Enteritidis (SE) infection revealed a decline in incidence in the 1990s, followed by an increase starting in 2000. We sought to determine if the fluctuation in SE incidence could be explained by changes in foodborne sources of infection. We conducted a population-based case-control study of sporadic SE infection in five of the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) sites during a 12-month period in 2002–2003. A total of 218 cases and 742 controls were enrolled. Sixty-seven (31%) of the 218 case-patients and six (1%) of the 742 controls reported travel outside the United States during the 5 days before the case's illness onset (OR 53, 95% CI 23–125). Eighty-one percent of cases with SE phage type 4 travelled internationally. Among persons who did not travel internationally, eating chicken prepared outside the home and undercooked eggs inside the home were associated with SE infections. Contact with birds and reptiles was also associated with SE infections. This study supports the findings of previous case-control studies and identifies risk factors associated with specific phage types and molecular subtypes.
On the record
Authors: REHDING ALEXANDER
Published: June 2006

The score of Kurt Weill's Zeitoper, Der Zar läßt sich photographieren (1928), is void at its centre: the musical and dramatic climax, the ‘Tango Angèle’, only exists as a gramophone recording, played on stage, while the orchestra falls silent. Just as the perennial themes of love and death are relentlessly updated in this farcical opera into their anti-metaphysical modern-day equivalents – sex and political assassination – so the music avails itself of modern media to bring across its McLuhanesque point: the medium is the message. The sound medium matters in two ways: first, the gramophone emphatically teleports the tango – a fashionable and sexually loaded dance – into the realm of opera; second, the recorded performance constitutes its exclusive musical reality. As if to underscore this point, parts and score of the ‘Tango Angèle’ were lost shortly after Weill produced the recording for the première: only the recording remained. This article reconstructs the nexus between popular music, modern sound media and operatic aesthetics in Weimar Germany: while the recording is an expression of Zeitoper's demand for radical up-to-dateness, the sound of the record, paradoxically, locks it forever in 1928. A relatively obscure work nowadays, Der Zar remains perhaps the most far-reaching response to the Opernkrise of the mid-1920s, reconfigured here as a crisis of musical writing.
The functions of societies and the evolution of group living: spider societies as a test case
Authors: Whitehouse Mary E. A. , Lubin Yael
Published: June 2006

Many models have been advanced to suggest how different expressions of sociality have evolved and are maintained. However these models ignore the function of groups for the particular species in question. Here we present a new perspective on sociality where the function of the group takes a central role. We argue that sociality may have primarily a reproductive, protective, or foraging function, depending on whether it enhances the reproductive, protective or foraging aspect of the animal's life (sociality may serve a mixture of these functions). Different functions can potentially cause the development of the same social behaviour. By identifying which function influences a particular social behaviour we can determine how that social behaviour will change with changing conditions, and which models are most pertinent. To test our approach we examined spider sociality, which has often been seen as the poor cousin to insect sociality. By using our approach we found that the group characteristics of eusocial insects is largely governed by the reproductive function of their groups, while the group characteristics of social spiders is largely governed by the foraging function of the group. This means that models relevant to insects may not be relevant to spiders. It also explains why eusocial insects have developed a strict caste system while spider societies are more egalitarian. We also used our approach to explain the differences between different types of spider groups. For example, differences in the characteristics of colonial and kleptoparasitic groups can be explained by differences in foraging methods, while differences between colonial and cooperative spiders can be explained by the role of the reproductive function in the formation of cooperative spider groups. Although the interactions within cooperative spider colonies are largely those of a foraging society, demographic traits and colony dynamics are strongly influenced by the reproductive function. We argue that functional explanations help to understand the social structure of spider groups and therefore the evolutionary potential for speciation in social spiders.
Sexual selection research on spiders: progress and biases
Authors: Huber Bernhard A.
Published: June 2006

The renaissance of interest in sexual selection during the last decades has fuelled an extraordinary increase of scientific papers on the subject in spiders. Research has focused both on the process of sexual selection itself, for example on the signals and various modalities involved, and on the patterns, that is the outcome of mate choice and competition depending on certain parameters. Sexual selection has most clearly been demonstrated in cases involving visual and acoustical signals but most spiders are myopic and mute, relying rather on vibrations, chemical and tactile stimuli. This review argues that research has been biased towards modalities that are relatively easily accessible to the human observer. Circumstantial and comparative evidence indicates that sexual selection working via substrate‐borne vibrations and tactile as well as chemical stimuli may be common and widespread in spiders. Pattern‐oriented research has focused on several phenomena for which spiders offer excellent model objects, like sexual size dimorphism, nuptial feeding, sexual cannibalism, and sperm competition. The accumulating evidence argues for a highly complex set of explanations for seemingly uniform patterns like size dimorphism and sexual cannibalism. Sexual selection appears involved as well as natural selection and mechanisms that are adaptive in other contexts only. Sperm competition has resulted in a plethora of morphological and behavioural adaptations, and simplistic models like those linking reproductive morphology with behaviour and sperm priority patterns in a straightforward way are being replaced by complex models involving an array of parameters. Male mating costs are increasingly being documented in spiders, and sexual selection by male mate choice is discussed as a potential result. Research on sexual selection in spiders has come a long way since Darwin, whose spider examples are reanalysed in the context of contemporary knowledge, but the same biases and methodological constraints have persisted almost unchanged through the current boom of research.
Cloud radiative forcing at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Climate Research Facility: 2. Vertical redistribution of radiant energy by clouds
Authors: Mace Gerald G. , Benson Sally , Kato Seiji
Published: June 2006

Documentation of the effects of clouds on the radiant energy balance of the surface and atmosphere represents a shortcoming in the set of observations that are needed to ascertain the validity of climate model simulations. While clouds are known to cool the climate system from top of atmosphere (TOA) radiation budget studies, the redistribution of energy between the surface and atmosphere and within the atmosphere by clouds has not been examined in detail with observations. Using data collected at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) site, we use measurements of cloud occurrence and structure together with a scheme to characterize the cloud microphysical and radiative properties to estimate the uncertainty in our ability to calculate the radiative forcing and effect of clouds at the top of atmosphere, the surface and within the atmosphere. We find that overcast clouds during 2000 tended to have a small net influence on the atmosphere (6 W m−2 ± 3 W m−2 of heating) with net TOA and surface cooling (25 W m−2 ± 3 W m−2 and 32 ± 3 W m−2, respectively). These statistics mask a significant redistribution of radiant energy within the atmosphere by clouds where low overcast clouds resulted in strong atmospheric cooling (37 W m−2 ± 9 W m−2), and thin high clouds resulted in warming (21 W m−2 ± 6 W m−2) suggesting that accurate prediction of the phasing of these cloud types within meteorological features is important for capturing the essential feedbacks by clouds to the general circulation.
On the geomagnetic effects of solar wind interplanetary magnetic structures
Authors: Echer E. , Gonzalez W. D. , Alves M. V.
Published: June 2006

We present in this work a statistical study of the geoeffectiveness of the solar wind magnetic interplanetary structures over the entire observational period (1964–2003). The structures studied were magnetic clouds (MCs, 170 events), corotating interaction regions (CIRs, 727 events) and interplanetary shocks (830 events). The geoeffectiveness was assessed in terms of the geomagnetic index Kp, AE, and Dst peak values within 2 days after the interplanetary structure had passed near Earth's orbit. Frequency distributions were obtained that give the probability of every interplanetary structure being followed by intense, moderate, weak, or quiet (none) magnetic activity levels. The knowledge of probability distribution is important in schemes to forecast space weather conditions after the detection, by in situ solar wind observations, of an interplanetary structure approaching Earth. We observed that magnetic clouds are more efficient than shocks or CIRs in producing all the geomagnetic activity disturbances; CIRs are themselves more geoeffective as measured by the AE activity. We have confirmed that compound structures (shocks plus MCs) are more geoeffective in every type of magnetospheric activity than isolated structures.
Propagation speed of runaway electron avalanches
Authors: Coleman L. M. , Dwyer J. R.
Published: June 2006

Simulations of relativistic runaway breakdown (RRB) are performed as functions of both time and space, resulting in explicit calculations of e‐folding lengths (λ) and times (τ). The ratio of λ to τ agrees well with the speed of the avalanche, which ranges from 2.61 × 108 m s‐1 to 2.72 × 108 m s‐1. Thus, using the speed of light, c, for the ratio of λ to τ can cause a 10% error when estimating λ from τ. A 10% error in λ will cause a factor of three error in the predicted number of runaway electrons for every ten estimated e‐foldings. In addition, previous models that predict peak radiated electric fields from RRB have used avalanche speeds of 0.987c and higher. Using a propagation speed of 0.89c causes a dramatic change in the predicted beaming pattern of electromagnetic radiation caused by RRB in these models.
Gabapentin inhibits high‐threshold calcium channel currents in cultured rat dorsal root ganglion neurones
Authors: Sutton K G , Martin D J , Pinnock R D , Lee K , Scott R H
Published: June 2006

This study examined the action of gabapentin (gabapentin,1‐(aminomethyl) cyclohexane acetic acid (Neurontin®)) on voltage‐gated calcium (Ca2+) channel influx recorded in cultured rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurones.

Voltage‐gated Ca2+ influx was monitored using both fura‐2 based fluorescence Ca2+ imaging and the whole‐cell patch clamp technique.

Imaging of intracellular Ca2+ transients revealed that gabapentin inhibited KCl (30 mM)‐evoked voltage‐dependent Ca2+ influx. Both the duration for 50% of the maximum response (W50) and total Ca2+ influx were significantly reduced by ∼25‐30% in the presence of gabapentin (25 μM).

Gabapentin potently inhibited the peak whole‐cell Ca2+ channel current (IBa) in a dose‐dependent manner with an estimated IC50 value of 167 nM. Block was incomplete and saturated at a maximal concentration of 25 μM.

Inhibition was significantly decreased in the presence of the neutral amino acid L‐isoleucine (25 μM) but unaffected by application of the GABAB antagonist, saclofen (200 μM), suggesting a direct action on the α2δ subunit of the Ca2+ channel.

Gabapentin inhibition was voltage‐dependent, producing an ∼7 mV hyperpolarizing shift in current voltage properties and reducing a non‐inactivating component of whole‐cell current activated at relatively depolarized potentials.

The use of specific Ca2+ channel antagonists revealed a mixed pharmacology of the gabapentin‐sensitive current (N‐, L‐ and P/Q‐type), which is dominated by N‐type current.

The present study is the first to demonstrate that gabapentin directly mediates inhibition of voltage‐gated Ca2+ influx in DRG neurones, providing a potential means for gabapentin to effectively mediate spinal anti‐nociception.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2002) 135, 257–265; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0704439
The pharmacology of the acute hyperthermic response that follows administration of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘ecstasy’) to rats
Authors: Mechan Annis O , Esteban Blanca , O'Shea Esther , Elliott J Martin , Colado M Isabel , Green A Richard
Published: June 2006

The pharmacology of the acute hyperthermia that follows 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘ecstasy’) administration to rats has been investigated.

MDMA (12.5 mg kg−1 i.p.) produced acute hyperthermia (measured rectally). The tail skin temperature did not increase, suggesting that MDMA may impair heat dissipation.

Pretreatment with the 5‐HT1/2 antagonist methysergide (10 mg kg−1), the 5‐HT2A antagonist MDL 100,907 (0.1 mg kg−1) or the 5‐HT2C antagonist SB 242084 (3 mg kg−1) failed to alter the hyperthermia. The 5‐HT2 antagonist ritanserin (1 mg kg−1) was without effect, but MDL 11,939 (5 mg kg−1) blocked the hyperthermia, possibly because of activity at non‐serotonergic receptors.

The 5‐HT uptake inhibitor zimeldine (10 mg kg−1) had no effect on MDMA‐induced hyperthermia. The uptake inhibitor fluoxetine (10 mg kg−1) markedly attenuated the MDMA‐induced increase in hippocampal extracellular 5‐HT, also without altering hyperthermia.

The dopamine D2 antagonist remoxipride (10 mg kg−1) did not alter MDMA‐induced hyperthermia, but the D1 antagonist SCH 23390 (0.3 – 2.0 mg kg−1) dose‐dependently antagonized it.

The dopamine uptake inhibitor GBR 12909 (10 mg kg−1) did not alter the hyperthermic response and microdialysis demonstrated that it did not inhibit MDMA‐induced striatal dopamine release.

These results demonstrate that in vivo MDMA‐induced 5‐HT release is inhibited by 5‐HT uptake inhibitors, but MDMA‐induced dopamine release may not be altered by a dopamine uptake inhibitor.

It is suggested that MDMA‐induced hyperthermia results not from MDMA‐induced 5‐HT release, but rather from the increased release of dopamine that acts at D1 receptors. This has implications for the clinical treatment of MDMA‐induced hyperthermia.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2002) 135, 170–180; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0704442