bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vitaminstoffwechsel bei Patienten mit Mainz-Pouch-I
Authors: Stein R. , Lotz J. , Fisch M. , Stöckle M. , Beetz R. , Eisinger I. , Matani Y. , Prellwitz W. , Hohenfellner R.
Published: November 2008

Zur Konstruktion des Mainz-Pouch-I werden zwischen 24 und 36 cm des terminalen Ileums sowie ca. 12 cm Colon ascendens inkl. der Ileozökalklappe verwendet. Hierdurch entfällt ein Teil der Resorptionsfläche für Vitamine, Gallensäuren und Spurenlemente. Bei 137 Patienten mit einem Mainz-Pouch-I erfolgte die Bestimmung der Gallensäuren, der fett- und wasserlöslichen Vitamine (A, D, E, K, B1, B2, B6, B12), der Folsäure, des Ammoniaks und des Base excess, der Spurenelemente (Zink, Kupfer, Eisen), des Ferritins sowie eines Differentialblutbildes. Das Vitamin B12 und die Folsäure wurde zusätzlich intrakorpuskulär bestimmt. Kinder und Erwachsene wurden unterschieden und die Patienten in 3 Gruppen eingeteilt (0-<2; ≥2-<4 und ≥4 Jahre postoperativ). Die Vitamine: A, D, E, K, B1, B2, B6, die Folsäure, die Gallensäuren, das Ammoniak, der Base excess, die Spurenelemente, das Ferritin sowie das Differentialblutbild befanden sich bei allen Patienten im Referenzbereich. Bei den Kindern (n = 51) war keine signifikante Veränderungendes Vitamin-B12 sowohlim Serumalsauch intrakorpuskulär (n = 20) zu beobachten. Die mittlere Vitamin-B12-Konzentration im Serum (Normwert: 240-1100 ng/l) sank bei den Erwachsenen (n = 86) nach dem 4. postoperativen Jahr signifikant in den unteren Normbereich (von 402 ng/l ± 182 auf 292 ng/l ± 204). Die intrakorpuskuläre Vitamin-B12-Konzentration zeigte bei 64 erwachsenen Patienten keine signifikanten Veränderungen zwischen den Gruppen. Bei keinem Patienten konnte eine neurologische Symptomatik oder eine megaloblastäre Anämie beobachtet werden. Bei Patienten mit Mainz-Pouch-I sollte nach dem vierten postoperativen Jahr die Bestimmung des Vitamin B12 erfolgen. Ob eine generelle Substitution im Langzeitverlauf sinnvoll erscheint, muß derzeit noch offen bleiben. Andererseits ist die intramuskuläre Gabe einfacher und kostengünstiger als die regelmäßige Bestimmung.
Empfehlungen zum Familien-Screening beim vesikoureterorenalen Reflux - wann und wie?
Authors: Greschner M. , Esen T. , Alken P.
Published: November 2008

Das Wiederholungsrisiko für Geschwister und Nachkommen von Patienten mit vesikoureterorenalen Reflux (VUR) liegt bei ca. 30 bzw. 60%. Ein Screening dieser Personengruppe ist indiziert. Die Agenesie oder Dysplasie einer Niere ist in einem hohen Prozentsatz mit einem VUR der Gegenseite kombiniert. Auch hier sollte ein Reflux ausgeschlossen werden. Geschwister und Nachkommen dieser Patienten sollten ebenfalls, zumindest mittels Sonographie, untersucht werden. Als Goldstandard in der Diagnostik des VUR gilt das Miktionszystourethrogramm. Bei guter Sensitivität und Spezifität ist neben der ionisierenden Strahlung die nötige Kathetereinlage bzw. suprapubische Punktion nachteilig. Neue röntgenologische Techniken und verbesserte Ultraschalldiagnostik vermeiden diese Nachteile zumindest teilweise. Allerdings fehlen bislang ausreichend große prospektive Studien, die eine dem MCU vergleichbare Wertigkeit belegen.
Why Queer Diaspora?
Authors: Wesling Meg
Published: November 2008

‘Why Queer Diaspora?’ intervenes at the intersection of queer theory and diaspora studies to ask how the conditions of geographical mobility produce new experiences and understandings of sexuality and gender identity. More particularly, this essay argues against a prevalent critical slippage between queer and diaspora, through which the queer is read as a mobile category that, like diaspora, disrupts the stability of fixed identity categories and thus represents a liberatory position within the material and geographical displacements of globalization. Instead, I posit that the work of ‘queering’ diaspora must be to examine the new articulations of normative and queer as they emerge in the transformations of the late twentieth century. To this end, the essay looks to two contemporary documentaries, Remote Sensing (Ursula Biemann, 2001) and Mariposas en el Andamio/Butterflies on the Scaffold (Margaret Gilpin and Luis Felipe Bernaza, 1996), as models of alternative articulations of the queer and the diasporic. Ultimately, I argue, it is a focus on the labour through which the seemingly natural categories of gender and sexuality are produced, that a queer diasporic criticism might offer.
Postcolonial Criticism, Transnational Identifications and the Hegemonies of Dancehall's Academic and Popular Performativities
Authors: Noble Denise
Published: November 2008

Despite the unprecedented freedoms that decolonization has brought for many Black1 people – especially in specific regions of the African Diaspora – freedom and its fulfilment, adequate signs and contested meanings remain a preoccupation within Black cultural discourses and practices. At the same time, while political and cultural nationalisms have led to greater political and civil rights, racism has not been eradicated. Furthermore, the new postcolonial globalizations of capital, people and cultures have destabilized the collective identities that framed twentieth-century struggles for national sovereignty and equal citizenship, without necessarily erasing them. Instead, they remain, no longer securely anchored in their old homogenous appearances, but re-configured through the inner differences and contradictions of gender, sexuality, ethnicity and religion. This article addresses these internal differences and the ways in which they produce new contestations over race, the meaning of Black representation and postcolonial freedom, negotiations that are increasingly traced on the intimate contours of the body and the self, through practices of personal consumption, erotic hedonism and style as key performances of freedom. It achieves this through examining two localized moments in the transnational and diasporic circulation of Jamaican dancehall culture, understood as a privileged public space for the performance of Black identifications and personal freedom. It argues that the eroticized discourses of ethnicity, race and gender found in dancehall culture articulate the dominance of neo-liberal conceptions of freedom at the same time as they express, resist and comment on new cultural hegemonies not reducible to racism or the power of the West; that is how dancehall expresses the new problematizations of postcoloniality.

1 Except when quoting other writers, I will capitalise the word Black, in order to recognise Black identity as a historically and politically constituted experience and representational category, and not solely denoting skin colour.
Calculation of gas heating in a dc sputter magnetron
Authors: Kolev I. , Bogaerts A.
Published: November 2008

The effect of gas heating in laboratory sputter magnetrons is investigated by means of numerical modeling. The model is two-dimensional in the coordinate space and three-dimensional in the velocity space based on the particle-in-cell–Monte Carlo collisions technique. It is expanded in a way that allows the inclusion of the neutral plasma particles (fast gas atoms and sputtered atoms), which makes it possible to calculate the gas temperature and its influence on the discharge behavior in a completely self-consistent way. The results of the model are compared to experimental measurements and to other existing simulation results. The results show that gas heating is pressure dependent (rising with the increase in the gas pressure) and should be taken into consideration at pressures above 10 mTorr.
Thermal behavior of luciferase on nanofabricated hydrophobic Si surface
Authors: Nishiyama Katsuhiko
Published: November 2008

The thermal behavior of luciferase on the nanofabricated hydrophobic Si surface was investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. The structural changes in the active site of luciferase were smaller on the nanofabricated hydrophobic Si surface than on the non-nanofabricated and wet-treated Si surface at high temperature. These nanofabrication techniques would prevent the decrease in activity of luciferase on the Si surface at high temperature. Thus, it would be possible to use biomedical applications for diagnosing tropical diseases by these techniques.
Thermal stability in a-Si/HfSiO(N)/Si gate stack structures studied by photoemission spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation
Authors: Toyoda S. , Kamada H. , Tanimura T. , Kumigashira H. , Oshima M. , Liu G. L. , Liu Z. , Ikeda K.
Published: November 2008

We have investigated thermal stability in amorphous-Si/HfSiO(N) gate stack structures using synchrotron-radiation photoemission spectroscopy. Core-level photoemission spectra depending on annealing temperature have revealed the mechanism of metallization reaction at the upper interface between a-Si cap layer and HfSiO(N) films under ultrahigh vacuum annealing. Silicidation reaction starts by annealing at 700 °C for both HfSiO and HfSiON films. By annealing at 800 °C, metallization reaction is rapidly promoted for the HfSiO film, while the Hf-silicide component changes into the Hf-nitride component due to its thermal stability and metallization reaction mildly proceeds for the HfSiON films.
Characterization of self-similarity properties of turbulence in magnetized plasmas
Authors: Scipioni A. , Rischette P. , Bonhomme G. , Devynck P.
Published: November 2008

The understanding of turbulence in magnetized plasmas and its role in the cross field transport is still greatly incomplete. Several previous works reported on evidences of long-time correlations compatible with an avalanche-type of radial transport. Persistence properties in time records have been deduced from high values of the Hurst exponent obtained with the rescaled range R∕S analysis applied to experimental probe data acquired in the edge of tokamaks. In this paper the limitations of this R∕S method, in particular when applied to signals having mixed statistics are investigated, and the great advantages of the wavelets decomposition as a tool to characterize the self-similarity properties of experimental signals are highlighted. Furthermore the analysis of modified simulated fractional Brownian motions (fBm) and fractional Gaussian noises (fGn) allows us to discuss the relationship between high values of the Hurst exponent and long range correlations. It is shown that for such simulated signals with mixed statistics persistence at large time scales can still reflect the self-similarity properties of the original fBm and do not imply the existence of long range correlations, which are destroyed. It is thus questionable to assert the existence of long range correlations for experimental signals with non-Gaussian and mixed statistics just from high values of the Hurst exponent.
A periodic density functional theory study on the effects of halides encapsulated in SiC nanotubes
Authors: Huang S.-P. , Cheng W.-D. , Hu J.-M. , Xie Z. , Hu H. , Zhang H.
Published: November 2008

In this paper we present results of density functional theory calculations on the configurations, band structures, and optical properties of halides MCl (M=K,Ag) intercalated single-wall SiC nanotubes. The results show that the M–Cl distances perpendicular to the tube axis are slightly smaller than the ones parallel to the tube axis, which could be due to the axial strain of MCl. The electronic and optical properties of the resulting MCl@SiCNT composite are modified with respect to both the bulk halide and the empty nanotube. It is shown that AgCl affects the structures and properties of SiC nanotubes more significantly than KCl, and that the interaction between the nanotube and the encapsulated halide is stronger for narrower SiC nanotube. The AgCl encapsulation into SiCNTs results in band gap narrowing of AgCl@SiCNTs.
Damping mechanisms of single-clamped and prestressed double-clamped resonant polymer microbeams
Authors: Schmid S. , Hierold C.
Published: November 2008

In this article, an investigation of the damping mechanisms of resonant single- and double-clamped polymer microbeams for a frequency range from 10 kHz to 5 MHz is presented. The suspended structures are made of SU-8, an epoxy-type photoresist, by means of a sacrificial layer technique. The vibration was measured with a laser-Doppler vibrometer in high vacuum at different temperatures and at atmospheric pressure. The influence of air damping in rarefied air was investigated and the intrinsic damping mechanisms were determined in high vacuum (p<0.05 Pa). After excluding a variety of possible damping factors, the dominant intrinsic dissipation mechanism of the single-clamped microbeams was understood to be the material damping with maximum quality factors (Q) of around 70 at 20 °C. Quality factors of up to 720 at 20 °C were measured for stringlike double-clamped microbeams, which suggest a different intrinsic damping mechanism than material loss. It is shown that internal damping mechanisms due to flexure and elongation have a small impact on the damping of stretched strings. Modeling the clamping loss based on the wave transmission into the suspended anchor plates indicates that it is the dominant intrinsic dissipation in the prestressed double-clamped microresonators. At atmospheric pressure it was shown that at low frequencies the quality factors of single-clamped and stringlike double-clamped microbeams are limited by the squeeze-film air damping. At high frequencies the quality factors are limited by the specific intrinsic damping. In between the two particular regions with a specific dominant damping mechanism the quality factors show a maximum.
Direct melt processing of pentacene at temperatures above 1000 °C by pulsed laser irradiation
Authors: Goose Joseph E. , Wong Keith , Clancy Paulette , Thompson Michael O.
Published: November 2008

Pentacene remains as a leading candidate for organic thin film transistors in applications such as sensor and flexible displays. Its processing, however, has been limited to relatively low temperatures and only in the solid phase. Liquid pentacene has never been experimentally observed, although the melting temperature is predicted to lie between 200 and 400 °C. We report a method of heating pentacene thin films to temperatures above 1000 °C using pulsed laser irradiation. This rapid heating induces morphological changes consistent with formation of a transient liquid phase. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy show that the pentacene remains intact after processing at these extreme temperatures.
An active drop counting device using condenser microphone for superheated emulsion detector
Authors: Das Mala , Arya A S. , Marick C. , Kanjilal D. , Saha S.
Published: November 2008

An active device for superheated emulsion detector is described. A capacitive diaphragm sensor or condenser microphone is used to convert the acoustic pulse of drop nucleation to electrical signal. An active peak detector is included in the circuit to avoid multiple triggering of the counter. The counts are finally recorded by a microprocessor based data acquisition system. Genuine triggers, missed by the sensor, were studied using a simulated clock pulse. The neutron energy spectrum of C252f fission neutron source was measured using the device with R114 as the sensitive liquid and compared with the calculated fission neutron energy spectrum of C252f. Frequency analysis of the detected signals was also carried out.
Instrumental development attachable to high magnification microscopes for obtaining totally focalized images
Authors: Navas Francisco Javier , Kulawik Moritz , Martín Joaquín
Published: November 2008

A complete system (instrumentation and software) for acquiring micrograph images with an extended depth of focus and with no alteration to the original chromaticity has been developed. The buildup system includes (a) the electromechanical components to be coupled to a commercial microscope in order to improve it, (b) a computer program with which the focusing distance can be micrometrically modified at the same time that a set of digital images can be acquired, and (c) software that permits the in-focus pixels of each image to be extracted and incorporated into a global image with an extended depth of focus greater than that supplied by the optical characteristics of the objective used to visualize the sample. The algorithm used does not have any influence on the sample chromaticity and the generated image can be obtained with full chromaticity.
Metal-oxide-high-k-oxide-silicon memory structure using an Yb2O3 charge trapping layer
Authors: Pan Tung-Ming , Chen Jing-Wei
Published: November 2008

In this letter, we proposed a metal-oxide-high-k-oxide-silicon (MOHOS)-type memory structure using a high-k Yb2O3 charge trapping layer for flash memory applications. When using Fowler-Nordheim for charging and discharging, the high-k Yb2O3 MOHOS-type memories that had been annealed at 800 °C exhibited large threshold voltage shifting (memory window of ∼2.2 V) and excellent data retention (charge loss of ∼6% measured time up to 104 s and at room temperature) because of the higher probability for trapping the charge carrier due to the formation of the Yb-silicate layer and the smooth surface roughness.
MTHFR 677C → T genotype disrupts prefrontal function in schizophrenia through an interaction with COMT 158Val → Met
Authors: Roffman Joshua L. , Gollub Randy L. , Calhoun Vince D. , Wassink Thomas H. , Weiss Anthony P. , Ho Beng C. , White Tonya , Clark Vincent P. , Fries Jill , Andreasen Nancy C. , Goff Donald C. , Manoach Dara S.
Published: November 2008

Understanding how risk genes cumulatively impair brain function in schizophrenia could provide critical insights into its pathophysiology. Working memory impairment in schizophrenia has been associated with abnormal dopamine signaling in the prefrontal cortex, which is likely under complex genetic control. The catechol-
O
-methyltransferase (COMT) 158Val → Met polymorphism (rs4680), which affects the availability of prefrontal dopamine signaling, consistently stratifies prefrontal activation during working memory performance. However, the low-dopamine COMT 158Val allele does not confer increased risk for schizophrenia, and its effects on prefrontal function are not specific to the disorder. In the setting of other genetic variants influencing prefrontal dopamine signaling, COMT 158Val → Met genotype may exert disease-specific effects. A second polymorphism, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) 677C → T (rs1801133), has been associated with overall schizophrenia risk and executive function impairment in patients, and may influence dopamine signaling through mechanisms upstream of COMT effects. We found that the hypofunctional 677T variant was associated with decreased working memory load-dependent activation in the prefrontal and insular cortices in 79 schizophrenia patients, but not in 75 demographically matched healthy controls. Further, significant MTHFR × COMT genotype interactions were observed, which differed by diagnostic group: Reduced prefrontal activation was associated with the 677T and 158Val alleles in patients, but with 677C/C and 158Met/Met genotype in controls. These findings are consistent with epistatic effects of the COMT and MTHFR polymorphisms on prefrontal dopamine signaling, and suggest that in schizophrenia patients, the MTHFR 677T allele exacerbates prefrontal dopamine deficiency. The findings also suggest the importance of weighing COMT effects on prefrontal function within the context of MTHFR genotype.
Exotic species in large lakes of the world
Authors: Hall S.R. , Mills E.L.
Published: November 2008

Many of the large lakes of the world have been exposed to the introduction of exotic species. We have reviewed here the introduction of aquatic species in 18 large lakes on five continents (Laurentian Great Lakes, African Great Lakes, several Canadian lakes, Lake Titicaca, Lake Baikal, Lake Ladoga, Gatun Lake, and Lake Biwa). We found that human activities, social preferences, and policy decisions are often associated with the spread of species in these large lakes. However, the spread and resulting ecological effects of introduced species varied among the case studies reviewed (ranging from the failure of brown trout introduction in Lake Titicaca to successful introduction of Nile Perch in Lake Victoria). Those species that did establish successful populations often had major impacts upon the ecosystems of these lakes via a variety of processes, including predation, disturbance, habitat modification and competition. Although introduction of predators often negatively impacted native species (e.g. Nile perch in Lake Victoria, peacock bass in Lake Gatun), species introduced to lower trophic levels (e.g. sardine in Lakes Kariba and Kivu, rainbow smelt in Canadian Lakes) affected fisheries and altered food web structure as well. Exotic species in large lakes of the world were not limited to fish species: plants (e.g. in Lakes Baikal and Biwa), invertebrates (e.g. in Lake Ladoga), and parasites and pathogens (e.g. in Lake Titicaca) have been introduced, but it was often difficult to discern the food web and ecosystem effects of these organisms. Exotic species also impacted socio-economic systems, having both positive (e.g. Lakes Victoria, Titicaca, Kivu, and Kariba, and the Laurentian Great Lakes) and negative (e.g. Lakes Victoria and Titicaca, and the Laurentian Great Lakes) repercussions for humans who depended upon these lakes for food and income. Unfortunately, our understanding of the impacts and extent of introductions on large lake ecosystems often remains speculative at best. The introduction and spread of exotic species will continue to threaten large lakes of the world into the twenty-first century. Exotic species introductions are a global problem that deserves global attention and understanding.
Effect of ultraviolet radiation on the bioavailability of marine diatom-derived low-molecular-weight dissolved organic matter
Authors: Naganuma T. , Fukai I. , Murakami Y. , Nakane T. , Sukizaki S.
Published: November 2008

The effect of ultraviolet irradiation on diatom-derived dissolved organic matter used as a bacterial growth substrate was investigated. The dissolved organic matter fraction of 100–1000 daltons (low molecular weight) was prepared from a culture of a marine diatom, Chaetoceros sp. This dissolved matter was then exposed to ultraviolet-A and -B irradiation at naturally occurring intensities of 0–44 kJ m-2. The concentration of low-molecular-weight dissolved organic matter decreased as ultraviolet irradiation increased, which was a reflection of photolytic mineralization of the material.

The irradiated organic matter was added to the culture of a Vibrio strain to assess its bioavailability. Bacterial growth was enhanced with the irradiated material, which was probably due to the photolytic production of more bioavailable monomeric substrates. The loss of the low-molecular-weight dissolved organic material concentration was counterbalanced by enhanced bioavailability. Thus, ultraviolet irradiation of the natural diatom-derived low-molecular-weight dissolved organic matter pool may be net-positive for the growth of marine bacteria.
Methods for assessing the toxicological significance of metals in aquatic ecosystems: bio-accumulation–toxicity relationships, water concentrations and sediment spiking approaches
Authors: Borgmann U.
Published: November 2008

Although the published literature abounds with studies showing contamination of aquatic environments by metals, there are very few data which actually demonstrate the biological impact of this contamination. Biological impacts such as alteration of in situ communities and demonstration of toxicity in environmental samples often occur at sites with elevated metal concentrations, but this does not prove that metals are actually responsible for these effects. Correlation is not proof of cause and effect. Metal-induced biological effects cannot usually be inferred from measured environmental concentrations because metal bio-availability can vary dramatically from site to site. Differences in metal bio-availability lead to differences in metal bio-accumulation, which in turn lead to differences in metal-induced effects. On the other hand, metal concentrations in biota are often much better indicators of potential biological impact than concentrations in the environment, because differences in metal bio-availability are automatically taken into account. Measurement of the body concentration of metals is a powerful tool for predicting metal effects, especially for non-essential and non-regulated metals. The body burden approach is more limited when applied to essential metals such as copper and zinc. Alternate methods which provide useful information on metal bio-availability, especially for copper and zinc, include measurement of metals in the overlying water during sediment toxicity tests, and sediment spiking with additional metal.
Modification of an index of biotic integrity and development of reference condition expectations or dunal, palustrine wetland fish communities along the southern shore of Lake Michigan
Authors: Simon T.P.
Published: November 2008

I modified and calibrated an index of biotic integrity (IBI) to assess wetland quality of dunal, palustrine wetlands along the southern shore of Lake Michigan. Fish communities were sampled using a combination of electrofishing and seining techniques to collect a representative sample. A combination of 50 historical and recent sites were sampled from northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana to develop reference expectations for dunal wetlands less than 35 ha surface area. I examined 36 attributes of wetland fish communities to derive a dunal, palustrine IBI. Several metrics from the original IBI were retained including: total number of species, number of sensitive species, and percent tolerant species. Trophic composition characters included the percentage of omnivores and insectivores. Fish condition was evaluated using the catch-per-unit of effort and the percentage of deformities, eroded fins, lesions, and tumours (DELT). Several metrics were modified from the original IBI to better reflect water resource quality in dunal wetlands. The number of darter species was replaced by a combination of the ecologically similar number of darter and madtom species; number of sunfish species was modified to the number of centrarchid species, which included the black bass species; number of sucker species was replaced by the number of minnow species since few sucker species were anticipated in dunal wetlands; and I substituted percent carnivores with percent pioneer species. Pioneer species reflect wetland stability and water permanence. Hybrids were not important constituents of wetland communities and did not show a relationship with wetland degradation, so I substituted the percentage of lake-obligate species to reflect species that were dominant in lentic waters.
Realistic assessments of ecotoxicity using traditional and novel approaches
Authors: Burton G.A.
Published: November 2008

The science of ecotoxicology has made exciting advances during the past few years. Recent advances in the use of sensitive subcellular biomarkers, bioaccumulation and food web models, ultra-trace level detection of contaminants, and contaminant partitioning and bioavailability factors have allowed ecotoxicologists to better define contaminant exposures. These advances, when integrated with more traditional approaches (e.g. standardized laboratory toxicity testing, population/community structure characterization) can provide meaningful assessments of ecosystem perturbations. Despite these advances, there is still a limited understanding or application of the complex fate and effect interactions of multiple stressors and receptors in assessments of ecosystem contamination. This reality raises uncertainties which cannot be ignored when using traditional, short-term approaches of assessment. The integrated use of newer in situ assessments of multi-stressor exposures, coupled with more traditional laboratory and field methods reduces uncertainty and improves our ability to identify significant stressors.
Ecotoxicological aspects of chlorinated fatty acids
Authors: Ewald G.
Published: November 2008

Chlorinated fatty acids have been shown to be the major constituent of compounds contributing to the extractable organically bound chlorine found in fish and other environmental samples. Chlorinated fatty acids may occur naturally, however high concentrations in biota are connected to anthropogenic inputs either directly as in the case of pulp bleaching, or indirectly as they may be formed by metabolism of other chlorinated organic compounds. The ecotoxicological properties of chlorinated fatty acids are different from ‘traditional’ environmental pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls and DDT. Normally, three criteria need to be met for a compound to qualify as a persistent organic pollutant: lipophilicity, persistence and toxicity. The chlorinated fatty acids are not persistent in the traditional sense that they resist strong oxidising agents. Still they can be considered ‘biologically stable’ as they may persist within an organism incorporated into depot- and membrane lipids. Chlorinated fatty acids are accumulated by biota with high efficiency from food and they are therefore most probably being transferred in the food web. This transfer from prey to predator may be comprised in the suggested term, biological stability. These compounds have been shown to exhibit adverse effects in several toxicity tests using a variety of species as well as in mammalian cell cultures. For example, sperm motility has been impaired at concentrations as low as 0.057 mg l−1. Despite their toxicity, chlorinated fatty acids do not induce enzyme systems such as P450 and EROD in fish, nor do they seem to induce other elimination efforts. Thus, they are apparently accumulated and otherwise treated as normal fatty acids. This lack of organism recognition of chlorinated fatty acids as xenobiotic compounds gives a new perspective on the risk assessment of these compounds, concerning both the modelling of their ecosystem fate and the design of test-systems for detection of their ecosystem effects.
Trends in the Incidence of Surgical Site Infection in The Netherlands
Authors: Manniën Judith , van den Hof Susan , Muilwijk Jan , van den Broek Peterhans J. , van Benthem Birgit , Wille Jan C.
Published: November 2008

Objective.

To evaluate the time trend in the surgical site infection (SSI) rate in relation to the duration of surveillance in The Netherlands.

Setting.

Forty-two hospitals that participated in the the Dutch national nosocomial surveillance network, which is known as PREZIES (Preventie van Ziekenhuisinfecties door Surveillance), and that registered at least 1 of the following 5 frequently performed surgical procedures for at least 3 years during the period from 1996 through 2006: mastectomy, colectomy, replacement of the head of the femur, total hip arthroplasty, or knee arthroplasty.

Methods.

Analyses were performed for each surgical procedure. The surveillance time to operation was stratified in consecutive 1-year periods, with the first year as reference. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed using a random coefficient model to adjust for random variation among hospitals. All models were adjusted for method of postdischarge surveillance.

Results.

The number of procedures varied from 3,031 for colectomy to 31,407 for total hip arthroplasty, and the SSI rate varied from 1.6% for knee arthroplasty to 12.2% for colectomy. For total hip arthroplasty, the SSI rate decreased significantly by 6% per year of surveillance (odds ratio [OR], 0.94 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.90–0.98]), indicating a 60% decrease after 10 years. Nonsignificant but substantial decreasing trends in the rate of SSI were found for replacement of the head of the femur (OR, 0.94 [95% CI, 0.88–1.00]) and for colectomy (OR, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.83–1.02]).

Conclusions.

Even though most decreasing trends in the SSI rate were not statistically significant, they were encouraging. To use limited resources as efficiently as possible, we would suggest switching the surveillance to another surgical procedure when the SSI rate for that particular procedure has decreased below the target rate.
Compte Rendu
Authors: Mägiste Julius
Published: November 2008

Book reviewed in this article:

WOLFGANG STEINITZ, Geschichte des ostjakischen Vokalismus

DERSELBE, Ostjakische Gramniatik und Chrestomathie mit Warterverzeichnis. 2. verbesserte Aufl
LANGUAGE UNIVERSALS AND SOCIO‐CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS IN DEVIANT USAGE: PERSONAL QUESTIONS IN SWEDISH
Authors: Paulston Christina Bratt
Published: November 2008

Abstract This paper investigates the address avoidance of second person personal pronouns in Swedish in terms of language universals and the relationship between deviation from a universal linguistic feature and social structural change. The hypothesis proposed is that if a language universal exists, and if a language possesses this universal language feature but under specific conditions systematically avoids this feature with circumscriptions, then this particular language usage contains clues to the socio‐cultural‐economic conditions in that social structure.

The language universal examined is Hockett's “Among the deictic elements of every human language is one that denotes the speaker and one that denotes the addressee.” Eleven ways of expressing “What do you want?” in Swedish, only two of which denote the addressee, are examined and the contextual conditions which tend to elicit the various forms are discussed. The assumption given to account for this address avoidance is that it reflects a stage of development from the non‐reciprocal power semantic to the solidarity semantic in the terms of the Brown and Gilman study “Pronouns of Power and Solidarity”; that it reflects the dichotomy between a still highly stratified community in terms of social class and the social democratic ideology of equality which has been the dominant political ideology since 1932.
GCN4 enhances the stability of the pore domain of potassium channel KcsA
Authors: Yuchi Zhiguang , Pau Victor P. T. , Yang Daniel S. C.
Published: November 2008

The prokaryotic potassium channel from Streptomyces lividans, KcsA, is the first channel that has a known crystal structure of the transmembrane domain. The crystal structure of its soluble C‐terminal domain, however, still remains elusive. Biophysical and electrophysiological studies have previously implicated the essential roles of the C‐terminal domain in pH sensing and in vivo channel assembly. We examined this functional assignment by replacing the C‐terminal domain with an artificial tetramerization domain, GCN4‐LI. The expression of KcsA is completely abolished when its C‐terminal domain is deleted, but it can be rescued by fusion with GCN4‐LI. The secondary and quaternary structures of the hybrid channel are very similar to those of the wild‐type channel according to CD and gel‐filtration analyses. The thermostability of the hybrid channel at pH 8 is similar to that of the wild‐type but is insensitive to pH changes. This supports the notion that the pH sensor of KcsA is located in the C‐terminal domain. The result obtained in the present study is in agreement with the proposed functions of the C‐terminal domain and we show that the channel assembly role of the C‐terminal domain can be substituted with a non‐native tetrameric motif. Because tetramerization domains are found in different families of potassium channels and their presence often enhances the expression of channels, replacement of the elusive C‐terminal domains with a known tetrameric scaffold could potentially assist the expression of other potassium channels.
Comparison of Viability and Heat Resistance of Clostridium sporogenes Stored at Different Temperatures
Authors: Mah J.‐H. , Kang D.‐H. , Tang J.
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACT:  The objective of this study was to determine the influence of storage temperature on the viability and heat resistance of Clostridium sporogenes spores. Spore suspension containing both spores and vegetative cells was divided into 3 groups to be stored at different temperatures of −20 (freezing), 4 (refrigerating), and 25 °C (ambient temperature). Samples stored for different times within the 2 mo were tested for viability by comparison of colony counts on plates and for heat resistance by determining D values at 121 °C. No significant differences were found in the viability of vegetative cells during the storage period, regardless of storage temperatures tested, while the viability of the spores stored for more than 4 wk was significantly higher at 4 °C than at −20 °C. The heat resistance of spores stored at 4 °C for more than 4 wk was remarkably higher than that at 25 °C, but similar to that at −20 °C throughout the storage period. Consequently, it turned out that a refrigerating temperature of 4 °C is satisfactory for storage of C. sporogenes spores in maintaining viability and heat resistance. This study suggests that storage temperature influences the viability and heat resistance of C. sporogenes spores.
Promoting an Energy Partnership in Northeast Asia
Authors: Fallon Karla S.
Published: November 2008

Are we witnessing tentative steps towards an energy partnership or energy community in Northeast Asia? Is such an energy partnership possible? This article traces and analyzes recent dialogue, negotiations, agreements and proposed projects for energy cooperation among Russia, China, Japan, and South Korea. It addresses the implications of China's growing energy demand and implications of Russia's attempts to move from a lost position as a political and military superpower to an energy superpower.

The article concludes that reports of competition over Russian energy resources among Japan, China, and South Korea are exaggerated and that there is much opportunity for cooperation among these countries. However, a failure to devise and articulate clear and long‐term national energy security policies and strategies, particularly by Russia, may lead to the closing of this window of opportunity for cooperation.
Participation of an alternate respiratory path in uptake of sucrose by excised tomato roots
Authors: Chin Chee-Kok
Published: November 2008

Sucrose uptake by excised tomato root was found to be in part respiration independent and in part respiration dependent. In the presence of 5 × 10−4 M of salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM) which inhibited the alternate respiratory path, the cyanide-sensitive, respiration-dependent uptake occurred at a rate of approximately 250 nmol sucrose/(μmol O2 consumed. By comparison, in the presence of 5 × 10−4 M of KCN which inhibited the cytochrome oxidase path the SHAM-sensitive sucrose uptake occurred at a rate of from 56 to 128 nmol sucrose/(μmol O2 consumed. The results indicate that both cytochrome oxidase and an alternate path could support the uptake of sucrose, but the latter was only half as efficient as the former.
Variation in hybrid fertility among the disjunct populations and species of Sullivantia (Saxifragaceae)
Authors: Soltis Douglas E.
Published: November 2008

Crosses were made in all combinations between the four allopatric taxa of Sullivantia. Artificial hybridizations between any two Sullivantia plants almost invariably yielded viable seed that produced vigorous F1 hybrids. The observation that Sullivantia species are highly interfertile is in agreement with similar findings for many other north temperate perennial plants. In most cases, the average pollen fertility of interspecific hybrids is reduced compared with the fertility of parental plants and intraspecific hybrids. Since no meiotic aberrations were observed in hybrids, gross chromosomal rearrangements apparently are not responsible for the reductions in hybrid fertility. Within Sullivantia there is a general correlation between geographical distance separating parental populations and reduction in hybrid fertility. Similar correlations have been reported for several other angiospermous species, but the present study is the first report of such a geographical distance – fertility correlation within an entire genus.
Inheritance of isozyme variants in seed tissues of balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
Authors: Neale D. B. , Adams W. T.
Published: November 2008

Evidence for the inheritance of isozymes in megagametophyte (1N) and embryo (2N) seed tissues of balsam fir (Abies balsamea (Linn.) Mill.) is presented. Segregation of isozymes in megagametophytes of heterozygous mother trees and comparison of banding patterns with those of other conifers indicate that a minimum of 14 loci code isozymes in the enzyme systems studied. Isozymes coded by 13 of these loci are detectable in both seed tissues; one locus is apparently active only in haploid tissue. Two loci segregation data were available for 20 of the 28 possible pairwise combinations of eight polymorphic loci. Chi-square tests of independence revealed that five of these pairs are linked. Genes similar to those in two of the pairs are linked in other Pinus species.
Size- and sex-based habitat partitioning by Lepetodrilus fucensis near hydrothermal vents on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, Northeast Pacific
Authors: Bates Amanda E.
Published: November 2008

This study examines habitat partitioning by a hydrothermal vent limpet, Lepetodrilus fucensis, along environmental gradients and among vents with differing levels of flux. To test for spatial patterns in size structure, two distances from isolated vent flows were sampled (0–25 cm and 51–75 cm). Lepetodrilus fucensis displays a size gradient: juveniles are rare in flow (relative abundance < 5%, density = 56 ± 46 individuals·dm–2) and abundant peripherally (>95%, 2616 ± 2002 individuals·dm–2). Next, sex-based habitat partitioning was examined. High flux locations are female-biased (proportion male = 0.34 ± 0.07), whereas males are overrepresented peripherally and at waning vents (0.64 ± 0.08). The spatial mismatch between the sexes within a vent is driven by differential habitat occupation at decimetre scales. One hypothesis to explain this pattern is that females suffer a higher cost of reproduction and outcompete males for habitats with high food availability. Indeed, relatively higher percentages of females in waning vents had empty gonads in comparison with males (32%–78% vs. 0%–16%, respectively). Furthermore, females transplanted to the vent periphery for one year displayed much lower survivorship than males (2% vs. 27%). This finding suggests that differential survivorship between the sexes when food is limited can yield male-biased populations at waning vents.
Effect of trawling on juvenile red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) habitat selection and life history parameters
Authors: Wells R. J. David , Cowan, James H. , Patterson William F. , Walters Carl J.
Published: November 2008

This study documents ontogenetic habitat shifts of red snapper ( Lutjanus campechanus ) and highlights possible impacts of shrimp trawling on age-0 fish life history parameters on the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) continental shelf. Red snapper were collected quarterly during 2004 and 2005 over sand, low-relief shell rubble, high-relief shell rubble, and natural high-relief reef habitats within a de facto nontrawl area and in similar habitats on the open shelf where commercial shrimp trawling occurred. Age-0 red snapper were most dense over sand and low-relief shell rubble habitats and moved to higher-relief shell rubble and natural reef habitats by age-1. Habitat-specific daily growth rates of age-0 fish were highest over sand (range 0.65–1.03 mm·day–1). Densities of age-0 red snapper were highest over trawled sand, but higher over nontrawled shell rubble by 6 months of age (age-0.5+). Red snapper collected over sand and low-relief shell rubble areas exposed to trawling had truncated size distributions, higher mortality estimates, and lower production potential (the latter evaluated with G–Z and P–B ratios) compared with fish over nontrawled areas of similar habitat. Results suggest that juvenile red snapper residing over nontrawled areas may have a higher probability of survival than fish in areas exposed to commercial shrimp trawling.
Combined analyses of O2 and CO2 for studying the coupling of photosynthesis and respiration in aquatic systems
Authors: Wissel Björn , Quiñones-Rivera Zoraida J. , Fry Brian
Published: November 2008

To simultaneously elucidate patterns of photosynthesis and respiration in aquatic systems, we developed a new gas-switching system for coupled measurements of dissolved metabolic gases. The methodology involves two gas chromatography columns to perform multiple gas separations. The first example using 24 h bottle incubations in estuarine waters showed a 1:1 molar relationship for the coupling between CO2 and O2 in closed systems during photosynthesis and respiration. In a second, open system application using depth-stratified sampling on the Louisiana continental shelf, deviations from this 1:1 relationship between CO2 and O2 were common. In surface waters, depletion of CO2 exceeded excess O2, likely owing to different gas-exchange rates with the atmosphere. In bottom waters, CO2 accumulation could surpass O2 losses, indicating anaerobic respiration. At intermediate depths, CO2 and O2 dynamics followed the 1:1 relationship that was observed in the closed incubations. This approach clearly showed that CO2 and O2 dynamics were tightly coupled on short-time scales, but anaerobic respiration and physical processes such as gas exchange can lead to strong divergence of CO2 and O2 stoichiometries. This combined analysis of respiratory gases that is readily achievable with isotope ratio mass spectrometer systems illustrates how oxygen and carbon cycles are coupled and decoupled in aquatic systems.
Sectional mapping of local roads in Spain
Authors: Ibeas Angel , Gonzalo_Orden Hernan , Dell’Olio Luigi , Moura Jose Luis
Published: November 2008

The management of any road network can be improved by gathering information about the different road segments that form it. Geographic information systems (GISs) can be used to map and manipulate the large amount of information collected. This helps managers in their analysis of the network and in the decision-making processes. This article explains the development and practical use of the latest mapping carried out on the local roads in the region of Cantabria in northern Spain. The aim of the current study was to perform a thorough analysis of the characteristics of each segment of the road network to update and restructure the existing mapping. A geographic information system (GIS) was used for consulting and analyzing the data obtained now and over previous years. Moreover, the ways this information could be used in the decision-making process were improved for a regional road network which has, in general, a low volume of traffic.
Size effects in anchor performance
Authors: Craig W.H.
Published: November 2008

The performance of marine drag anchors is most usually predicted by the use of design charts that clearly indicate that efficiency reduces as the size of the anchor increases, the reduction being larger in sandy seabeds than in cohesive seabeds. Two principal causes of this size effect are identified and some indication given of ways in which the effect can be minimized. Key words : anchor, model, similarity.