bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Facilitating Family Communication About Predictive Genetic Testing: Probands’ Perceptions
Authors: Gaff Clara L. , Collins Veronica , Symes Tiffany , Halliday Jane
Published: June 2005

The responsibility of informing relatives that predictive genetic testing is available often falls to the proband. Support is required during this process, however the perceived utility of genetic counseling and other strategies to facilitate communication have not been explored. We investigated the experiences of 12 individuals with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) in a semistructured telephone interview. Respondents informed their immediate family about the availability of genetic testing, however many more‐distant relatives were not directly informed. Respondents were mostly satisfied with the way they told family members about testing and had mixed views about the usefulness of genetic counseling. Gender differences were observed, with most men expressing a need for guidance or support in communicating to relatives. Letters and booklets were thought to enhance the quality of information but the provision of further aids is unlikely to increase the number of relatives made aware of predictive testing by the proband.
Experiences of Prenatal Diagnosis of Spina Bifida or Hydrocephalus in Parents Who Decide to Continue with Their Pregnancy
Authors: Chaplin Julie , Schweitzer Robert , Perkoulidis Shelley
Published: June 2005

The current study aimed to gain an understanding of the perspectives of those parents provided with a prenatal diagnosis of spina bifida or hydrocephalus and who decided to continue with their pregnancy. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 parents who learned of their unborn child's spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus in the prenatal period. The interviewer asked parents about their experiences of receiving a prenatal diagnosis and their experience of coping throughout the remainder of the antenatal period. Parents’ reactions and experiences fell into five domains: response to diagnosis, experience of medical systems, information gathering, decision‐making regarding continuation of the pregnancy following diagnosis and responses of significant others. Each of these domains is explicated. The findings derived from the current study have implications for professionals who provide support to parents during the prenatal period. Future research needs to further explore the common and unique issues for parents living in both urban and rural areas.
Negotiated revolutions: the prospects for radical change in contemporary world politics
Authors: LAWSON GEORGE
Published: June 2005

This article is an attempt to rescue revolution, both as concept and practice, from the triumphalism of the contemporary world. To that end, the article uses three transformations from authoritarian rule – the end of apartheid in South Africa, the collapse of communism in the Czech Republic and the transition from military dictatorship to market democracy in post-Pinochet Chile – in order to test the ways in which these contemporary manifestations of radical change compare and contrast with past examples of revolution. Although these cases share some core similarities with revolutions of the modern era, they also differ from them in five crucial ways: the particular role played by the ‘international’ and the state, the nature of violence, the use of ideology, and the process of negotiation itself. As such, they signify a novel process in world politics, that of negotiated revolution.
The Age of Absolutism: capitalism, the modern states-system and international relations
Authors: MORTON ADAM DAVID
Published: June 2005

Understanding the origins of capitalism in terms of feudal crisis, agrarian class structures and economic development in Europe has been an enduring concern of a growing body of scholarship focusing on changes in social property relations. This work has been distinctive in highlighting long-term patterns of social property relations central to shaping late medieval and early modern Europe, variegated patterns of serfdom within feudalism, class conflicts intrinsic to the emergence of agrarian capitalism, and thus capitalist ‘transition’ through different paths of development. Most recently, the implications of a focus on social property relations have been drawn out in its relevance for International Relations (IR), expressly in terms of tracing specificities within the age of absolutism that shaped the expansion of the states-system and its relation to modernity. This article outlines and engages with past and present debates linked to the social property relations approach. It raises several problematics through an engagement with the theorising of political modernity by Antonio Gramsci and on this basis offers pointers towards future lines of enquiry from which further reflection on the conditions of historical and contemporary state formation and restructuring may proceed.
Ontological security and the power of self-identity: British neutrality and the American Civil War
Authors: STEELE BRENT J
Published: June 2005

Why did Great Britain remain neutral during the American Civil War? Although several historical arguments have been put forth, few studies have explicitly used International Relations (IR) theories to understand this decision. Synthesising a discursive approach with an ontological security interpretation, I propose an alternative framework for understanding security-seeking behaviour and threats to identity. I assess the impact Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation had upon the interventionist debates in Great Britain. I argue that the Proclamation reframed interventionist debates, thus (re)engendering the British anxiety over slavery and removing intervention as a viable policy. I conclude by proposing several issues relevant to using an ontological security interpretation in future IR studies.
‘Reconstruction’ before the Marshall Plan
Authors: WILLIAMS ANDREW J
Published: June 2005

As is often the case when a concept gets a new lease of life in the newspapers there has been a resurrection of interest in recent times in the concept of ‘reconstruction’. The current American administration has now undertaken not one but two major wars that have resulted in the need for reconstruction since 2001 when George W. Bush took up office in the White House. In the previous few years there were major reconstruction efforts undertaken in Bosnia (after the 1995 Dayton Accords) and in Kosovo (after the war of 1999), to name but the most obvious. Historians have to some extent taken up this cue and have been producing edited books and even full length monographs on the ‘lessons’ that we might learn from historical reconstruction efforts. There has also been a great use of conscious historical analogy by President George W. Bush. One classic example of the recent past by President Bush in a speech to the American Enterprise Institute elicited an indignant response from a number of historians in the Financial Times on the dangers of historical analogy.
Unity and difference: John Robert Seeley and the political theology of international relations
Authors: BELL DUNCAN S. A.
Published: June 2005

This article explores the international political thought of one of the most prominent late Victorian public intellectuals, John Robert Seeley (1834–95), the Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge, and author of the best-selling The Expansion of England (1883). Challenging conventional readings of Seeley, I argue that his vision of global politics must be located within the wider frame of his views on the sacred, and that he is seen best as articulating an intriguing political theology of international relations. In particular, I argue that instead of interpreting him as a realist, as has traditionally been the case, his position is classified most accurately as ‘cosmopolitan nationalism’. Only by situating him in the intellectual context(s) of his time is it possible to provide an adequate account of the identity of his political thought.
José Bové and the globalisation countermovement in France and beyond: a Polanyian interpretation
Authors: BIRCHFIELD VICKI
Published: June 2005

This article illustrates the continuing salience of Karl Polanyi's The Great Transformation (1944) by employing two of its central concepts, fictitious commodities and the double movement to interpret the globalisation countermovement and one of its most important figures, José Bové. I explain the transformation of José Bové from rural sheep farmer to French folk hero and global activist and analyse the extent to which his rhetoric and political actions are congruent with Polanyi's key insights. Arguing against the media characterisation of Bové as protectionist, I show that this misrepresentation conceals the larger ideological threat his movement poses to institutionalised politics and neoliberal hegemony. The political vision underlying Bové's symbolic media tactics and articulated in his book, Le Monde n'est pas une Marchandise, reveals significant manifestations of Polanyi's chief intellectual legacy – an unparalleled critique of economism and market society. An often neglected question in Polanyian scholarship is whether or not it is possible to have a market economy without becoming a market society. A more careful analysis of Polanyi's thought sheds light on this key issue while the empirical analysis of Bové's movement reveals its implications for French society and the broader globalisation countermovement.
Barbarian thoughts: imperialism in the philosophy of John Stuart Mill
Authors: JAHN BEATE
Published: June 2005

Mill's political and his international theory rest on a philosophy of history drawn in turn from the experience of nineteenth century imperialism. And yet, this philosophy of history remains unexamined in Political Theory and International Relations (IR) alike, largely because of the peculiar division of labour between the two disciplines. In this article I will argue that this omission results not just in a misconception of those aspects of Mill's thought with which Political Theory and IR directly engage; in addition, and more seriously, it has led in both disciplines to an unreflected perpetuation of Mill's justification of imperialism.
Evaluation of the direct and indirect radiative and climate effects of aerosols over the western Arctic
Authors: Hu R.‐M. , Blanchet J.‐P. , Girard E.
Published: June 2005

From the observations of recent years, there is still not enough evidence to verify the Arctic warming as most global circulation models (GCMs) suggested. This study is dedicated to quantifying the aerosol effect on the Arctic climate change by Northern Aerosol Regional Climate Model (NARCM). The direct and indirect radiative and climate effects of aerosols such as Arctic haze sulfate, black carbon, sea salt, organics, and dust have been evaluated from our NARCM simulations. Within the Arctic Regional Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ARCMIP) our model simulations have been directly compared with the enhanced observation data sets such as the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) and the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) in the time period from October 1997 to September 1998. Results show that the climate effects of aerosols strongly depend on the aerosol composition. The surface radiative forcing of pure sulfate aerosols which includes the direct and indirect components reaches up to −7.2 W/m2 in annual mean. The climate responses to radiative forcing of pure sulfate and five kinds of aerosols together are amazingly different. The impacts of aerosols present strong seasonal cycle. In comparison with observations we find the simulation with five kinds of aerosols can better represent the surface temperature from observation. The aerosol radiative and microphysical effects must be taken into account in order to better simulate and predict the change of energy and water cycle occurring in polar climate system.
Effect of sulfuric acid coating on heterogeneous ice nucleation by soot aerosol particles
Authors: Möhler O. , Büttner S. , Linke C. , Schnaiter M. , Saathoff H. , Stetzer O. , Wagner R. , Krämer M. , Mangold A. , Ebert V. , Schurath U.
Published: June 2005

The low‐temperature aerosol and cloud chamber AIDA (Aerosol Interactions and Dynamics in the Atmosphere) of Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe was used to investigate the effect of sulfuric acid coating on the ice nucleation efficiency of soot aerosol particles from a spark discharge generator. The uncoated (sulfuric acid–coated) soot aerosol showed a nearly lognormal size distribution with number concentrations of 300–5000 cm−3 (2500–56,000 cm−3), count median diameters of 70–140 nm (90–200 nm), and geometric standard deviation of 1.3–1.4 (1.5–1.6). The volume fraction of the sulfuric acid coating to the total aerosol volume concentration ranged from 21 to 81%. Ice activation was investigated in dynamic expansion experiments simulating cloud cooling rates between about −0.6 and −3.5 K min−1. At temperatures between 186 and ∼235 K, uncoated soot particles acted as deposition nuclei at very low ice saturation ratios between 1.1 and 1.3. Above 235 K, ice nucleation only occurred after approaching liquid saturation. Coating with sulfuric acid significantly increased the ice nucleation thresholds of soot aerosol to saturation ratios increasing from ∼1.3 at 230 K to ∼1.5 at 185 K. This immersion mode of freezing nucleates ice well below the thresholds for homogeneous freezing of pure sulfuric acid solution droplets measured in previous AIDA experiments. A case study indicated that in contrast to the homogeneous freezing the nucleation rate of the immersion freezing mechanism depends only weakly on relative humidity and thereby the solute concentration. These results show that it is important to know the mixing state of soot and sulfuric acid aerosol particles in order to properly assess their role in cirrus formation.
Extratropical signature of the quasi‐biennial oscillation
Authors: Ruzmaikin Alexander , Feynman Joan , Jiang Xun , Yung Yuk L.
Published: June 2005

Using the assimilated data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis, we show that the extratropical signature of the tropical quasi‐biennial oscillation (QBO) is seen mostly in the North Annular Mode (NAM) of atmospheric variability. To understand the extratropical manifestation of the QBO, we discuss two effects that have been suggested earlier: (1) The extratropical circulation is driven by the QBO modulation of the planetary wave flux, and (2) the extratropical circulation is driven by the QBO‐induced meridional circulation. We found that the first effect is seen in wave 1 in the beginning of winter and in wave 2 in the end of winter. The QBO‐induced circulation affects midlatitude regions over the entire winter. To investigate the QBO‐NAM coupling, we use an equation that relates the stream function of the meridional circulation and the polar cap averaged temperature, which is a proxy for the NAM index. In addition to the annual Ωa and the QBO frequency ΩQ the spectrum of its solutions indicates the satellite frequencies at Ωa ± ΩQ.
Impact of tropical biomass burning emissions on the diurnal cycle of upper tropospheric CO2 retrieved from NOAA 10 satellite observations
Authors: Chédin A. , Serrar S. , Scott N. A. , Pierangelo C. , Ciais P.
Published: June 2005

Four years (July 1987 to June 1991) of monthly mean upper tropospheric CO2 mixing ratios over the tropics are retrieved from the observations, at 0730 LT (day) and 1930 LT (night) local time, of the meteorological satellite NOAA 10. Analysis of night minus day differences (N‐DD) shows large diurnal variations of CO2, of the order of 2–3 ppm, during months and over regions affected by biomass burning. The patterns of these diurnal variations are in very good agreement with the diurnal and seasonal variations of biomass burning activity. We interpret them as the signal of CO2 plumes being rapidly uplifted by fire‐induced convection into the upper troposphere during the daytime peak of fire activity and then being rapidly dispersed at night by large‐scale atmospheric transport. The upper air CO2 diurnal cycle closely follows the seasonal distribution of burned areas from the European Space Agency's monthly Global Burnt Scar satellite product, which is recognized as yielding reasonable estimates of burned areas for large and presumably intense fires. The largest N‐DD values are found in 1990 over southern Africa in agreement with the reported interannual variability of fire activity. However, the magnitude of these extreme signatures, on the order of 5 ppm locally, is larger than what can reasonably be expected from either in situ observations or from simulations, suggesting some contamination of the N‐DD retrieval by fire emission products other than CO2. It is concluded from a detailed sensitivity analysis that the presence of high‐altitude and large optical depth aerosols, or of elevated tropospheric ozone concentrations, as are often encountered in fire plumes, may significantly contaminate the retrieved CO2 signal (by up to 2–3 ppm for extreme events). The possible contaminating effects of undetected fire‐induced thin cirrus (optical depths less than 0.05 at 14 μm) are also quantified.
Estimation of surface long wave radiation and broadband emissivity using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface temperature/emissivity products
Authors: Wang Kaicun , Wan Zhengming , Wang Pucai , Sparrow Michael , Liu Jingmiao , Zhou Xiuji , Haginoya Shigenori
Published: June 2005

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) global land surface temperature (LST)/emissivity products supply daily, 8‐day, and monthly global temperature and narrowband emissivity data. This article uses these products to calculate the surface long wave radiation of natural objects such as sand, soil, vegetation, etc., based on the Planck function and the Stefan‐Boltzmann law. The results show that using the narrowband emissivity of a single band instead of the broadband emissivity results in large errors of up to 100 W m−2 of the calculated long wave radiation. A method to calculate broadband emissivity in the entire TIR spectral region from the narrowband emissivities of the MODIS bands (29, 31, and 32) in the thermal infrared region is proposed. Using the broadband emissivity, the surface long wave radiation could be calculated to an accuracy better than 6 W m−2 in the temperature region of 240–330 K, with a standard deviation of 1.22 W m−2, and a maximum error of 6.05 W m−2 (not considering the uncertainty associated with the MODIS LST/emissivity products themselves). The satellite estimated broadband emissivity was compared with 3‐year (January 2001 to December 2003) ground‐based measurements of emissivity at Gaize (32.30°N, 84.06°E, 4420 m) on the western Tibetan Plateau. The results show that the broadband emissivity calculated from MODIS narrowband emissivities by this method matches well the ground measurements, with a standard deviation of 0.0085 and a bias of 0.0015.
Continued development of a cloud droplet formation parameterization for global climate models
Authors: Fountoukis Christos , Nenes Athanasios
Published: June 2005

This study presents continued development of the Nenes and Seinfeld (2003) cloud droplet activation parameterization. First, we expanded the formulation to (1) allow for a lognormal representation of aerosol size distribution, and (2) include a size‐dependant mass transfer coefficient for the growth of water droplets to accommodate the effect of size (and potentially organic films) on the droplet growth rate. The performance of the new scheme is evaluated by comparing the parameterized cloud droplet number concentration with that of a detailed numerical activation cloud parcel model. The resulting modified parameterization robustly and closely tracks the parcel model simulations, even for low values of the accommodation coefficient (average error 4.1 ± 1.3%). The modifications to include the effect of accommodation coefficient do not increase the computational cost but substantially improve the parameterization performance. This work offers a robust, computationally efficient and first‐principles approach for directly linking complex chemical effects (e.g., surface tension depression, changes in water vapor accommodation, solute contribution from partial solubility) on aerosol activation within a global climate modeling framework.
A sandbox experiment to investigate bacteria‐mediated redox processes on self‐potential signals
Authors: Naudet V. , Revil A.
Published: June 2005

We investigated the influence of microbial processes on self‐potential signals in a Plexiglas tank filled with a water‐saturated quartz sand. A small region of the tank was treated with sulfato‐reducer bacteria and organic nutrients. Redox potential measurements were performed both in the treated portion containing the bacteria and in the non‐treated portion of the tank. Self‐potential signals were recorded at the upper (free‐air) surface of the tank to monitor biodegradation. We observed a linear correlation between the temporal variation of these self‐potential signals and the redox potential difference between the treated and the non‐treated portion of the tank. Self‐potential signals can therefore be used as a non‐intrusive redox sensor. In addition, we propose a geobattery concept in which biofilms and the possible precipitation of metallic particles (biominerals) at the redox front allow electron transfer (therefore a net driving current density) between the reduced and oxidized parts of the system. In turn, this current is responsible for an electrical field in the Maxwell equations.
Ca cycling and isotopic fluxes in forested ecosystems in Hawaii
Authors: Wiegand B. A. , Chadwick O. A. , Vitousek P. M. , Wooden J. L.
Published: June 2005

Biogeochemical processes fractionate Ca isotopes in plants and soils along a 4 million year developmental sequence in the Hawaiian Islands. We observed that plants preferentially take up 40Ca relative to 44Ca, and that biological fractionation and changes in the relative contributions from volcanic and marine sources produce a significant increase in 44Ca in soil exchangeable pools. Our results imply moderate fluxes enriched in 44Ca from strongly nutrient‐depleted old soils, in contrast with high 40Ca fluxes in young and little weathered environments. In addition, biological fractionation controls divergent geochemical pathways of Ca and Sr in the plant‐soil system. While Ca depletes progressively with increasing soil age, Sr/Ca ratios increase systematically. Sr isotope ratios provide a valuable tracer for provenance studies of alkaline earth elements in forested ecosystems, but its usefulness is limited when deciphering biogeochemical processes involved in the terrestrial Ca cycle. Ca isotopes in combination with Sr/Ca ratios reveal more complex processes involved in the biogeochemistry of Ca and Sr.
Evaluation of long‐term tropospheric NO2 data obtained by GOME over East Asia in 1996–2002
Authors: Irie H. , Sudo K. , Akimoto H. , Richter A. , Burrows J. P. , Wagner T. , Wenig M. , Beirle S. , Kondo Y. , Sinyakov V. P. , Goutail F.
Published: June 2005

Long‐term tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) column data obtained by the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) (G‐NO2) are evaluated to confirm the trends found in tropospheric NO2 abundances over East Asia between 1996 and 2002. For three locations in Central and East Asia, the G‐NO2 values are compared with tropospheric columns estimated from coincident observations of total NO2 by ground‐based UV/visible spectrometers and stratospheric NO2 by satellite solar occultation sensors (E‐NO2). The comparisons show a slight linear drift in G‐NO2 data from 1996 to 2002. However, it is much smaller than the standard deviation of the differences between G‐NO2 and E‐NO2 and much smaller than the increasing trends in NO2 seen by GOME over the industrial areas of China, demonstrating the validity of the trends estimated using the GOME data.
Seasonal variability of near‐surface hydrography and frontal features in the northern Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound
Authors: Okkonen Stephen R. , Cutchin David L. , Royer Thomas C.
Published: June 2005

The meridional structure and seasonal cycles of near‐surface hydrography and frontal features in the northern Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound are described from high‐resolution measurements of near‐surface temperature and salinity acquired by a vessel‐mounted thermosalinograph. Near‐surface temperature exhibits a well‐defined seasonal cycle with little variation between basin and shelf waters. Near‐surface salinity exhibits a well‐defined seasonal cycle that is confined largely to the shelf waters reflecting the influence of coastal freshwater inputs. Prominent near‐surface fronts at the shelf break, at the entrance to Prince William Sound, and in northern Prince William Sound intensify and weaken following the seasonal cycles of freshwater discharges into the northern Gulf of Alaska. These respective fronts are maintained by freshwater from the Alaska Coastal Current, the Copper River, and the snowfields and glaciers of northern Prince William Sound.
Therapeutic targeting of CCR1 attenuates established chronic fungal asthma in mice
Authors: Carpenter Kristin J , Ewing Jillian L , Schuh Jane M , Ness Traci L , Kunkel Steven L , Aparici Monica , Miralpeix Montserrat , Hogaboam Cory M
Published: June 2005

CC chemokine receptor 1 (CCR1) represents a promising target in chronic airway inflammation and remodeling due to fungus‐associated allergic asthma.

The present study addressed the therapeutic effect of a nonpeptide CCR1 antagonist, BX‐471, in a model of chronic fungal asthma induced by Aspergillus fumigatus conidia.

BX‐471 treatment of isolated macrophages inhibited CCL22 and TNF‐α and promoted IL‐10 release. BX‐471 also increased toll like receptor‐9 (TLR9) and decreased TLR2 and TLR6 expression in these cells.

When administered daily by intraperitoneal injection, from days 15 to 30 after the initiation of chronic fungal asthma, BX‐471 (3, 10, or 30 mg kg−1) dose‐dependently reduced airway inflammation, hyper‐responsiveness, and remodeling at day 30 after conidia challenge. The maximal therapeutic effect was observed at the 10 mg kg−1 dose.

In summary, the therapeutic administration of BX‐471 significantly attenuated experimental fungal asthma via its effects on both innate and adaptive immune processes.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2005) 145, 1160–1172. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706243
4‐Amino‐5‐benzoyl‐2‐(4‐methoxyphenylamino)thiazole (DAT1): a cytotoxic agent towards cancer cells and a probe for tubulin‐microtubule system
Authors: Sengupta Suparna , Smitha Sasidharan L , Thomas Nisha E , Santhoshkumar Thankaiyyan R , Devi Satyabhama K C , Sreejalekshmi Kumaran G , Rajasekharan Kallikat N
Published: June 2005

Microtubule binding drugs are of special interest as they have important roles in the modulation of cellular functions and many of them act as anticancer agents. 4‐Amino‐5‐benzoyl‐2‐(4‐methoxyphenylamino)thiazole (DAT1) was identified as one of the active compounds from a series of diaminoketothiazoles in a cell‐based screening assay to discover cytotoxic compounds.

DAT1 shows cytotoxicity with GI50 values ranging from 0.05 to 1 μM in different malignant cell lines with an average value of 0.35 μM. It blocks mitosis in the prometaphase and metaphase stages. In HeLa cells, DAT1 blocks the spindle function by disturbing spindle microtubule and chromosome organization.

The drug also inhibits assembly of brain microtubules and binds tubulin specifically at a single site with induction of fluorescence. The dissociation constant of DAT1 binding to tubulin was determined as 2.9±1 μM at 24°C. The binding site of DAT1 on tubulin overlaps with that of the conventional colchicine‐binding site.

DAT1 can thus be considered as a lead compound of a new class of small molecules and this study can be used as a step to develop potent antimitotic agents for the control of cytoskeletal functions and cell proliferation. It would also be an interesting probe for the structure–function studies of tubulin–microtubule system.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2005) 145, 1076–1083. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706276; published online 13 June 2005
APT070 (Mirococept), a membrane‐localised complement inhibitor, inhibits inflammatory responses that follow intestinal ischaemia and reperfusion injury
Authors: Souza Danielle G , Esser Dirk , Bradford Roberta , Vieira Angélica T , Teixeira Mauro M
Published: June 2005

Activation of the complement system has been shown to play a major role in the mediation of reperfusion injury. Here, we assessed the effects of APT070 (Mirococept), a novel membrane‐localised complement inhibitor based on a recombinant fragment of soluble CR1, on the local, remote and systemic injuries following intestinal ischaemia and reperfusion (I/R) in the rat.

In a model of mild I/R injury (30 min of ischaemia and 30 min of reperfusion), APT070 dose‐dependently (1–10 mg kg−1) inhibited the increase in vascular permeability of and neutrophil influx into intestine and lungs. Maximal inhibition occurred at 10 mg kg−1.

Following severe I/R injury (120 min of ischaemia and 120 min of reperfusion), APT070 (10 mg kg−1) markedly prevented neutrophil influx and the increase in vascular permeability both in the intestine and the lungs.

APT070 also effectively suppressed the increase of tissue (intestine and lungs) and serum concentrations of TNF‐α and IL‐6, but not those of IL‐1β or IL‐10. There was no significant reduction of mortality in the APT070 group.

In conclusion, treatment with the membrane‐targeted complement inhibitor APT070 significantly reduced the hyperinflammatory response after mild and severe ischaemia and reperfusion injury (I/RI) in rats. APT070 may be effective in therapeutic indications involving gut I/RI.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2005) 145, 1027–1034. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706286; published online 13 June 2005
Amiloride protects against pentylenetetrazole‐induced kindling in mice
Authors: Ali Atif , Ahmad Farhan Jalees , Pillai Krishna Kolappa , Vohora Divya
Published: June 2005

This study was performed to investigate whether or not amiloride, a sodium–hydrogen exchanger (NHE) inhibitor, can protect against seizure development of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)‐induced kindling in mice.

Kindling was induced by once every 2 days treatment with PTZ (25 mg kg−1 i.p.) for 5 weeks. Challenge experiments were carried out after 15 or 30 days of last treatment with PTZ.

Administration of amiloride (2 h before PTZ, in doses of 0.65 and 1.3 mg kg−1, p.o.) significantly prolonged the onset of kindling and reduced the incidence and severity of seizures in a dose‐dependent manner. The effect of amiloride on the incidence of PTZ‐induced seizures was evident even after 15 or 30 days of last treatment.

The results indicate a protective role for amiloride against PTZ‐induced kindling in mice. The possibility of mediation of such effects by NHE inhibition is discussed.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2005) 145, 880–884. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706291
Thrombin‐induced glucose transport via Src–p38 MAPK pathway in vascular smooth muscle cells
Authors: Kanda Yasunari , Watanabe Yasuhiro
Published: June 2005

Thrombin is a mitogen for vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and has been implicated in the development in atherosclerosis. However, little is known about the role of thrombin in glucose transport in VSMC.

In this study, we examined the effect of thrombin on glucose uptake in rat A10 VSMC. We found that thrombin induced glucose uptake in a dose‐dependent manner while hirudin, a potent thrombin inhibitor, prevented glucose uptake in the cells. PP2, a selective inhibitor of Src, prevented the thrombin‐induced glucose uptake, but did not affect insulin‐induced uptake.

We also examined whether mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors influenced thrombin‐induced glucose uptake. The p38 MAPK inhibitor (SB203580) inhibited thrombin‐induced glucose uptake, but the MEK inhibitor (PD98059) did not. In contrast to thrombin, SB203580 did not affect insulin‐induced glucose uptake. Furthermore, thrombin failed to translocate the insulin‐sensitive glucose transporter GLUT4.

These findings suggest that thrombin stimulates glucose transport via Src and subsequent p38 MAPK activation in VSMC.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2005) 146, 60–67. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706293
A polarizable multistate empirical valence bond model for proton transport in aqueous solution
Authors: Brancato Giuseppe , Tuckerman Mark E.
Published: June 2005

A multistate empirical valence bond model for proton transport in water, which explicitly includes solvent polarization, is presented. Polarization is included for each valence-bond state via induced point dipoles, and the model is parametrized to be used with an effective path integral derived potential surface, so as to include quantum effects of the transferring proton. The new model is shown to reproduce ab initio geometries and energetics for small protonated clusters. It is also shown that the new model gives a diffusion constant for the excess proton in water, which is in good agreement with experiment, and that the qualitative features of ab initio path integral simulations [D. Marx, M. E. Tuckerman, J. Hutter, and M. Parrinello, Nature (London) 397, 601 (1999)] are well reproduced.
Time reversible and symplectic integrators for molecular dynamics simulations of rigid molecules
Authors: Kamberaj H. , Low R. J. , Neal M. P.
Published: June 2005

Molecular dynamics integrators are presented for translational and rotational motion of rigid molecules in microcanonical, canonical, and isothermal-isobaric ensembles. The integrators are all time reversible and are also, in some approaches, symplectic for the microcanonical ensembles. They are developed utilizing the quaternion representation on the basis of the Trotter factorization scheme using a Hamiltonian formalism. The structure is similar to that of the velocity Verlet algorithm. Comparison is made with standard integrators in terms of stability and it is found that a larger time step is stable with the new integrators. The canonical and isothermal-isobaric molecular dynamics simulations are defined by using a chain thermostat approach according to generalized Nosé–Hoover and Andersen methods.
Time-dependent quantum wave-packet description of the π1σ* photochemistry of phenol
Authors: Lan Zhenggang , Domcke Wolfgang , Vallet Valérie , Sobolewski Andrzej L. , Mahapatra Susanta
Published: June 2005

The photoinduced hydrogen elimination reaction in phenol via the conical intersections of the dissociative π1σ* state with the π1π* state and the electronic ground state has been investigated by time-dependent quantum wave-packet calculations. A model including three intersecting electronic potential-energy surfaces (S0, π1σ*, and π1π*) and two nuclear degrees of freedom (OH stretching and OH torsion) has been constructed on the basis of accurate ab initio multireference electronic-structure data. The electronic population transfer processes at the conical intersections, the branching ratio between the two dissociation channels, and their dependence on the initial vibrational levels have been investigated by photoexciting phenol from different vibrational levels of its ground electronic state. The nonadiabatic transitions between the excited states and the ground state occur on a time scale of a few tens of femtoseconds if the π1π*-π1σ* conical intersection is directly accessible, which requires the excitation of at least one quantum of the OH stretching mode in the π1π* state. It is shown that the node structure, which is imposed on the nuclear wave packet by the initial preparation as well as by the transition through the first conical intersection (π1π*-π1σ*), has a profound effect on the nonadiabatic dynamics at the second conical intersection (π1σ*-S0). These findings suggest that laser control of the photodissociation of phenol via IR mode-specific excitation of vibrational levels in the electronic ground state should be possible.
Benchmark calculations of the complete configuration-interaction limit of Born–Oppenheimer diagonal corrections to the saddle points of isotopomers of the H+H2 reaction
Authors: Mielke Steven L. , Schwenke David W. , Peterson Kirk A.
Published: June 2005

We present a detailed ab initio study of the effect that the Born–Oppenheimer diagonal correction (BODC) has on the saddle-point properties of the H3 system and its isotopomers. Benchmark values are presented that are estimated to be within 0.1cm−1 of the complete configuration-interaction limit. We consider the basis set and correlation treatment requirements for accurate BODC calculations, and both are observed to be more favorable than for the Born–Oppenheimer energies. The BODC raises the H+H2 barrier height by 0.1532kcal∕mol and slightly narrows the barrier—with the imaginary frequency increasing by ∼2%.
Interpretation of light-scattering spectra in terms of particle displacements
Authors: Phillies George D. J.
Published: June 2005

Quasielastic light-scattering spectroscopy is regularly used to examine the dynamics of dilute solutions of diffusing mesoscopic probe particles in fluids. For probes in a simple liquid, the light-scattering spectrum is a simple exponential; the field correlation function g(1)(q,τ) of the scattering particles is related to their mean-square displacements X2¯≡⟨(Δx(τ))2⟩ during τ via g(1)(q,τ)=exp(−12q2X2¯). However, demonstrations of this expression refer only to identical Brownian particles in simple liquids and show that if the form is correct then it is also true for all τ that g(1)(q,τ)=exp(−Γτ), a pure exponential in τ. In general, g(1)(q,τ) is not a single exponential in time. A correct general form for g(1)(q,τ) in terms of the X2n¯, replacing the incorrect exp(−12q2X2¯), is obtained. A simple experimental diagnostic determining when the field correlation function gives the mean-square displacement is identified, namely, g(1)(q,τ) only reveals X2¯ if g(1)(q,τ) is a single exponential in τ. Contrariwise, if g(1)(q,τ) is not a single exponential, then g(1)(q,τ) depends not only on X2¯ but on all higher moments X2n¯. Corrections to the crude approximation g(1)(q,τ)=exp(−12q2X2¯) closely resemble the higher spectral cumulants from a cumulant expansion of g(1)(q,τ).
Noncollinear magnetic order in the six-atom Mn cluster
Authors: Longo R. C. , Noya E. G. , Gallego L. J.
Published: June 2005

We report ab initio calculations of the structures, binding energies, and magnetic moments of the lowest-energy isomers of the cluster Mn6 that were performed using SIESTA, a density-functional method that employs linear combinations of pseudoatomic orbitals as basis sets, nonlocal norm-conserving pseudopotentials, and the local spin-density approximation for exchange and correlation. Our results predict that ground-state Mn6 has a noncollinear magnetic configuration.
Inverse density-functional theory as an interpretive tool for measuring colloid-surface interactions in dense systems
Authors: Lu Mingqing , Bevan Michael A. , Ford David M.
Published: June 2005

Recent advances in optical microscopy, such as total internal reflection and confocal scanning laser techniques, now permit the direct three-dimensional tracking of large numbers of colloidal particles both near and far from interfaces. A novel application of this technology, currently being developed by one of the authors under the name of diffusing colloidal probe microscopy (DCPM), is to use colloidal particles as probes of the energetic characteristics of a surface. A major theoretical challenge in implementing DCPM is to obtain the potential energy of a single particle in the external field created by the surface, from the measured particle trajectories in a dense colloidal system. In this paper we develop an approach based on an inversion of density-functional theory (DFT), where we calculate the single-particle-surface potential from the experimentally measured equilibrium density profile in a nondilute colloidal fluid. The underlying DFT formulation is based on the recent work of Zhou and Ruckenstein [Zhou and Ruckenstein, J. Chem. Phys. 112, 8079 (2000)]. For model hard-sphere and Lennard-Jones systems, using Monte Carlo simulation to provide the “experimental” density profiles, we found that the inversion procedure reproduces the true particle-surface-potential energy to an accuracy within typical DCPM experimental limitations (∼0.1kT) at low to moderate colloidal densities. The choice of DFT closures also significantly affects the accuracy.
Perturbation parameters associated with nonlinear responses of the head at small amplitudes
Authors: Gurses S. , Dhaher Y. , Hain T. C. , Keshner E. A.
Published: June 2005

The head–neck system has multiple degrees of freedom in both its control and response characteristics, but is often modeled as a single joint mechanical system. In this study, we have attempted to quantify the perturbation parameters that would elicit nonlinear responses in a single degree-of-freedom neuromechanical system at small amplitudes and velocities of perturbation. Twelve healthy young adults seated on a linear sled randomly received anterior–posterior sinusoidal translations with ±15mm and ±25mm peak displacements at 0.81, 1.76, and 2.25 Hz. Head angular velocity and angular position data were examined using a nonlinear phase-plane analysis. Poincaré sections of the phase plane were computed and Lyapunov exponents calculated to measure divergence (chaotic behavior) or convergence (stable behavior) of system dynamics. Variability of head angular position and velocity across the entire phase plot was compared to that of the Poincaré sections to quantify spatial–temporal irregularity. Multiple equilibrium points and positive Lyapunov exponents revealed chaotic behavior at 0.81 Hz at both amplitudes whereas responses at 1.76 and 2.25 Hz exhibited periodic oscillations, clustered phase points, and negative Lyapunov exponents. However, intersubject variability increased at the lowest frequency and a few subjects presented chaotic behavior at all frequencies. An inverted pendulum with position and velocity threshold nonlinearity was adopted as a simplistic model of the head and neck. Simulations with the model resulted in features similar to those observed in the experimental data. Our principal finding was that increasing the perturbation amplitude had a stabilizing effect on the behavior across frequencies. Nonlinear behaviors observed at the lowest stimulus frequency might be attributed to fluctuations in control between the multiple sensory inputs. Although this study has not conclusively pointed toward any single mechanism as responsible for the responses observed, it has revealed clear directions for further investigation. To examine if changing the sensory modalities would elicit a significant change in the nonlinear behaviors observed here, further experiments that target a patient population with some sort of sensory deficit are warranted.
On the intrinsic time scales involved in synchronization: A data-driven approach
Authors: Chavez Mario , Adam Claude , Navarro Vincent , Boccaletti Stefano , Martinerie Jacques
Published: June 2005

We address the problem of detecting, from scalar observations, the time scales involved in synchronization of complex oscillators with several spectral components. Using a recent data-driven procedure for analyzing nonlinear and nonstationary signals [Huang, Proc. R. Soc. London A 454, 903 (1998)], we decompose a time series in distinct oscillation modes which may display a time varying spectrum. When applied to coupled oscillators with multiple time scales, we found that motions are captured in a finite number of phase-locked oscillations. Further, in the synchronized state distinct phenomena as phase slips, anti-phase or perfect phase locking can be simultaneously observed at specific time scales. This fully data-driven approach (without a priori choice of filters or basis functions) is tested on numerical examples and illustrated on electric intracranial signals recorded from an epileptic patient. Implications for the study of the build-up of synchronized states in nonstationary and noisy systems are pointed out.
Complete synchronization of the noise-perturbed Chua’s circuits
Authors: Lin Wei , He Yangbo
Published: June 2005

In this paper, complete synchronization between unidirectionally coupled Chua’s circuits within stochastic perturbation is investigated. Sufficient conditions of complete synchronization between these noise-perturbed circuits are established by means of the so-called LaSalle-type invariance principle for stochastic differential equations. Specific examples and their numerical simulations are also provided to demonstrate the feasibility of these conditions. Furthermore, the results obtained for the coupled Chua’s circuits are further generalized to the wide class of coupled systems within stochastic perturbation.
Integration of organic light-emitting diode and organic transistor via a tandem structure
Authors: Chu Chih-Wei , Chen Chieh-Wei , Li Sheng-Han , Wu Elbert Hsing-En , Yang Yang
Published: June 2005

A high-performance organic active matrix pixel was fabricated by using a metal oxide (V2O5) coupling layer that effectively integrates an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) on top of an organic field-effect transistor (OFET). The field-effect mobility of the OFET approached 0.5cm2V−1s−1 and the ON/OFF current ratio was >103. The brightness of the OLED was on the order of 2000cd∕m2, with an efficiency above 3.3cd∕A. The present work describes in detail a methodology for sizing and stacking an OFET in bottom-emitting active matrix pixel circuits. The confinement of pixel dimension ensures the uniformity of light emission. The material for coupling layer can be tailored to achieve maximum device efficiency. A unique active matrix pixel circuit is proposed that renders both the OFET and OLED their individual performance after integration.
Lasing from a circular Bragg nanocavity with an ultrasmall modal volume
Authors: Scheuer Jacob , Green William M. J. , DeRose Guy A. , Yariv Amnon
Published: June 2005

We demonstrate single-mode lasing at telecommunication wavelengths from a circular nanocavity employing a radial Bragg reflector. Ultrasmall modal volumes and submilliwatt pump thresholds level are observed for lasers with InGaAsP quantum well active membrane. The electromagnetic field is shown to be tightly confined within the 300nm central pillar of the cavity. The quality factors of the resonator modal fields are estimated to be on the order of a few thousands.
Spin injection between epitaxial Co2.4Mn1.6Ga and an InGaAs quantum well
Authors: Hickey M. C. , Damsgaard C. D. , Farrer I. , Holmes S. N. , Husmann A. , Hansen J. B. , Jacobsen C. S. , Ritchie D. A. , Lee R. F. , Jones G. A. C. , Pepper M.
Published: June 2005

Electrical spin injection in a narrow [100] In0.2Ga0.8As quantum well in a GaAs p-i-n optical device is reported. The quantum well is located 300nm from an AlGaAs Schottky barrier and this system is used to compare the efficiencies and temperature dependences of spin injection from Fe and the Heusler alloy Co2.4Mn1.6Ga grown by molecular-beam epitaxy. At 5K, the injected electron spin polarizations for Fe and Co2.4Mn1.6Ga injectors are 31% and 13%, respectively. Optical detection is carried out in the oblique Hanle geometry. A dynamic nuclear polarization effect below 10K enhances the magnetic field seen by the injected spins in both devices. The Co2.4Mn1.6Ga thin films are found to have a transport spin polarization of ∼50% by point contact Andreev reflection conductivity measurements.