bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study of the coagulated structure and fiber strength with wet spinning of aliphatic polyketone with aqueous composite metal salt solutions
Authors: Morita Toru , Adachi Masayuki , Kato Jinichiro
Published: March 2005

Poly(1‐oxotrimethylene) (ECO) was dissolved in aqueous calcium chloride (CaCl2)/zinc chloride (ZnCl2) composite metal salt solutions, and the solutions had phase‐separation temperatures greater than 0°C. A higher proportion of CaCl2 with respect to ZnCl2 increased the phase‐separation temperature of the ECO solutions. When wet spinning was carried out with a coagulation bath at 2°C, an ECO solution with a higher phase‐separation temperature tended to produce greater ECO fiber strength. Therefore, a higher phase‐separation temperature resulted in coagulated filaments with a denser and more homogeneous cross‐sectional structure. When the metal salt concentration of the coagulation bath was increased with an ECO solution with a phase‐separation temperature of 22°C and a coagulation‐bath temperature of 2°C, the strength of the ECO fibers tended to be lower. Although little difference was observed in the uniformity of the fiber cross sections, a higher metal salt concentration in the coagulation bath facilitated greater spherical growth of the coagulated particles. Large, spherical coagulated particles promoted defects during drawing and thus lowered the strength of the ECO fibers. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 1250–1258, 2005
Mental traps to avoid while interpreting feedback: Insights from administering feedback to school principals
Authors: Vohra Neharika , Singh Manjari
Published: March 2005

This article summarizes our experiences in the counseling sessions that followed the administration of multifaceted feedback to 107 principals. The various responses displayed by the principals toward the feedback they received are discussed. The responses have been classified as those avoiding and denial at two levels (avoidance of the feedback received and denial in the process of interpretation), rationalization of the feedback received, superficiality in data interpretation, and unnatural behavioral manifestations on receiving the feedback such as overreaction and overdramatization, self‐pity, and starting to feel unwell. Although these reactions might help the recipient avoid feeling anxious or upset about the feedback, these are also traps that stop the recipient from benefiting from the feedback. Knowledge of such reactions may help recipients of feedback to inoculate themselves against such traps and thus help them gain maximally from the feedback process.
Quantitative analysis of survivin mRNA expression in urine and tumor tissue of bladder cancer patients and its potential relevance for disease detection and prognosis
Authors: Weikert Steffen , Christoph Frank , Schrader Mark , Krause Hans , Miller Kurt , Müller Markus
Published: March 2005

Suppression of apoptosis may favor the onset and progression of cancer. Survivin is an inhibitor of apoptosis that has been suggested as a novel diagnostic/prognostic marker of bladder cancer. In this study, survivin mRNA expression was measured by a sensitive real‐time PCR assay in tumor tissue and urine from bladder cancer patients and assessed for its potential diagnostic and prognostic relevance. Specimens from 53 patients with bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) were analyzed, the controls being normal urothelial tissues (n = 14) and urine from benign disease patients (n = 22) and healthy individuals (n = 14). Survivin transcripts were commonly detected in tumor tissues, but not in normal urothelium, and increasing mRNA levels correlate with progressing pathologic stage (p = 0.001) and grade categories (p < 0.004). Higher levels of expression were associated with a reduced time to recurrence in noninvasive TCCs (p = 0.027, log‐rank test) and a trend toward shorter disease‐free survival in muscle‐invasive tumors (p = 0.067). Urinary survivin analysis detects TCC with higher sensitivity (68.6%) and equal specificity (100%) when compared with cytology (31.4% and 97.1%). Our results indicate that tissue levels of survivin mRNA predict disease‐free survival in noninvasive TCC and may have a role in bladder cancer progression. When analyzed by RT‐PCR in urine, survivin is a highly specific biomarker for TCC detection. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Macro‐structural effect of metal surfaces treated using computer‐assisted yttrium‐aluminum‐garnet laser scanning on bone–implant fixation
Authors: Hirao Makoto , Sugamoto Kazuomi , Tamai Noriyuki , Oka Kunihiro , Yoshikawa Hideki , Mori Yusuke , Sasaki Takatomo
Published: March 2005

Porous coatings have been applied to the surface of prosthetic devices to foster stable device fixation. The coating serves as a source of mechanical interlocking and may stimulate healthy bone growth through osseointegrated load transfer in cementless arthroplasty. Joint arthroplasty by porous‐coated prostheses is one of the most common surgical treatments, and has provided painless and successful joint mobility. However, long‐term success is often impaired by the loss of fixation between the prosthesis and bone. Porous‐coated prostheses are associated with several disadvantages, including metal debris from porous coatings (third body wear particles) and irregular micro‐texture of metal surfaces. Consequently, quantitative histological analysis has been very difficult. These issues arise because the porous coating treatment is based on addition of material and is not precisely controllable. We recently developed a precisely controllable porous texture technique based on material removal by yttrium‐aluminum‐garnet laser. Free shapes can be applied to complex, three‐dimensional hard metal surfaces using this technique. In this study, tartan check shapes made by crossing grooves and dot shapes made by forming holes were produced on titanium (Ti6A14V) or cobalt chrome (CoCr) and evaluated with computer‐assisted histological analysis and measurement of bone–metal interface shear strength. Width of grooves or holes ranged from 100 to 800 μm (100, 200, 500, and 800 μm), with a depth of 500 μm. When the cylindrical porous‐texture‐treated metal samples (diameter, 5 mm; height, 15 mm) were implanted into a rabbit femoral condyle, bone tissue with bone trabeculae formed in the grooves and holes after 2 or 4 weeks, especially in 500‐μm‐wide grooves. Abundant osteoconduction was consistently observed throughout 500‐μm‐wide grooves in both Ti6A14V and CoCr. Speed of osteoconduction was faster in Ti6A14V than in CoCr, especially in the tartan check shape made of 500‐μm‐wide grooves. In pushout testing, the tartan check shape made of 500‐μm‐wide grooves had significantly higher bone–metal interface shear strength than the dot shape or commercial porous coating. These results indicate that the tartan check shape made of 500‐μm‐wide grooves on metal surfaces has potential for clinical application in artificial prosthesis design. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 73A: 213–222, 2005
Biotransformation of (−)‐bornyl acetate using submerged cultures of Collybia velutipes, Trametes hirsuta and Ganoderma applanatum
Authors: Nano Gian Mario , Binello Arianna , Cravotto Giancarlo , Bianco Maria Auxilia
Published: March 2005

The biotransformation of (−)‐bornyl acetate by three Basidiomycetes, Collybia velutipes, Trametes hirsuta and Ganoderma applanatum was monitored for 7 days. The observed reactions were regio‐ and stereo‐selective hydroxylation, acetate hydrolysis and oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl compounds. Nine cyclic compounds, three of which (6‐exo‐hydroxybornyl acetate, 8‐hydroxy‐5‐exo‐hydroxybornyl acetate, 9‐hydroxy‐5‐exo‐hydroxybornyl acetate), not previously described, were isolated from the fermentation broth and therefore were identified. Product types and concentrations varied with strain and incubation time. The toxicity of the substrate was assessed from the variation of fungal biomass in the course of incubation. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry
Laccase improvement in submerged cultivation: induced production and kinetic modelling
Authors: Tavares APM , Coelho MAZ , Coutinho JAP , Xavier AMRB
Published: March 2005

Improvement of laccase production by Trametes versicolor was made by employing different operational strategies. In the cell growth medium, various glucose concentrations were compared for improving laccase production. A clear and significant stimulation of enzyme production under carbon limitation was obtained. Copper, 2,5‐xylidine, and a phenolic mixture were also used as laccase inducers. A cooperative effect between the inducers on laccase production was identified. Mixtures of inducers produced higher laccase activities, reaching values of 5500 U dm−3. Further productivity enhancement can be obtained using the inducers along with the carbon limitation strategy. It is shown that low laccase concentrations are obtained by a primary metabolism of T versicolor, and that phenolic compounds and carbon limitation induce a secondary metabolism, providing higher laccase concentrations. A mathematical model for laccase production based on a direct experimental measure of biomass, along with substrate consumption and enzymatic activity over time is proposed for non‐homogeneous fermentations of T versicolor. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry
Leader election in oriented star graphs
Authors: Shi Wei , Bouabdallah A. , Srimani Pradip K
Published: March 2005

Leader election in a network plays an important role in the area of distributed algorithm design. Structural properties of the network as well as presence of direction on the edges of the network greatly affects the complexity of the leader election problem, which is primarily measured by the message complexity of the protocol. Our purpose in the present article is to adapt the existing distributed match making concepts to design a linear time leader election algorithm for star graphs. Star graphs have been extensively studied as an attractive alternative for the well‐known hypercubes for network design. Linear election algorithms for oriented hypercubes is known; no such algorithm exists for oriented star graphs. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, Vol. 45(2), 169–179 2005
Losses caused by dispersion of optical parameters and misalignments in PV concentrators
Authors: Antón I. , Sala G.
Published: March 2005

One factor greatly affecting the output power of a photovoltaic concentrator system and not found in conventional flat systems is optical mismatch, caused mainly by dispersion in the efficiencies of the optics and misalignments among collectors and modules. In these systems, there are many factors, besides the electrical performance of the PV modules, acting on the overall efficiency and thus on the power output: reflectivity and shape of the optics, cleanliness, misalignments, etc. They are less known than equivalent topics in flat arrays and usually the data come from medium‐sized prototypes. Now we have the opportunity to study such factors on a big plant where components and the installation have been carried out by industry on a final user site. An analysis of the optical mismatch based on Gaussian distributions of the generated photocurrents will be presented in order to evaluate the power losses. A mathematical model is also proposed to calculate the main moments of the distribution from the experimentalV–Icurve under concentrated light. Besides, a novel study of the transmission curves of a photovoltaic concentrator has been carried out and will be described throughout the paper. The series/parallel connection of the modules can affect the transmission curve in different ways, depending on the array voltage, and thus this effect must be considered for the definition of the acceptance angle of the system. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
D‐TMPP: A novel androgen‐regulated gene preferentially expressed in prostate and prostate cancer that is the first characterized member of an eukaryotic gene family
Authors: Kiessling Andrea , Weigle Bernd , Fuessel Susanne , Ebner Reinhard , Meye Axel , Rieger Michael A. , Schmitz Marc , Temme Achim , Bachmann Michael , Wirth Manfred P. , Rieber E. Peter
Published: March 2005

BACKGROUND

The understanding of the molecular biology of the prostate and the process of prostate carcinogenesis is brought forward by the identification and characterization of new genes specifically expressed in prostate tissue. The encoded proteins may, in addition, provide novel diagnostic and therapeutic tools in prostate carcinoma (PCa). Here, we identify the novel gene Dresden‐transmembrane protein of the prostate (D‐TMPP) that is overexpressed in human prostate and prostate cancer.

METHODS

Proceeding from a prostate‐specific expressed sequence tag identified with an Affymetrix chip‐based expression database, the full‐length cDNA of the novel gene was isolated from prostate tissue. The potential protein‐coding function of the open reading frame (ORF) was tested by in vitro transcription‐coupled translation and recombinant expression in transfected prostate cancer cells. The expression pattern of D‐TMPP in malignant and nonmalignant tissues and tumor cell lines was analyzed by hybridization of a radioactively labeled cDNA probe with a multiple tissue expression array and by a quantitative real‐time PCR assay.

RESULTS

The D‐TMPP‐mRNA encodes a putative seven‐span transmembrane protein of 883 amino acids and is selectively overexpressed in prostate tissue. D‐TMPP represents the first cloned and characterized transcript of a family of eukaryotic genes. D‐TMPP transcripts were detected in all analyzed pairs (n = 25) of malignant and nonmalignant prostate tissues. In the androgen‐dependent PCa cell line LNCaP, D‐TMPP was upregulated by methyltrienolone.

CONCLUSIONS

We describe the novel prostate‐restricted molecule D‐TMPP widely expressed in prostate cancer tissues. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Long‐term Reliability Prediction of 935 nm LEDs Using Failure Laws and Low Acceleration Factor Ageing Tests
Authors: Deshayes Y. , Bechou L. , Verdier F. , Danto Y.
Published: March 2005

Numerous papers have already reported various results on electrical and optical performances of GaAs‐based materials for optoelectronic applications. Other papers have proposed some methodologies for a classical estimation of reliability of GaAs compounds using life testing methods on a few thousand samples over 10 000 hours of testing. In contrast, fewer papers have studied the complete relation between degradation laws in relation to failure mechanisms and the estimation of lifetime distribution using accelerated ageing tests considering a short test duration, low acceleration factor and analytical extrapolation. In this paper, we report the results for commercial InGaAs/GaAs 935 nm packaged light emitting diodes (LEDs) using electrical and optical measurements versus ageing time. Cumulative failure distributions are calculated using degradation laws and process distribution data of optical power. A complete methodology is described proposing an accurate reliability model from experimental determination of the failure mechanisms (defect diffusion) for this technology. Electrical and optical characterizations are used with temperature dependence, short‐duration accelerated tests (less than 1500 h) with an increase in bias current (up to 50%), a small number of samples (less than 20) and weak acceleration factors (up to 240). Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Automated detection of myocardial wall thickening for echocardiographic sequences
Authors: Nishiura Masahide
Published: March 2005

This paper proposes a method that stably detects myocardial wall thickening from echocardiographic images. Thickening of the myocardial wall is a useful index in the evaluation of cardiac function. In cardiac images obtained by the diagnostic ultrasound equipment, the epicardial contour is often obscure, and the accuracy is insufficient if the wall thickening is calculated from the endocardial and epicardial contours extracted from the edge information in the image. The proposed method is based first on the conventional method of automatic endocardium extraction [?()], using an active contour model that takes account of the similarity of the image pattern near the contour. Then, the myocardial wall thickness parameters which maximize the similarity between the normalized images of the myocardial region and the template image for the myocardial region in the previous frame are sought, and the wall thickening is calculated. The normalized image is constructed by normalizing the shape of the myocardial region as determined by the myocardial wall parameters. Extraction of the epicardial contour from the edge information is not applied, and the deformation of the myocardium is detected by search in the myocardial wall parameter space, which helps to assure stable detection of the myocardial wall thickening. Evaluation using simulated images and real images demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 36(4): 9–19, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20162
A survey of Martian dust devil activity using Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera images
Authors: Fisher Jenny A. , Richardson Mark I. , Newman Claire E. , Szwast Mark A. , Graf Chelsea , Basu Shabari , Ewald Shawn P. , Toigo Anthony D. , Wilson R. John
Published: March 2005

A survey of dust devils using the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) wide‐ and narrow‐angle (WA and NA) images has been undertaken. The survey comprises two parts: (1) sampling of nine broad regions from September 1997 to July 2001 and (2) a focused seasonal monitoring of variability in the Amazonis region, an active dust devil site, from March 2001 to April 2004. For part 1, dust devils were identified in NA and WA images, and dust devil tracks were identified in NA images. Great spatial variability in dust devil occurrence is highlighted, with Amazonis Planitia being the most active region examined. Other active regions included Cimmerium, Sinai, and Solis. Numerous dust devil tracks, but very few dust devils, were observed in Casius. This may suggest dust devils here occur at local times other than that of the MGS orbit (∼2 pm). Alternatively, variations in surface properties may affect the ability of dust devils to leave visible tracks. The seasonal campaign within Amazonis shows a relatively smooth variation of dust devil activity with season, peaking in mid northern summer and falling to zero in southern spring and summer. This pattern of activity correlates well with the boundary layer maximum depth and hence the vigor of convection. Global maps of boundary layer depth and surface temperature do not predict that Amazonis should be especially active, potentially suggesting a role for mesoscale circulations. Measurement of observed dust devils yields heights of up to 8 km and widths in excess of 0.5 km.
Improved understanding of soil moisture variability dynamics
Authors: Teuling Adriaan J. , Troch Peter A.
Published: March 2005

Different trends of soil moisture variability with mean moisture content have been reported from field observations. Here we explain these trends for three different data sets by showing how vegetation, soil and topography controls interact to either create or destroy spatial variance. Improved understanding of these processes is needed for the transformation of point‐scale measurements and parameterizations to scales required for climate studies, operational weather forecasting, and large scale hydrological modeling.
Long‐term evolution of transient liquid water on Mars
Authors: Richardson Mark I. , Mischna Michael A.
Published: March 2005

Liquid water is not currently stable on the surface of Mars; however, transient liquid water (ice melt) may occur if the surface temperature is between the melting and boiling points. Such conditions are met on Mars with current surface pressures and obliquity due to the large diurnal range of surface temperatures. This yields the potential for transient, nonequilibrium liquid water. A general circulation model is used to undertake an initial exploration of the variation of this “transient liquid water potential” (TLWP) for different obliquities and over a range of increased pressures representing progressively earlier phases of Martian geological history. At higher obliquities and slightly higher surface pressures (<50 mbar), TLWP conditions are met over a very large fraction of the planet. As the surface pressure is increased above about 50–100 mbar, however, increased atmospheric thermal blanketing reduces the diurnal surface temperature range, essentially eliminating the possibility of even transient liquid water. At high enough pressures, the mean temperature is sufficiently elevated to allow stable liquid water. Thus the potential for liquid water on Mars has not decreased monotonically over planetary history as the atmosphere was lost. Instead, a distinct minimum in TLWP (the “dead zone”) will have occurred during the extended period for which pressures were in the middle range between about 0.1 and 1 bar. This has direct and restrictive implications for chemical weathering and life. The fundamental conclusion of this study is largely insensitive to invocation of brines and to more detailed treatment of atmospheric radiative processes.
Rejection of common cuckooCuculus canoruseggs in relation to female age in the bluethroatLuscinia svecica
Authors: Amundsen Trond , Brobakken Paul T. , Moksnes Arne , Røskaft Eivin
Published: March 2005

The evolutionary equilibrium hypothesis explains the existence of both acceptors and rejecters of brood parasite eggs within a host population as resulting from a balance between the costs of acceptance and the costs of recognition errors. In such equilibria conditional responses may play an important role. One such response that has been demonstrated in one common cuckooCuculus canorushost species is that first year, naive breeders accept parasitic eggs at a higher frequency than older and more experienced birds do. In the present study we tested whether this is the response in the bluethroatLuscinia svecica.We did not find any difference in rejection behaviour between first‐year breeders and older birds. This finding is discussed in relation to recognition costs, cuckoo egg mimicry and the bluethroat's present status as a host. We conclude that the results are best explained by the evolutionary lag hypothesis.
Predation hazard during migratory stopover: are light or heavy birds under risk?
Authors: Dierschke Volker
Published: March 2005

On the offshore island Helgoland, passerine birds killed by predators (feral cats Felis catus and raptors, mainly sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus) during stopover were measured and weighed when found freshly killed and still intact. Supplemented by data of migrating birds ringed on Helgoland and predated on the island later on, age and body mass of victims were compared to live birds trapped on Helgoland during ringing operations. In the eleven species considered, most predator kills fell within the lightest 20% of birds measured during ringing, regardless of which type of predator was involved. It seems that the risk of being heavy due to fuel loads with respect to reduced escape performance is overestimated. The higher exposure of light birds due to more intense foraging and displacement to suboptimal habitats is probably of higher biological significance by offering conspicuous prey for predators. The lower risk of heavy birds when prey of different body condition is available for predators has implications for modelling optimal migration behaviour, and predation risk is perhaps not an important factor for migrants when deciding on site use.
Does anti‐parasitoid defense explain host‐plant selection by a polyphagous caterpillar?
Authors: Singer M. S. , Stireman III J. O.
Published: March 2005

While studies of tri‐trophic interactions have uncovered a variety of mechanisms influencing the dietary specialization of insect herbivores, such studies have neglected host‐plant selection by generalists. Here, we report an initial investigation on how host‐plant quality and a tachinid parasitoid interact to affect the survival and host‐plant selection by a polyphagous herbivore. This herbivore, Grammia geneura (Strecker) (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae), is a food‐mixing caterpillar that feeds preferentially on forbs. A previous study suggested that G. geneura might eat certain host species for reasons other than benefits of physiological utilization. We hypothesized that host‐plant mediated defenses could act against parasitoids, the major mortality agents of late instar G. geneura. Field observations indicated that caterpillars sometimes survived an attack by the parasitoid Exorista mella Walker (Diptera: Tachinidae) in nature. Laboratory experiments showed that the survival of parasitized caterpillars increased on acceptable but nutritionally inferior host‐plant species, indicating that anti‐parasitoid defense may explain host‐plant selection in this dietary generalist. We found no indication that host‐plant selection changed according to the parasitism status of individual caterpillars.
Geography of fluctuating asymmetry in the greenfinch,Carduelis chloris
Authors: Karvonen Eevi , Merilä Juha , Rintamäki Pekka T. , Van Dongen Stefan
Published: March 2005

Levels of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in 12 bilateral skeletal traits were estimated from 12 populations of greenfinches (Carduelis chloris) collected along a north‐south gradient across Europe. Average FA of measured traits was positively correlated with latitude indicating that the younger and genetically less diverse northern European populations are developmentally less stable than the older and genetically more diverse southern populations. Levels of FA differed significantly between different traits being lowest for functionally important traits (limb and wing bones) and highest for functionally less important traits such as foramina (apertures through bones)– a pattern that was highly concordant across different populations. Males tended to exhibit higher levels of FA than females, a finding consistent with the suggestions that males are more prone to developmental perturbations than females. Age differences in levels of FA were relatively clear, but inconsistent across traits with different degree of functionality. Individual heterozygosity – as enumerated from variation in allozyme loci – was unrelated to individual FA. No evidence for existence of individual asymmetry parameter (IAP) was found although traits related to locomotion indicated some degree of integration, which was expressed by correlations in the signed asymmetry. Nevertheless, an individual's overall asymmetry was poorly predicted by asymmetry of individual characters. Evidence for existence of population asymmetry parameter (PAP) was clear since all traits exhibited a similar degree of association with latitude. That the latitudinal cline of increasing FA towards north coincided with decreasing levels of genetic variability across the cline could be indicative of break down of developmental stability in the recently established and genetically impoverished populations. To what extent a reduced heterozygosity, the break up of co‐adapted gene complexes and/or environmental differences contributed to this process cannot be distinguished from our data.
Are indirect measures of abundance a useful index of population density? The case of red grouse harvesting
Authors: Cattadori Isabella M. , Haydon Daniel T. , Thirgood Simon J. , Hudson Peter J.
Published: March 2005

Indirect measures of population abundance, such as harvest data, are often used to make inference on long term population dynamics when direct data are either not available or are logistically difficult to obtain. However, when harvesting records are used, a common concern is that they may not reflect actual population abundance. We investigated the extent to which harvest data reflected changes in population density of the red grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus in Great Britain. We used 92 independently managed populations over the period 1977–2000 and examined the temporal and spatial variability of the hunting records and independently obtained count data from each of these managed estates. Three different analyses support the conclusion that grouse hunting records are a reliable indicator of grouse abundance: 1) the number of red grouse shot in autumn showed a tendency to be linearly related to the density of individuals counted in the summer prior to the harvesting, 2) the relationships between the variance and the mean in the harvesting and corresponding count data, calculated over different populations at the same time, or the same locations at different times, were not statistically distinguishable, 3) similar direct and delayed density dependence patterns were observed in hunting records and count data. Our results suggest that red grouse hunting time series are a good proxy for population abundance.
Predator‐induced morphological defence in ciliates: interclonal variation for sensitivity to the inducing factors
Authors: Wi ąckowski Krzysztof , Fyda Janusz , Pajdak‐Stós Agnieszka , Adamus Katarzyna
Published: March 2005

This study brings the first evidence for the interclonal variation in the expression of predator‐induced morphological defence in ciliates. The degree of response to the ciliate predator Stylonychia mytilus was compared in 18 clones of Euplotes octocarinatus. Although all the examined clones were inducible, they attained similar level of the response at a different “dose” of inducing factor. One of the clones maintained the “induced form” permanently, i.e. in the absence of any predator. Furthermore, comparing the effects of two different predators S. mytilus and a turbellarian Stenostomum sp. revealed differences among closely related clones in their relative responses to these predators. The degree of response in a given clone to one predator species did not preclude its response level to the other one suggesting that the expression of the defence to different predators might change independently. Our findings indicate that there is genetic variation for sensitivity to the inducing factors in Euplotes and hence the possibility for selection on this variation.
Metals in urban soils of Sevilla: seasonal changes and relations with other soil components and plant contents
Authors: Madrid L. , Díaz‐Barrientos E. , Reinoso R. , Madrid F.
Published: March 2005

Soils of the urban area of Sevilla have been scarcely studied, especially concerning their concentrations of potentially toxic metals. A previous paper has shown that moderate pollution exists in soils from some public green areas of the city, and a common pattern was found in the distribution of the concentrations of some particular metals. The present paper is aimed at (i) determining possible seasonal changes in the measured concentrations; (ii) checking possible effects of the observed pollution on plant metal contents, and (iii) finding possible relations between metals by statistical techniques.

Samples of 35 soils from the urban area of Sevilla were studied. Comparison with previous data shows that samples from a depth of 0–20 cm are representative of the measured soil properties for the city. We show that in most cases differences in the EDTA‐ andaqua regia‐extractable metal contents between autumn 2000 and summer 2001 are not significant. Only Zn shows significant decreases (P < 0.05), probably because it is more mobile than the other metals studied. Electrical conductivity and pH also show significant changes related to leaching of soluble salts. We found a strong association between ‘urban’ metals (as defined in the literature) and organic matter, as shown by factor analysis, whereas ‘non‐urban’ metals could be related to clay and carbonate contents, perhaps coming from the soil parent materials. The behaviour of the urban metals means that organic matter contributes to their accumulation, either by retention of the incoming metals from the atmosphere, dust or various human activities, or from addition of organic amendments that might provide significant amounts of such metals. Although concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn at several sites exceeded the limits established elsewhere as acceptable in residential areas, the values in the grass were less than those considered as normal in the literature. This implies that fairly large concentrations in the soil do not necessarily make metals more available.
Simple and accurate sum rules for highly relativistic systems
Authors: Cohen Scott M.
Published: March 2005

In this paper, I consider the Bethe and Thomas–Reiche–Kuhn sum rules, which together form the foundation of Bethe’s theory of energy loss from fast charged particles to matter. For nonrelativistic target systems, the use of closure leads directly to simple expressions for these quantities. In the case of relativistic systems, on the other hand, the calculation of sum rules is fraught with difficulties. Various perturbative approaches have been used over the years to obtain relativistic corrections, but these methods fail badly when the system in question is very strongly bound. Here, I present an approach that leads to relatively simple expressions yielding accurate sums, even for highly relativistic many-electron systems. I also offer an explanation for the difference between relativistic and nonrelativistic sum rules in terms of the Zitterbewegung of the electrons.
Thermodynamical predictions of nanodiamonds synthesized by pulsed-laser ablation in liquid
Authors: Wang C. X. , Yang Y. H. , Yang G. W.
Published: March 2005

Based on the nanothermodynamical approach, we performed the thermodynamical predictions of nanodiamonds synthesized by pulsed-laser ablation in liquid. The nanothermodynamical analyses showed that the formation of nanodiamonds with sizes of 3–5 nm would be preferable to that of large nanodiamonds in the pressure-temperature region of 10–15 GPa and 4000–5000 K created by pulsed-laser ablation of a graphite target in water in the carbon phase diagram. Meanwhile, the probabilities of the phase transition from graphite to diamond are calculated to be rather high, up to 10−3–10−2 in the same pressure-temperature region. These theoretical results indicate that pulsed-laser ablation in liquid is expected to be an effective industrial route to synthesize ultrananocrystalline diamonds.
Experimental evidence of a two-step reversible absorption/desorption process in ruthenium phtalocyanine gas sensing films by in situ energy dispersive x-ray reflectometry
Authors: Generosi A. , Paci B. , Rossi Albertini V. , Perfetti P. , Pennesi G. , Paoletti A. M. , Rossi G. , Capobianchi A. , Caminiti R.
Published: March 2005

An in situ energy dispersive x-ray reflectivity technique was used to study the morphological changes of gas sensing thin films of ruthenium phtalocyanine (RuPc)2 induced by gas absorption/desorption processes. The time-resolved collection of reflectivity spectra during the exposure of each film to a gas flux of nitrogen oxides provided the evolution of the morphological parameters (thickness and roughness). The gas absorption process develops in two stages: The first induces morphological changes characteristic of a surface (adsorption) process, while the second is dominated by a bulk effect. This two-step behavior is also observed in the desorption process: When the thermal treatment is performed at 130°C, the gas is released from the bulk only. Conversely, at higher temperatures, the gas is fully released, i.e., also from the surface, and the initial film thickness is regained. Finally, a further in situ study upon a second absorption treatment was carried out: In this case, only the film bulk diffusion process takes place.
Dynamic behaviors in coupled self-electro-optic effect devices
Authors: Ohkawa Y. , Yamamoto T. , Nagaya T. , Nara S.
Published: March 2005

Dynamic behaviors of two coupled bistable elements optically connected in a series are theoretically predicted and discussed based on a phenomenological model with respect to photocarrier densities, where each bistable element is a self-electro-optic effect device (SEED). Feedback from one of the two SEEDs to the power of an incident light beam was introduced, which resulted in various types of oscillatory solutions and bifurcation structures depending on incident light power and choices of parameter values included in our model.
Laser-induced forward transfer of TiO2–Au nanocomposite films for maskless patterning
Authors: Sakata H. , Chakraborty S. , Yokoyama E. , Wakaki M. , Chakravorty D.
Published: March 2005

Laser-induced forward transfer is investigated for maskless pattering of thin films. A 89TiO2–11Au (mol %) nanocomposite polycrystalline (100 nm thick) film fabricated by a sol-gel method shows a surface plasmon absorption produced by Au nanoclusters formed in the film. A second-harmonic generation sheet beam of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser was irradiated on the film in air in contact with another glass substrate or with a 0.14 mm air gap. Regular stripe patterns of laser-induced transferred films were obtained. Transmittance spectra of laser-induced transferred films showed shifts of the surface plasmon absorption peak. Analysis of the spectra using the Mie scattering model revealed the porous character of transferred films.
Retention characteristics in Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12 thin films prepared by the polymeric precursor method
Authors: Simões A. Z. , Ramirez M. A. , Perruci N. A. , Riccardi C. S. , Longo E. , Varela J. A.
Published: March 2005

Ferroelectric Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12 (BLT) thin films were deposited on Pt∕Ti∕SiO2∕Si substrates by the polymeric precursor method. The films present c-axis preferred orientation after annealing at 700°C for 2h in conventional furnace. All the capacitors showed good polarization fatigue characteristics at least up to 1×1010 bipolar pulse cycles and excellent retention properties up to 1×104s. We found that the polarization loss is insignificant with five write∕read voltages at a waiting time of 10 000 S. Independently of the applied electric field the retained switchable polarization approached a nearly steady-state value after a retention time of 10s.
High-dose radiation with bone marrow transfer prevents neurodegeneration in an inherited glaucoma
Authors: Anderson Michael G. , Libby Richard T. , Gould Douglas B. , Smith Richard S. , John Simon W. M.
Published: March 2005

Here, we show that high-dose γ-irradiation accompanied with syngeneic bone marrow transfer can confer complete protection against glaucoma in a mouse model. Because bone marrow genotype was unaltered by this procedure, it was not the causative agent. The neuroprotection is robust and highly reproducible. Glaucoma-prone DBA/2J mice received a single treatment at 5–8 weeks of age and were protected from glaucomatous retinal ganglion cell degeneration out to 14 months of age (oldest assessed). By 12–14 months, retinal ganglion cell degeneration is usually very severe and essentially complete in the majority of untreated DBA/2J mice. To assess reproducibility, three groups of mice were treated at different times, and the results were essentially the same each time. Considering all experiments, the vast majority of treated mice had no detectable glaucomatous neurodegeneration. A beneficial effect of treatment including high-dose radiation is unprecedented, and we are not aware of any other neuroprotective effects this substantial. Because of the robust protective effect, this treatment offers another tool for studying mechanisms of neuroprotection.
A Revolution in Favor of Government
Authors: Edling Max. M
Published: March 2005

In this new interpretation of America's origins, the author argues that during the Constitutional debates, the Federalists were primarily concerned with building a state able to act vigorously in defense of American national interests. By transferring the powers of war making and resource extraction from states to the national government, the US Constitution created a nation‐state invested with all the important powers of Europe's eighteenth‐century “fiscal‐military states.” However, the political traditions and institutions of America, whose people had a deeply ingrained distrust of unduly concentrated authority, were incompatible with a strong centralized government based on the European pattern. To secure the adoption of the Constitution, the Federalists needed to build a very different state – they had to accommodate the formation of a powerful national government to the strong current of anti‐statism in the American political tradition. They did so by designing an administration that would be powerful in times of crisis, but would make limited demands on citizens and entailed sharp restrictions on the physical presence of the national government in society. The Constitution was the Federalists’ promise of the benefits of government without its costs – statecraft rather than strong central authority as the solution to governing. The book takes advantage of a newly published edition of the constitutional debates in recovering a neglected strand of Federalist argument, and making a case for rethinking the formation of the federal American state. It is arranged in three main parts: I. Interpreting the Debate over Ratification (four chapters); II. Military Powers (five chapters); and III. Fiscal Powers (five chapters).
Congressional Insolvency
Authors: Edling Max. M
Published: March 2005

Provides background accounts of political development in the USA from the American War of Independence to the Philadelphia Convention, and establish that, by 1787, Congress was marked by military weakness and financial insolvency. Here, an account is given of the efforts of Congress to implement the fiscal clauses of the US Constitution, which shows that the national government created by the Articles of Confederation experienced serious difficulties in its ability to raise money, and in the end failed to raise sufficient money to meet its expenses. The focus of the chapter is on the means by which Congress raised money from the outbreak of the War of Independence up to the Philadelphia Convention, and also on how, one by one, these means were lost, so that by 1787 the insolvency of the national government was total. The first two parts of the chapter describe the attempts of Congress to raise money through fiat (printed) money, loans, and taxes, with the author contending that the Federalists accepted existing restrictions to taxation and formed a tax system that would be able to generate sufficient income for the national government without putting undue pressure on the American people. The last section of the chapter looks at the problem of the public debts run up by Congress and the states during the War of Independence, and at the reasons for the federal assumption of state debts – whether they were democratic or economic – and the reasons given by the Federalists as to why Congress had to resume payment of the public domestic and foreign debt.
The Federalists and the Uses of Fiscal Powers
Authors: Edling Max. M
Published: March 2005

Offers brief sketches of the institutionalization of the military and fiscal powers granted by the US Constitution, and of the uses made of them by the Federalists in the 1790s. Gives an outline of the fiscal and financial policy of the Federalists, thereby assessing Alexander Hamilton's claim to have restored public credit while reducing the tax pressure on the citizens. Also looks at the fate of the Federalist program after the Federalists had lost power to the Jeffersonian Republicans.
Conclusion: The Constitution, the Federalists, and the American State
Authors: Edling Max. M
Published: March 2005

The conclusion ends the book with an explication of the Federalists’ idea of an American national state.

It starts by pointing out that the ratification of the US Constitution did not mean the end of politics, nor the end of the debate about the future course of the American republic, for now the Federalists faced the next step of state building: creating the institutions of government that would realize their ideas about a national state in America. The mainstream interpretation of the Federalist argument presents it as a call for limited government and protection of minority rights, but this study has offered a different interpretation. It sees the Federalist argument as an attempt to convince the American public about the need to build a powerful state and to explain how this state would work – the idea of an American national state that the Federalists developed during the ratification debate was the result of creative thinking in the face of serious challenges. This conclusion is devoted to an explication of both the challenge that the Federalists faced and the concept of the state they developed, but the basic issue may be summed up as follows: what the Federalists had to do, and what they did, in the debate over ratification, was to develop a conceptual framework that made it possible to accommodate the creation of a powerful national government to the strong anti‐statist current in the American political tradition.
Identification of a gene cluster encoding an arginine ATP-binding-cassette transporter in the genome of the thermophilic Gram-positive bacterium Geobacillus stearothermophilus strain DSMZ 13240
Authors: Fleischer Rebecca , Wengner Antje , Scheffel Frank , Landmesser Heidi , Schneider Erwin
Published: March 2005

A single gene cluster encoding components of a putative ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter for basic amino acids was identified in the incomplete genome sequence of the thermophilic Gram-positive bacteriumGeobacillus stearothermophilusbyblastsearches. The cluster comprises three genes, and these were amplified from chromosomal DNA ofG. stearothermophilus, ligated into plasmid vectors and expressed inEscherichia coli. The purified solute-binding protein (designated ArtJ) was demonstrated to bindl-arginine with high affinity (Kd=0·39±0·06 μM). Competition experiments revealed only partial inhibition by excessl-lysine (38 %) andl-ornithine (46 %), while no inhibition was observed withl-histidine or other amino acids tested. The membrane-associated transport complex, composed of a permease (designated ArtM) and an ATPase component (designated ArtP), was solubilized fromE. colimembranes by decanoylsucrose and purified by metal-affinity chromatography. The ArtMP complex, when incorporated into liposomes formed from a crude extract ofG. stearothermophiluslipids, displayed ATPase activity in the presence of ArtJ only. Addition ofl-arginine further stimulated the activity twofold. ATP hydrolysis was optimal at 60 °C and sensitive to the specific inhibitor vanadate. Analysis of kinetic parameters revealed a maximal velocity of ATP hydrolysis of 0·71 μmol Pimin−1(mg protein)−1and aKm (ATP)of 1·59 mM. Together, these results identify the ArtJMP complex as a high-affinity arginine ABC transporter.