bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New characters for species discrimination within the genus Prolagus (Ochotonidae, Lagomorpha, Mammalia)
Authors: Angelone Chiara , Sesé Carmen
Published: December 2008

The genus Prolagus is very common in the Neogene and Quaternary of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa. However, the complexity of its systematics, mainly based on p3 characters that show great inter- and intraspecific variability, led to an under-utilization of Prolagus in biochronology and palaeogeography studies. A re-analysis of the species of Prolagus recorded in the Escobosa de Calatañazor karst fissure fillings (Duero Basin, northern Spain, MN7/8, late Middle Miocene) includes the introduction of new maxillary and mandibular morphological characters (position, shape and size of premolar and mandibular foramina) and new dental measurements (hypoflexus depth, distal hypercone length, and partial width of upper premolars; relative length of trigonid of lower molariform teeth) to be used for species discrimination within the genus Prolagus. The new morphological characters and measurements introduced in this paper allow for a more accurate taxonomic assignment of Prolagus species, thus improving the estimation of faunal palaeodiversity, detection of sympatric species and taphonomic mixing, and contributing to more reliable biochronological, palaeogeographical, and phylogenetic inferences based on Prolagus.
Pre- and postmortem skeletal modifications of the Cupressocrinitidae (Crinoidea, Cladida)
Authors: Bohatý Jan
Published: December 2008

The discovery of new specimens and restudy of known collections resulted in revision of some members of the cladid crinoid family Cupressocrinitidae. “Cupressocrinites gracilis” is generically separated from Cupressocrinites whereby “Procupressocrinus” is resurrected from synonomy and assigned to the Cupressocrinitidae with C. gracilis Goldfuss, 1831 as the type species. Studies of the Sandberger collection presuppose the revision of “Abbreviatocrinites abbreviates altus” (=A. altus n. comb.) and A. nodosus. Furthermore, the hitherto undetermined cupressocrinitids are described as Cupressocrinites ahuettensis n. sp. and Robustocrinites cataphractus n. sp. The event-controlled distribution of Robustocrinites is discussed and shows similarities to other crinoid genera within the Eifel region. Observed arm-regeneration in Robustocrinites, as well as the postmortem incurred ossicular-boring of an indeterminable organism and the skeletal-colonization by a trepostome bryozoan, are further observations of other pre- and postmortem ossicular modifications in cupressocrinitid skeletons.
New Permian fusulinids from Conglomerate Mesa, southeastern Inyo Mountains, east-central California
Authors: Stevens Calvin H. , Stone Paul
Published: December 2008

In the Conglomerate Mesa area in the southeastern Inyo Mountains, east-central California, a series of distinctive fusulinid assemblages ranging in age from late Artinskian to Kungurian or Roadian was developed in units 7–10 of the sedimentary rocks of Santa Rosa Flat (part of the Owens Valley Group). The fauna of unit 7 shows some eastern Klamath Mountains affinity, but most of the species in unit 7 and the lower half of unit 8 are highly endemic and comprise three new genera with 12 new species, two unusual unassigned forms, and two other new species assigned to previously described genera. New taxa include:Crenuloseptanew genus with five new species,C. inyoensis,C. delicata,C. fusiformis, C. rossi, andC.wahlmani;Nigribaccinusnew genus with three new species,N. giganteus, N. elegans, andN.?nestelli; and the new genusInyoschwagerinawith four new species,I.magnifica, I.elayeri, I. elongata, andI.?linderae. CuniculinellaSkinner and Wilde, 1965, is represented by one new species,C. parva, andSkinnerellaCoogan, 1960 by one new species,S.?mcallisteri.Faunas from the upper half of unit 8, unit 9, and unit 10 have a strong West Texas affinity. New species from these units areSkinnerella davydovi, S. hexagona, Parafusulina cerrogordoensis, P. complexa, P. halli, P. owensensis, andP. ubehebensis.
The youngest cambroclaves:Cambroclavus absonusfrom the Middle Cambrian of the Cantabrian Zone (northwest Spain)
Authors: Wotte Thomas
Published: December 2008

Cambroclayes are Cambrian phosphatized problematica. The group is known from spine-like remains that are locally abundant on a number of Cambrian paleocontinents. Cambroclaves are known through a relatively short time interval (late Early Cambrian-early Middle Cambrian) mostly from tropical, carbonate platform successions on the Siberian Platform, East Gondwana (Australia, China, Kazakhstan), and West Gondwana. The West Gondwana occurrences includeCambroclavus ludwigsdorfensisElicki, 1994 andCambroclavussp. from the late Early Cambrian of eastern Germany (Elicki, 1994, 2005; Elicki and Watte, 2003), andCambroclavussp. from the early Middle Cambrian of Sardinia (Elicki and Wotte, 2003;“ Elicki et al., 2003; Elicki, 2005, 2006). Recently, Clausen and Alvaro (2006) reported the zhijinitid formParazhijinites cf. guizhouensisQian and Yin, 1984 from the early Middle Cambrian of the Cantabrian zone of northwest Spain. Other than the mentioned tropical occurrences, Landing (1991) published the obviously cool to cold water formSamsanoffoclavus matthewiLanding, 1991 from the middle Early Cambrian of Cape Breton Island (Avalonia).
ProtosalviniaDawson and associated conodonts of the upper Trachytera Zone, Famennian, Upper Devonian, in the eastern United States
Authors: Over D. Jeffrey , Lazar Remus , Baird Gordon C. , Schieber Juergen , Ettensohn Frank R.
Published: December 2008

Protosalviniafirst occur in association with conodonts of the UppertrachyteraZone and below the Three Lick Bed in the Ohio Shale and the Ellicott Shale of the central and northern Appalachian Basin, as well as in the Clegg Creek Member of the New Albany Shale of the Illinois Basin. In the Chattanooga Shale of the southern Appalachian Basin,Protosalviniaare found no lower than the UppermarginiferaZone or associated with obviously reworked conodonts in the MiddleexpansaZone. RegionallyProtosalviniaare associated with a disconformity and may be found with conodonts of the LowerexpansaZone.
A new species of the dual-mouthed paracrinoid Bistomiacystis and a redescription of the Edrioasteroid edrioaster priscus from the Upper Ordovician Curdsville Member of the Lexington Limestone
Authors: Sumrall Colin D. , Deline Bradley
Published: December 2008

Echinoderms are important faunal components in the Curdsville Member of the Lexington Limestone. Numerous clades are represented, including Crinoidea (Springer, 1911; Parsley, 1981), Paracrinoidea (Parsley and Mintz, 1975; Parsley, 1981), Cyclocystoidea (undescribed), Edrioasteroidea (Miller and Gurley, 1894; Bell, 1976, 1979), and Stylophora (Parsley, 1981, 1991). Although some of these taxa are well preserved (Springer, 1911), most have been recovered from residues of acidized samples. These later specimens are poorly preserved, obscuring much of the information. Here we describe well preserved specimens recently collected by members of the Kentucky Paleontological Society (Lexington) of two species that add significantly to our understanding of lesser known components of the Curdsville Fauna. Bistomiacystis schrantzi n. sp. is a large paracrinoid bearing two separate ambu1acral systems that lead to two peristomial openings. Our research suggests that this unusual arrangement is consistent with oral areas of other derived blastozoans bearing oral plates. Edrioaster priscus (Miller and Gurley) is a poorly known large edrioasterid edrioasteroid previously known only from specimens preserved in coarse beekite. The new material of this taxon allows for a thorough characterization of this poorly known edrioasteroid and shows that previous assessments of its size and morphology need revision.
Walking trails of the giant terrestrial arthropodArthropleurafrom the Upper Carboniferous of Kentucky
Authors: Martino Ronald L. , Greb Stephen F.
Published: December 2008

Arthropleurids were terrestrial, millipede-like arthropods, The genusArthropleuraJordan from the Upper Carboniferous reached an enormous size of 2 m or more in length (Hahn et al., 1986), Occurrences are rare and the chronologie and paleogeographic distribution ofArthropleuracoincides with the tropical Euramerican floral belt of the Carboniferous (Rolfe, 1969), The Carboniferous was a time of high atmospheric O2 levels (35%) compared to the current 21%, which may have favored the development of large terrestrial arthropods of this time (Dudley, 1998; Graham et al., 1997; Berner, 2001) . Body fossils of Arthropleura range from the Visean to Early Permian (Rolfe, 1969; Schneider and Barthel, 1997), while trackways have been reported from the Visean (Pearson, 1992) to Stephanian (Langiaux and Sotty, 1977; Castro, 1997; Fig. 1).Arthropleurafragments have been described from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Nova Scotia. Only fourArthropleuratrackway sites have been described from North America (New Mexico, Kansas, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick). Trackways provide information about size and locomotion that is not discernable from fragmentary body fossils .
Biofuels, Policy Options, and Their Implications: Analyses Using Partial and General Equilibrium Approaches
Authors: Tyner Wallace , Taheripour Farzad
Published: December 2008

The biofuel industry has been experiencing a period of extraordinary growth, fueled by a combination of high oil prices, ambitious renewable fuel standards, subsidies, and import protection. This rapid growth has important consequences for the US and global economies. In this paper, we examine these consequences from partial and general equilibrium perspectives. We first examine US biofuel policy backgrounds to determine factors which caused the boom in the ethanol industry in recent years. Then we use a partial equilibrium model to investigate the economic consequences of further expansion in the ethanol industry for the key economic variables of the US agricultural and energy markets under alternative policy options which might be used to promote ethanol production in the future. Finally, we extend our analyses to examine consequences of further biofuel production at a global scale. One of the important conclusions of the research regards the importance of the link between energy and agricultural markets that has now come into being. That linkage has profound implications for the agricultural sector globally.
Scitovsky Reversals and Efficiency Criteria in Policy Analysis
Authors: Schmitz Andrew , Zerbe Richard O.
Published: December 2008

Lawyers and philosophers have used the Scitovsky paradox to discredit cost-benefit analyses. His paradox is used as a criticism of the potential compensation criterion. But the occurrence of reversals is severely limited. The Compensation Principle, even with its potential nature, requires that compensation actually could be paid. Based on many empirical cost-benefit studies, the actual cost of compensation, which includes transaction costs, can be large. The attempt at actual compensation could turn a highly desirable project into a highly undesirable one, as the benefit-cost ratio could change from greater than one to less than one. The proper justification for using BCA is the Pareto principle considered across a portfolio of projects not the Compensation Principle.
Monopoly Power, Futures Market Manipulation, and the Oil Price Bubble
Authors: Just David R. , Just Richard E.
Published: December 2008

The US Congress has become concerned with the possibility that much of the recent rise in oil prices is due to speculation or market manipulation. We propose a theory of futures market manipulation that can potentially explain such manipulation and an associated price bubble. Our model involves a price-setting off-shore exporter (e.g., OPEC) of a commodity (e.g., oil) with price-taking domestic production and consumption sectors. If domestic next-period price expectations are linked to futures prices, then OPEC may drive up current prices through manipulative buying in the futures market, achieving an increase in market power for their cash-market exports. An increase in future price expectations increases storage, artificially driving up current market prices. We explore the conditions necessary to make this an optimal strategy for OPEC.
Special Issue in Memory of Bruce Gardner 1942-2008: Dedication and Introduction
Authors: Just Richard E. , Schmitz Andrew
Published: December 2008

Bruce L. Gardner was a giant in the agricultural economics profession. He was a brilliant academician, and had a major influence on U.S. farm policy over several decades and a number of presidential administrations. This special issue contains eight papers in his memory. One paper deals with the interface between public and private research, another deals with the compensation principle as the basis for benefit-cost analysis, and six deal with energy and biofuels. The latter papers focus on manipulation of the oil market; the impact of biofuels on land use; and the role played by government subsidies, including tariffs on ethanol imports and ethanol processor subsidies. Important results are derived that add to the growing literature on the economic impacts of biofuels. While there are significant gains from biofuels, there are also associated large costs. The verdict is still out on whether the benefits outweigh the costs.
Antioxidant Activity of the Flower of Nyctanthes arbor tristis L.
Authors: Vankar Padma S
Published: December 2008

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis (Harshingar, Parijat) belongs to the family Oleaceae. The flower has white petals with an orange calyx. Nyctanthes stems have been found to be a rich source of antioxidant. The aqueous extracts of the flower, calyx and petals were evaluated and found to be dose-dependent and showed an increase in DPPH free radical scavenging activity in vitro. The extracts, which showed strong DPPH radical scavenging activity, are in the order Calyx > flower > petals. This signifies that the main antioxidant activity is in the orange colored calyx of the flower. We have attempted an innovative study with the Nyctanthes flower as a part of an exploration for a cheap natural source of antioxidants which can be used at the industrial scale of the food industry.
Quality Effect of Early Discharge of Maternity Patients: Does Hospital Specialization Matter?
Authors: Amporfu Eugenia
Published: December 2008

The quest to reduce health care cost has led many industrialized nations to reduce hospital length of stay. This paper uses instrumental variable estimation to estimate the effect of early discharge on readmission rates of maternity patients in British Columbia, Canada and investigates how the impact varied according to hospitals' degree of specialization. Principal component analysis was used to classify the hospitals according to their degree of specialization. The results show that the early discharge policy increased readmission rates, and this increase, varied according to the degree of specialization of the hospital. The increase in readmission rate is observed to be lowest in the very highly specialized hospitals and highest in the moderately specialized hospitals. The highly specialized hospitals are, however, capable of using resources most efficiently at least partly due to a reduction in the use of invasive procedures.
Perinatal Risk Factors for Diabetes in Later Life
Authors: Kaijser Magnus , Edstedt Bonamy Anna-Karin , Akre Olof , Cnattingius Sven , Granath Fredrik , Norman Mikael , Ekbom Anders
Published: December 2008

OBJECTIVE—Low birth weight is consistently associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in adulthood, but the individual contributions from poor fetal growth and preterm birth are not known. We therefore investigated the significance of these two factors separately.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We identified a cohort of subjects born preterm or with low birth weight at term at four major delivery units in Sweden from 1925 through 1949. A comparison cohort of subjects was identified from the same source population. Of 6,425 subjects in all, 2,931 were born at <37 weeks of gestation and 2,176 had a birth weight <2,500 g. Disease occurrence among participants was assessed through nationwide hospital registers from 1987 through 2006.

RESULTS—During follow-up, there were 508 cases of diabetes. Low birth weight was strongly negatively associated with risk of diabetes (P for trend <0.0001). Both short gestational duration and poor fetal growth were associated with later diabetes (P for trend <0.0001 and <0.0004, respectively). Very preterm birth (≤32 weeks of gestation at birth) was associated with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.67 (95% CI 1.33–2.11) compared with term birth. Birth weights below 2 SDs of mean birth weight for gestational age were associated with an HR of 1.76 (1.30–2.38) compared with birth weights between the mean weight and the weight at 1 SD above the mean.

CONCLUSIONS—Our results suggest that the association between low birth weight and diabetes is due to factors associated with both poor fetal growth and short gestational age.
The Consequences of Experimentalism in Formulating Recommendations for Policy and Practice in Mathematics Education
Authors: Cobb Paul , Jackson Kara
Published: December 2008

In this response to Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008), the authors argue that the Panel’s assumption that only experimental research studies can produce scientific evidence limits the power of the Panel’s recommendations to improve mathematics teaching and learning. The authors first discuss the theoretical underpinnings, potential contributions, and limitations of experimental studies. Against this background, they focus on three issues that are central to improving mathematics learning and teaching, those of equity, the nature and content of textbooks, and graduate education. In doing so, the authors illustrate the limitations of developing implications for policy and practice by relying exclusively on research conducted using a single methodology.
Commentary on the Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel
Authors: Greeno James G. , Collins Allan
Published: December 2008

Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008) excludes the view of students learning the social practices of mathematical reasoning and the use of mathematics in understanding and modeling situations. The authors argue that by filtering research to only “statistically significant individual effects, significant positive mean effect size, or equivalent consistent positive findings,” the report misrepresents the resources that education research affords for improving mathematics education and education in general. The authors argue that only offering research results of statistical comparisons is inappropriately limited. They recall a strategy developed by the National Academy of Education in which researchers and educators collaborate to strengthen educational practice in local settings and to provide analyses and develop resources intended to support travel of their innovations to other sites.
When Politics Took the Place of Inquiry: A Response to the National Mathematics Advisory Panel’s Review of Instructional Practices
Authors: Boaler Jo
Published: December 2008

The National Mathematics Advisory Panel was given the task of reviewing research on the instructional practices that enable students to learn mathematics successfully. The authors argue that in conducting its review, which appears in Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008), the Panel imposed dangerous dichotomies, opposing extreme forms of teaching against one another. Such dichotomies bear little relation to the realities of mathematics classrooms in the United States and belie the research that has been conducted in mathematics education in the past 20 years. In addition, the methodological restrictions imposed by the Panel rendered the field of mathematics education virtually invisible.
On Professional Judgment and the National Mathematics Advisory Panel Report: Curricular Content
Authors: Thompson Patrick W.
Published: December 2008

In Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008), the Panel’s recommendations on curricular content are based on the professional judgment of the Panel members, not on research on learning and teaching algebra. As such, the Panel’s recommendations must be viewed in light of the political and ideological perspectives from which they were made. The recommendations are also examined from the perspective that inattention to meaning is a root problem of mathematics teaching and learning, yet the report does not consider issues of mathematical meaning or their implications for reform.
Commentary on the National Mathematics Advisory Panel Recommendations on Assessment
Authors: Shepard Lorrie A.
Published: December 2008

Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008) recommends that National Assessment of Educational Progress and state tests focus on foundations of algebra and include fewer pattern-type algebra items. Greater mathematics expertise is needed in test development to prevent flawed items. The Panel reached the erroneous conclusion that multiple-choice and constructed response items measure the same thing because it relied on studies where the two item types were constrained to be identical. The Panel’s recommendations on standard setting are misleading because it relied on a single simulation study. By focusing only on special education studies, its discussion of formative assessment implies that formative assessment requires formal tools administered and scored frequently and fails to recognize more interactive forms of feedback found in studies from cognitive science.
Policy, Politics, and the National Mathematics Advisory Panel Report: Topology, Functions, and Limits
Authors: Spillane James P.
Published: December 2008

Analyzing Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008), the author situates it in evolving U.S. intergovernmental relations about education, ongoing policy discourses, and texts. State and local policy makers exercise considerable discretion on education, even with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Federal policy makers rely on these policy makers and an expanding extrasystem of education providers to implement their proposals. The report’s alignment with some key ideas in current policy discourses may increase the likelihood that some recommendations will get attention, but intergovernmental arrangements, changing political winds, and worsening economic circumstances pose major implementation hurdles.
Mathematics Worth Knowing, Resources Worth Growing, Research Worth Noting: A Response to the National Mathematics Advisory Panel Report
Authors: Roschelle Jeremy , Singleton Corinne , Sabelli Nora , Pea Roy , Bransford John D.
Published: December 2008

The authors praise Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008) for focusing on the mathematics within mathematics education. They critique the Panel for (a) constraining its analysis to two traditional school courses, (b) isolating independent factors and undervaluing integrated approaches, and (c) overlooking recent insights on mathematics learning. The authors urge others to seek deeper analysis of “mathematics worth knowing,” to integrate multiple resources into instructional approaches, and to delve more deeply into recent learning research.
Breaching the Conditions for Success for a National Advisory Panel
Authors: Confrey Jere , Maloney Alan P. , Nguyen Kenny H.
Published: December 2008

The authors identify six conditions for success for the work of high-level national panels and identify breaches in these conditions in the recent Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008). They question the trustworthiness, validity, and intellectual integrity of its findings and advice to the nation because of (a) an inappropriate composition of Panel expertise and biased selection of literature (Condition 1); (b) failure to appropriately and consistently apply methodological standards (Condition 2); and (c) inconsistencies between the task group and subcommittee reports and the final report (Condition 6). In asking what difference these breaches make, the authors recount recent events suggesting that these breaches have already contributed to degrading the national discussion of curriculum standards for K–12 mathematics education.
Reflections on the National Mathematics Advisory Panel Final Report
Authors: Kelly Anthony E.
Published: December 2008

In March 2008, the National Mathematics Advisory Panel final report was released. This report was produced in response to an executive order from President George W. Bush. The report is important because of its subject matter—improving mathematics teaching and learning—its historically significant genesis, and the strong position that the report takes on the primacy of quantitative methods in education research. The author briefly introduces the report and then draws attention to some of the main points in the commentaries offered in this special issue of Educational Researcher. The special issue ends with a rejoinder from the chair and co-chair of the report.
A Multisite Cluster Randomized Field Trial of Open Court Reading
Authors: Borman Geoffrey D. , Dowling N. Maritza , Schneck Carrie
Published: December 2008

In this article, the authors report achievement outcomes of a multisite cluster randomized field trial of Open Court Reading 2005 (OCR), a K–6 literacy curriculum published by SRA/McGraw-Hill. The participants are 49 first-grade through fifth-grade classrooms from predominantly minority and poor contexts across the nation.Blocking by grade level within schools, the trial includes 27 classrooms receiving the OCR curricular materials and professional development and 22 "business-as-usual" control classrooms. Multilevel analyses of classroom-level effects of assignment to OCR reveal statistically significant treatment effects on all three of the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, 5th edition, Terra Nova literacy posttests. The OCR effect sizes are d = 0.16 for the Reading Composite, d = 0.19 for Vocabulary, and d = 0.12 for Reading Comprehension. These effects achieved across 27 classrooms and 5 schools demonstrate the potential for replicating improved literacy outcomes through the scale-up of OCR.
Protein Folding and Misfolding on Surfaces
Authors: Stefani Massimo
Published: December 2008

Protein folding, misfolding and aggregation, as well as the way misfolded and aggregated proteins affects cell viability are emerging as key themes in molecular and structural biology and in molecular medicine. Recent advances in the knowledge of the biophysical basis of protein folding have led to propose the energy landscape theory which provides a consistent framework to better understand how a protein folds rapidly and efficiently to the compact, biologically active structure. The increased knowledge on protein folding has highlighted its strict relation to protein misfolding and aggregation, either process being in close competition with the other, both relying on the same physicochemical basis. The theory has also provided information to better understand the structural and environmental factors affecting protein folding resulting in protein misfolding and aggregation into ordered or disordered polymeric assemblies. Among these, particular importance is given to the effects of surfaces. The latter, in some cases make possible rapid and efficient protein folding but most often recruit proteins/peptides increasing their local concentration thus favouring misfolding and accelerating the rate of nucleation. It is also emerging that surfaces can modify the path of protein misfolding and aggregation generating oligomers and polymers structurally different from those arising in the bulk solution and endowed with different physical properties and cytotoxicities.
Some Properties of Composite Panels Made from Wood Flour and Recycled Polyethylene
Authors: Ozdemir Turgay , Mengeloglu Fatih
Published: December 2008

This study investigated the effect of board type (unmodified vs. MAPE modified) on the surface quality and thickness swelling-water absorption properties of recycled high density polyethylene (HDPE) based wood plastic composites. Additionally, two commercially available coatings (cellulosic coating and polyurethane lacquer coating) were also applied to composite surfaces and their adhesion strength, abrasion and scratch resistance, and gloss values were determined. This study showed that modification of the composites with MAPE coupling agent increased the surface smoothness and reduced the water absorption and thickness swelling of the panels. Abrasion resistance of the composites was also improved through MAPE modification. Regardless of board type, higher scratch resistance and gloss values were observed for polyurethane lacquer coated samples compared to those of cellulosic varnish coated ones. Improvement of adhesion strength was also seen on SEM micrographs.
Use of Automatic Target Recognition System for the Displacement Measurements in a Small Diameter Tunnel Ahead of the Face of the Motorway Tunnel During Excavation
Authors: Klopčič Jure , Ambrožič Tomaž , Marjetič Aleš , Bogatin Sonja , Pulko Boštjan , Logar Janko
Published: December 2008

During construction of the Šentvid tunnel a unique opportunity arose to measure the 3D displacements ahead of the motorway tunnel excavation face, since the exploratory tunnel was already constructed in the axis of the main tunnel. According to reviewed literature such measurements had not been performed yet and several problems regarding equipment and complete scheme of the experiment needed to be overcome. The paper gives a brief description of the Šentvid tunnel project, presents significant factors that affected the choice of the geodetic equipment and describes the scheme of the experiment. A special attention is focused on the problems relating to the operation of the instrument in demanding environmental conditions (water, dust).
Water Productivity Mapping (WPM) Using Landsat ETM+ Data for the Irrigated Croplands of the Syrdarya River Basin in Central Asia
Authors: Platonov Alexander , Thenkabail Prasad S. , Biradar Chandrashekhar M. , Cai Xueliang , Gumma Muralikrishna , Dheeravath Venkateswarlu , Cohen Yafit , Alchanatis Victor , Goldshlager Naftali , Ben-Dor Eyal , Vithanage Jagath , Manthrithilake Herath , Kendjabaev Shavkat , Isaev Sabirjan
Published: December 2008

The overarching goal of this paper was to espouse methods and protocols for water productivity mapping (WPM) using high spatial resolution Landsat remote sensing data. In a world where land and water for agriculture are becoming increasingly scarce, growing “more crop per drop” (increasing water productivity) becomes crucial for food security of future generations. The study used time-series Landsat ETM+ data to produce WPMs of irrigated crops, with emphasis on cotton in the Galaba study area in the Syrdarya river basin of Central Asia. The WPM methods and protocols using remote sensing data consisted of: (1) crop productivity (ton/ha) maps (CPMs) involvingcrop type classification, crop yield and biophysical modeling, and extrapolating yield models to larger areas using remotely sensed data; (2) crop water use (m3/ha) maps (WUMs) (or actual seasonal evapotranspiration or actual ET) developed through Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) model; and (3) water productivity (kg/m3) maps (WPMs) produced by dividing raster layers of CPMs by WUMs. The SSEB model calculated WUMs (actual ET) by multiplying the ET fractionby reference ET. The ETfraction was determined using Landsat thermal imagery by selecting the “hot” pixels (zero ET) and “cold” pixels (maximum ET). The grass reference ET was calculated by FAO Penman-Monteith method using meteorological data. The WPMs for the Galaba study area demonstrated a wide variations (0-0.54 kg/m3) in water productivity of cotton fields with overwhelming proportion (87%) of the area having WP less than 0.30 kg/m3, 11% of the area having WP in range of 0.30-0.36 kg/m3, and only 2% of the area with WP greater than 0.36 kg/m3. These results clearly imply that there are opportunities for significant WP increases in overwhelming proportion of the existing croplands. The areas of low WP are spatially pin-pointed and can be used as focus for WP improvements through better land and water management practices.
Food SME networks: Process and governance - The case of Parma ham
Authors: O'Reilly Seamus , Haines Michael , Arfini Filippo
Published: December 2008

Networking between firms has received much attention over the last two decades; in this context the study of inter-firm co-ordination has prompted a multidisciplinary approach. This paper briefly reviews the Interaction Approach (IA) to networking and applies it to a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) network. A case study methodology was used to investigate the establishment, evolution and operation of the Parma Ham network. The networking process was found to be influenced by member goal congruence, the level and type/content of interaction and, in particular, the relevance of network services to members' needs and expectations. The Parma Ham network was also found to co-ordinate a series of transaction-transformation chains that enhanced member competitiveness. However, from an enterprise perspective such competitiveness is to a large extent based on external collectively owned competencies. While the network relied on procedural type governance mechanisms (e.g. inspection, rules, procedures), there was also evidence of strong ties among producers, and these ties influenced behaviour and acted as relational and social governance mechanisms.
O‐GlcNAc modification of Sp1 inhibits the functional interaction between Sp1 and Oct1
Authors: Lim Kihong , Chang Hyo-Ihl
Published: December 2008

MINT‐6803470, MINT‐6803484: Sp1 (uniprotkb:P08047) physically interacts (MI:0218) with Oct1 (uniprotkb:P14859) by anti bait coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0006)
Fractalization drives crystalline states in a frustrated spin system
Authors: Sebastian Suchitra E. , Harrison N. , Sengupta P. , Batista C. D. , Francoual S. , Palm E. , Murphy T. , Marcano N. , Dabkowska H. A. , Gaulin B. D.
Published: December 2008

The fractalized Hofstadter butterfly energy spectrum predicted for magnetically confined fermions diffracted by a crystal lattice has remained beyond the reach of laboratory-accessible magnetic fields. We find the geometrically frustrated spin system SrCu
2
(BO
3
)
2
to provide a sterling demonstration of a system in which bosons confined by a magnetic and lattice potential mimic the behavior of fermions in the extreme quantum limit, giving rise to a sequence of plateaus at all magnetization

m
z
/m

sat
= 1/
q
ratios 9 ≥
q
≥ 2 and
p
/
q
= 2/9 (
m
sat
is the saturation magnetization) in magnetic fields up to 85 T and temperatures down to 29 mK, within the sequence of previously identified plateaus at 1/8, 1/4, and 1/3 of the saturated magnetization. We identify this hierarchy of plateaus as a consequence of confined bosons in SrCu
2
(BO
3
)
2
mimicking the high magnetic field fractalization predicted by the Hofstadter butterfly for fermionic systems. Such an experimental realization of the Hofstadter problem for interacting fermions has not been previously achieved in real materials, given the unachievably high magnetic flux densities or large lattice periods required. By a theoretical treatment that includes short-range repulsion in the Hofstadter treatment, stripe-like spin density-modulated phases are revealed in SrCu
2
(BO
3
)
2
as emergent from a fluidic fractal spectrum.
Static and dynamic correlations in water at hydrophobic interfaces
Authors: Mittal Jeetain , Hummer Gerhard
Published: December 2008

We study the static and dynamic properties of the water-density fluctuations in the interface of large nonpolar solutes. With the help of extensive molecular dynamics simulations of TIP4P water near smooth spherical solutes, we show that for large solutes, the interfacial density profile is broadened by capillary waves. For purely repulsive solutes, the squared width of the interface increases linearly with the logarithm of the solute size, as predicted by capillary-wave theory. The apparent interfacial tension extracted from the slope agrees with that of a free liquid–vapor interface. The characteristic length of local density fluctuations is ≈0.5 nm, measured along the arc, again consistent with that of a free liquid–vapor interface. Probed locally, the interfacial density fluctuations exhibit large variances that exceed those expected for an ideal gas. Qualitatively consistent with theories of the free liquid–vapor interface, we find that the water interface near large and strongly nonpolar solutes is flickering, broadened by capillary-wave fluctuations. These fluctuations result in transitions between locally wet and dry regions that are slow on a molecular time scale.
A critical link between Toll-like receptor 3 and type II interferon signaling pathways in antiviral innate immunity
Authors: Negishi Hideo , Osawa Tomoko , Ogami Kentaro , Ouyang Xinshou , Sakaguchi Shinya , Koshiba Ryuji , Yanai Hideyuki , Seko Yoshinori , Shitara Hiroshi , Bishop Keith , Yonekawa Hiromichi , Tamura Tomohiko , Kaisho Tsuneyasu , Taya Choji , Taniguchi Tadatsugu , Honda Kenya
Published: December 2008

A conundrum of innate antiviral immunity is how nucleic acid-sensing Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and RIG-I/MDA5 receptors cooperate during virus infection. The conventional wisdom has been that the activation of these receptor pathways evokes type I IFN (IFN) responses. Here, we provide evidence for a critical role of a Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3)-dependent type II IFN signaling pathway in antiviral innate immune response against Coxsackievirus group B serotype 3 (CVB3), a member of the positive-stranded RNA virus family
picornaviridae
and most prevalent virus associated with chronic dilated cardiomyopathy. TLR3-deficient mice show a vulnerability to CVB3, accompanied by acute myocarditis, whereas transgenic expression of TLR3 endows even type I IFN signal-deficient mice resistance to CVB3 and other types of viruses, provided that type II IFN signaling remains intact. Taken together, our results indicate a critical cooperation of the RIG-I/MDA5-type I IFN and the TLR3-type II IFN signaling axes for efficient innate antiviral immune responses.
Multiplex protein assays based on real-time magnetic nanotag sensing
Authors: Osterfeld Sebastian J. , Yu Heng , Gaster Richard S. , Caramuta Stefano , Xu Liang , Han Shu-Jen , Hall Drew A. , Wilson Robert J. , Sun Shouheng , White Robert L. , Davis Ronald W. , Pourmand Nader , Wang Shan X.
Published: December 2008

Magnetic nanotags (MNTs) are a promising alternative to fluorescent labels in biomolecular detection assays, because minute quantities of MNTs can be detected with inexpensive giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensors, such as spin valve (SV) sensors. However, translating this promise into easy to use and multilplexed protein assays, which are highly sought after in molecular diagnostics such as cancer diagnosis and treatment monitoring, has been challenging. Here, we demonstrate
multiplex
protein detection of potential cancer markers at subpicomolar concentration levels and with a dynamic range of more than four decades. With the addition of nanotag amplification, the analytic sensitivity extends into the low fM concentration range. The multianalyte ability, sensitivity, scalability, and ease of use of the MNT-based protein assay technology make it a strong contender for versatile and portable molecular diagnostics in both research and clinical settings.
Tissue-specific PKA inhibition using a chemical genetic approach and its application to studies on sperm capacitation
Authors: Morgan Daniel J. , Weisenhaus Michael , Shum Sara , Su Thomas , Zheng Ruimao , Zhang Chao , Shokat Kevan M. , Hille Bertil , Babcock Donner F. , McKnight G. Stanley
Published: December 2008

Studies on cAMP signaling and protein kinase A (PKA) function
in vivo
are limited by the lack of highly specific inhibitors that can be used in primary cell culture and whole animals. Previously we reported that a mutation in the ATP binding pocket of a catalytic subunit (Cα) of PKA confers sensitivity to the pyrazolo[3,4-
d
]pyrimidine inhibitor, 1NM-PP1. We have now engineered the mouse
Pkraca
gene such that after Cre-mediated recombination
in vivo
, the CαM120A mutant protein is expressed and the wild-type Cα is turned off. We demonstrate the utility of this approach by examining the requirement for PKA activity during capacitation of sperm from mice that express CαM120A mutant protein. For CαM120A sperm, 10 μM of 1NM-PP1 prevented PKA-dependent phosphorylation and the activation of motility that are both rapidly (<90 s) evoked by the HCO
3
−
anion. A continuous (90 min) inhibition with 10 μM of 1NM-PP1 prevented the protein tyrosine phosphorylation of late-stage capacitation. Delayed application of 1NM-PP1 demonstrated that PKA activity was required for at least the initial 30 min of capacitation to produce subsequent protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Acute application of 1NM-PP1 rapidly slowed the accelerated beat of activated motility but did not affect the established waveform asymmetry of hyperactivated sperm. Our results demonstrate that PKA in CαM120A mutant sperm is rapidly and reversibly inhibited by 1NM-PP1 and that this blockade has selective and time-dependent effects on multiple aspects of capacitation. The conditional CαM120A-expressing mouse lines will be valuable tools for studying PKA function
in vivo
.
The Nuclear Fusion Award
Authors: M. Kikuchi  , W. Burkart  , C. Angioni  , T.E. Evans
Published: December 2008

See the PDF file for the full text.
The rb Mutation of Peas Causes Structural and Regulatory Changes in ADP Glucose Pyrophosphorylase from Developing Embryos
Authors: Hylton Christopher , Smith Alison M.
Published: December 2008

A mutation at the rb locus of pea (Pisum sativum L.) alters the shape, reduces the starch content, and increases the lipid and sucrose contents of the seed. These effects are probably all consequences of a reduction of up to 40-fold in the maximum catalytic activity of ADP glucose pyrophosphorylase in the developing embryo of the mutant relative to the wild type. We have investigated how the mutation brings about this reduction in activity. The purified enzyme from mutant embryos has a specific activity about 10-fold lower than that from wild-type embryos, and it is much more sensitive to the effectors inorganic phosphate and 3-phosphoglycerate than the wild-type enzyme. Both wild-type and mutant enzymes consist of polypeptides of around 50 kilodaltons. One of the polypeptides of the purified wild-type enzyme is missing from the mutant enzyme. We deduce that in the wild-type embryo this protein may interact with other subunits to confer a high specific activity and a low susceptibility to effectors on the enzyme.
Antagonism of 5‐HT1Areceptors uncovers an excitatory effect of SSRIs on 5‐HT neuronal activity, an action probably mediated by 5‐HT7receptors
Authors: Bosker Fokko J. , Folgering Joost H. A. , Gladkevich Anatoliy V. , Schmidt Anne , Van Der Hart Marieke C. G. , Sprouse Jeffrey , Den Boer Johan A. , Westerink Ben H. C. , Cremers Thomas I. F. H.
Published: December 2008

Both microdialysis and electrophysiology were used to investigate whether another serotonin (5‐HT) receptor subtype next to the 5‐HT1Aautoreceptor is involved in the acute effects of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor on 5‐HT neuronal activity. On the basis of a previous study, we decided to investigate the involvement of the 5‐HT7receptors. Experiments were performed with the specific 5‐HT7antagonist SB 258741 and the putative 5‐HT7agonist AS19. In this study WAY 100.635 was used to block 5‐HT1Areceptors. Systemic administration of SB 258741 significantly reduced the effect of combined selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and WAY 100.635 administration on extracellular 5‐HT in the ventral hippocampus as well as 5‐HT neuronal firing in the dorsal raphe nucleus. In the microdialysis study, co‐administration of AS19 and WAY 100.635 showed a biphasic effect on extracellular 5‐HT in ventral hippocampus, hinting at opposed 5‐HT7receptor mediated effects. In the electrophysiological experiments, systemic administration of AS19 alone displayed a bell‐shaped dose–effect curve: moderately increasing 5‐HT neuronal firing at lower doses while decreasing it at higher doses. SB 258741 was capable of blocking the effect of AS19 at a low dose. This is consistent with the pharmacological profile of AS19, displaying high affinity for 5‐HT7receptors and moderate affinity for 5‐HT1Areceptors. The data are in support of an excitatory effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors on 5‐HT neuronal activity mediated by 5‐HT7receptors. It can be speculated, that the restoration of 5‐HT neuronal firing upon chronic antidepressant treatment, which is generally attributed to desensitization of 5‐HT1Areceptors alone, in fact results from a shift in balance between 5‐HT1Aand 5‐HT7receptor function.
Prostaglandin mediates endotoxaemia‐induced hypophagia by activation of pro‐opiomelanocortin and corticotrophin‐releasing factor neurons in rats
Authors: Rorato Rodrigo , Menezes Aline Motta , Giusti‐Paiva Alexandre , De Castro Margaret , Antunes‐Rodrigues José , Elias Lucila Leico Kagohara
Published: December 2008

Corticotrophin‐releasing factor (CRF) and α‐melanocyte‐stimulating hormone (α‐MSH), both of which are synthesized by hypothalamic neurons, play an essential role in the control of energy homeostasis. Neuroendocrine and behavioural responses induced by lipopolyssacharide (LPS) have been shown to involve prostaglandin‐mediated pathways. This study investigated the effects of prostaglandin on CRF and α‐MSH neuronal activities in LPS‐induced anorexia. Male Wistar rats were pretreated with indomethacin (10 mg kg−1; i.p.) or vehicle; 15 min later they received LPS (500 μg kg−1; i.p.) or saline injection. Food intake, hormone responses and Fos–CRF and Fos–α‐MSH immunoreactivity in the paraventricular and arcuate nuclei, respectively, were evaluated. In comparison with saline treatment, LPS administration induced lower food intake and increased plasma ACTH and corticosterone levels, as well as an increase in Fos–CRF and Fos–α‐MSH double‐labelled neurons in vehicle‐pretreated rats. In contrast, indomethacin treatment partly reversed the hypophagic effect, blunted the hormonal increase and blocked the Fos–CRF and Fos–α‐MSH hypothalamic double labelling increase in response to the LPS stimulus. These data demonstrate that the activation of pro‐opiomelanocortin and CRF hypothalamic neurons following LPS administration is at least partly mediated by the prostaglandin pathway and is likely to be involved in the modulation of feeding behaviour during endotoxaemia.
Innovative Application of Mass Spectrometry for the Characterization of Staphylococcal Enterotoxins Involved in Food Poisoning Outbreaks
Authors: Hennekinne Jacques-Antoine , Brun Virginie , De Buyser Marie-Laure , Dupuis Alain , Ostyn Annick , Dragacci Sylviane
Published: December 2008

Staphylococcal poisoning is a common food-borne disease for which immunoassays to detect enterotoxins were developed, but these assays often lead to false diagnoses due to interferences or lack of specificity. Absolute quantitative mass spectrometry was for the first time successfully applied to an investigation of a staphylococcal outbreak due to coconut pearls.