bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Family Matters
Authors: Haldane John
Published: November 2006

Governments and international bodies continue to praise the family for its service to the good of individuals and of society. Among its important contributions are the rearing of children and the care of the elderly. So far as the former is concerned, however, the family is subject to increasing criticism and suggestions are made for further state intervention, particularly in the area of education. In response to this challenge I consider the natural operation of the family in relation to the development of children, and examine the implications of this for the role of the state in promoting, protecting or interfering with family life. Relating this to the issue of autonomy I argue that the sort of liberalism that lies behind the increasing criticism of parental authority is unable to find a place for the common good of family because of its commitment to neutrality between life-shaping values. I conclude that the best advice that philosophers might offer to policy makers is to make it possible for families to flourish in the ways they themselves recognise to be best.
The Self-Centredness Objection to Virtue Ethics
Authors: Toner Christopher
Published: November 2006

Aristotelian virtue ethics is often charged with counseling a self-centred approach to the moral life. Reviewing some influential responses made by defenders of virtue ethics, I argue that none of them goes far enough. I begin my own response by evaluating two common targets of the objection, Aristotle and Aquinas, and based on my findings sketch the outlines of a clearly non-self-centred version of virtue ethics, according to which the ‘center’ is instead located in the agent’s right relation to others and ultimately to the Good. I conclude that while some species of virtue ethics may be self-centred, the objection cannot be used to indict the whole genus.
Goodness And Truth
Authors: Charlton William
Published: November 2006

The paper presents goodness and truth as analogous formal concepts. I first argue that saying something is true of something and saying it is false of it are basic ways of speaking truly or falsely. I then consider thinking a property a good one for something to acquire and thinking it a bad, equate this with having something as a positive or negative objective, an object of desire or aversion, and argue that these are basic ways of thinking rightly or wrongly. Finally I discuss the notions of a way of speaking or thinking, making special reference to Frege’s ‘Negation’ and ‘The Thought.’
Scepticism About Intuition
Authors: Sosa David
Published: November 2006

Contemporary philosophy’s antipathy to intuition can come to seem baffling. There is inadequate reason to move away from the intuitively attractive view that we have a faculty of intuition, in many ways akin to our faculties of perception and memory and introspection, that gives us reason for belief, and with it, often enough, gives us knowledge. The purpose here is to consider whether scepticism about intuition is more reasonable than a corresponding scepticism about other epistemic faculties. I am sceptical that it is.
Wittgenstein and Musical Formalism
Authors: Szabados Béla
Published: November 2006

I argue that Wittgenstein was no lifelong musical formalist. I further contend that the attribution of musical formalism obscures, while the break with it I propose explains, the role that music played in the development of his philosophy of language. What is more, I sketch a perspective on the later Wittgenstein’s remarks on the music and musical understanding that supports my claims. Throughout my discussion, rather than assimilating Hanslick’s and Wittgenstein’s views on music, I point to similarities and differences between them, suggesting that taking snapshots and putting them side by side sheds more light on how they are related to each other.
The Continuum: Russell’s Moment of Candour
Authors: Ormell Christopher
Published: November 2006

A quotation from Russell concedes that the immensity of real numbers (unending decimals) implied by the usual account of the continuum cannot mainly consist of ‘those whose digits procede according to some rule’. Russell concludes that the main body of real numbers ‘must be’ of the ‘lawless’ variety. The author scrutinises these so-called ‘lawless decimals’ and concludes that they are mythical. It follows that the totality of well-defined real numbers (existing and future) cannot be more than a countable whole. It is however clearly uncountable. An explanation is offered using the ‘greater lexicographic sequence’ (GLS).
Elasticity of MgO to 11 GPa with an independent absolute pressure scale: Implications for pressure calibration
Authors: Li Baosheng , Woody Kelly , Kung Jennifer
Published: November 2006

P and S wave velocities and unit cell parameters (density) of MgO are measured simultaneously up to 11 GPa using combined ultrasonic interferometry and in situ X‐ray diffraction techniques. The elastic bulk and shear moduli as well as their pressure derivatives are obtained by fitting the measured velocity and density data to the third‐order finite strain equations, yielding K0S = 163.5(11) GPa, K′0S = 4.20(10), G0 = 129.8(6) GPa, and G′0 = 2.42(6), independent of pressure. These properties are subsequently used in a Birch‐Murnaghan equation of state to determine the sample pressures at the observed strains. Comparison of the 300K isothermal compression of MgO indicates that current pressure scales from recent studies are in better than 1.5% agreement. We find that pressures derived from secondary pressure standards (NaCl, ruby fluorescence) at 300K are lower than those from current MgO scales by 5–8% (∼6% on average) in the entire pressure range of the current experiment. If this is taken into account, discrepancy in previous static compression studies on MgO at 300K can be reconciled, and a better agreement with the present study can be achieved.
Surface Kuroshio path in the Luzon Strait area derived from satellite remote sensing data
Authors: Yuan Dongliang , Han Weiqing , Hu Dunxin
Published: November 2006

Satellite ocean color, sea surface temperature, and altimeter data are used to study the surface Kuroshio path in the Luzon Strait area. The results suggest that the dominant path of surface Kuroshio intrusion in winter is a direct route from northeast of Luzon to southwest of Taiwan and then westward along the continental slope of northern South China Sea. Anticyclonic intrusions of the Kuroshio in the Luzon Strait area are observed during less than 30% of the time on average and in all four seasons of the year. Winter is the most favorable season for the formation of the anticyclonic intrusions. However, the Kuroshio is observed to deviate from the dominant path during only a little over one third of the wintertime on average. The loop currents of the Kuroshio, which feature prominent inflow‐outflow currents in the Luzon Strait during the anticyclonic intrusions, are observed only occasionally, with more episodes in summer than in winter. The observation of more frequent loop currents of the Kuroshio in summer than in winter is a revision to the existing conclusion. These results demonstrate that the anticyclonic intrusion of the Kuroshio is a transient phenomenon rather than a persistent circulation pattern in the Luzon Strait area as suggested by some of the existing numerical model simulations. The growth and decay of the anticyclonic intrusions of the Kuroshio are closely related to the passages and evolution of mesoscale eddies in the Luzon Strait area. Each anticyclonic intrusion event lasts for a few weeks. Its termination sometimes results in a detached anticyclonic eddy propagating to the western basin along the continental slope of the northern South China Sea.
Ozone variability in the midlatitude upper troposphere and lower stratosphere diagnosed from a monthly SAGE II climatology relative to the tropopause
Authors: Wang Pi‐Huan , Cunnold Derek M. , Trepte Charles R. , Wang Hsiang J. , Jing Ping , Fishman Jack , Brackett Vince G. , Zawodney Joseph M. , Bodeker Greg E.
Published: November 2006

A midlatitude (25°–65°) monthly zonal median ozone climatology in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS), from 8 to 20 km with a 0.5‐km vertical resolution and a 5° latitudinal resolution, is developed on the basis of version 6.2 (V6.2) ozone profile retrievals from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II measurements from October 1984 to August 2005. To avoid mixing of the tropospheric ozone data with stratospheric values, the thermal tropopause height is used as a base altitude for developing the climatology (the monthly mean tropopause height has been added back to the climatological profile). This feature of the developed ozone climatology, together with the near global SAGE II data coverage, complements the existing ozone climatologies in the midlatitude UTLS. In addition to using this climatology to describe hemispheric differences in the UTLS ozone (the primary purpose of this paper), the database can also be used to initialize atmospheric chemistry‐transport models or for satellite data retrieval. The specific new findings include (1) the differences in the vertical structure of monthly ozone evolution across the tropopause between the NH and the SH, (2) all year bimodal probability distribution functions (PDFs) of the tropopause ozone, and (3) the annual cycle of the tropopause ozone PDF with increasing (decreasing) presence of ozone‐rich air leading to tropopause ozone enhancements (reductions) during spring and early summer (fall and winter). The derived climatology is shown to be consistent with the ozonesonde climatologies of Logan (1985, 1999a) in many respects, including ozone seasonal cycle at the tropopause and in the UT, the broad summer ozone maximum in the northern UT, and non‐Gaussian ozone PDFs at the tropopause. This consistency strengthens the confidence in SAGE II satellite ozone remote sensing in the UTLS. The derived SAGE II midlatitude ozone climatology is compared to ozonesonde measurements at Hohenpeissenberg (47.4°N, 11°E), Germany, and Lauder (45°S, 169.7°E), New Zealand. The monthly ozone climatology data are provided as auxiliary material to this report.
Source regions of lower‐tropospheric airflow trajectories for the lower peninsula of Michigan: A 40‐year air mass climatology
Authors: Shadbolt Ryan P. , Waller Eleanor A. , Messina Joseph P. , Winkler Julie A.
Published: November 2006

Airflow trajectories were used to create a long‐term (40‐year) air mass climatology for the lower peninsula of Michigan. The climatology provides a necessary baseline for evaluating the impact of changes in airflow on historical and potential future variations in temperature and precipitation. Five‐day back trajectories were calculated four times per day at the 925 hPa level using wind data from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis fields. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to manage and display the large (58,440) volume of trajectories. The analysis revealed spatially coherent airflow pathways, and six resulting air mass source regions were defined. Also evident were large monthly variations in the frequency of trajectories from the major source regions. A residence time analysis performed within a GIS proved to be an efficient and effective means for summarizing the trajectories. Finally, a comparison of the results presented here to those of previous climatological analyses suggests that the choice of methodology has considerable influence on identification of the primary source regions for a location.
A parametric Bayesian combination of local and regional information in flood frequency analysis
Authors: Seidou O. , Ouarda T. B. M. J. , Barbet M. , Bruneau P. , Bobée B.
Published: November 2006

Because of their impact on hydraulic structure design as well as on floodplain management, flood quantiles must be estimated with the highest precision given available information. If the site of interest has been monitored for a sufficiently long period (more than 30–40 years), at‐site frequency analysis can be used to estimate flood quantiles with a fair precision. Otherwise, regional estimation may be used to mitigate the lack of data, but local information is then ignored. A commonly used approach to combine at‐site and regional information is the linear empirical Bayes estimation: Under the assumption that both local and regional flood quantile estimators have a normal distribution, the empirical Bayesian estimator of the true quantile is the weighted average of both estimations. The weighting factor for each estimator is conversely proportional to its variance. We propose in this paper an alternative Bayesian method for combining local and regional information which provides the full probability density of quantiles and parameters. The application of the method is made with the generalized extreme values (GEV) distribution, but it can be extended to other types of extreme value distributions. In this method the prior distributions are obtained using a regional log linear regression model, and then local observations are used within a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm to infer the posterior distributions of parameters and quantiles. Unlike the empirical Bayesian approach the proposed method works even with a single local observation. It also relaxes the hypothesis of normality of the local quantiles probability distribution. The performance of the proposed methodology is compared to that of local, regional, and empirical Bayes estimators on three generated regional data sets with different statistical characteristics. The results show that (1) when the regional log linear model is unbiased, the proposed method gives better estimations of the GEV quantiles and parameters than the local, regional, and empirical Bayes estimators; (2) even when the regional log linear model displays a severe relative bias when estimating the quantiles, the proposed method still gives the best estimation of the GEV shape parameter and outperforms the other approaches on higher quantiles provided the relative bias is the same for all quantiles; and (3) the gain in performance with the new approach is considerable for sites with very short records.
A possible impact of the North Atlantic Oscillation on the east Asian summer monsoon precipitation
Authors: Sung Mi‐Kyung , Kwon Won‐Tae , Baek Hee‐Jeong , Boo Kyung‐On , Lim Gyu‐Ho , Kug Jong‐Seong
Published: November 2006

This letter reports on a possible delayed impact of the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on the following east Asian summer monsoon precipitation. An analysis of weather station data shows significant correlations between the December NAO index and precipitation over Korea and China in the subsequent summer. It appears that the correlation may be related to a wave train pattern which originates from the North Atlantic. The east Asian branch of this wave train can affect large‐scale circulation and the precipitation over east Asia in early summer. We also found a significant interdecadal change of this relationship, which is possibly linked to a climatological change of the east Asian jet stream.
Towards a more saline North Atlantic and a fresher Arctic under global warming
Authors: Bethke I. , Furevik T. , Drange H.
Published: November 2006

Most atmosphere‐ocean general circulation models (GCMs) forced with increasing greenhouse gas concentrations predict enhanced atmospheric moisture transports to the high northern latitudes. Together with melting of Arctic sea ice and glaciers, this has led to the expectation of a gradual freshening of the northern North Atlantic, tending to reduce the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Here a multi‐member greenhouse gas GCM experiment is used to demonstrate that both the salinity in the North Atlantic and the inflow of Atlantic Water to the Nordic Seas may increase despite a strong freshening of the Arctic Ocean and a reduced AMOC.
Do BBFs contribute to inner magnetosphere dipolarizations: Concurrent Cluster and Double Star observations
Authors: Takada T. , Nakamura R. , Baumjohann W. , Asano Y. , Volwerk M. , Zhang T. L. , Klecker B. , Rème H. , Lucek E. A. , Carr C.
Published: November 2006

We examined the relationship between bursty bulk flow (BBF) events observed by Cluster between −19 RE < X < −12 RE and dipolarization events observed by Double Star TC1 between −13 RE < X < −6 RE. TC1 observed dipolarizations for ∼33% of the cases when BBFs were observed by Cluster. During these dipolarization events the TC1 location was closer to the Cluster location and the local BZ at TC1 was smaller than during events where TC1 observed no clear dipolarization associated with BBFs at Cluster. This result suggests that (1) flow‐associated activity dissipates within a limited spatial scale, 4–8 RE, and that (2) the initial magnetic topology in the inner magnetosphere can contribute strongly to fast flow penetration toward the Earth. The fact that there were no TC1 dipolarization events at X > −8 RE associated with BBFs at Cluster in our dataset suggests two possibilities: near‐geosynchronous dipolarization needs another mechanism in addition to flux pile‐up and braking, or during near‐geosynchronous dipolarization the near‐tail current sheet/plasma sheet is too thin to be observed by Cluster.
Evidence of two Holocene phreatomagmatic eruptions at Stromboli volcano (Aeolian Islands) from paleomagnetic data
Authors: Porreca M. , Giordano G. , Mattei M. , Musacchio P.
Published: November 2006

We present detailed stratigraphic‐sedimentological and paleomagnetic analyses of Holocene phreatomagmatic deposits at Stromboli volcano (Aeolian Islands, Italy). The investigated deposits belong to the Secche di Lazzaro succession (SDL) and to the Advanced Operations Center of the Department of Civil Defense (COA) succession, both lying on the Neostromboli lavas (ca. 13–5 ka). The two stratigraphic successions have similar stratigraphic position and show a phreatomagmatic origin, likely related to catastrophic magma‐water interaction processes during sector collapse events. However the thermal remanent magnetization data of the lava lithics indicate that deposits of the SDL succession were emplaced at very low temperatures (less than 140°C), whereas the basal part of the COA deposit was emplaced at temperatures between 300–340°C. Paleomagnetic results indicate that the two investigated deposits may be related to two distinct eruptive events occurred during the Holocene. Recent phreatomagmatic activity at Stromboli apparently has occurred more frequently than previously believed. Consequently, we must reconsider the recurrence interval of this dangerous eruptive scenario for Stromboli.
Correlation between energetic ion enhancements and heliospheric current sheet crossings in the outer heliosphere
Authors: Richardson J. D. , Stone E. C. , Cummings A. C. , Kasper J. C. , Zhang M. , Burlaga L. F. , Ness N. F. , Liu Y.
Published: November 2006

Voyagers 1 and 2 observed highly‐variable beams of energetic ions in the foreshock region upstream of the termination shock (TS). At Voyager 2 (V2), the ion intensities are generally not related to the plasma properties. At Voyager 1 (V1), the beams are often coincident with crossings of the heliospheric current sheet (HCS). The V1 intensity peaks occur when the HCS is crossed from negative to positive magnetic polarities and V1 is within a few AU of the TS. Two mechanisms are considered: current sheet drift and streaming of ions from the TS along magnetic field lines which are parallel to the HCS. The current sheet drift hypothesis predicts that enhancements observed at V2 will occur when the HCS is crossed in the opposite direction, from positive to negative magnetic polarity, since V2 is at southern heliolatitudes.
An observational test of the origin of accelerating moment release before large earthquakes
Authors: Mignan A. , Bowman D. D. , King G. C. P.
Published: November 2006

A progressive increase of seismic activity distributed over a wide region around a future earthquake epicenter is termed accelerating moment release (AMR). This phenomenon has been observed in several studies over the last 15 years, although there is no consensus about the physical origin of the effect. In a recent hypothesis known as the stress accumulation (SA) model, the AMR is thought to result from the last stage of loading in the earthquake cycle. In this view, the increasing seismicity is due to minor stress release as the whole region becomes sufficiently stressed for the major event to occur. The stress accumulation model makes specific predictions about the distribution of events in an AMR sequence. Because the AMR is predicted to be a result of loading on the main fault, the precursory activity should be concentrated in the positive lobes of the far‐field stresses calculated by a backslip dislocation model of the main shock. To test this model, AMR is first found in optimal circular regions around the epicenters of each of the Mw ≥ 6.5 earthquakes in central and southern California since 1950. A backslip dislocation model is then used to determine which of the precursory events occur in the regions predicted by stress accumulation. AMR is shown to occur preferentially in the lobes of the backslip stress field predicted by the stress accumulation model.
Barotropic tides beneath the Amery Ice Shelf
Authors: Hemer M. A. , Hunter J. R. , Coleman R.
Published: November 2006

A barotropic tidal model has been applied to the Amery Ice Shelf cavity and Prydz Bay region of East Antarctica. The sensitivity of the tidal solution of the model to variation of the water column thickness of the Amery Ice Shelf cavity has been determined. A best estimate water column thickness grid is presented which both fits available water column thickness data (bed elevation and ice thickness) and results in reasonable agreement with available tidal elevation data. This is an important result for the Amery Ice Shelf given the severe lack of sub‐ice shelf bed elevation and limited direct ice thickness measurements. Using the resulting topography, simulated tidal current speeds in the sub–Amery Ice Shelf cavity are significantly less than those beneath other major embayed Antarctic ice shelves, with maximum tidal current speeds of 26 cm s−1 indicated for this cavity. Similarly, the estimated energy dissipation beneath the Amery Ice Shelf due to surface friction of 6 MW is low in comparison with the other ice shelves. Tidally induced vertical mixing is found to be too weak to destroy the stratification associated with the relatively warm water in the lower part of the cavity and ice shelf meltwater in the upper part of the cavity. However, it is proposed that buoyancy‐driven upwelling, rather than vertical mixing, is sufficient to bring the lower water mass into contact with the ice shelf. The depth‐averaged model suggests that barotropic tidal processes have little influence on the oceanographic properties of the Amery Ice Shelf cavity.
Early hydrous melting and degassing of the Martian interior
Authors: Médard Etienne , Grove Timothy L.
Published: November 2006

This study investigates the solidus and near‐solidus phase relations of a Martian model mantle composition over the pressure range of 1–3 GPa and 775–1000°C. The presence of H2O has a tremendous effect on the solidus temperature of the Martian mantle, which decreases from 975°C at 1 GPa down to 800°C at 3 GPa. We use the results of this experimental investigation to explore the consequences of a wet accretion scenario for the planet Mars. The presence of H2O in accreted materials may profoundly modify the characteristics of planetary differentiation. Serpentine minerals contained in accreted materials are expected to lose most of their H2O through a series of dehydration reactions, thereby triggering massive degassing events. The vapor‐saturated solidus is expected to be crossed during accretion, as the temperature of the growing planetesimal is increasing. Hydrous melting processes will contribute to early crust formation and the development of the atmosphere and hydrosphere during early Noachian. Early wet melting events during accretion might produce mantle heterogeneities (residual depleted mantle and enriched “crustal” component) that could be reprocessed during late volcanism as the sources for SNC meteorites. Experimental phase relations also predict that hydrous silicates can be buried deep into the planet, where H2O can be stored in “nominally anhydrous minerals” or in the metallic core. It is thus likely that at least some H2O has been buried in the Martian interior during accretion, with important consequences on geophysical properties during subsequent planetary evolution.
Influence of mantle dynamics on the topographic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau: Results from numerical modeling
Authors: Jiménez‐Munt Ivone , Platt John P.
Published: November 2006

We investigate numerically the evolution of crustal and lithospheric thickness, thermal structure, topography, and strain rate of the Tibetan Plateau through time, using the thin viscous sheet approach. We show that lithospheric mantle must have been removed from beneath Tibet to explain the present surface elevation and lack of regional surface slope. In the absence of this removal, the modeled topography reaches a maximum elevation of <4000 m (for weak rheology), or the surface slopes significantly northward (for strong rheology). The crust must have been warmed and weakened by an increase of radiogenic heat production at depth due to crustal thickening. In the absence of this warming, viscous stresses associated with plate convergence exceed stresses produced by topography, and the present pattern of vertical thinning and east‐west extension would not have developed. Continuous removal of lithosphere, by delamination or convection, does not allow sufficient crustal warming and fails to reproduce either the present topography or the pattern of active deformation on the plateau in a reasonable time. Geologically rapid removal of the lithospheric root beneath the thickened crust of Tibet successfully explains the current elevation of the plateau, its lack of surface slope, the steep south and north margins, and the pattern of the present deformation, including vertical thinning, E‐W extension, and extrusion and vertical axis rotation on the eastern margin. Our modeling suggests that this removal took place within the last 12 m.y.
Role of air‐water interfaces on retention of viruses under unsaturated conditions
Authors: Torkzaban S. , Hassanizadeh S. M. , Schijven J. F. , van den Berg H. H. J. L.
Published: November 2006

We investigated transport of viruses through saturated and unsaturated sand columns. Unsaturated experiments were conducted under conditions of uniform saturation and steady state water flow. The water saturation ranged from 1 to 0.5. Bacteriophages MS2 and ϕX174 were used as surrogates for pathogenic viruses in these studies. Phosphate‐buffered solutions with different pH values (7.5, 6.2, 5.5, and 5) were utilized. Virus transport was modeled assuming first‐order kinetic adsorption for interactions to the solid‐water interface (SWI) and the air‐water interface (AWI). Under saturated conditions, virus retention increased as pH decreased, and a one‐site kinetic model produced a good fit to the breakthrough curves. Under unsaturated conditions a two‐site kinetic model was needed to fit the breakthrough curves satisfactorily. The second site was attributed to the adsorption of phages to the AWI. According to our results, ϕX174 exhibits a high affinity to the AWI at pH values below 6.6 (the isoelectric point of ϕX174). Although it is believed that MS2 is more hydrophobic than ϕX174, MS2 had a lower affinity to the AWI than ϕX174, presumably because of the lower isoelectric point of MS2, which is equal to 3.9. Under unsaturated conditions, viruses captured within the column could be recovered in the column outflow by resaturating and immediately draining the column. Draining columns under saturated conditions, however, did not result in any recovery of viruses. Therefore the recovery can be attributed to the release of viruses adsorbed to the AWI. Our results suggest that electrostatic interactions of viruses with the AWI are much more important than hydrophobicity.
Use of knockout technology to resolve pharmacological problems
Authors: Docherty J R
Published: November 2006

Knock‐out (KO) mouse technology has given pharmacologists a powerful tool to study function in the absence of selective antagonists or inhibitors. Such KO technology can confirm predicted function, serendipitously reveal unrecognized function, or help define the mode of action of a drug. In this issue, Liles et al. demonstrate, employing mice unable to synthesize noradrenaline due to the KO of the dopamine‐β‐hydroxylase gene, that the sympathomimetic actions of ephedrine are directly, rather than indirectly, mediated. This may end 50 years of debate about the actions of ephedrine.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 150, 1–2. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706941
Stimulation of epithelial CB1 receptors inhibits contractions of the rat prostate gland
Authors: Tokanovic S , Malone D T , Ventura S
Published: November 2006

Background and purpose:

This study investigated whether stimulation of cannabinoid receptors influences smooth muscle contractility in the rat prostate gland.

Experimental approach:

Immunohistochemistry was used to characterize and localize cannabinoid receptors in the rat prostate gland. Isolated organ bath experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of cannabinoids on prostate contractility.

Key results:

Immunohistochemical studies of the rat prostate yielded positive immunoreactivity for the CB1 receptor, but not the CB2 receptor. Double labelling revealed that CB1 receptors were not colocalized with α‐actin in the smooth muscle layer but were primarily expressed within the epithelial lining of the prostatic acini. The cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212‐2 (10 nM – 10 μM) inhibited contractile responses to electrical‐field stimulation (10 Hz, 0.5 ms, 60 V for 2 s per minute) in a concentration‐dependent manner. The CB1 selective antagonists, SR141716 (1 μM) and LY 320135 (1 μM), reversed the WIN 55,212‐2‐mediated inhibition but the CB2 selective antagonist, SR144528 (1 μM), did not. Furthermore, the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin (0.1 μM) caused significant reversal of the WIN 55,212‐2 mediated inhibition of contractile responses, whereas the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N
‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L‐NAME, 1 mM) did not. Prostaglandin E2 (10 nM – 10 μM), produced a similar concentration‐dependent inhibition to WIN 55,212‐2.

Conclusions and implications:

WIN 55,212‐2, an agonist at cannabinoid receptors, causes inhibition of smooth muscle contraction in the rat prostate by activating epithelial CB1 receptors. This inhibition is mediated via the cyclooxygenase pathway.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 150, 227–234. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706952
Increased platelet aggregation in vivo in the Zucker Diabetic Fatty rat: differences from the streptozotocin diabetic rat
Authors: Paul W , Queen L R , Page C P , Ferro A
Published: November 2006

Background and purpose:

Diabetes mellitus, especially type 2, is associated with increased arterial thrombosis. Our aims were (i) to characterize and compare platelet aggregation in vivo and in vitro in a type 2 diabetes model; and (ii) to determine whether these results differ from those in a type 1 diabetes model.

Experimental approach:

Platelet aggregation to ADP in lean or obese Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) rats and in streptozotocin (STZ)‐treated or control Wistar rats was measured in vitro, using Born aggregometry, and in vivo, by 111Indium‐labelled pulmonary platelet accumulation.

Key results:

In vivo, ADP responses were higher in obese (type 2 model) than lean ZDF rats. However, in vitro, ADP aggregation did not differ between platelet‐rich plasma from ZDF lean or obese rats; nor was any difference seen in ADP responses when platelets from either lean or obese ZDF rats were suspended in plasma from obese or lean ZDF rats, respectively. In vivo, ADP responses were similar in STZ treated (type 1 model) and control rats whereas, in vitro, isolated platelets from STZ diabetic rats were more responsive to ADP aggregation than controls. Platelets from control or STZ‐treated rats suspended in plasma from STZ‐treated rats exhibited reduced ADP aggregation, compared to when suspended in plasma from control rats.

Conclusions and implications:

The platelet aggregation results obtained in vitro do not reflect those in vivo, therefore in vitro aggregation data should be interpreted with caution. Moreover, both in vitro and in vivo, different diabetic models exhibit important differences in platelet responsiveness.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 150, 105–111. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706957
Tumour suppressor p53 down-regulates the expression of the human hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) gene
Authors: Maeda Yutaka , Hwang-Verslues Wendy W. , Wei Gang , Fukazawa Takuya , Durbin Mary L. , Owen Laurie B. , Liu Xuan , Sladek Frances M.
Published: November 2006

The liver is exposed to a wide variety of toxic agents, many of which damage DNA and result in increased levels of the tumour suppressor protein p53. We have previously shown that p53 inhibits the transactivation function of HNF (hepatocyte nuclear factor) 4α1, a nuclear receptor known to be critical for early development and liver differentiation. In the present study we demonstrate that p53 also down-regulates expression of the human HNF4α gene via the proximal P1 promoter. Overexpression of wild-type p53 down-regulated endogenous levels of both HNF4α protein and mRNA in Hep3B cells. This decrease was also observed when HepG2 cells were exposed to UV irradiation or doxorubicin, both of which increased endogenous p53 protein levels. Ectopically expressed p53, but not a mutant p53 defective in DNA binding (R249S), down-regulated HNF4α P1 promoter activity. Chromatin immunoprecipitation also showed that endogenous p53 bound the HNF4α P1 promoter in vivo after doxorubicin treatment. The mechanism by which p53 down-regulates the P1 promoter appears to be multifaceted. The down-regulation was partially recovered by inhibition of HDAC activity and appears to involve the positive regulator HNF6α. p53 bound HNF6α in vivo and in vitro and prevented HNF6α from binding DNA in vitro. p53 also repressed stimulation of the P1 promoter by HNF6α in vivo. However, since the R249S p53 mutant also bound HNF6α, binding HNF6α is apparently not sufficient for the repression. Implications of the p53-mediated repression of HNF4α expression in response to cellular stress are discussed.
Response of two-defect magnetic photonic crystals to oblique incidence of light: Effect of defect layer variation
Authors: Lyubchanskii I. L. , Dadoenkova N. N. , Lyubchanskii M. I. , Shapovalov E. A. , Zabolotin A. E. , Lee Y. P. , Rasing Th.
Published: November 2006

The transmission characteristics of a two-defect magnetic photonic crystal (MPC) with respect to oblique incident light are investigated, both for circularly polarized as well as linearly polarized light. It is shown that the transmittivity and Faraday rotation angle are very sensitive to a change of light propagation direction inside the MPC. Possible applications of MPCs as Faraday rotators are discussed.
Significant improvement in silicon chemical vapor deposition epitaxy above the surface dehydrogenation temperature
Authors: Wang Qi , Teplin Charles W. , Stradins Paul , To Bobby , Jones Kim M. , Branz Howard M.
Published: November 2006

We observe an order of magnitude increase in both the rate and achievable thickness of epitaxy by hot-wire chemical vapor deposition at temperatures above the dehydrogenation temperature of the silicon surface. We deposit silicon films on (100) silicon at 110nm∕min at substrate temperatures between 520 and 645°C. At the glass compatible temperature of 610°C, we observe phase-pure epitaxial growth of more than 10μm, as observed by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, in contrast to the mixed-phase breakdown seen at lower temperatures. In 610°C films thicker than 4μm, a stable (100)-epitaxial growth mode produces regular surface pyramids with vicinal ⟨311⟩ facets. On the low-energy (111) face of Si, more than 2μm of epitaxial Si were grown at 645°C, but some twinning is observed. The temperature of this new growth regime suggests that rapid dehydrogenation of the growing surface is critical for silicon epitaxy by CVD.
Determination of capture cross sections for as-grown electron traps in HfO2∕HfSiO stacks
Authors: Zhao C. Z. , Zhang J. F. , Zahid M. B. , Govoreanu B. , Groeseneken G. , De Gendt S.
Published: November 2006

A major challenge for replacing gate SiON with HfO2 is the instability and reliability of HfO2. Unlike the SiON, there can be substantial amount of as-grown electron traps in HfO2. These traps can cause instability in the threshold voltage and contribute to the dielectric breakdown. Despite the early efforts, our understanding of them is incomplete. Agreement on their capture cross sections has not been reached and the reported values spread in a large range of 10−12–10−19cm2. The objective of this paper is to determine their capture cross sections unambiguously, which requires knowing the gate current and the electron fluency for filling the trap. A key part of this work is to estimate the trapping-induced transient gate current following the application of a pulse to the gate. This is achieved by numerical simulation. It is found that trapping can reduce the gate current by two orders of magnitude and the gate current can drop substantially within microseconds. The results show the presence of two distinctive capture cross sections in the order of 10−14 and 10−16cm2, respectively, which most likely originated from two different types of as-grown electron traps in HfO2. These capture cross sections are insensitive to fabrication and processing techniques.
The effect of residual strain on (001) texture evolution in FePt thin film during postannealing
Authors: Kim Jae-Song , Koo Yang-Mo , Shin Namsoo
Published: November 2006

Residual strain in a Fe55Pt45 thin film was investigated in order to provide experimental support for a previous theoretical study [J.-S. Kim et al., J. Appl. Phys. 99, 053906 (2006)] in which a strong evolution of (001) texture during the postannealing of deposited FePt thin films was attributed to amorphous substrates. Residual strain measurements using dual diffraction peaks to analyze the strain state were used in the study. The findings show that transformation and biaxial in-plane strains coexist in annealed Fe55Pt45 films and their effect could lower the strain energy of the (001) crystal (crystal with a [001] crystallographic orientation into the surface normal) when grain growth proceeds actively. Therefore, we propose that anisotropic strain due to ordering transformations under tensile in-plane strain is a key factor that affects texture evolution. The importance of the subsequent grain growth is also discussed.
One-electron properties and electrostatic interaction energies from the expectation value expression and wave function of singles and doubles coupled cluster theory
Authors: Korona Tatiana , Jeziorski Bogumil
Published: November 2006

One-electron density matrices resulting from the explicitly connected commutator expansion of the expectation value were implemented at the singles and doubles coupled cluster (CCSD) level. In the proposed approach the one-electron density matrix is obtained at a little extra cost in comparison to the calculation of the CCSD correlation energy. Therefore, in terms of the computational time the new method is significantly less demanding than the conventional linear-response CCSD theory which requires additionally an expensive calculation of the left-hand solution of the CCSD equations. The quality of the new density matrices was investigated by computing a set of one-electron properties for a series of molecules of varying sizes and comparing the results with data obtained using the full configuration interaction method or higher level coupled cluster theory. It has been found that the results obtained using the new approach are of the same quality as those predicted by the linear-response CCSD method. The novel one-electron density matrices have also been applied to study the energy of the electrostatic interaction for a number of van der Waals complexes, including the benzene and azulene dimers.
Computational study of structural and dynamical properties of formamide-water mixtures
Authors: Elola M. Dolores , Ladanyi Branka M.
Published: November 2006

A molecular dynamics simulation study of structural and dynamical properties in liquid mixtures of formamide and water is presented. Site-site radial pair distribution functions, local mole fractions, pair energy distributions, and tetrahedral orientational order are the quantities analyzed to investigate the local structure in the simulated mixtures, along with a review of the intermolecular structure in terms of the distribution of hydrogen bonds. Our results indicate that there is a substitution of formamide molecules by water in the hydrogen bonds and a formation of a common hydrogen bond network. By analyzing the extent of tetrahedral order in the liquid as a function of composition, it is observed that whereas the tetrahedral network of liquid water is progressively lost by increasing the formamide concentration, the water structure within the first coordination shell is preserved and somewhat enhanced. The hydrogen-bond mean lifetimes were estimated by performing a time integration of the autocorrelation functions of bond occupation numbers. The lifetimes associated with hydrogen bonds between water, formamide, and interspecies pairs are found to increase with increasing formamide concentration. The lifetimes of the water hydrogen bonds show the largest variations, supporting the picture of an enhancement of the water structure among the nearest neighbors within the first coordination shell. We have used two different force field models for water, SPC/E [J. C. Berendsen et al., J. Phys. Chem. 91, 6269 (1987)] and TIP4P/2005 [J. L. F. Abascal and C. Vega, J. Chem. Phys. 123, 234505 (2005)]. Our results for structural and dynamical properties yield very small differences between those models, the TIP4P/2005 predicting a slightly more structured liquid and, consequently, exhibiting a slightly slower translational and librational dynamics.
Nitrogen incorporation into strained (In, Ga) (As, N) thin films grown on (100), (511), (411), (311), and (111) GaAs substrates studied by photoreflectance spectroscopy and high-resolution x-ray diffraction
Authors: Ibáñez J. , Kudrawiec R. , Misiewicz J. , Schmidbauer M. , Henini M. , Hopkinson M.
Published: November 2006

We have used photoreflectance (PR) and high-resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD) measurements to assess the composition of InxGa1−xAs1−yNy thin films (x∼20%, y∼3%) grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs substrates with different surface orientations. The aim of our work is to investigate the effect of substrate orientation on the incorporation of N and In into the films. Whereas in principle the composition of the InxGa1−xAs1−yNy films cannot be characterized by HRXRD alone because lattice spacings depend on both x and y, we show that a combined analysis of the PR and HRXRD data allows us to determine the sample composition. Our data analysis suggests that the incorporation of N in (In, Ga)(As, N) exhibits some dependence on substrate orientation, although not as strong as previously observed in Ga(As, N). We determine shear deformation potentials for our samples that are sizably different than those obtained by linearly interpolating from the values of the pure binary compounds, which has already been observed in Ga(As, N) and contradicts the currently accepted idea that only the conduction band of dilute nitrides is perturbed by N.
Proposal for a digital converter of analog magnetic signals
Authors: Ertler Christian , Fabian Jaroslav
Published: November 2006

A device which converts analog magnetic signals directly into digital information is proposed. The device concept is based on the monostable-bistable transition logic element, which consists of two resonant tunneling diodes (load and driver) connected in series and employs the monostable to bistable working point transition of the circuit. Using a magnetic resonant tunneling diode as the driver allows to control the resulting working point of the bistable region by an external magnetic field leading either to high or low output voltage of the circuit, effectively realizing what could be called digital magnetoresistance.
Charging mechanism in a SiO2 matrix embedded with Si nanocrystals
Authors: Liu Y. , Chen T. P. , Ding L. , Zhang S. , Fu Y. Q. , Fung S.
Published: November 2006

One of the applications of a Si nanocrystals (nc-Si) embedded in a SiO2 matrix is in the area of nonvolatile memory devices based on the charge storage in the material system. However, whether the charge trapping mainly occurs at the nc-Si∕SiO2 interface or in the nc-Si is still unclear. In this work, by x-ray photoemission spectroscopy analysis of the Si 2p peaks, the concentrations of both the nc-Si and the Si suboxides that exist at the nc-Si∕SiO2 interface are determined as a function of thermal annealing, and the charging effect is also measured by monitoring the shift of the surface C 1s peak. It is observed that the annealing-caused reduction of the total concentration of the interfacial suboxides is much faster than that of both the C 1s shift and the nc-Si concentration. In addition, the trend of the C 1s shift coincides with that of the nc-Si concentration. The results suggest that the Si nanocrystal, rather than the nc-Si∕SiO2 interface, plays the dominant role in the charging effect.
Second harmonic generation from small gold metallic particles: From the dipolar to the quadrupolar response
Authors: Nappa J. , Russier-Antoine I. , Benichou E. , Jonin Ch. , Brevet P. F.
Published: November 2006

Hyper Raleigh scattering, a common technique to investigate the second harmonic light scattered from a liquid suspension of molecular compounds and to determine their quadratic hyperpolarizability, has been used for aqueous suspensions of gold nanoparticles, the diameter of which ranges from 20 up to 150nm. The hyper Rayleigh signal intensity was recorded as a function of the angle of polarization of the incident fundamental wave. For the particles with a diameter smaller than 50nm, the response is dominated by the dipolar contribution arising from the deviation of the particle shape from that of a perfect sphere. For larger diameter particles, retardation effects in the interaction of the electromagnetic fields with the particles cannot be neglected any longer and the response deviates from the pure dipolar response, exhibiting a strong quadrupolar contribution. It is then shown that in order to quantify the relative magnitude of these two dipolar and quadrupolar contributions, a weighting parameter ζV which equals unity for a pure quadrupolar contribution and vanishes for a pure dipolar response, can be introduced.
Magnetostriction and electrical resistivity of Si doped Tb0.3Dy0.7Fe1.95 oriented crystals
Authors: Xu Lihong , Jiang Chengbao , Xu Huibin
Published: November 2006

Magnetostriction and the electrical resistivities of as-cast and ⟨110⟩ oriented crystals of Tb0.3Dy0.7(Fe1−xSix)1.95 (x=0,0.025,0.1) were investigated. Giant magnetostriction and obvious magnetostrictive jump effect were observed in oriented Si doped TbDyFeSi crystals especially for x=0.025. The electrical resistivities of both as-cast and ⟨110⟩ oriented TbDyFeSi were studied at the temperature range from 250to300K. Drastic increases of resistivity were observed in the as-cast Si doped TbDyFeSi magnetostrictive alloys with the increase ratios of 66% and 97% for x=0.025 and 0.1, respectively, compared with traditional Tb0.3Dy0.7Fe1.95 alloy. The electrical resistivities of oriented alloys are slightly smaller in comparison with that of the as-cast ones.