bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sovereignty & democratic exclusion in the new South Africa
Authors: Buur Lars
Published: October 2005

In this essay I will outline the contours of the attempt by the ANC government to reorder state-civil society relations. This will be done by delineating the form of civil society participation that the government has promulgated in the field of justice enforcement in order to ‘tame’ or direct the uncontrolled aspects and forces of self-organisation emanating from the struggle against apartheid known as ‘people’s power’. The article will argue that the establishment of institutions like the Community Policing Forums (CPF) were created to harbour and give direction to these forces rests on and allows for a particular type of democratic citizenship or normative ethical being, while excluding other types of political-ethical being. The essay illustrates how past ideas about friends and enemies of the ANC are used as the interpretive lens to decode opposition to the CPF.
The political economy of Angolan growth: Social & regional structure
Authors: Kyle Steven
Published: October 2005

Too often macroeconomic trends and long term growth prospects are considered in isolation from the very real effect of the physical, social and economic structures. This is particularly so in the case of Angola as its huge flows of revenue from mineral exports collide with the legacy of external debt. However, the interaction of the overarching macro trends with existing political and regional divisions magnifies the difficulties of resolving either the economic or the political problems that have prevented progress for several decades. This paper discusses the ways in which the political divides that have existed for centuries not only remain important even in the post-colonial era, but interact with macroeconomic trends to generate a path of growth and development that is unique to Angola. It is argued that a long term political accommodation involving a solution to Angola's internal political tensions requires addressing all of these issues simultaneously since they all contribute to the current problems and line up precisely the same groups in opposition to each other. These ‘axes of polarisation’ include coastal vs. interior, rural vs. urban/industrial, Mbundu/mestiço vs. Ovimbundu and MPLA vs. UNITA. This discussion proposes a way to overcome these problems and achieve sustained long-term growth.
Discerning the Causal Relationships Between Great Powers' Membership in Intergovernmental Organizations and Their Initiation of Militarized Disputes
Authors: Chan Steve
Published: October 2005

Recent research suggests that intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) contribute to peace. The relevant evidence is based on shared IGO memberships by two states which manage to stay in peace. This article seeks to determine whether, in and of itself, the number of IGOs to which a state belongs is a predictor of its propensity to initiate militarized disputes (that is, whether the causal inference based on dyadic data is sustained when one turns to monadic evidence). Moreover, it seeks to discern any selection bias to the extent that peaceful states may be predisposed to join IGOs, so that both their membership in IGOs and their peaceful foreign relations are due to this same predisposition (implying that participation in IGOs does not make an independent and separate contribution to this state's peacefulness). This article also takes up the endogeneity question, which asks whether membership in IGOs may itself be encouraged by a prior history of peaceful relations. A number of hypotheses regarding the relationship between IGO membership and initiation of militarized disputes are analyzed for the historical data series of eight states which have been great powers at one time or another. Autoregression results show that the predominant causal flow goes from these states' membership in intergovernmental organizations to their incidence of initiating militarized disputes, with the former having a positive impact on the latter. There are, however, some instances when the causal arrow is reversed and when a negative effect between the two variables is indicated. In these latter instances, less conflictual foreign relations have apparently encouraged greater involvement in intergovernmental organizations at a subsequent time. Contrary to our expectation, after controlling for autocorrelation in the time series, the number of IGO memberships for the states studied in this article has not, with the seeming partial exception of Italy, tended to discourage their proclivity to initiate militarized disputes.
Safety of Recombinant Human Factor XIII in a Cynomolgus Monkey Model of Extracorporeal Blood Circulation
Authors: Ponce R. , Armstrong K. , Andrews K. , Hensler J. , Waggie K. , Heffernan J. , Reynolds T. , Rogge M.
Published: October 2005

Factor XIII (FXIII) is a thrombin-activated plasma coagulation factor critical for blood clot stabilization and longevity. Administration of exogenous FXIII to replenish depleted stores after major surgery, including cardiopulmonary bypass, may reduce bleeding complications and transfusion requirements. Thus, a model of extracorporeal circulation (ECC) was developed in adult male cynomolgus monkeys ( Macaca fascicularis) to evaluate the nonclinical safety of recombinant human FXIII (rFXIII). The hematological and coagulation profile in study animals during and after 2 h of ECC was similar to that reported for humans during and after cardiopulmonary bypass, including observations of anemia, thrombocytopenia, and activation of coagulation and platelets. Intravenous slow bolus injection of 300 U/kg (2.1 mg/kg) or 1000 U/kg (7 mg/kg) rFXIII after 2 h of ECC was well tolerated in study animals, and was associated with a dose-dependent increase in FXIII activity. No clinically significant effects in respiration, ECG, heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, clinical chemistry, hematology (including platelet counts), or indicators of thrombosis (thrombin:antithrombin complex and D-Dimer) or platelet activation (platelet factor 4 and beta-thromboglobulin) were related to rFXIII administration. Specific examination of brain, heart, lung, liver, and kidney from rFXIII-treated animals provided no evidence of histopathological alterations suggestive of subclinical hemorrhage or thrombosis. Taken as a whole, the results demonstrate the ECC model suitably replicated the clinical presentation reported for humans during and after cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, and do not suggest significant concerns regarding use of rFXIII in replacement therapy after extracorporeal circulation.
Reconnecting interpretation to reasoning through individual differences
Authors: Stenning Keith , Cox Richard
Published: October 2005

Computational theories of mind assume that participants interpret information and then reason from those interpretations. Research on interpretation in deductive reasoning has claimed to show that subjects’ interpretation of single syllogistic premises in an “immediate inference” task is radically different from their interpretation of pairs of the same premises in syllogistic reasoning tasks (Newstead, 1989, 1995; Roberts, Newstead, & Griggs, 2001). Narrow appeal to particular Gricean implicatures in this work fails to bridge the gap. Grice's theory taken as a broad framework for credulous discourse processing in which participants construct speakers’ “intended models” of discourses can reconcile these results, purchasing continuity of interpretation through variety of logical treatments. We present exploratory experimental data on immediate inference and subsequent syllogistic reasoning. Systematic patterns of interpretation driven by two factors (whether the subject's model of the discourse is credulous, and their degree of reliance on information packaging) are shown to transcend particular quantifier inferences and to drive systematic differences in subjects’ subsequent syllogistic reasoning. We conclude that most participants do not understand deductive tasks as experimenters intend, and just as there is no single logical model of reasoning, so there is no reason to expect a single “fundamental human reasoning mechanism”.
Forward blocking in human learning sometimes reflects the failure to encode a cue–outcome relationship
Authors: Mitchell Chris J. , Lovibond Peter F. , Minard Erin , Lavis Yvonna
Published: October 2005

In two “allergist” causal judgement experiments, participants were trained with a blocking design (A + |AB+). The procedure allowed different food cues to be paired with different fictitious allergic reactions. On test, participants were asked to rate the causal efficacy of the target cues and to recall the particular allergic reaction (outcome) that had followed each cue during training. Forward blocking was observed on the causal judgement measure and on the outcome recall measure in both Experiment 1 and Experiment 2. A backward blocking contingency was also trained in Experiment 2 (AB + |A+). Backward blocking was not observed either on the causal judgement or on the outcome recall measure. The evidence from the recall measure suggests that forward blocking in this task results from a failure to encode the B–outcome relationship during training. Associative and nonassociative mechanisms of forward blocking are discussed.
Limitations on representation-mediated potentiation of flavour or odour aversions
Authors: Holland Peter C.
Published: October 2005

Odour aversion learning is often potentiated in the presence of flavour stimuli. Establishment of an aversion to an odour is greater when an odour + flavour compound is paired with illness than when the odour alone is paired with illness. Holland (1983) showed that under some circumstances auditory or olfactory stimuli previously paired with flavours may also potentiate odour aversion learning. The present experiments examined limitations on this representation-mediated potentiation of aversion learning. The results indicated that conditioned stimuli (CSs) that activate representations of potentiating cues are themselves immune to potentiation by other CS-activated representations, but remain susceptible to potentiation by their real stimulus associates.
Preschoolers out of adults: Discriminative learning with a cognitive load
Authors: Sirois Sylvain , Shultz Thomas R.
Published: October 2005

This paper explores novel predictions from the spontaneous overtraining interpretation of human discrimination shift learning (Sirois & Shultz, 1998a). Results from six experiments where adults perform a discrimination shift task with or without a cognitive distractor are reported. In three experiments with a concurrent distractor task (Experiments 1A, 2A, and 3A), performance of adults is comparable to what would be expected from preschoolers performing only the learning task. These adults show no dimensional transfer from initial learning, unless new attributes are introduced in shift learning. On the same tasks without a cognitive load (Experiments 1B, 2B, and 3B), performance is typical of normal adults. The discussion focuses on the relative ability of competing theoretical models (i.e., levels of processing, attentional mediation, and perceptual differentiation) to account for these data.
Mitogen-inducible gene 6 is an endogenous inhibitor of HGF/Met-induced cell migration and neurite growth
Authors: Pante Guido , Thompson Jane , Lamballe Fabienne , Iwata Tomoko , Ferby Ingvar , Barr Francis A. , Davies Alun M. , Maina Flavio , Klein Rüdiger
Published: October 2005

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/Met signaling controls cell migration, growth and differentiation in several embryonic organs and is implicated in human cancer. The physiologic mechanisms that attenuate Met signaling are not well understood. Here we report a mechanism by which mitogen-inducible gene 6 (Mig6; also called Gene 33 and receptor-associated late transducer) negatively regulates HGF/Met-induced cell migration. The effect is observed by Mig6 overexpression and is reversed by Mig6 small interfering RNA knock-down experiments; this indicates that endogenous Mig6 is part of a mechanism that inhibits Met signaling. Mig6 functions in cells of hepatic origin and in neurons, which suggests a role for Mig6 in different cell lineages. Mechanistically, Mig6 requires an intact Cdc42/Rac interactive binding site to exert its inhibitory action, which suggests that Mig6 acts, at least in part, distally from Met, possibly by inhibiting Rho-like GTPases. Because Mig6 also is induced by HGF stimulation, our results suggest that Mig6 is part of a negative feedback loop that attenuates Met functions in different contexts and cell types.
Analysis of the Xenopus Werner syndrome protein in DNA double-strand break repair
Authors: Yan Hong , McCane Jill , Toczylowski Thomas , Chen Chinyi
Published: October 2005

Werner syndrome is associated with premature aging and increased risk of cancer. Werner syndrome protein (WRN) is a RecQ-type DNA helicase, which seems to participate in DNA replication, double-strand break (DSB) repair, and telomere maintenance; however, its exact function remains elusive. Using Xenopus egg extracts as the model system, we found that Xenopus WRN (xWRN) is recruited to discrete foci upon induction of DSBs. Depletion of xWRN has no significant effect on nonhomologous end-joining of DSB ends, but it causes a significant reduction in the homology-dependent single-strand annealing DSB repair pathway. These results provide the first direct biochemical evidence that links WRN to a specific DSB repair pathway. The assay for single-strand annealing that was developed in this study also provides a powerful biochemical system for mechanistic analysis of homology-dependent DSB repair.
The mechanisms and dynamics of αvβ3 integrin clustering in living cells
Authors: Cluzel Caroline , Saltel Frédéric , Lussi Jost , Paulhe Frédérique , Imhof Beat A. , Wehrle-Haller Bernhard
Published: October 2005

During cell migration, the physical link between the extracellular substrate and the actin cytoskeleton mediated by receptors of the integrin family is constantly modified. We analyzed the mechanisms that regulate the clustering and incorporation of activated αvβ3 integrins into focal adhesions. Manganese (Mn2+) or mutational activation of integrins induced the formation of de novo F-actin–independent integrin clusters. These clusters recruited talin, but not other focal adhesion adapters, and overexpression of the integrin-binding head domain of talin increased clustering. Integrin clustering required immobilized ligand and was prevented by the sequestration of phosphoinositole-4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2). Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching analysis of Mn2+-induced integrin clusters revealed increased integrin turnover compared with mature focal contacts, whereas stabilization of the open conformation of the integrin ectodomain by mutagenesis reduced integrin turnover in focal contacts. Thus, integrin clustering requires the formation of the ternary complex consisting of activated integrins, immobilized ligands, talin, and PI(4,5)P2. The dynamic remodeling of this ternary complex controls cell motility.
Melanophilin and myosin Va track the microtubule plus end on EB1
Authors: Wu Xufeng S. , Tsan Grace L. , Hammer John A.
Published: October 2005

In mouse melanocytes, myosin Va is recruited onto the surface of melanosomes by a receptor complex containing Rab27a that is present in the melanosome membrane and melanophilin (Mlp), which links myosin Va to Rab27a. In this study, we show that Mlp is also a microtubule plus end–tracking protein or +TIP. Moreover, myosin Va tracks the plus end in a Mlp-dependent manner. Data showing that overexpression and short inhibitory RNA knockdown of the +TIP EB1 have opposite effects on Mlp–microtubule interaction, that Mlp interacts directly with EB1, and that deletion from Mlp of a region similar to one in the adenomatous polyposis coli protein involved in EB1 binding blocks Mlp's ability to plus end track argue that Mlp tracks the plus end directly by hitchhiking on EB1. These results identify a novel +TIP and indicate that vertebrate cells possess a +TIP complex that is similar to the Myo2p–Kar9p–Bim1p complex in yeast. We suggest that the +TIP complex identified in this study may serve to focus the transfer of melanosomes from microtubules to actin at the microtubule plus end.
Merlin/NF-2 mediates contact inhibition of growth by suppressing recruitment of Rac to the plasma membrane
Authors: Okada Tomoyo , Lopez-Lago Miguel , Giancotti Filippo G.
Published: October 2005

Introduction of activated p21-activated kinase (PAK) is sufficient to release primary endothelial cells from contact inhibition of growth. Confluent cells display deficient activation of PAK and translocation of Rac to the plasma membrane at matrix adhesions. Targeting Rac to the plasma membrane rescues these cells from contact inhibition. PAK's ability to release human umbilical vein endothelial cells from contact inhibition is blocked by an unphosphorylatable form of its target Merlin, suggesting that PAK promotes mitogenesis by phosphorylating, and thus inactivating, Merlin. Merlin mutants, which are presumed to exert a dominant-negative effect, enable recruitment of Rac to matrix adhesions and promote mitogenesis in confluent cells. Small interference RNA–mediated knockdown of Merlin exerts the same effects. Dominant-negative Rac blocks PAK-mediated release from contact inhibition, implying that PAK functions upstream of Rac in this signaling pathway. These results provide a framework for understanding the tumor suppressor function of Merlin and indicate that Merlin mediates contact inhibition of growth by suppressing recruitment of Rac to matrix adhesions.
Mechanical force mobilizes zyxin from focal adhesions to actin filaments and regulates cytoskeletal reinforcement
Authors: Yoshigi Masaaki , Hoffman Laura M. , Jensen Christopher C. , Yost H. Joseph , Beckerle Mary C.
Published: October 2005

Organs and tissues adapt to acute or chronic mechanical stress by remodeling their actin cytoskeletons. Cells that are stimulated by cyclic stretch or shear stress in vitro undergo bimodal cytoskeletal responses that include rapid reinforcement and gradual reorientation of actin stress fibers; however, the mechanism by which cells respond to mechanical cues has been obscure. We report that the application of either unidirectional cyclic stretch or shear stress to cells results in robust mobilization of zyxin from focal adhesions to actin filaments, whereas many other focal adhesion proteins and zyxin family members remain at focal adhesions. Mechanical stress also induces the rapid zyxin-dependent mobilization of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein from focal adhesions to actin filaments. Thickening of actin stress fibers reflects a cellular adaptation to mechanical stress; this cytoskeletal reinforcement coincides with zyxin mobilization and is abrogated in zyxin-null cells. Our findings identify zyxin as a mechanosensitive protein and provide mechanistic insight into how cells respond to mechanical cues.
Cell surface counter receptors are essential components of the unconventional export machinery of galectin-1
Authors: Seelenmeyer Claudia , Wegehingel Sabine , Tews Ivo , Künzler Markus , Aebi Markus , Nickel Walter
Published: October 2005

Galectin-1 is a component of the extracellular matrix as well as a ligand of cell surface counter receptors such as β-galactoside–containing glycolipids, however, the molecular mechanism of galectin-1 secretion has remained elusive. Based on a nonbiased screen for galectin-1 export mutants we have identified 26 single amino acid changes that cause a defect of both export and binding to counter receptors. When wild-type galectin-1 was analyzed in CHO clone 13 cells, a mutant cell line incapable of expressing functional galectin-1 counter receptors, secretion was blocked. Intriguingly, we also find that a distant relative of galectin-1, the fungal lectin CGL-2, is a substrate for nonclassical export from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Alike mammalian galectin-1, a CGL-2 mutant defective in β-galactoside binding, does not get exported from CHO cells. We conclude that the β-galactoside binding site represents the primary targeting motif of galectins defining a galectin export machinery that makes use of β-galactoside–containing surface molecules as export receptors for intracellular galectin-1.
Retinal ganglion cell degeneration is topological but not cell type specific in DBA/2J mice
Authors: Jakobs Tatjana C. , Libby Richard T. , Ben Yixin , John Simon W.M. , Masland Richard H.
Published: October 2005

Using a variety of double and triple labeling techniques, we have reevaluated the death of retinal neurons in a mouse model of hereditary glaucoma. Cell-specific markers and total neuron counts revealed no cell loss in any retinal neurons other than the ganglion cells. Within the limits of our ability to define cell types, no group of ganglion cells was especially vulnerable or resistant to degeneration. Retrograde labeling and neurofilament staining showed that axonal atrophy, dendritic remodeling, and somal shrinkage (at least of the largest cell types) precedes ganglion cell death in this glaucoma model. Regions of cell death or survival radiated from the optic nerve head in fan-shaped sectors. Collectively, the data suggest axon damage at the optic nerve head as an early lesion, and damage to axon bundles would cause this pattern of degeneration. However, the architecture of the mouse eye seems to preclude a commonly postulated source of mechanical damage within the nerve head.
Regulation of meiotic prophase arrest in mouse oocytes by GPR3, a constitutive activator of the Gs G protein
Authors: Freudzon Leon , Norris Rachael P. , Hand Arthur R. , Tanaka Shigeru , Saeki Yoshinaga , Jones Teresa L.Z. , Rasenick Mark M. , Berlot Catherine H. , Mehlmann Lisa M. , Jaffe Laurinda A.
Published: October 2005

The arrest of meiotic prophase in mouse oocytes within antral follicles requires the G protein Gs and an orphan member of the G protein–coupled receptor family, GPR3. To determine whether GPR3 activates Gs, the localization of Gαs in follicle-enclosed oocytes from Gpr3+/+ and Gpr3−/− mice was compared by using immunofluorescence and GαsGFP. GPR3 decreased the ratio of Gαs in the oocyte plasma membrane versus the cytoplasm and also decreased the amount of Gαs in the oocyte. Both of these properties indicate that GPR3 activates Gs. The follicle cells around the oocyte are also necessary to keep the oocyte in prophase, suggesting that they might activate GPR3. However, GPR3-dependent Gs activity was similar in follicle-enclosed and follicle-free oocytes. Thus, the maintenance of prophase arrest depends on the constitutive activity of GPR3 in the oocyte, and the follicle cell signal acts by a means other than increasing GPR3 activity.
TIP maker and TIP marker; EB1 as a master controller of microtubule plus ends
Authors: Vaughan Kevin T.
Published: October 2005

The EB1 protein is a member of the exciting and enigmatic family of microtubule (MT) tip-tracking proteins. EB1 acts as an exquisite marker of dynamic MT plus ends in some cases, whereas in others EB1 is thought to directly dictate the behavior of the plus ends. How EB1 differentiates between these two roles remains unclear; however, a growing list of interactions between EB1 and other MT binding proteins suggests there may be a single mechanism. Adding another layer of complexity to these interactions, two studies published in this issue implicate EB1 in cross-talk between mitotic MTs and between MTs and actin filaments (Goshima et al., p. 229; Wu et al., p. 201). These results raise the possibility that EB1 is a central player in MT-based transport, and that the activity of MT-binding proteins depends on their ability or inability to interact with EB1.
ConFind: a robust tool for conserved sequence identification
Authors: Smagala James A. , Dawson Erica D. , Mehlmann Martin , Townsend Michael B. , Kuchta Robert D. , Rowlen Kathy L.
Published: October 2005

Summary: ConFind (conserved region finder) identifies regions of conservation in multiple sequence alignments that can serve as diagnostic targets. Designed to work with a large number of closely related, highly variable sequences, ConFind provides robust handling of alignments containing partial sequences and ambiguous characters. Conserved regions are defined in terms of minimum region length, maximum informational entropy (variability) per position, number of exceptions allowed to the maximum entropy criterion and the minimum number of sequences that must contain a non-ambiguous character at a position to be considered for inclusion in a conserved region. Comparison of the calculated entropy for an alignment of 95 influenza A hemagglutinin sequences with random deletions results in a 98% reduction in the average error in ConFind relative to the ‘Find Conserved Regions’ option in BioEdit.

Requirements: ConFind requires Python 2.3, but Python 2.4 or an upgrade of the optparse module to Optik 1.5 is suggested. The program is known to run under Linux and DOS.

Availability: ConFind is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). Source code, documentation, and a precompiled DOS executable are available for download at

Contact:  rowlen@colorado.edu
OligoFaktory: a visual tool for interactive oligonucleotide design
Authors: Schretter Colas , Milinkovitch Michel C.
Published: October 2005

Summary: The OligoFaktory is a set of tools for the design, on an arbitrary number of target sequences, of high-quality long oligonucleotide for micro-array, of primer pair for PCR, of siRNA and more. The user-centered interface exists in two flavours: a web portal and a standalone software for Mac OS X Tiger. A unified presentation of results provides overviews with distribution charts and relative location bar graphs, as well as detailed features for each oligonucleotide. Input and output files conform to a common XML interchange file format to allow both automatic generation of input data, archiving, and post-processing of results. The design pipeline can use BLAST servers to evaluate specificity of selected oligonucleotides.

Availability: The web portal ; the software for Macintosh:

Contact:  cschrett@ulb.ac.be
STATE ADOPTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT INITIATIVES
Authors: STAFFORD SARAH L.
Published: October 2005

This article examines the factors that affect state adoption of environmental audit legislation and self‐policing policies. The results of both a cross‐section probit and a Weibull proportional hazard model suggest that political context and state–federal relationships are key factors in adoption decisions while environmental conditions are less significant and institutional capacity is the least important. Overall, the results for audit privilege and immunity legislation are very similar, but several explanatory factors affect adoption of audit legislation and self‐policing policies in opposite ways. Finally, these results also suggest that EPA opposition to audit legislation has had a significant deterrent effect. (JEL D78, Q28, K32)
Natural Health Products, Modulation of Immune Function and Prevention of Chronic Diseases
Authors: Haddad Pierre S. , Azar Georges A. , Groom Simon , Boivin Michel
Published: October 2005

The immune system is increasingly found to be involved in the development of several chronic illnesses, for which allopathic medicine has provided limited tools for treatment and especially prevention. In that context, it appears worthwhile to target the immune system in order to modulate the risk of certain chronic illnesses. Meanwhile, natural health products (NHPs) are generating renewed interest, particularly in the prevention and treatment of several chronic diseases. Over 20 scientists from fields related to immune function and NHPs were thus convened to establish the state of knowledge on these subjects and to explore future research directions. This review summarizes the result of discussions held during the symposium. It thus seeks to be thought provoking rather than to comprehensively cover such broad areas of research. Notably, a brief overview of the immune system is presented, including potentially useful targets and strategies to keep it in an equilibrated state, in order to prevent certain disorders. The pertinence and limitations of targeting the immune system to prevent chronic diseases is also discussed. The paper then discusses the usefulness and limitations of current experimental tools available to study the immune modulating effects of NHPs. Finally, a concise review of some of the most studied NHPs showing promising immunomodulatory activity is given, and avenues for future research are described.
The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among California Adults With and Without Cancer
Authors: Goldstein Michael S , Brown E. Richard , Ballard-Barbash Rachel , Morgenstern Hal , Bastani Roshan , Lee Jennifer , Gatto Nicole , Ambs Anita
Published: October 2005

This article examines the extent and correlates of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among a population‐based sample of California adults that is highly diverse in terms of sociodemographic characteristics and health status. As a follow‐up to a state‐wide health survey of 55 428 people, 9187 respondents were interviewed by phone regarding their use of 11 different types of CAM providers, special diets, dietary supplements, mind–body interventions, self‐prayer and support groups. The sample included all participants in the initial survey who reported a diagnosis of cancer, all the non‐white respondents, as well as a random sample of all the white respondents. The relation of CAM use to the respondents′ demographic characteristics and health status is assessed. CAM use among Californians is generally high, and the demographic factors associated with high rates of CAM use are the same in California as have been found in other studies. Those reporting a diagnosis of cancer and those who report other chronic health problems indicate a similar level of visits to CAM providers. However, those with cancer are less likely to report using special diets, and more likely to report using support groups and prayer. Health status, gender, ethnicity and education have an independent impact upon CAM use among those who are healthy as well as those who report suffering from chronic health problems, although the precise relation varies by the type of CAM used.
African elephants show high levels of interest in the skulls and ivory of their own species
Authors: McComb Karen , Baker Lucy , Moss Cynthia
Published: October 2005

An important area of biology involves investigating the origins in animals of traits that are thought of as uniquely human. One way that humans appear unique is in the importance they attach to the dead bodies of other humans, particularly those of their close kin, and the rituals that they have developed for burying them. In contrast, most animals appear to show only limited interest in the carcasses or associated remains of dead individuals of their own species. African elephants (Loxodonta africana) are unusual in that they not only give dramatic reactions to the dead bodies of other elephants, but are also reported to systematically investigate elephant bones and tusks that they encounter, and it has sometimes been suggested that they visit the bones of relatives. Here, we use systematic presentations of object arrays to demonstrate that African elephants show higher levels of interest in elephant skulls and ivory than in natural objects or the skulls of other large terrestrial mammals. However, they do not appear to specifically select the skulls of their own relatives for investigation so that visits to dead relatives probably result from a more general attraction to elephant remains.
The baryonic mass function of galaxies
Authors: Read J.I , Trentham Neil
Published: October 2005

In the Big Bang about 5% of the mass that was created was in the form of normal baryonic matter (neutrons and protons). Of this about 10% ended up in galaxies in the form of stars or of gas (that can be in molecules, can be atomic, or can be ionized).

In this work, we measure the baryonic mass function of galaxies, which describes how the baryonic mass is distributedwithingalaxies of different types (e.g. spiral or elliptical) and of different sizes. This can provide useful constraints on our current cosmology, convolved with our understanding of how galaxies form. This work relies on various large astronomical surveys, e.g. the optical Sloan Digital Sky Survey (to observe stars) and the HIPASS radio survey (to observe atomic gas). We then perform an integral over our mass function to determine the cosmological density of baryons in galaxies:Ωb,gal=0.0035. Most of these baryons are in stars:Ω*=0.0028. Only about 20% are in gas. The error on the quantities, as determined from the range obtained between different methods, isca10%; systematic errors may be much larger.

Most (ca90%) of the baryons in the Universe are not in galaxies. They probably exist in a warm/hot intergalactic medium. Searching for direct observational evidence and deeper theoretical understanding for this will form one of the major challenges for astronomy in the next decade.
Mixing in seasonally stratified shelf seas: a shifting paradigm
Authors: Rippeth Tom P
Published: October 2005

Although continental shelf seas make up a relatively small fraction (
ca
7%) of the world ocean's surface, they are thought to contribute significantly (20–50% of the total) to the open-ocean carbon dioxide storage through processes collectively known as the shelf sea pump. The global significance of these processes is determined by the vertical mixing, which drives the net CO
2
drawdown (which can occur only in stratified water). In this paper, we focus on identifying the processes that are responsible for mixing across the thermocline in seasonally stratified shelf seas. We present evidence that shear instability and internal wave breaking are largely responsible for thermocline mixing, a clear development from the first-order paradigm for the water column structure in continental shelf seas. The levels of dissipation observed are quantitatively consistent with the observed dissipation rates of the internal tide and near-inertial oscillations. It is perhaps because these processes make such a small contribution to the total energy dissipated in shelf seas that they are not well represented in current state-of-the-art numerical models of continental shelf seas. The results thus present a clear challenge to oceanographic models.
An overview of coronal seismology
Authors: De Moortel I
Published: October 2005

The idea of exploiting observed oscillations as a diagnostic tool for determining the physical conditions of the coronal plasma was first suggested several decades ago (Roberts
et al
. 1984
Astrophys. J
.
279
, 857). Until recently, the application of this idea has been very limited by a lack of high-quality observations of coronal oscillations. However, during the last few years, this situation has changed dramatically, especially due to space-based observations by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory and the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer and waves and oscillations have now been observed in a wide variety of solar structures, such as coronal loops, polar plumes and prominences.

This paper will briefly summarize MHD wave theory, which forms the basis for coronal seismology, as well as present an overview of the variety of recently observed waves and oscillations in the solar corona. The present state of coronal seismology will also be discussed. Currently, the uncertainty associated with the obtained parameters is still considerable and, hence, the results require a cautious interpretation. However, these examples do show that coronal seismology is rapidly being transformed from a theoretical possibility to a viable technique.
Jets, hotspots and lobes: what X-ray observations tell us about extragalactic radio sources
Authors: Hardcastle Martin J
Published: October 2005

The brightest and most numerous discrete radio sources in the sky, radio galaxies and quasars, are powered by twin jets of plasma which emerge at relativistic speeds from very small regions at the centre of large elliptical galaxies, powered by mass infall on to supermassive black holes. The jets can carry material out to very large distances (millions of light years) where it forms balloon-like lobes. Until recently it has been impossible to make definite statements about the energy or the nature of the matter supplied by the jets, or the dynamics of the lobes as they expand into the external medium. This has meant that crucial questions about the generation of radio sources and their effect on their environment have gone unanswered. The situation has been revolutionized by the launch at the start of this decade of a new generation of X-ray observatories,
Chandra
and
XMM-Newton
. In this article, I explain why observations with these instruments have made such a difference, what we have learned as a result and why the community remains divided on some important features of the interpretation of the data.
Volcano remote sensing with ground-based spectroscopy
Authors: McGonigle Andrew J.S
Published: October 2005

The chemical compositions and emission rates of volcanic gases carry important information about underground magmatic and hydrothermal conditions, with application in eruption forecasting. Volcanic plumes are also studied because of their impacts upon the atmosphere, climate and human health. Remote sensing techniques are being increasingly used in this field because they provide real-time data and can be applied at safe distances from the target, even throughout violent eruptive episodes. However, notwithstanding the many scientific insights into volcanic behaviour already achieved with these approaches, technological limitations have placed firm restrictions upon the utility of the acquired data. For instance, volcanic SO2emission rate measurements are typically inaccurate (errors can be greater than 100%) and have poor time resolution (caonce per week). Volcanic gas geochemistry is currently being revolutionized by the recent implementation of a new generation of remote sensing tools, which are overcoming the above limitations and are providing degassing data of unprecedented quality. In this article, I review this field at this exciting point of transition, covering the techniques used and the insights thereby obtained, and I speculate upon the breakthroughs that are now tantalizingly close.
Organic matter in carbonaceous meteorites: past, present and future research
Authors: Sephton Mark A
Published: October 2005

Carbonaceous meteorites are fragments of ancient asteroids that have remained relatively unprocessed since the formation of the Solar System. These carbon-rich objects provide a record of prebiotic chemical evolution and a window on the early Solar System. Many compound classes are present reflecting a rich organic chemical environment during the formation of the planets. Recent theories suggest that similar extraterrestrial organic mixtures may have acted as the starting materials for life on Earth.
Cosmology with weak lensing surveys
Authors: Munshi Dipak , Valageas Patrick
Published: October 2005

Weak gravitational lensing is responsible for the shearing and magnification of the images of high-redshift sources due to the presence of intervening mass. Since the lensing effects arise from deflections of the light rays due to fluctuations of the gravitational potential, they can be directly related to the underlying density field of the large-scale structures. Weak gravitational surveys are complementary to both galaxy surveys and cosmic microwave background observations as they probe unbiased nonlinear matter power spectra at medium redshift. Ongoing CMBR experiments such as WMAP and a future Planck satellite mission will measure the standard cosmological parameters with unprecedented accuracy. The focus of attention will then shift to understanding the nature of dark matter and vacuum energy: several recent studies suggest that lensing is the best method for constraining the dark energy equation of state. During the next 5 year period, ongoing and future weak lensing surveys such as the Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM; e.g. SNAP) or the Large-aperture Synoptic Survey Telescope will play a major role in advancing our understanding of the universe in this direction. In this review article, we describe various aspects of probing the matter power spectrum and the bispectrum and other related statistics with weak lensing surveys. This can be used to probe the background dynamics of the universe as well as the nature of dark matter and dark energy.
Mixing and transport in urban areas
Authors: Belcher Stephen E
Published: October 2005

Concern over terrorist releases of harmful material has generated interest in short-range air-borne dispersion in urban areas. Here, we review the important fluid dynamical processes that control dispersion in the first kilometre, the neighbourhood scale, when much of the material remains within the urban canopy. Dispersion is then controlled by turbulent mixing and mean flow transport through the network of streets. We consider mixing and transport in a long straight street, street intersections and then a network of streets connected by intersections. The mixing and transport in these systems are illustrated with results from recent fine-resolution numerical simulations and laboratory models, which then inform simpler scaling estimates and modelling schemes. Finally, we make some tentative steps to pull the process studies together to begin to understand results from full-scale observations. In particular, it is shown that the positions of ‘shear layers’ and ‘dividing streamlines’ largely control the patterns of mixing and transport. It is also shown that neighbourhood-scale dispersion follows one scaling in the near field and another in the far field after passage through many intersections. The challenge for the future is to bring these threads together into a coherent mathematical model.
Modelling climate change: the role of unresolved processes
Authors: Williams Paul D
Published: October 2005

Our understanding of the climate system has been revolutionized recently, by the development of sophisticated computer models. The predictions of such models are used to formulate international protocols, intended to mitigate the severity of global warming and its impacts. Yet, these models are not perfect representations of reality, because they remove from explicit consideration many physical processes which are known to be key aspects of the climate system, but which are too small or fast to be modelled. The purpose of this paper is to give a personal perspective of the current state of knowledge regarding the problem of unresolved scales in climate models. A recent novel solution to the problem is discussed, in which it is proposed, somewhat counter-intuitively, that the performance of models may be improved by adding random noise to represent the unresolved processes.
Future perspectives in astronomy and the earth sciences
Authors: Thompson J. Michael T , Wang Charles H.-T
Published: October 2005

This article is an overview of the contributions to the Triennial Issue of
Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A
published in December, 2005, and also plays the role of a Preface. Devoted to the work of young scientists, the issue covers the fields of astronomy and earth science.
From GCM grid cell to agricultural plot: scale issues affecting modelling of climate impact
Authors: Baron Christian , Sultan Benjamin , Balme Maud , Sarr Benoit , Traore Seydou , Lebel Thierry , Janicot Serge , Dingkuhn Michael
Published: October 2005

General circulation models (GCM) are increasingly capable of making relevant predictions of seasonal and long-term climate variability, thus improving prospects of predicting impact on crop yields. This is particularly important for semi-arid West Africa where climate variability and drought threaten food security. Translating GCM outputs into attainable crop yields is difficult because GCM grid boxes are of larger scale than the processes governing yield, involving partitioning of rain among runoff, evaporation, transpiration, drainage and storage at plot scale. This study analyses the bias introduced to crop simulation when climatic data is aggregated spatially or in time, resulting in loss of relevant variation. A detailed case study was conducted using historical weather data for Senegal, applied to the crop model SARRA-H (version for millet). The study was then extended to a 10°N–17° N climatic gradient and a 31 year climate sequence to evaluate yield sensitivity to the variability of solar radiation and rainfall. Finally, a down-scaling model called LGO (Lebel–Guillot–Onibon), generating local rain patterns from grid cell means, was used to restore the variability lost by aggregation. Results indicate that forcing the crop model with spatially aggregated rainfall causes yield overestimations of 10–50% in dry latitudes, but nearly none in humid zones, due to a biased fraction of rainfall available for crop transpiration. Aggregation of solar radiation data caused significant bias in wetter zones where radiation was limiting yield. Where climatic gradients are steep, these two situations can occur within the same GCM grid cell. Disaggregation of grid cell means into a pattern of virtual synoptic stations having high-resolution rainfall distribution removed much of the bias caused by aggregation and gave realistic simulations of yield. It is concluded that coupling of GCM outputs with plot level crop models can cause large systematic errors due to scale incompatibility. These errors can be avoided by transforming GCM outputs, especially rainfall, to simulate the variability found at plot level.
Climate change impacts on crop yield and quality with CO
2
fertilization in China
Authors: Erda Lin , Wei Xiong , Hui Ju , Yinlong Xu , Yue Li , Liping Bai , Liyong Xie
Published: October 2005

A regional climate change model (PRECIS) for China, developed by the UK's Hadley Centre, was used to simulate China's climate and to develop climate change scenarios for the country. Results from this project suggest that, depending on the level of future emissions, the average annual temperature increase in China by the end of the twenty-first century may be between 3 and 4 °C. Regional crop models were driven by PRECIS output to predict changes in yields of key Chinese food crops: rice, maize and wheat. Modelling suggests that climate change without carbon dioxide (CO
2
) fertilization could reduce the rice, maize and wheat yields by up to 37% in the next 20–80 years. Interactions of CO
2
with limiting factors, especially water and nitrogen, are increasingly well understood and capable of strongly modulating observed growth responses in crops. More complete reporting of free-air carbon enrichment experiments than was possible in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Third Assessment Report confirms that CO
2
enrichment under field conditions consistently increases biomass and yields in the range of 5–15%, with CO
2
concentration elevated to 550 ppm Levels of CO
2
that are elevated to more than 450 ppm will probably cause some deleterious effects in grain quality. It seems likely that the extent of the CO
2
fertilization effect will depend upon other factors such as optimum breeding, irrigation and nutrient applications.