bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of Venlafaxine in the Treatment of Obsessive—Compulsive Disorder
Authors: Phelps Nicole J , Cates Marshall E
Published: December 2004

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the published literature regarding the use of venlafaxine in the treatment of obsessive—compulsive disorder (OCD).

DATA SOURCES:

MEDLINE (1996–March 2004) and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970–March 2004) were searched using the terms venlafaxine and obsessive—compulsive disorder. A bibliographic search was conducted as well.

DATA SYNTHESIS:

Successful treatment of OCD with venlafaxine has been reported in case reports, open trials, and blinded trials versus active comparators. The only placebo-controlled trial did not find statistically significant improvement with venlafaxine treatment; however, methodologic limitations may have influenced those results. Venlafaxine appears to be as efficacious as clomipramine, but is preferable to this agent in terms of safety and tolerability. Venlafaxine seems to be similar to paroxetine with respect to both therapeutic effects and adverse effects, but may be inferior to paroxetine when used for nonresponders to previous serotonin-reuptake inhibitor therapy.

CONCLUSIONS:

Although the relative scarcity of data precludes definitive conclusions, available evidence suggests that venlafaxine is effective and well tolerated in the treatment of OCD. Unfortunately, it has not shown any unique advantages relative to currently available medications.
Fascist Era Elites (3). Salazar’s ministerial elite, 1933–44
Authors: Costa Pinto António
Published: December 2004

This article analyses the composition and modes of recruitment of Salazar’s ministerial elite during the ‘fascist era’. The main characteristics of the Estado Novo’s governing elite was that it belonged to a small and exclusive political and bureaucratic class that almost completely dominated the senior ranks of the armed forces, the senior administration, and the universities - within which the legal profession was strongly represented. Salazar’s single party, being kept organizationally weak and dependent, was never an important element in either the political decision-making process or in the selection of the ministerial elite.
Fascist Era Elites (2). The Fascist ministerial elite
Authors: Adinolfi Goffredo
Published: December 2004

In this study, Goffredo Adinolfi attempts to trace the political and professional profiles of the ministers who served under Mussolini between 1922 and 1943. He succeeds in highlighting three of the principal characteristics of these governments: the concentration of the main portfolios into the hands of Mussolini himself; the existence of an ex-Nationalist ministerial elite within Mussolini’s cabinets; and the high degree of ministerial mobility of the remaining ministers. The problem of the Cabinet’s importance as the only Fascist governmental body that met regularly throughout Mussolini’s twenty-year regime is only briefly touched upon.
CAP Forum on E‐Business: Assurance Reporting for XML‐Based Information Services: XARL (Extensible Assurance Reporting Language)*
Authors: BORITZ J. E. , NO WON G.
Published: December 2004

Extensible business reporting language (XBRL) is an XML‐based method for financial reporting. XBRL was developed to provide users with an efficient and effective means of preparing and exchanging financial information over the Internet. However, like other unprotected data coded in XML, XBRL (document) files (henceforth “documents") are vulnerable to threats against their integrity. Anyone can easily create and manipulate an XBRL document without authorization. In addition, business and financial information in XBRL can be misinterpreted, or used without the organization's consent or knowledge. Extensible assurance reporting language (XARL) was developed by Boritz and No (2003) to enable assurance providers to report on the integrity of XBRL documents distributed over the Internet. Providing assurance on XBRL documents using XARL could help users and companies reduce the uncertainty about the integrity of those documents and provide users with trustworthy information that they could place warranted reliance upon. A limitation of the initial conception of XARL was its tight linkage with the XBRL document and the comparatively primitive approach to codifying the XARL taxonomy. In this paper, we have reconceptualized the idea of XARL as a stand‐alone service for providing assurance on potentially any XML‐based information being shared over the Internet. While our illustrative application in this paper continues to be XBRL‐coded financial information, the code that underlies this version of XARL is a significant revision of our earlier implementation of XARL, is compatible with the latest version of XBRL, and moves XARL into the Web services arena.
Retina-Driven Dephosphorylation of the NR2A Subunit Correlates with Faster NMDA Receptor Kinetics at Developing Retinocollicular Synapses
Authors: Townsend Matthew , Liu Yudong , Constantine-Paton Martha
Published: December 2004

We describe a homeostatic mechanism that limits NMDA receptor currents in response to early light activation of a developing visual pathway. During the second postnatal week of rodent retinocollicular development, the Ca2+-activated phosphatase calcineurin (CaN) mediates a rapid, activity-induced shortening in the decay time of NMDA receptor (NMDAR) currents. We show that protein kinase A acts in opposition to CaN to maintain NMDAR currents with long decay times. The CaN-mediated change is coincident with the initial expression of the NMDAR subunit NR2A. Using NR2A knock-out mice and dialyzing neurons with a constitutively active CaN, we demonstrate that NR2A subunits are necessary for the effect of CaN on NMDAR current kinetics. In wild-type mice, Ser900 of NR2A, previously implicated in CaN-mediated glycine-independent desensitization, becomes chronically dephosphorylated by postnatal day 11 as NMDAR current decay times become faster. Pharmacologically disrupting early photoreceptor-driven activity in the retina eliminates the dephosphorylation of NR2A and prevents the shortening in NMDAR current decay time. These data suggest that the developmental onset of retinal activity increases CaN-mediated dephosphorylation of NR2A subunits newly incorporated into synaptic NMDARs of the superior colliculus, thereby providing a mechanism for the early and rapid reduction of NMDAR current decay time in visual neurons.
On the Initiation and Propagation of Dendritic Spikes in CA1 Pyramidal Neurons
Authors: Gasparini Sonia , Migliore Michele , Magee Jeffrey C.
Published: December 2004

Under certain conditions, regenerative voltage spikes can be initiated locally in the dendrites of CA1 pyramidal neurons. These are interesting events that could potentially provide neurons with additional computational abilities. Using whole-cell dendritic recordings from the distal apical trunk and proximal tuft regions and realistic computer modeling, we have determined that highly synchronized and moderately clustered inputs are required for dendritic spike initiation: ∼50 synaptic inputs spread over 100 μm of the apical trunk/tuft need to be activated within 3 msec. Dendritic spikes are characterized by a more depolarized voltage threshold than at the soma [-48 ± 1 mV (n= 30) vs -56 ± 1 mV (n= 7), respectively] and are mainly generated and shaped by dendritic Na+and K+currents. The relative contribution of AMPA and NMDA currents is also important in determining the actual spatiotemporal requirements for dendritic spike initiation. Once initiated, dendritic spikes can easily reach the soma, but their propagation is only moderately strong, so that it can be modulated by physiologically relevant factors such as changes in theVmand the ionic composition of the extracellular solution. With effective spike propagation, an extremely short-latency neuronal output is produced for greatly reduced input levels. Therefore, dendritic spikes function as efficient detectors of specific input patterns, ensuring that the neuronal response to high levels of input synchrony is a precisely timed action potential output.
Developmental Acquisition of Voltage-Dependent Conductances and Sensory Signaling in Hair Cells of the Embryonic Mouse Inner Ear
Authors: Géléoc Gwenaëlle S. G. , Risner Jessica R. , Holt Jeffrey R.
Published: December 2004

How and when sensory hair cells acquire the remarkable ability to detect and transmit mechanical information carried by sound and head movements has not been illuminated. Previously, we defined the onset of mechanotransduction in embryonic hair cells of mouse vestibular organs to be at approximately embryonic day 16 (E16). Here we examine the functional maturation of hair cells in intact sensory epithelia excised from the inner ears of embryonic mice. Hair cells were studied at stages between E14 and postnatal day 2 using the whole-cell, tight-seal recording technique. We tracked the developmental acquisition of four voltage-dependent conductances. We found a delayed rectifier potassium conductance that appeared as early as E14 and grew in amplitude over the subsequent prenatal week. Interestingly, we also found a low-voltage-activated potassium conductance present at E18, ∼1 week earlier than reported previously. An inward rectifier conductance appeared at approximately E15 and doubled in size over the next few days. We also noted transient expression of a voltage-gated sodium conductance that peaked between E16 and E18 and then declined to near zero at birth. We propose that hair cells undergo a stereotyped developmental pattern of ion channel acquisition and that the precise pattern may underlie other developmental processes such as synaptogenesis and functional differentiation into type I and type II hair cells. In addition, we find that the developmental acquisition of basolateral conductances shapes the hair cell receptor potential and therefore comprises an important step in the signal cascade from mechanotransduction to neurotransmission.
Boosting of Action Potential Backpropagation by Neocortical Network ActivityIn Vivo
Authors: Waters Jack , Helmchen Fritjof
Published: December 2004

Action potentials backpropagate into the dendritic trees of pyramidal neurons, reporting output activity to the sites of synaptic input and provoking long-lasting changes in synaptic strength. It is unclear how this retrograde signal is modified by neural network activity. Using whole-cell recordings from somata, apical trunks, and dendritic tuft branches of layer 2/3 pyramidal neuronsin vivo, we show that network-driven subthreshold membrane depolarizations (“up states”) occur simultaneously throughout the apical dendritic tree. This spontaneous synaptic activity enhances action potential-evoked calcium influx into the distal apical dendrite by promoting action potential backpropagation. Hence, somatic feedback to the dendrites becomes stronger with increasing network activity.
Defective Postnatal Neurogenesis and Disorganization of the Rostral Migratory Stream in Absence of theVax1Homeobox Gene
Authors: Soria José Miguel , Taglialatela Paola , Gil-Perotin Sara , Galli Rossella , Gritti Angela , Verdugo José Manuel Garcia , Bertuzzi Stefano
Published: December 2004

The subventricular zone (SVZ) is one of the sources of adult neural stem cells (ANSCs) in the mouse brain. Precursor cells proliferate in the SVZ and migrate through the rostral migratory stream (RMS) to the olfactory bulb (OB), where they differentiate into granule and periglomerular cells. Few transcription factors are known to be responsible for regulating NSC proliferation, migration, and differentiation processes; even fewer have been found to be responsible for the organization of the SVZ and RMS. For this reason, we studied the ventral anterior homeobox (Vax1) gene in NSC proliferation and in SVZ organization. We found thatVax1is strongly expressed in the SVZ and in the RMS and that, in the absence ofVax1, embryonic precursor cells proliferate 100 times more than wild-type controls,in vitro. The SVZ ofVax1-/-brains is hyperplastic and mostly disorganized, and the RMS is missing, causing a failure of precursor cell migration to the OBs, which as a result are severely hypoplastic. Moreover, we found thatVax1is essential for the correct differentiation of ependyma and astrocytes.

Together, these data indicate thatVax1is a potent regulator of SVZ organization and NSC proliferation, with important consequences on postnatal neurogenesis.
Palladium Catalyzed Cross‐Coupling of (

Z

)‐1‐Heptenyldimethylsilanol with 4‐Iodoanisole: (

Z

)‐1‐Heptenyl)‐4‐methoxybenzene
Authors: Denmark Scott E. , Wang Zhigang
Published: December 2004

1‐Iodo‐1‐hepyne

Butyllithium

(
Z
)‐1‐Iodo‐1‐heptene

(
Z
)‐1, 1‐Dimethyl‐1‐heptenyl silanol

(
Z
)‐1‐Heptenyl‐4‐methoxybenzene
Heck Reactions of Aryl Chlorides Catalyzed by Palladium/Tri‐tert‐butylphosphine: (E)‐2‐Methyl‐3‐Phenylacrylic Acid Butyl Ester and (E)‐4‐(2‐Phenylethenyl)benzonitrile
Authors: Littke Adam F. , Fu Gregory C.
Published: December 2004

(E)‐2‐Methyl‐3‐phenacrylic acid butyl ester

Bis(tri‐tert‐butylphosphine)palladium

(E)‐4‐(2‐Phenylethenyl)benzonitrile

Tris(dibenzylideneacetone)palladium
Synthesis of 1,2:5,6‐Dianhydro‐3,4‐
O
‐isopropylidene‐
L
‐mannitol
Authors: Nugiel David A. , Jacobs Kim , Tabaka A. Christine , Teleha Chris A.
Published: December 2004

1,2:3,4:5,6‐Tri‐
O‐
isopropylidene‐L‐Mannitol

L‐Mannitol acid beta lactone

Lithium borohydride

3,4‐
O‐
Ispropylidene‐L‐mannitol

1,2:5,6‐Dianhydro‐3,4‐
O‐
isopropylidene‐L‐mannitol
Generation of Nonracemic 2‐(

t

‐Butyldimethylsilyloxy)‐3‐butynyllithium from (

S

)‐Ethyl Lactate:
Authors: Marshall James A. , Yanik Mathew M. , Adams Nicholas D. , Ellis Keith C. , Chobanian Harry R.
Published: December 2004

(S)
‐4‐(Butyldimethylsiloxy)‐2‐pentynal

(S)‐
Ethyl 2‐(‐
tert‐
butyldimethoxysiloxy)propanoate

Rochelle salt

DIBAL‐H

(S)‐
2‐
(tert‐
Butyldimethylsiloxy)propanal

1‐Dichloro‐(3
S)‐(tert‐
butyldimethylsiloxy)‐2‐butyl
p‐
toluenesulfonate
Oxidation of Primary Alcohols to Carboxylic Acids with Sodium Chlorite Catalyzed by
TEMPO
and Bleach: 4‐Methoxyphenylacetic Acid
Authors: Zhao Matthew M. , Li Jing , Mano Eiichi , Song Zhiguo J. , Tschaen David M.
Published: December 2004

4‐Methoxyphenethyl alcohol

4‐Methoxyphenylacetic acid

2,2,6,6,‐Tetramethyl‐1‐piperidinyloxy (TEMPO)

Sodium hypochlorite
The Use of Polystyrylsulfonyl Chloride Resin as a Solid Supported Condensation Reagent for the Formation of Esters: Synthesis of
N
‐[(9‐Fluorenylmethoxy)carbonyl]‐
L
‐aspartic Acid; α‐
tert
‐Butyl Ester, β‐(2‐Ethyl[(1
E
)‐(4‐nitrophenyl)azo]phenyl]amino]ethyl Ester
Authors: Zander Norbert , Frank Ronald
Published: December 2004

Disperse Red 1

N‐[(9 H‐fluoren‐9‐ylmethoxy)carbonyl]‐L‐aspartic acid, 1‐(1,1‐dimethylethyl) ester

N‐Methylimidaole
Boric Acid Catalyzed Amide Formation from Carboxylic Acids and Amines:
N
‐Benzyl‐4‐phenylbutyramide
Authors: Tang Pingwah
Published: December 2004

N
‐Benzyl‐4‐phenylbutyramide

4‐Phenylbutyric acid

Boric acid

Benzylamine
Development of autoimmune arthritis with aging via bystander T cell activation in the mouse model of Sjögren's syndrome
Authors: Kobayashi Masaru , Yasui Natsuo , Ishimaru Naozumi , Arakaki Rieko , Hayashi Yoshio
Published: December 2004

Objective

A wide spectrum of extraglandular manifestations may occur in patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS), but the mechanisms responsible for in vivo progression are still obscure. We undertook this study to evaluate the age‐related changes during the development of extraglandular autoimmune lesions, including arthritis, in the murine model of primary SS, and to evaluate the possible relationship between age‐related disturbance of activation‐induced cell death and the in vivo kinetics against autoantigens.

Methods

A total of 126 NFS/sld mice were investigated at ages 2, 4, 6, 10, 12, 18, 20, and 24 months. Cytokine production was tested using culture supernatants from anti‐CD3 monoclonal antibody–stimulated T cells. Anti–single‐stranded DNA (anti‐ssDNA) antibodies, Ig isotypes (IgG1, IgG2a), rheumatoid factor (RF), and anti–type II collagen (anti‐CII) antibodies were detected by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Proliferative T cell responses against each of 3 recombinant α‐fodrin proteins and against CII were analyzed.

Results

Autoimmune arthritis developed in SS model mice until age 24 months. Significant elevations in serum levels of RF, anti‐ssDNA antibodies, and anti‐CII antibodies were found in aging SS model mice. A high titer of serum autoantibodies against α‐fodrin fragments (containing different epitopes that were originally identified in primary SS model mice) was frequently detected in young and aged SS model mice. Moreover, we found that α‐fodrin autoantigen induced Th1 immune responses and accelerated disturbance of Fas‐mediated T cell apoptosis in aged SS model mice.

Conclusion

These results indicate that age‐related disturbance of activation‐induced cell death via bystander T cell activation may play a crucial role in the development of autoimmune arthritis in a murine model of SS.
Dietary risk factors for the development of inflammatory polyarthritis: Evidence for a role of high level of red meat consumption
Authors: Pattison Dorothy J. , Symmons Deborah P. M. , Lunt Mark , Welch Ailsa , Luben Robert , Bingham Sheila A. , Khaw Kay‐Tee , Day Nicholas E. , Silman Alan J.
Published: December 2004

Objective

To investigate the association of red meat and other specific dietary components in predicting the development of inflammatory polyarthritis.

Methods

This nested case–control study was conducted within a prospective population‐based study of cancer incidence (European Prospective Investigation of Cancer in Norfolk [EPIC‐Norfolk]). EPIC‐Norfolk recruited 25,630 subjects ages 45–75 years between 1993 and 1997. Dietary intake was assessed at baseline using a 7‐day food diary, and the information was analyzed using dietary analysis software. Patients with new cases of inflammatory polyarthritis were identified by linkage with the Norfolk Arthritis Register, a primary care–based inception study of inflammatory polyarthritis, and were matched for age and sex to 2 controls from EPIC‐Norfolk. The risk for development of inflammatory polyarthritis was compared between subjects in the highest and lowest tertiles of dietary intake using conditional logistic regression and was expressed as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs).

Results

Between 1993 and 2002, 88 new patients with inflammatory polyarthritis were identified and matched with 176 controls. Among patients, the level of red meat intake was higher (P= 0.04) and that of vitamin C was lower (P= 0.03) compared with intake among controls, but no difference in total energy intake was observed. Patients were more likely to be smokers. After adjusting for total energy intake, smoking, and other possible dietary confounders, subjects with the highest level of consumption of red meat (OR 1.9, 95% CI 0.9–4.0), meat and meat products combined (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.1–4.9), and total protein (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.1–7.5) were at an increased risk for inflammatory polyarthritis.

Conclusion

A high level of red meat consumption may represent a novel risk factor for inflammatory arthritis or may act as a marker for a group of persons with an increased risk from other lifestyle causes.
Accuracy of veterans administration databases for a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Singh Jasvinder A. , Holmgren Aaron R. , Noorbaloochi Siamak
Published: December 2004

Objective

To determine the accuracy of International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code 714 for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis in a Veterans Administration (VA) hospital database and to examine the effects of adding laboratory and pharmacy data to ICD code 714 on accuracy of RA diagnosis.

Methods

We drew a random sample of patients from all Minneapolis VA rheumatology clinic patients who had at least 1 rheumatology clinic visit between January 2001 and July 2002. Charts of 184 patients were reviewed. The gold standard for RA diagnosis was chart documentation of RA diagnosis by a rheumatologist on ≥2 visits >6 weeks apart. The data definitions of RA diagnosis included presence of ICD code 714 alone or various combinations of ICD code 714, a positive rheumatoid factor (RF), and prescription for a disease‐modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD). Accuracy of data definitions of RA was assessed by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and area under the receiver operator characteristics curve.

Results

Diagnosis by ICD code 714 had 100% sensitivity, but specificity was only 55% because of a false‐positive rate of 34%. The addition of a positive RF and/or a DMARD prescription to ICD code 714 dramatically improved specificity to 83–97% and positive predictive value to 81–97%; however, sensitivity decreased to 76–88%. Diagnosis by ICD 714 alone had the highest negative predicative value of 100%. The area under the curve was the greatest when both ICD code 714 and a positive RF were included, and the least when ICD code alone was used.

Conclusion

ICD code 714 in the VA administrative database is a very sensitive screening tool for identifying patients with RA in the rheumatology clinic population. Addition of the presence of a DMARD prescription and/or a positive RF to selection criteria improves specificity of the diagnosis.
Akt phosphorylation is a risk factor for early disease recurrence and poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Nakanishi Kazuaki , Sakamoto Michiie , Yamasaki Susumu , Todo Satoru , Hirohashi Setsuo
Published: December 2004

BACKGROUND

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who showed early massive disease recurrence due to hematogenous intrahepatic metastasis after curative resection had a poor prognosis. The authors previously reported that Akt phosphorylation was correlated with hematogenous intrahepatic metastasis, using HCC cell lines.

METHODS

The authors analyzed clinicopathologic features and the status of selected biologic markers, including phosphorylated Akt, to identify risk factors for early disease recurrence and poor prognosis in HCC. In the current series, 49 postoperative patients developed intrahepatic disease recurrence within 6 months (Group 1) and 86 patients remained disease recurrence free > 3 years after resection (Group 2). Group 1 was further divided into 2 subgroups: 19 patients who died of disease recurrence within a year after resection (Group 1A) and 27 patients who survived > 1 year (Group 1B).

RESULTS

Using univariate analysis, the risk factors for early disease recurrence were tumor size, macroscopic classification, tumor differentiation, microscopic capsule infiltration, microscopic portal vein (MPV) invasion, microscopic intrahepatic metastasis (MIM), and positive immunostaining for phosphorylated Akt, Ki‐67, and p53 (P < 0.05). The risk factors for poor prognosis were the number of intrahepatic metastases, tumor differentiation, and positive immunostaining for phosphorylated Akt and Ki‐67 (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that the risk factors for early disease recurrence were MPV invasion, MIM, and positive immunostaining for phosphorylated Akt, and that the risk factors for poor prognosis were positive immunostaining for phosphorylated Akt and Ki‐67 (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The current clinical study showed the critical involvement of Akt phosphorylation in the aggressiveness of HCC. The potential benefits of surgery should be assessed carefully in patients with any of these risk factors. Cancer 2005. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Covariate adjustment in family‐based association studies
Authors: Whittemore Alice S. , Halpern Jerry , Ahsan Habibul
Published: December 2004

Family‐based tests of association between a candidate locus and a disease evaluate how often a variant allele at the locus is transmitted from parents to offspring. These tests assume that in the absence of association, an affected offspring is equally likely to have inherited either one of the two homologous alleles carried by a parent. However, transmission distortion was documented in families in which the offspring are unselected for phenotype. Moreover, if offspring genotypes are associated with a risk factor for the disease, transmission distortion to affected offspring can occur in the absence of a causal relation between gene and disease risk. We discuss the appropriateness of adjusting for established risk factors when evaluating association in family‐based studies. We present methods for adjusting the transmission/disequilibrium test for risk factors when warranted, and we apply them to data on CYP19 (aromatase) genotypes in nuclear families with multiple cases of breast cancer. Simulations show that when genotypes are correlated with risk factors, the unadjusted test statistics have inflated size, while the adjusted ones do not. The covariate‐adjusted tests are less powerful than the unadjusted ones, suggesting the need to check the relationship between genotypes and known risk factors to verify that adjustment is needed. The adjusted tests are most useful for data containing a large proportion of families that lack disease‐discordant sibships, i.e., data for which multiple logistic regression of matched sibships would have little power. Software for performing the covariate‐adjusted tests is available at http://www.stanford.edu/dept/HRP/epidemiology/COVTDT. Genet. Epidemiol. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Toll‐like receptor 2 (TLR2) is pivotal for recognition of S. aureus peptidoglycan but not intact bacteria by microglia
Authors: Kielian Tammy , Esen Nilufer , Bearden Edward D.
Published: December 2004

Toll‐like receptor 2 (TLR2) is a pattern recognition receptor that plays an important role in enabling cells of the innate immune system to recognize conserved structural motifs on a wide array of pathogens including gram‐positive bacteria. Although microglia have recently been shown to express TLR2, the functional significance of this receptor in mediating microglial activation remains unknown. To ascertain the importance of TLR2 in microglial responses to S. aureus and its cell wall product peptidoglycan (PGN), we evaluated primary microglia from TLR2 knockout (KO) and wild‐type (WT) mice. TLR2 was found to play a pivotal role in PGN recognition and subsequent activation in primary microglia, as demonstrated by the attenuated expression of TNF‐α, IL‐12 p40, MIP‐2, and MCP‐1 in PGN‐treated TLR2 KO microglia compared with WT cells. In contrast, the responses of TLR2 KO and WT microglia to S. aureus were qualitatively similar, indicating that alternative receptors are responsible for recognizing intact bacteria. Microarray analysis confirmed that TLR2 plays a central role in PGN recognition by primary microglia. The expression of MyD88, a central adapter molecule in TLR‐dependent signaling, was similar in both TLR2 KO and WT microglia, suggesting that the defect in PGN recognition by the former is not due to alterations in this key signaling intermediate. These findings reveal the complex nature of gram‐positive bacterial recognition by microglia, which occurs, in part, through engagement of TLR2. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Invited reaction: The utilization of training program evaluation in corporate universities
Authors: Torres Rosalie T.
Published: December 2004

This reaction piece briefly reviews the findings from the Bober and Bartlett study of training evaluation use in corporate universities. It then focuses on the importance of context in understanding and facilitating evaluation use. The author suggests an alternative interpretation of particular findings based on a deeper consideration of the evaluation context in the settings studied. Additional suggestions for considering context are to identify the role of evaluation in organizational decision‐making processes and identify the how and why of less prevalent uses of evaluation at particular sites. The piece concludes with a discussion of the purposes that the Bober and Bartlett study serve (their detailed accounts of the evaluation use literature and their methodology, and findings about instrumental uses of training evaluation), as well as a call for empirical studies investigating how evaluation use can best facilitate organizational learning.
Structural characterization of poly(diethylsiloxane) in the crystalline, liquid crystalline and isotropic phases by solid‐state 17O NMR spectroscopy and ab initio MO calculations
Authors: Kimura Hideaki , Kanesaka Sho , Kuroki Shigeki , Ando Isao , Asano Atsushi , Kurosu Hiromichi
Published: December 2004

The structure of poly(diethylsiloxane) (PDES) has been characterized using solid‐state NMR of 17O. The sample studied had a weight‐average molecular weight of 2.45 × 105. The sample was prepared by utilizing the cationic ring‐opening polymerization of 17O‐enriched hexacyclotrisiloxane. Solid‐state NMR of 17O‐enriched PDES was measured on the low‐temperature β1 phase, the high‐temperature β2 phase, the two‐phase system consisting of the liquid crystal and isotropic liquid phase and the isotropic phase. From these data, the molecular structure and dynamics of PDES in the various phases were characterized via the chemical shifts of 17O, and electric field gradient parameters were determined from NMR and ab initio molecular orbital (MO) calculations. In addition to the solid‐state NMR of 1H, 13C and 29Si previously reported on these samples, knowledge of the dynamic behavior of PDES as inferred from the NMR of 17O in the present study was enhanced significantly. Further, the potential of combining the experimental NMR of 17O with ab initio MO calculations to characterize the dynamics of polymers containing oxygen is demonstrated. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Zivilcourage
Authors: Jonas Kai J. , Brandstätter Veronika
Published: December 2004

Zusammenfassung: Zivilcourage stellt für die Sozialpsychologie ein wichtiges inhaltliches Thema dar. Politiker appellieren häufig an die Bevölkerung, sich zivilcouragiert zu verhalten, doch wie Zivilcourage konkret gezeigt werden soll, wird dabei nicht vermittelt. Trainingsmaßnahmen können dieses Defizit ausräumen. Voraussetzung dafür ist eine klare und verhaltensnahe Definition des Begriffs und ein in Trainings umsetzbares theoretisches Konzept. Die Sozialpsychologie kommt in die Lage beides zu leisten, d.h. Determinanten von Zivilcourage zu benennen und entsprechend abgeleitete Trainings zu entwickeln. Darüber hinaus besteht in unserem Fach auch Kompetenz zur notwendigen methodisch ausgereiften Evaluation der Trainings. In diesem Beitrag werden zunächst situationale und gesellschaftliche Hintergründe von Zivilcourage aufgezeigt. Eine Definition, sowie Determinanten und mögliche Abgrenzungen zu Hilfeverhalten werden vorgestellt. Eine Diskussion von Zivilcouragetrainings, Evaluationsmöglichkeiten und Implementierungen schließt den Beitrag ab.
Direct electron-beam writing of continuous spiral phase plates in negative resist with high power efficiency for optical manipulation
Authors: Cheong W. C. , Lee W. M. , Yuan X.-C. , Zhang L.-S. , Dholakia K. , Wang H.
Published: December 2004

Laser beams propagating in Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) modes are of considerable interest due to their widespread applications in the areas of optical manipulation of microparticles, quantum entanglement of photons, nonlinear optics, optical vortex interactions, and atomic studies. However, the proliferation of LG beams has been hampered due to the absence of reliable and reproducible fabrication technologies in producing the required optical elements for their generation. In this letter, we describe a simple, reliable, and reproducible fabrication technique for a micron-sized spiral phase plate with high power efficiency (80%–90%) and good beam uniformity. This facilitates the widespread use of LG beams in various applications: as an example the fabricated elements can easily and readily be incorporated into an existing optical trapping system with minimum modification.
Localization of excitons in disordered quantum wires probed by single-photon correlation spectroscopy
Authors: Malko A. , Baier M. H. , Pelucchi E. , Oberli D. Y. , Leifer K. , Chek-al-kar D. , Kapon E.
Published: December 2004

Single-photon correlation and microphotoluminescence spectroscopy are employed to characterize the emission from disordered InGaAs∕AlGaAs quantum wires grown in inverted tetrahedral pyramids. Recombinations of neutral and charged excitons, localized by wire potential fluctuations, are identified. Antibunched photon emission is observed from both excitonic species that are shown to recombine at the same disordered wire site. This demonstrates the use of single-photon correlation spectroscopy for obtaining spatial information on optical processes in nanostructures.
Dye-sensitized near-infrared room-temperature photovoltaic photon detectors
Authors: Jayaweera P. V. V. , Perera A. G. U. , Senevirathna M. K. I. , Pitigala P. K. D. D. P. , Tennakone K.
Published: December 2004

Dye molecules bonded to a semiconductor surface could inject carriers to a band on photoexcitation. This process known as dye-sensitization is used for extending the sensitivity of silver halide emulsions. More recently, dye-sensitization has been adopted to devise solar cells. A near-infrared (NIR) sensitive heterojunction n-TiO2∕D∕p-CuSCN (where D denotes a NIR absorbing dye) is developed to examine the possibility of using dye-sensitization for IR detection. Although the responsivity is lower and response slow compared to silicon detectors, dye-sensitized detectors would be cost effective, especially for large area devices. They are operable at room temperature and have the advantage of insensitivity to noise induced by band-gap excitations (providing high specific detectivity of ∼1011). Furthermore, the spectral response can be adjusted by choosing the appropriate dye.
Spectrally resolved dynamics of inhomogeneously broadened gain in InAs∕InP1550nm quantum-dash lasers
Authors: Hadass D. , Alizon R. , Dery H. , Mikhelashvili V. , Eisenstein G. , Schwertberger R. , Somers A. , Reithmaier J. P. , Forchel A. , Calligaro M. , Bansropun S. , Krakowski M.
Published: December 2004

We report spectrally resolved dynamical properties of 1550nm quantum-dash lasers. The dynamics are governed by the inhomogeneous broadening of the gain medium and by wavelength-dependent carrier capture and escape rates.
Organic vertical-channel transistors structured using excimer laser
Authors: Parashkov R. , Becker E. , Ginev G. , Riedl T. , Brandes M. , Johannes H.-H. , Kowalsky W.
Published: December 2004

Low-cost, large-area patterning of organic field-effect transistors with high-resolution is a subject of ongoing investigations. Here, we present a concept of patterning vertical-channels organic transistors using excimer laser. The channel length is controlled by the thickness of the dielectric polymer layer between the drain and source electrodes. We demonstrate that, by using this method, patterning of transistors with either metal or polymer contacts with resolutions as high as 2μm is possible. Experimental data of vertical-channel pentacene transistors with either gold or poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) as drain-source contacts are reported. Field effect mobilities of 1×10−3 and 3×10−4cm2∕Vs, respectively, have been measured in these devices.
Optical phonon softening in strained SrTiO3 thin film: First-principles study
Authors: Kim Leejun , Kim Juho , Lee Jaichan , Jung Donggeun
Published: December 2004

The dielectric response and optical phonon of hydrostatically and anisotropically strained SrTiO3 lattices were studied using density functional theory. A structural analysis was performed on the strained SrTiO3 lattice. Following the structural analysis, the optical phonon frequency was calculated for a wide range of lattice distortion. The dielectric constant was calculated from the optical phonon frequency and the Börn effective charges. It was found that significant optical phonon softening occurs at a certain degree of lattice distortion and a certain amount of volume change. In other words, the optical phonon frequency decreased and reached a minimum (50cm−1) at a specific lattice distortion (c∕a=0.985) as the SrTiO3 lattice was progressively distorted starting from the unstrained state. The phonon frequency increased as the lattice distortion was further increased. This phonon behavior, i.e., optical phonon softening, leads to a maximum dielectric constant at a certain degree of lattice distortion. The first-principles calculation on the strained SrTiO3 shows that the strain affects the dielectric constant of the strained SrTiO3 through the optical phonon softening (or hardening).
Linear collapse of the depolarization shift in very dilute two-dimensional hole gases
Authors: Plaut A. S. , Pinczuk A. , Dennis B. S. , Hirjibehedin C. F. , Pfeiffer L. N. , West K. W.
Published: December 2004

Very dilute two-dimensional hole systems were probed by resonant inelastic light scattering. This extremely high mobility system occurs in AlxGa1−xAs∕GaAs quantum wells designed specifically for their light insensitivity. We find that the depolarization shift in intersubband transitions decreases linearly for hole densities below p=6.6×1010cm−2, dropping to zero below p=1×1010cm−2.
Parallel writing on zirconium nitride thin films by local oxidation nanolithography
Authors: Farkas N. , Comer J. R. , Zhang G. , Evans E. A. , Ramsier R. D. , Wight S. , Dagata J. A.
Published: December 2004

Parallel pattern transfer of submicrometer-scale oxide features onto zirconium nitride thin films is reported. The oxidation reaction was verified by Auger microprobe analysis and secondary ion mass spectrometry. Oxide features of ∼70nm in height can be formed and selectively etched in a dilute aqueous hydrogen fluoride solution. This provides an interesting route to potential new applications for high-melting point, biocompatible surfaces that possess small feature sizes with controlled geometries.
Room-temperature “W” diode lasers emitting at λ≈4.0μm
Authors: Bewley W. W. , Vurgaftman I. , Kim C. S. , Kim M. , Canedy C. L. , Meyer J. R. , Bruno J. D. , Towner F. J.
Published: December 2004

Type-II “W” diode lasers with ten quantum-well periods operated in pulsed mode to 315K, where the emission wavelength was 4.02μm. The devices with uncoated facets had a threshold current density of 145A∕cm2 and slope efficiency of 47mW∕A per facet at 78K, and displayed a characteristic temperature T0≈46K in the range 78–300K.
A Mathematical Model of Segregation Patterns in Residential Neighbourhoods
Authors: Yizhaq Hezi , Portnov Boris A , Meron Ehud
Published: December 2004

A mathematical model is proposed which describes the dynamics and the spatial distributions of two population groups, where migration is driven by considerations of socioeconomic status. The model associates segregation with instabilities of spatially uniform mixed population states. These instabilities lead to a wide range of segregation forms including: (a) variable (weak) segregation where the population is everywhere mixed and the spatial variability is controlled by a ‘status-gap’ parameter, (b) strong segregation, where nearby neighbourhoods consists of pure (unmixed) population groups, and (c) intermediate forms involving enclaves of a pure population group in neighbourhoods of mixed population. The model associates tipping-point phenomena with the existence of an unstable mixed population state which introduces a threshold for population inversion. The model predicts that uneven invasions of one population group into another may result from interface instabilities rather than from urban heterogeneities.
Control of a two-dimensional movement signal by a noninvasive brain-computer interface in humans
Authors: Wolpaw Jonathan R. , McFarland Dennis J.
Published: December 2004

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) can provide communication and control to people who are totally paralyzed. BCIs can use noninvasive or invasive methods for recording the brain signals that convey the user's commands. Whereas noninvasive BCIs are already in use for simple applications, it has been widely assumed that only invasive BCIs, which use electrodes implanted in the brain, can provide multidimensional movement control of a robotic arm or a neuroprosthesis. We now show that a noninvasive BCI that uses scalp-recorded electroencephalographic activity and an adaptive algorithm can provide humans, including people with spinal cord injuries, with multidimensional point-to-point movement control that falls within the range of that reported with invasive methods in monkeys. In movement time, precision, and accuracy, the results are comparable to those with invasive BCIs. The adaptive algorithm used in this noninvasive BCI identifies and focuses on the electroencephalographic features that the person is best able to control and encourages further improvement in that control. The results suggest that people with severe motor disabilities could use brain signals to operate a robotic arm or a neuroprosthesis without needing to have electrodes implanted in their brains.
Social Security Benefit Uncertainty under Individual Accounts
Authors: Harris Amy Rehder , Sabelhaus John , Simpson Michael
Published: December 2004

Social Security reforms that include individual accounts change both the expected benefit and the benefit risk. This article uses a long‐term stochastic forecasting model to estimate the distribution of expected benefits under a simple individual account, recognizing uncertainties in the current system. Introducing individual accounts increases the overall variability of benefit levels relative to current law; indeed the standard deviations of expected benefit gains exceed the level of those gains. The increase in uncertainty about benefit replacement rates is even larger, however, because individual accounts partially sever the link between earnings and benefits in the existing system. (JEL H55)
Do Electronic Discussions Create Critical Thinking Spillovers?
Authors: Deloach Stephen B. , Greenlaw Steven A.
Published: December 2004

Few academics question the relevance of critical thinking in higher education, yet there has been little attempt to investigate which specific pedagogies aid in its development. In this study we assess whether critical thinking can be taught effectively using electronic discussions. In most discussions analyzed, the data show that the quality of a student's argument is positively influenced by the quality of their peers’arguments (critical thinking spillovers). While the use of this pedagogy is promising, best results require an appropriate topic as well as effective management of the discussion. (JEL A2)
Consequences of low mobility in spatially and temporally heterogeneous ecosystems
Authors: MATLACK GLENN R. , MONDE JOHN
Published: December 2004

Spatially explicit landscape models have revealed the importance of spatial arrangement of habitat patches in the behaviour of mobile organisms. Such models fail to account for creation and destruction of habitat, which may interrupt the movement of slowly migrating species such as forest herbs.

To explore the interaction of habitat turnover and population migration, we present a dynamic landscape model inhabited by a dispersing species. The landscape is represented as a square lattice in which individual cells may be either habitat or non‐habitat, and a hypothetical species may spread among habitat cells. Rate of species spread, habitat frequency and habitat clearance and regeneration are allowed to vary.

In static landscapes, the fraction of the landscape occupied by the species is limited by connectivity among habitat patches and rate of population migration. Slow species often cannot reach all available habitat despite the presence of continuous paths to it.

In dynamic landscapes, slow‐moving species show reduced map‐scale frequency and high risk of extinction due to the cumulative effects of habitat patch destruction and the failure to colonize newly created habitat. Such species decline cannot be predicted based on static descriptions of habitat connectivity or migration rate.

Fast‐moving species may be reduced in dynamic landscapes by the cumulative effect of numerous local isolation events. Fast‐moving species may also experience a modest range expansion in low‐connectivity landscapes due to the cumulative effects of short‐lived patch adjacency.

These results suggest a novel mechanism that could account for species impoverishment in fragmented landscapes. They emphasize the importance of maintaining habitat connectivity on a time‐scale that accommodates slow‐migrating species such as forest herbs.
Herbivory influences tree lines
Authors: CAIRNS DAVID M. , MOEN JON
Published: December 2004

Transitions between major vegetation types, such as the tree line, are useful systems for monitoring the response of vegetation to climate change. Tree lines have, however, shown equivocal responses to such change.

Tree lines are considered to be primarily thermally controlled, although recent work has highlighted the importance of biotic factors. Dispersal limitation and the invasibility of the tundra matrix have been implicated and here we propose herbivory as an additional control at some tree lines.

We propose a conceptual model in which differing relative impacts of foliage consumption, availability of establishment sites, trampling, dispersal and seed predation can lead to very different tree‐line responses.

The presence of large numbers of small trees above the current tree line at a site in northern Sweden that experiences limited reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) herbivory suggests range expansion. Other locations in the same region with higher reindeer populations have considerably fewer small trees, suggesting that range expansion is occurring much more slowly, if at all.

The use of tree lines as indicators of climate change is confounded by the activity of herbivores, which may either strengthen or nullify the impacts of a changed climate. Similar arguments are likely to be applicable to other ecotones.
Volunteers in Marine Conservation Monitoring: a Study of the Distribution of Seahorses Carried Out in Collaboration with Recreational Scuba Divers
Authors: GOFFREDO STEFANO , PICCINETTI CORRADO , ZACCANTI FRANCESCO
Published: December 2004

Abstract: 
Seahorses ( Hippocampus) live in tropical and temperate waters. Habitat degradation and fishery overexploitation have led to drastic population declines on a global scale. Population monitoring is therefore essential to determine current status and manage conservation. In this first study in Italian waters on the geographic and ecological distribution of the two Mediterranean species, Hippocampus hippocampus and Hippocampus ramulosus, recreational scuba divers were recruited and trained to report sightings. A specially formulated questionnaire was produced and distributed to scuba diving schools and centers. In the 3‐year study, 2536 divers spent 6077 diving hours gathering data and completed 8827 questionnaires. Eight percent of the questionnaires showed seahorse sightings, for a total of 3061 sighted specimens, 68% of which referred to Hippocampus ramulosus. The two species had overlapping geographic distributions. Seahorse abundance varied, with the northern Adriatic Sea showing greatest abundance, followed by the central‐southern Tyrrhenian Sea. Seahorses were rare in the Ligurian and northern Tyrrhenian seas. Preferred habitats were shallow areas with either sandy bottoms or Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile meadows. Seahorse distribution may be correlated with the degree of degradation of P. oceanica meadows. Resource users (the divers) were willing to take part in biological monitoring and contributed in scientific terms by collecting considerable amounts of data over short time periods and in economic terms by decreasing costs. The greatest limitation with volunteers was the difficulty in obtaining a uniformly distributed sample across time and space. We conclude that recreational divers and other resource users can play an active part in monitoring the marine environment and that the Mediterranean Hippocampus Mission may be used as a model for biodiversity monitoring.