bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bat species diversity and distribution in three vegetation communities of Meru National Park, Kenya
Authors: Webala Paul W. , Oguge Nicholas O. , Bekele Afework
Published: November 2004

Diversity and distribution of bats was determined in four vegetation types in and around Meru National Park, Kenya between September 2000 and February 2001. Bat‐habitat studies were based on plant species dominance, cover and farming activities. Bats were captured using standard mist nets (18 m long × 2 m high) erected on poles averaging 3 m. Vegetation was broadly grouped as Acacia or Combretum wooded grassland, or Acacia–Commiphora bushland and studied using the Braun‐Blanquet method. Analysis of floristic similarity showed five vegetation species assemblages in the three broad categories. Four hundred and ninety‐five bats representing eleven genera in seven families were recorded. These were Epomophorus labiatus, E. wahlbergi, Cardioderma cor, Lavia frons, Myotis welwitschii, Scotoecus hirundo, S. leucogaster, Pipistrellus kuhlii, Mops condylurus, Chaerephon bemmeleni, Mormopterus sp., Hipposideros caffer, H. commersoni, Nycteris arge and Rhinolophus landeri. This was the first record of N. arge, M. welwitschii, C. bemmeleni and a Mormopterus species in eastern Kenya. The Combretum community was most equitable (E = 0.51) with nine bat species records, while farming areas had only four. The low species richness and increased dominance of a few generalist species on farms may be indicative of different levels of disturbance.
In vivoeffects of interleukin‐17 on haematopoietic cells and cytokine release in normal mice
Authors: Jovčić G. , Bugarski D. , Petakov M. , Krstić A. , Vlaški M. , Stojanović N. , Milenković P.
Published: November 2004

Abstract. In order to gain more insight into mechanisms operating on the haematopoietic activity of the T‐cell‐derived cytokine, interleukin‐17 (IL‐17) and target cells that first respond to its actionin vivo, the influence of a single intravenous injection of recombinant mouse IL‐17 on bone marrow progenitors, further morphologically recognizable cells and peripheral blood cells was assessed in normal mice up to 72 h after treatment. Simultaneously, the release of IL‐6, IL‐10, IGF‐I, IFN‐γ and NO by bone marrow cells was determined. Results showed that, in bone marrow, IL‐17 did not affect granulocyte‐macrophage (CFU‐GM) progenitors, but induced a persistant increase in the number of morphologically recognizable proliferative granulocytes (PG) up to 48 h after treatment. The number of immature erythroid (BFU‐E) progenitors was increased at 48 h, while the number of mature erythroid (CFU‐E) progenitors was decreased up to 48 h. In peripheral blood, white blood cells were increased 6 h after treatment, mainly because of the increase in the number of lymphocytes. IL‐17 also increased IL‐6 release and NO production 6 h after administration. Additionalin vitroassessment on bone marrow highly enriched Lin−progenitor cells, demonstrated a slightly enhancing effect of IL‐17 on CFU‐GM and no influence on BFU‐E, suggesting the importance of bone marrow accessory cells and secondary induced cytokines for IL‐17 mediated effects on progenitor cells. Taken together, these results demonstrate thatin vivoIL‐17 affects both granulocytic and erythroid lineages, with more mature haematopoietic progenitors responding first to its action. The opposite effects exerted on PG and CFU‐E found at the same time indicate that IL‐17, as a component of a regulatory network, is able to intervene in mechanisms that shift haematopoiesis from the erythroid to the granulocytic lineage.
Promoting health for families of children with chronic conditions
Authors: Hopia Hanna , Paavilainen Eija , Åstedt‐Kurki Päivi
Published: November 2004

Aim.  This paper reports a study whose aim was to describe how nurses in a paediatric unit promote the health of families of children with chronic conditions during the children's hospitalization.

Background.  It is stressful for a family when a child has a chronic condition and hospitalized. Nurses have the opportunity to promote family health while a child is hospitalized, and previous studies contain a wealth of recommendations on how this should be done. However, there is little research evidence about family care and how nurses promote the health of a family with a chronically ill child.

Methods.  Forty nurses who worked in two paediatric units providing care for children with chronic conditions and their families participated in the study. Data were collected in two Finnish hospitals in 2002 using group interviews, and nursing actions were observed in both units for a period of 84 hours. Data analysis was based on the grounded theory method, proceeding to the stage of axial coding. Data were collected until theoretical saturation was reached.

Findings.  Family care was based on three distinctive strategies. Nurses used a systematic, selective or situation‐specific strategy while promoting family health during a child's hospitalization.

Conclusions.  The findings indicate that nurses used different strategies while promoting family health during a child's hospitalization. The systematic way of working with families identified in the study seems a useful strategy. All three strategies of family nursing described here should be tested in other paediatric wards and in other geographical locations.
Comparison of chloroquine, sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine, mefloquine and mefloquine‐artesunate for the treatment of falciparum malaria in Kachin State, North Myanmar
Authors: Smithuis Frank , Shahmanesh Maryam , Kyaw Moe Kyaw , Savran Olivia , Lwin Saw , White Nicholas J.
Published: November 2004

Multi‐drug resistant falciparum malaria is widespread in Asia. In Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam the national protocols have changed largely to artesunate combined treatment regimens but elsewhere in East and South Asia chloroquine (CQ) and sulfadoxine‐pyrimethamine (SP) are still widely recommended by national malaria control programmes. In Kachin State, northern Myanmar, an area of low seasonal malaria transmission, the efficacy of CQ (25 mg base/kg) and SP (1.25/25 mg/kg), the nationally recommended treatments at the time, were compared with mefloquine alone (M; 15 mg base/kg) and mefloquine combined with artesunate (MA; 15:4 mg/kg). An open randomized controlled trial enrolled 316 patients with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria, stratified prospectively into three age‐groups. Early treatment failures (ETF) occurred in 41% (32/78) of CQ treated patients and in 24% of patients treated with SP (18/75). In young children the ETF rates were 87% after CQ and 35% after SP. Four children (two CQ, two SP) developed symptoms of cerebral malaria within 3 days after treatment. By day 42, failure rates (uncorrected for reinfections) had increased to 79% for CQ and 81% for SP. ETF rates were 2.5% after treatment with M and 3.9% after treatment with MA (P > 0.2). Overall uncorrected treatment failure rates at day 42 following M and MA were 23% and 21%, respectively. Chloroquine and SP are completely ineffective for the treatment of falciparum malaria in northern Myanmar. Mefloquine treatment is much more effective, but three day combination regimens with artesunate will be needed for optimum efficacy and protection against resistance.
Prey use by web‐building spiders: stable isotope analyses of trophic flow at a forest‐stream ecotone
Authors: KATO Chika , IWATA Tomoya , WADA Eitaro
Published: November 2004

A forest‐stream trophic link was examined by stable carbon isotope analyses which evaluated the relationship of aquatic insects emerging from a stream to the diets of web‐building spiders. Spiders, aquatic and terrestrial prey, and basal resources of forest and stream food webs were collected in a deciduous forest along a Japanese headwater stream during May and July 2001. The δ13C analyses suggested that riparian tetragnathid spiders relied on aquatic insects and that the monthly variation of such dependence is partly associated with the seasonal dynamics of aquatic insect abundance in the riparian forest. Similarly, linyphiid spiders in the riparian forest exhibited δ13C values similar to aquatic prey in May. However, their δ13C values were close to terrestrial prey in both riparian and upland (150 m away from the stream) forests during June to July, suggesting the seasonal incorporation of stream‐derived carbon into their tissue. In contrast, araneid spiders relied on terrestrial prey in both riparian and upland forests throughout the study period. These isotopic results were consistent with a previous study that reported seasonal variation in the aquatic prey contribution to total web contents for each spider group in this forest, implying that spiders assimilate trapped prey and that aquatic insect flux indeed contributes to the energetics of riparian tetragnathid and linyphiid spiders.
Food source of riparian spiders analyzed by using stable isotope ratios
Authors: AKAMATSU Fumikazu , TODA Hideshige , OKINO Tokio
Published: November 2004

We analyzed the food source of riparian spiders in a middle reach of the Chikuma River, Japan, by using stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen. The carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of attached algae were higher than those of terrestrial plants, reflecting a large carbon isotope fractionation in terrestrial plants and a difference in nitrogen sources. The carbon isotope ratios of terrestrial insects were similar to those of the terrestrial plants, and the ratios of aquatic insects were scattered between those of the terrestrial plants and the attached algae. The carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of spiders were intermediate between those of the terrestrial and aquatic insects. The two‐source mixing model using the carbon isotope ratio showed that the web‐building spiders utilized both the terrestrial and aquatic insects, with large contribution by the aquatic insects (54% on average with a maximum of 92% among spider's taxa collected in each zone), in the riparian area in a middle reach of the Chikuma River. The large contribution of the aquatic insects was often observed for the spiders collected near river channel (<5 m) and for the horizontal web‐building spiders collected across the riparian area. The relative contribution of the aquatic insects might be related with food availability (distance from river channel) and spider's food preference reflected in their web types (horizontal vs. vertical). Our results showed that organic materials produced in the river channel, in the riparian area, and in the terrestrial area surrounding the riparian area were mixed at the carnivorous trophic level of riparian spiders.
Forage and bed sites characteristics of Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak) in Hainan Island, China
Authors: TENG Liwei , LIU Zhensheng , SONG Yan‐Ling , ZENG Zhigao
Published: November 2004

Microhabitat factors associated with forage and bed sites of Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak) were examined and compared in Hainan Island from 2001 to 2002. Habitat characteristics at forage and bed sites were measured by tracking five radio‐collared adult muntjacs (three females, two males) and locating from fresh sign or muntjac flushed during transect surveys. Among six available habitat types, Indian muntjac preferred shrub grassland and thorny shrubland, and used dry savanna in proportion to its availability. Muntjac avoided woods, cultivated grassplot and deciduous monsoon forests. Comparing forage sites with bed sites, food availability was greater at forage sites. For bed sites, taller trees with larger canopies, taller shrubs, denser shrub canopy covers and concealment covers were essential factors. No seasonal difference (wet season vs. dry season) was found in food abundance at either forage sites or at bed sites. During the wet season, canopy closure for both types of sites was higher and at bed sites concealment cover was higher than during the dry season. Principal component analysis indicated that tree height, d.b.h. and maximum canopy diameters were important factors in habitat selection. The different microhabitat characteristics at forage and bed sites can be a clue to understanding the survival strategy of Indian muntjac, a small‐bodied ungulate, in savanna woodlands.
Effects of ramet clipping and nutrient availability on growth and biomass allocation of yellow nutsedge
Authors: LI Bo , SHIBUYA Tomoko , YOGO Yasuhiro , HARA Toshihiko
Published: November 2004

A glasshouse experiment was conducted to examine how the interactions of nutrient availability and partial ramet clipping affect growth, reproduction and biomass allocation of Cyperus esculentus, an invasive sedge. The plants sprouting from tubers were grown at low and high nutrient levels, and were subject either to no clipping, one, two or three clippings, with each clipping cutting half of the existing ramets at soil level. Our results show that nutrient availability and clipping frequency tended to independently affect most of growth, reproduction and biomass allocation parameters of Cyperus esculentus examined in the present study. Increased supply of nutrients led to an increase in plant productivity and its associated traits. All of the traits, except for the number of ramets, displayed a decreasing pattern with increasing clipping frequency, indicating that Cyperus esculentus had undercompensatory responses to ramet clipping. It is likely that the patterns of plants’ response to clipping are species specific, and depend on morphological characters of species. Its susceptibility to ramet clipping can offer opportunities for controlling this invasive species through mechanical methods such as mowing. Clipping had little effects on biomass allocation; however, root weight fraction increased with increasing clipping frequency. While nutrient availability and clipping frequency had no influence on leaf carbon concentration at harvest, both of them increased leaf nitrogen concentration, and hence reduced leaf C/N ratio.
Pancreatic cancer: management and survival
Authors: Wakeman Christopher J. , Martin Ian G. , Robertson Robert W. , Dobbs Bruce R. , Frizelle Frank A.
Published: November 2004

Aim:  To review the management and survival from all pancreatic cancer over a 5‐year period at a tertiary referral hospital in New Zealand and to examine similar outcome data from the national cancer registry.

Methods:  A retrospective audit was conducted for the 5‐year period 1994−99 of patients discharged from Christchurch Hospital (Christchurch, New Zealand) and all patients in the New Zealand Cancer Registry with a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Kaplan− Meier survival curves were used for analysis.

Results:  From Christchurch Hospital a total of 230 patients were identified with a discharge diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Medium survival for all groups was 3.9 months. There was a median survival of 1.6 months for the non‐interventional group, 3.1 months for the stent group, 6.2 months for the bypass group and 12.6 months for the pancreatico‐duodenectomy group. These data are very similar to the New Zealand National Cancer Registry data, where the overall median survival was 3.1 months and median survival for a pancreatico‐duodenectomy was 13.9 months.

Conclusion:  A pancreatico‐duodenectomy is usually a palliative surgical technique and not a curative procedure. Those selected for resection have been shown to have an advantage over operative bypass in terms of length of survival, however, this most likely reflects selection bias.
Urological injuries during hysterectomies: A 6‐year review
Authors: Dorairajan Gowri , Rani P. Reddi , Habeebullah Syed , Dorairajan Lalgudi Narayanan
Published: November 2004

Aim:  Urological injuries that occur during hysterectomy are a rare but important cause of morbidity. An understanding of the risk factors can help us to reduce their incidence and studying their management and outcome could help us to evolve optimal management strategies. The aim of the present study was to examine the incidence of urological injuries that occur during hysterectomy and to determine the risk factors, management and outcome of such injuries.

Methods:  A retrospective analysis of cases of urological injuries sustained during hysterectomies carried out from June 1996 until May 2002, at our institution. The chi‐squared test was applied for statistical analysis.

Results:  The overall incidence of urological injuries was 0.40% (0.28% bladder and 0.12% ureteral). No ureteral injuries occurred during vaginal surgery. The incidence of bladder injury was significantly higher in non‐descent vaginal hysterectomies compared with abdominal hysterectomies or vaginal hysterectomies for genital prolapse (P < 0.05). Hysterectomy for ovarian malignancies had a significantly higher risk for bladder injuries compared with other indications. Bladder injuries detected during vaginal hysterectomies could be managed through the vaginal route. All the repairs healed successfully.

Conclusions:  Non‐descent vaginal hysterectomy and hysterectomy for ovarian malignancies have a higher risk of bladder injury. Urological injuries during hysterectomy are uncommon. Early detection and appropriate management ensure successful healing and minimal long‐term sequelae.
Large pseudocyst of the umbilical cord associated with patent urachus
Authors: Kilicdag Esra Bulgan , Kilicdag Hasan , Bagis Tayfun , Tarim Ebru , Yanik Filiz
Published: November 2004

Cystic masses of the umbilical cord have been detected in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy in association with fetal abdominal wall defects and chromosomal anomalies. We present a case of an umbilical cord pseudocyst diagnosed using routine ultrasound at the 20 weeks of gestation. Serial sonography followed the progression of the cystic masses. A 2960‐g male infant was delivered at term, in whom a patent urachus was detected. The infant underwent repair with closure of the patent urachus and plastic reconstruction of the abdominal wall, and the postoperative course was uneventful. This case demonstrated an uneventful outcome despite the persistent multiple cord cysts.
Social Darwinism in Anglophone Academic Journals: A Contribution to the History of the Term
Authors: Hodgson Geoffrey M.
Published: November 2004

AbstractThis essay is a partial history of the term “Social Darwinism”. Using large electronic databases, it is shown that the use of the term in leading Anglophone academic journals was rare up to the 1940s. Citations of the term were generally disapproving of the racist or imperialist ideologies with which it was associated. Neither Herbert Spencer nor William Graham Sumner were described as Social Darwinists in this early literature.Talcott Parsons (1932,1934,1937) extended the meaning of the term to describe any extensive use of ideas from biology in the social sciences. Subsequently,Richard Hofstadter (1944) gave the use of the term a huge boost, in the context of a global anti‐fascist war.
Against Narrativity
Authors: Strawson Galen
Published: November 2004

I argue against two popular claims. The first is a descriptive, empirical thesis about the nature of ordinary human experience: ‘each of us constructs and lives a “narrative” . . . this narrativeisus, our identities’ (Oliver Sacks); ‘self is a perpetually rewritten story . . . in the end, webecomethe autobiographical narratives by which we “tell about” our lives’ (Jerry Bruner); ‘we are all virtuoso novelists. . . . We try to make all of our material cohere into a single good story. And that story is our autobiography. The chief fictional character . . . of that autobiography is one’s self’ (Dan Dennett). The second is a normative, ethical claim: we ought to live our lives narratively, or as a story; a ‘basic condition of making sense of ourselves is that we grasp our lives in anarrative’ and have an understanding of our lives ‘as an unfolding story’ (Charles Taylor). A person ‘creates his identity [only] by forming an autobiographical narrative – a story of his life’, and must be in possession of a full and ‘explicit narrative [of his life] to develop fully as a person’ (Marya Schechtman).
John Lieder and his Mission in Egypt: The Evangelical Ethos at Work Among Nineteenth‐Century Copts
Authors: Sedra Paul D.
Published: November 2004

The English Church Missionary Society (CMS) dispatched a contingent of missionaries to Egypt in 1825. This article analyses the methods and impact of that contingent. The schools that the CMS missionaries introduced are cast not as vehicles of enlightenment — as is frequently the case in mission historiography — but as technologies of power. Specifically, the article recounts how the head of the mission, the Reverend John Lieder, deployed Lancaster schools among the Coptic Christians of Cairo to effect not merely a spiritual, but further, a cultural conversion of this Orthodox community. Lieder, his predecessors, and his contemporaries in the Mediterranean field sought to instil in the Copts the “evangelical ethos” of industry, discipline, and order. The article links this CMS project of cultural conversion to the process of state‐building in Egypt. Indeed, Lieder was a pioneer purveyor of technologies of power that would prove indispensable to late‐nineteenth‐century elites in their efforts to produce, in the subaltern strata of Egyptian society, industrious and disciplined political subjects resigned to their lowly positions in the Egyptian social order.
A QSAR analysis of toxicity of Aconitum alkaloids
Authors: Bello‐Ramírez Angélica M. , Nava‐Ocampo Alejandro A.
Published: November 2004

Biological activity of Aconitum alkaloids may be related to their toxicity rather than to a specific pharmacological action. A Quantitative structure‐activity relationships (QSAR) analysis was performed on the following two groups of alkaloids: compounds with an aroyl/aroyloxy group at R14 position (yunaconitine, bulleyaconitine, aconitine, beiwutine, nagarine, 3‐acetyl aconitine, and penduline), and compounds with the aroyloxy group at R4 position (N‐deacetyllappaconitine, lappaconitine, ranaconitine, N‐deacetylfinaconitine, N‐deacetylranaconitine). The LD50 (μmol/kg) of the 12 alkaloids were obtained from the literature. LD50 was significantly lower in group 1 than in group 2. The steric and core–core repulsion energies were significantly higher in group 1. The total energy and heat of formation and electronic energies were significantly lower in group 1. The reactivity index of N, C1′, C4′ and C6′ were similar between groups. The reactivity index of C2′ was significantly higher and the reactivity index of C3′ and C5′ were significantly lower in group 1. Log P and pKa were similar between groups. Molecular weight was significantly higher in group 1. A significant linear relationship was observed between log LD50 and either analgesic log ED50 or local anesthetic log ED50. The LD50/analgesic ED50 obtained from average values was 5.9 for group 1 and 5.0 for group 2. However, the LD50/local anesthetic ED50 was 40.4 and 318, respectively. The study supports that the analgesic effects of these alkaloids are secondary to their toxic effects whereas alkaloids from group 2 are susceptible to be further studied as local anesthetic agents.
Functional interaction of intestinal CYP3A4 and P‐glycoprotein
Authors: Kivistö Kari T. , Niemi Mikko , Fromm Martin F.
Published: November 2004

Intestinal CYP3A4‐mediated biotransformation and active efflux of absorbed drug by P‐glycoprotein are major determinants of bioavailability of orally administered drugs. The hypothesis that CYP3A4 and P‐glycoprotein may act in concert to limit oral drug bioavailability is attractive from a theoretical point of view. Evidence in support of such an interplay between CYP3A4 and P‐glycoprotein comes mainly from a limited number of in vitro and animal studies. Obviously, it is a challenging task to demonstrate in vivo in humans that the function of CYP3A4 and P‐glycoprotein in enterocytes is complementary, and results to directly support this concept remain elusive. However, CYP3A4 and P‐glycoprotein are clearly an integral part of an intestinal defence system to protect the body against harmful xenobiotics, and drugs that are substrates of both proteins often have a low bioavailability after oral administration. The functional interaction of intestinal CYP3A4 and P‐glycoprotein warrants additional study. Further understanding this interplay would be potentially useful during drug development to solve bioavailability problems of new drug entities.
Does rat global transient cerebral ischemia serve as an appropriate model to study emotional disturbances?
Authors: Bantsiele Guy Bernard , Bentué‐Ferrer Danièle , Amiot Noëlla , Allain Hervé , Bourin Michel , Reymann Jean‐Michel
Published: November 2004

We used two validated psychopharmacological methods, the forced swimming test (FST 20 min and 5 min) and the elevated plus‐maze (EPM), to quantify depression‐like and anxiety‐like behavior induced by transient global cerebral ischemia in the rat. We also validated use of these methods for the study of antidepressant (imipramine) and anti‐anxiety drugs (diazepam). Twelve days after surgery to provoke transient global ischemia, spontaneous motor activity was 40% higher in ischemic rats than in sham‐operated controls. Duration of immobility during the FST 20 min and 5 min was 28 and 30% shorter, respectively, than in controls. Treatment with imipramine (3 × 30 mg/kg i.p.) induced a significantly shorter duration of immobility during the FST 5 min, but with no difference between ischemia and control rats. The EPM demonstrated that ischemia did not induce any change in the six behavior parameters measured. Diazepam (1.5 mg/kg i.p.) induced significant anxiolytic effects which were similar in ischemic and sham‐operated animals. Both tests failed to demonstrate perturbed performance but conversely, these findings did disclose the sensitivity of ischemia‐exposed rats to the action of imipramine and diazepam, demonstrating the usefulness of these tests as psychopharmocological tools for evaluating the effect of psychotropics in the ischemic rat.
Myocardial infarction non‐invasively induced in rabbits by administering isoproterenol and vasopressin: protective effects exerted by verapamil†
Authors: Pinelli Arnaldo , Trivulzio Silvio , Tomasoni Livio , Bertolini Boris , Brenna Sergio , Bonacina Edgardo , Vignati Silvano
Published: November 2004

Myocardial infarction is usually induced in small animals by means of invasive procedures: the aim of this study was to cause heart necrosis lesions by non‐invasive means. We injected rabbits with isoproterenol (3 mg/kg, i.p.) and vasopressin (0.3 mg/kg/5 min, i.v.) alone and in combination, and studied their effects on myocardial histology, electrocardiographic profiles, the appearance of the plasma cardiac necrosis marker c‐troponin I (c‐TPN I), hemodynamic parameters (blood pressure, heart rate), the coagulative process partial throboplastine time (PTT), and plasma nitric oxide (NO) levels. In the rabbits treated with vasopressin alone, the ischemic damage was associated with a decrease in NO values, and the appearance of electrocardiographic T‐wave inversion and low plasma c‐TPN I levels, whereas the animals treated with isoproterenol alone had necrotic bands in the myocardium, plasma c‐TPN I, and electrocardiographic modifications (ST‐segment changes and T‐wave inversion). Combined treatment increased myocardial alterations such as contraction band necrosis, induced the appearance of specific hypoxic lesions such as areas of coagulative necrosis and leukocyte infiltration, and led to higher plasma c‐TPN I levels and altered ECG profiles. Both drugs favored a decrease in plasma NO values and further alterations in hemodynamic parameters, such as higher blood pressure and greater procoagulant activity. The myocardial necrosis and modified cardiovascular parameters were attributed to calcium activated processes and the decrease in NO levels. As this model of myocardial damage involves the use of drugs that facilitate the opening of L‐calcium channels, we also investigated their effects on cardiovascular parameters and heart histology after pretreatment with the calcium antagonist verapamil; this drug protected against the appearance of histological myocardial lesions, electrocardiographic alterations and high plasma c‐TPN I levels, and prevented the hemodynamic and procoagulation changes, but did not affect the decrease in plasma NO values. The protective effects were attributed to the drug's calcium antagonist activity. In conclusion, the injection of isoproterenol and vasopressin induces a myocardial infarction non‐invasively and seems to be suitable for studying early myocardial ischemic lesions and the effects of drugs interfering with myocardial damage and its related phenomena.
Divalproex ER Prophylaxis in Migraineurs with Probable Chronic Migraine and Probable Medication‐Overuse Headache: A Case Series
Authors: Landy Stephen H. , Baker Jeffrey D.
Published: November 2004

Abstract:  This case series prospectively evaluated divalproex ER in 15 headache clinic migraine patients fulfilling International Headache Society criteria for probable chronic migraine and probable medication‐overuse headache. Divalproex ER was initiated at 500 mg QHS and increased after Week 2 to 1000 mg QHS for a total treatment period of 2 months. Mean headache days per month dropped from 21.6 to 10.4 at month 1 and 8.9 at month 2. All 10 patients who completed the study rated their satisfaction with treatment as changed from unsatisfied at baseline to satisfied at study completion. The results of this study support the prophylactic efficacy of divalproex ER in migraine patients with probable chronic migraine and probable medication‐overuse headache.
Transcutaneous Application of Pulsed Radiofrequency: Four Case Reports
Authors: Balogh Susan E.
Published: November 2004

Abstract:  Pulsed radiofrequency is used for interventional therapy in many pain centers worldwide. A new, non‐invasive method utilizing transcutaneous application appears to be effective in certain patients with chronic pain resistant to other therapies. The method is presented and four case reports are described.
Returning athletes with severe low back pain and spondylolysis to original sporting activities with conservative treatment
Authors: Iwamoto J. , Takeda T. , Wakano K.
Published: November 2004

The purpose of this study was to clarify the efficacy of conservative treatment in athletes with severe low back pain and spondylolysis, especially focusing on returning to original sporting activities. One hundred and four athletes (96 males and eight females), who consulted our sports medicine clinic during the 11‐year period between September 1991 and October 2002 because of low back pain with an apparent defect of the pars interarticularis on plain radiographs, were subjected to conservative treatment. The mean age of the patients was 20.7 years. Of all the patients, 40 (38.5%) discontinued sporting activities due to severe low back pain, and were conservatively treated with activity restriction and antilordotic lumbosacral bracing, aimed at relieving low back pain by achieving stability of the fracture partly associated with fibrous union. After their low back pain was markedly reduced, the brace was removed and then individual training to return to the original sporting activities was started. Thirty‐five patients (87.5%) could return to their original sporting activities in an average of 5.4 months (range: 1.0–11.5 months) after the onset of treatment, and could continue the activities for at least 6 months despite non‐bony union. These results suggest that the outcome of conservative treatment with activity restriction and bracing appears to be satisfactory in controlling symptoms and returning to original sporting activities. Randomized controlled trials or comparative follow‐up studies are needed to confirm our results.
Anatomy and physiology of the gastro‐intestinal tract and growth curves of the ostrich (Struthio camelus)
Authors: COOPER Ross G. , MAHROZE Khalid M.
Published: November 2004

The ostrich is an important animal in many livestock industries and in the developing world. The digestive system of the ostrich differs considerably from that of non‐ruminant animals or poultry. The genetic potential of an ostrich can be described by its characteristic growth curve. This present paper presents an account of the rearing, anatomy of the gastro‐intestinal tract, and growth curves of this bird.
Polymerase chain reaction detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the chicken mitochondrial D‐loop region
Authors: HARUMI Takashi , SANO Akiko , KAGAMI Hiroshi , TAGAMI Takahiro , MATSUBARA Yuko , NAITO Mitsuru
Published: November 2004

The D‐loop region in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was sequenced and compared among six chickens. Eleven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were observed. For six of the SNP sites, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers that had each base (A, C, G and T) as the penultimate base at the 3′ end (N2 base) and bases specific to both alleles at the 3′ end were produced to type the polymorphisms. Twenty‐one out of 96 primers succeeded in distinguishing the SNP by the presence or absence of PCR product. This method provides an easy way to discriminate SNP in chicken mtDNA.
In vitro progesterone production of corpus luteum in pregnant Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus)
Authors: ETOH Tadahiro , TANAKA Masami , SONODA Yutaka , KAI Osamu
Published: November 2004

The present study was conducted to determine the in vitro progesterone (P4) production by Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) corpus luteum (CL) on days 9, 18 and 22 of pregnancy in comparison with rat CL on days 9 and 16. The culture medium of one CL per well of a 96‐well plate was changed after 4 h incubation and the CL were further cultured for 24 h. The P4 in serum and in the medium were measured by enzyme immunoassay system. Gerbil CL weight measured after 24 h incubation was at the same level for all 3 days of pregnancy and significantly different from that of the rat CL for the 2 days of pregnancy. The serum P4 level in gerbils was high in early pregnancy and decreased in advanced days of pregnancy. In contrast, the P4 in rats was higher in the latter half of pregnancy. In vitro P4 production by a single CL after 4 h incubation decreased significantly during the days of pregnancy in both the gerbil and the rat. P4 values produced by the gerbil CL for 24 h incubation were significantly higher than after 4 h incubation in all 3 days of pregnancy, however, there was no difference between the two incubation time groups in the rat. In vitro P4 production by CL correlated well with the serum P4 level on the 3 days of pregnancy in the gerbil. In the rat, however, the relationship was inversed between the two parameters. The correlation in this experiment suggested that CL is the sole source of P4 for the maintenance of the gerbil pregnancy, with the result of abortion after an ovariectomy on day 20 of pregnancy as described in our previous report.
Contribution of insulin to the ascorbate recycling system in the chicken liver
Authors: SASAKI Keisuke , YOSHIDA Tomotaro , KOGA Kengo , HARAGUCHI Takashi , OHASHI Kazunori , AOYAGI Yosuke
Published: November 2004

The effect of insulin on the ascorbate recycling system in the chicken liver was examined. First, insulin was injected subcutaneously into the chicken, and liver glutathione‐dependent dehydroascorbate reductase (GSH‐DHAR) activity was determined. Insulin increased liver GSH‐DHAR activity, but did not affect plasma and liver ascorbate concentration. Dehydroascorbate increased plasma and liver ascorbate levels, and liver GSH‐DHAR activity. However, distinct changes in plasma insulin level were not observed by dehydroascorbate injection. In addition, reduction of external dehydroascorbate in cultured chicken hepatocytes could not be observed in an insulin‐deprived culture, although the cells reduced external dehydroascorbate in a serum‐free culture with insulin. We concluded that insulin affects the ascorbate recycling system as an essential factor in the chicken liver.
Estimation of the base line imagined as a muscular background for myoglobin determination by reflectance spectrometry
Authors: IZUMIMOTO Masatoshi , PIPEK Petr , YONEHARA Makiko
Published: November 2004

Liquid extraction method for determination of myoglobin in muscle is not suitable because of changes in the derivatives and time required. Optical reflectance method is useful as a non‐destructive and real‐time measurement. However, the base line of reflectance method, the muscular reflectance background (MRB) imagined as colorless structural elements, has been unknown because of non‐existence. The spectrum of the base line was analyzed as the analogy of bleached meat. A formula was derived for reflectance that had a linear relationship to the reciprocal of wavelength to the power 4. The reflectance characteristic of the MRB was not constant and the curve tended to rise with increasing wavelength. The reflectance at 700 nm was estimated to be 50%. By the characteristic analysis on Commission Internationale l’Eclairage color values and reciprocal reflectance, it was concluded that the reflectance spectrum of the muscular background obtained in this research was fitted as a base line for the reflectance spectrometry.
The Secular Decline in Presidential Domestic Policy Making: An Organizational Perspective
Authors: KRAUSE GEORGE A.
Published: November 2004

What has caused the secular (long‐term) decline in presidential domestic policy‐making activities over the past several decades? In a previously published article in this journal, Paul Light provides several interesting speculative reasons for this trend. I propose a general explanation for the secular decline in presidential domestic policy making that centers on the rising organizational size and scope of the institutional presidency. Specifically, I argue that the American presidency's greater than optimal organizational size and scope has hurt its domestic policy‐making activities in absolute terms. The suboptimal organizational size and scope of the presidency has also led to a deterioration of its institutional comparative advantage in policy‐making activities vis‐à‐vis Congress. Therefore, twenty‐first century American presidents possess a strong incentive to restrict the organizational size and scope of the Executive Office of the President as a means to strive for optimal institutional performance.
Principled Pragmatism: Abraham Lincoln's Method of Political Analysis
Authors: SIEMERS DAVID J.
Published: November 2004

Abraham Lincoln's method of political analysis is reminiscent of Niccolo Machiavelli’s. Both Lincoln and Machiavelli continually assessed political context with a goal in mind: to logically order their principles to best achieve them in practice. Lincoln's own words suggest that he faced five distinct political contexts during his lifetime. Each of these contexts led him to reconsider which of his commitments—to universal rights, the law, Union, and popular government—to privilege and which to temporarily subordinate. The result was a highly successful combination of pragmatism and idealism that I label “principled pragmatism” and fold in to Richard Neustadt's and Fred Greenstein's ideas about presidential success.
THE QUANTUM G2 LINK INVARIANT
Authors: KUPERBERG GREG
Published: November 2004

We derive an inductive, combinatorial definition of a polynomial-valued regular isotopy invariant of links and tangled graphs. We show that the invariant equals the Reshetikhin-Turaev invariant corresponding to the exceptional simple Lie algebra G2. It is therefore related to G2 in the same way that the HOMFLY polynomial is related to An and the Kauffman polynomial is related to Bn, Cn, and Dn. We give parallel constructions for the other rank 2 Lie algebras and present some combinatorial conjectures motivated by the new inductive definitions.
PROJECTIVELY FLAT SURFACES AND BOGOMOLOV'S THEOREM ON CLASS VII0 SURFACES
Authors: TELEMAN ANDREI-DUMITRU
Published: November 2004

We give a complete proof of Bogomolov's theorem on class VII 0 surfaces starting with the idea of Li, Yau and Zheng to use Kobayashi-Hitchin correspondence. We show that, because of the non-topological character of Gauduchon's degree, the proof of these authors is not complete. We prove that any projectively flat hermitian surface is locally conformally flat-Kähler, which reduces the problem to the classification of locally conformally flat-Kähler surfaces.
MULTIPARTICLE LATTICE GAS AUTOMATA FOR REACTION DIFFUSION SYSTEMS
Authors: CHOPARD BASTIEN , FRACHEBOURG LAURENT , DROZ MICHEL
Published: November 2004

Lattice gas automata are a powerful tool to model reaction-diffusion processes. However, the evolution rules limit the number of particles that can be present at each lattice site. This restriction is often a strong limitation to modelling several reaction-diffusion phenomena and, also, lead to very noisy numerical simulations. We propose and study new algorithms which allow for an arbitrary number of particle, while keeping the benefits of the cellular automata approach (close to a microscopic level of description, deal correctly with all degrees of freedom, and is numerically exact).
NUMERICAL RELATIVITY
Authors: Seidel Edward , Suen Wai-Mo
Published: November 2004

The present status of numerical relativity is reviewed. There are five closely interconnected aspects of numerical relativity: (1) Formulation. The general covariant Einstein equations are reformulated in a way suitable for numerical study by separating the 4-dimensional spacetime into a 3-dimensional space evolving in time. (2) Techniques. A set of tools is developed for determining gauge choices, setting boundary and initial conditions, handling spacetime singularities, etc. As required by the special physical and mathematical properties of general relativity, such techniques are indispensable for the numerical evolutions of spacetime. (3) Coding. The optimal use of parallel processing is crucial for many problems in numerical relativity, due to the intrinsic complexity of the theory. (4) Visualization. Numerical relativity is about the evolutions of 3-dimensional geometric structures. There are special demands on visualization. (5) Interpretation and Understanding. The integration of numerical data in relativity into a consistent physical picture is complicated by gauge and coordinate degrees of freedoms and other difficulties. We give a brief overview of the progress made in these areas.
A NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE FLOW IN A FULLY BLOCKED DIFFERENTIALLY HEATED ROTATING FLUID ANNULUS
Authors: RAYER Q.G.
Published: November 2004

A computational model has been used to determine the terms in the dynamical equations which are responsible for the formation of a certain horizontal circulation seen in a simply connected, differentially heated rotating fluid annulus. Experiments with a differentially heated rotating fluid annulus that is fully blocked by a thin, rigid, vertical radial barrier at rotation rates of up to 5 rad.sec−1 and with an externally applied radial temperature difference of 4 or 10 °C show two principal circulations. This paper is concerned with the mechanism for one of those circulations, which occurs in a horizontal plane. Computer modelling shows that this circulation is caused by small radial temperature gradients in the fluid, rather than centrifugal effects.
HAMILTONIAN INTEGRATORS FOR THE NONLINEAR SCHROEDINGER EQUATION
Authors: ABLOWITZ MARK J. , SCHOBER CONSTANCE M.
Published: November 2004

Hamiltonian integration schemes for the Nonlinear Schroedinger Equation are examined. The efficiency with respect to accuracy and integration time of an integrable scheme, a standard conservative scheme, and a symplectic method is compared.
ESIS ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB
Authors: ANSARI SALIM G. , GIOMMI PAOLO , MICOL ALBERTO
Published: November 2004

On 3rd November, 1993, ESIS announced its Homepage on the World Wide Web (WWW) to the user community. Ever since then, ESIS has steadily increased its Web support to the astronomical community to include a bibliographic service, the ESIS catalogue documentation and the ESIS Data Browser. More functionality will be added in the near future. All these services share a common ESIS structure that is used by other ESIS user paradigms such as the ESIS Graphical User Interface (Giommi and Ansari, 1993), and the ESIS Command Line Interface.

A forms-based paradigm, each ESIS-Web application interfaces to the hypertext transfer protocol (http) translating queries from/to the hypertext markup language (html) format understood by the NCSA Mosaic interface. In this paper, we discuss the ESIS system and show how each ESIS service works on the World Wide Web client.
BOSONIZATION FOR 2D INTERACTING FERMION SYSTEMS: NON-FERMI LIQUID BEHAVIOR
Authors: YU Y. , LI Y.M. , d’AMBRUMENIL N.
Published: November 2004

Non-Fermi liquid behavior is found for the first time in a two-dimensional (2D) system with nonsingular interactions using Haldane’s bosonization scheme. The bosonized system is solved exactly by a generalized Bogolubov transformation. The fermion momentum distribution, calculated using a generalized Mattis-Lieb technique, exhibits a nonuniversal power law in the vicinity of the Fermi surface for intermediate interaction strengths.
LUMINESCENCE BEHAVIOR AND MECHANISM OF LIGHT-EMITTING POROUS SILICON
Authors: WANG XUN
Published: November 2004

In this review article, we give a new insight into the luminescence mechanism of porous silicon. First, we observed a “pinning” characteristic of photoluminescent peaks for as-etched porous silicon samples. It was explained as resulting from the discontinuous variation of the size of Si nanostructures, i.e. the size quantization. A tight-binding calculation of the energy band gap widening versus the dimension of nanoscale Si based on the closed-shell Si cluster model agrees well with the experimental observations. Second, the blue-light emission from porous silicon was achieved by using boiling water treatment. By investigating the luminescence micrographic images and the decaying behaviors of PL spectra, it has been shown that the blue-light emission is believed to be originated from the porous silicon skeleton rather than the surface contaminations. The conditions for achieving blue light need proper size of Si nanostructures, low-surface recombination velocity, and mechanically strong skeleton. The fulfillment of these conditions simultaneously is possible but rather critical. Third, the exciton dynamics in light-emitting porous silicon is studied by using the temperature-dependent and picosecond time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy. A direct evidence of the existence of confined excitons induced by the quantum size effect has been revealed. Two excitation states are found to be responsible for the visible light emission, i.e. a higher lying energy state corresponding to the confined excitons in Si nanostructures and a lower lying state related with surfaces of Si wires or dots. A picture of the carrier transfer between the quantum confined state and the surface localized state has been proposed. Finally, we investigated the transient electroluminescence behaviors of Au/porous silicon/Si/Al structure and found it is very similar to that of an ordinary p-n junction light-emitting diode. The mechanism of electroluminescence is explained as the carrier injection through the Au/porous silicon Schotky barrier and the porous silicon/p-Si heterojunction into the corrugated Si wires, where the radiative recombination of carriers occurs.
EVIDENCE FOR TWO DISTINCT MECHANISMS FOR HOLES IN SINGLE-THALLIUM LAYER CUPRATE SUPERCONDUCTORS
Authors: MANIVANNAN V. , SHIVAKUMARA C. , GOPALAKRISHNAN J.
Published: November 2004

Cuprate superconductors derived from TlSr 2 CuO 5 and TlSr 3 Cu 2 O 7 possess unusually small concentrations of chemically titratable holes (<0.1) as compared with other cuprate superconductors with the same number of CuO 2 sheets. The result suggests the presence of a band overlap contributing to a hole concentration in these materials.