bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular Fingerprinting by PCR-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis Reveals Differences in the Levels of Microbial Diversity for Musty-Earthy Tainted Corks
Authors: Prat Chantal , Ruiz-Rueda Olaya , Trias Rosalia , Anticó Enriqueta , Capone Dimitra , Sefton Mark , Bañeras Lluís
Published: February 2009

The microbial community structure of cork with marked musty-earthy aromas was analyzed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of amplified ribosomal DNA. Cork stoppers and discs were used for DNA extraction and were analyzed by using selective primers for bacteria and fungi. Stoppers clearly differed from discs harboring a different fungal community. Moreover, musty-earthy samples of both types were shown to have a specific microbiota. The fungi
Penicillium glabrum
and
Neurospora
spp. were present in all samples and were assumed to make only a small contribution to off-odor development. In contrast,
Penicillium islandicum
and
Penicillium variabile
were found almost exclusively in 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) tainted discs. Conversely,
Rhodotorula minuta
and
Rhodotorula sloofiae
were most common in cork stoppers, where only small amounts of TCA were detected. Alpha- and gammaproteobacteria were the most commonly found bacteria in either control or tainted cork stoppers. Specific
Pseudomonas
and
Actinobacteria
were detected in stoppers with low amounts of TCA and 2-methoxy-3,5-dimethylpyrazine. These results are discussed in terms of biological degradation of taint compounds by specific microorganisms. Reliable and straightforward microbial identification methods based on a molecular approach provided useful data to determine and evaluate the risk of taint formation in cork.
One-Step Production of Immobilized α-Amylase in Recombinant
Escherichia coli
Authors: Rasiah Indira A. , Rehm Bernd H. A.
Published: February 2009

Industrial enzymes are often immobilized via chemical cross-linking onto solid supports to enhance stability and facilitate repeated use in bioreactors. For starch-degrading enzymes, immobilization usually places constraints on enzymatic conversion due to the limited diffusion of the macromolecular substrate through available supports. This study describes the one-step immobilization of a highly thermostable α-amylase (BLA) from
Bacillus licheniformis
and its functional display on the surface of polyester beads inside engineered
Escherichia coli
. An optimized BLA variant (Termamyl) was N-terminally fused to the polyester granule-forming enzyme PhaC of
Cupriavidus necator
. The fusion protein lacking the signal sequence mediated formation of stable polyester beads exhibiting α-amylase activity. The α-amylase beads were assessed with respect to α-amylase activity, which was demonstrated qualitatively and quantitatively. The immobilized α-amylase showed Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetics exerting a
V
max
of about 506 mU/mg of bead protein with a

K
m

of about 5 μM, consistent with that of free α-amylase. The stability of the enzyme at 85°C and the capacity for repeated usage in a starch liquefaction process were also demonstrated. In addition, structural integrity and functionality of the beads at extremes of pH and temperature, demonstrating their suitability for industrial use, were confirmed by electron microscopy and protein/enzyme analysis. This study proposes a novel, cost-effective method for the production of immobilized α-amylase in a single step by using the polyester granules forming protein PhaC as a fusion partner in engineered
E. coli
.
Interplay between Two RND Systems Mediating Antimicrobial Resistance inBrucella suis
Authors: Martin Fernando A. , Posadas Diana M. , Carrica Mariela C. , Cravero Silvio L. , O'Callaghan David , Zorreguieta Angeles
Published: February 2009

The RND-type efflux pumps are responsible for the multidrug resistance phenotype observed in many clinically relevant species. Also, RND pumps have been implicated in physiological processes, with roles in the virulence mechanisms of several pathogenic bacteria. We have previously shown that the BepC outer membrane factor ofBrucella suisis involved in the efflux of diverse drugs, probably as part of a tripartite complex with an inner membrane translocase. In the present work, we characterize two membrane fusion protein-RND translocases ofB. suisencoded by thebepDEandbepFGloci. MIC assays showed that theB. suisΔbepEmutant was more sensitive to deoxycholate (DOC), ethidium bromide, and crystal violet. Furthermore, multicopybepDEincreased resistance to DOC and crystal violet and also to other drugs, including ampicillin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and doxycycline. In contrast to the ΔbepEmutant, the resistance profile ofB. suisremained unaltered when the other RND gene (bepG) was deleted. However, the ΔbepEΔbepGdouble mutant showed a more severe phenotype than the ΔbepEmutant, indicating that BepFG also contributes to drug resistance. An open reading frame (bepR) coding for a putative regulatory protein of the TetR family was found upstream of thebepDElocus. BepR strongly repressed the activity of thebepDEpromoter, but DOC released the repression mediated by BepR. A clear induction of thebepFGpromoter activity was observed only in the BepDE-defective mutant, indicating a regulatory interplay between the two RND efflux pumps. Although only the BepFG-defective mutant showed a moderate attenuation in model cells, the activities of bothbepDEandbepFGpromoters were induced in the intracellular environment of HeLa cells. Our results show thatB. suisharbors two functional RND efflux pumps that may contribute to virulence.
TheMycobacterium tuberculosisGroEL1 Chaperone Is a Substrate of Ser/Thr Protein Kinases
Authors: Canova Marc J. , Kremer Laurent , Molle Virginie
Published: February 2009

We demonstrate thatMycobacterium tuberculosisGroEL1 is phosphorylated by PknF at two positions, Thr25 and Thr54. Unexpectedly,Mycobacterium smegmatisGroEL1 is not a substrate of its cognate PknF. This study shows that the phosphorylation profiles of conserved proteins are species dependent and provide insights that may explain the numerous biological functions of these important proteins.
Whole-Genome-Based Phylogeny and Divergence of the Genus
Brucella
Authors: Foster Jeffrey T. , Beckstrom-Sternberg Stephen M. , Pearson Talima , Beckstrom-Sternberg James S. , Chain Patrick S. G. , Roberto Francisco F. , Hnath Jonathan , Brettin Tom , Keim Paul
Published: February 2009

Brucellae are worldwide bacterial pathogens of livestock and wildlife, but phylogenetic reconstructions have been challenging due to limited genetic diversity. We assessed the taxonomic and evolutionary relationships of five
Brucella
species—
Brucella abortus
,
B. melitensis
,
B. suis
,
B. canis
, and
B. ovis
—using whole-genome comparisons. We developed a phylogeny using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 13 genomes and rooted the tree using the closely related soil bacterium and opportunistic human pathogen,
Ochrobactrum anthropi
. Whole-genome sequencing and a SNP-based approach provided the requisite level of genetic detail to resolve species in the highly conserved brucellae. Comparisons among the
Brucella
genomes revealed 20,154 orthologous SNPs that were shared in all genomes. Rooting with
Ochrobactrum anthropi
reveals that the
B. ovis
lineage is basal to the rest of the
Brucella
lineage. We found that
B. suis
is a highly divergent clade with extensive intraspecific genetic diversity. Furthermore,
B. suis
was determined to be paraphyletic in our analyses, only forming a monophyletic clade when the
B. canis
genome was included. Using a molecular clock with these data suggests that most
Brucella
species diverged from their common
B. ovis
ancestor in the past 86,000 to 296,000 years, which precedes the domestication of their livestock hosts. Detailed knowledge of the
Brucella
phylogeny will lead to an improved understanding of the ecology, evolutionary history, and host relationships for this genus and can be used for determining appropriate genotyping approaches for rapid detection and diagnostic assays for molecular epidemiological and clinical studies.
Longitudinal study of Chinese patients with pernicious anaemia
Authors: Chan J C W , Liu H S Y , Kho B C S , Lau T K H , Li V L , Chan F H Y , Leong I S , Pang H K , Lee C K , Liang Y S
Published: February 2009

Background

The survival of whites who have been treated for pernicious anaemia (PA) is unaffected, apart from incurring a greater risk of gastric cancers. The long term outcome of PA in Chinese is unknown.

Methods

A hospital based prospective longitudinal study of Chinese PA patients was conducted. Patients with known cancers were excluded.

Results

From 1994 to 2007, 199 intrinsic factor antibody (IFA) positive and 168 IFA negative patients were recruited. Both cohorts had similar baseline characteristics, except the IFA positive patients had more severe haematological findings and more thyrogastric immune features; also more IFA negative patients had type 2 diabetes mellitus and gastrointestinal (GI) disease or GI surgery. Both cohorts had a good haematological response but an unsatisfactory neurological response to treatment. Hypothyroidism developed in patients of both cohorts during follow-up. 24 IFA positive patients and 7 IFA negative patients developed cancers (p = 0.007) during follow-up. 20% of all cancers were gastric carcinoma. Mean survival of both cohorts was similar. Mean survival of IFA positive patients with and without cancers was 64 and 129 months, respectively (p<0.001), and that of IFA negative patients 36 and 126 months, respectively (p<0.001). Death rates were 31% in the IFA positive cohort and 21% in the IFA negative cohort (p = 0.028). Cancer related death rates of IFA positive and IFA negative cohorts were 37% and 14%, respectively (p = 0.014).

Conclusion

The survival period of Chinese with PA who have received treatment is good, but there is an increased risk of gastric cancers. IFA positive patients have a higher risk of developing all types of cancers and cancer related deaths than IFA negative patients.
Biomarkers in the assessment and management of airways diseases
Authors: Taylor D R , Pavord I D
Published: February 2009

A plethora of biomarkers are becoming available in the field of respiratory medicine, but their application in clinical practice has been limited. This is changing. There is increasing scope for biomarkers to be used to define pathological as well as treatment responder phenotypes in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In some situations, conventional diagnostic labelling is being superseded by this approach and clinical outcomes are improved. Biomarkers are potentially very important in the development and assessment of new therapeutic agents, particularly for the treatment of severe asthma. They also have a potential role in monitoring disease activity and predicting future clinical outcomes for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Current evidence in relation to these issues is explored in this review.
Non-surgical management of benign thyroid cysts: use of ultrasound-guided ethanol ablation
Authors: Kanotra S P , Lateef M , Kirmani O
Published: February 2009

Purpose

To determine the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided percutaneous ethanol ablation for the management of benign thyroid cysts.

Study design

In this prospective study, 40 patients with fine-needle aspiration cytology-proven benign thyroid cysts underwent alcohol ablation. Sonographically, 24 nodules were predominantly cystic (simple cysts), and 16 showed both solid and cystic elements (complex cysts). The cyst fluid was aspirated, and an amount of sterile 95% ethanol equivalent to ∼ 50% of the aspirated fluid was injected. Initially, a 20-gauge needle on a 20 ml syringe was used. Later, a three-way cannula was used in which one port was used for aspiration of the cyst fluid and the other for injection of the alcohol.

Results

The pretreatment volume of the cysts was 5.8–18.5 ml (mean (SD) 12.26 (3.6)). Cyst volume after treatment was 0–8 ml (mean (SD) 3.73 (2.8)). Ten cysts had disappeared completely after treatment. Cosmetic symptoms disappeared in 90% of the patients. Twenty-four patients complained of a local burning sensation at the injection site. The use of the three-way cannula helped to decrease the procedure time by decreasing the chances of needle displacement.

Conclusion

Ultrasound-guided ethanol ablation is a safe, highly effective, relatively rapid treatment modality that is both patient and surgeon friendly and should be considered as the treatment of choice for benign cystic thyroid nodules.
ELECTROMAGNETIC CONTROL OF DYNAMICAL LOCALIZATION CONDITIONS IN 1D LATTICES WITH LONG-RANGE INTERSITE INTERACTIONS
Authors: JIVULESCU MARIA ANASTASIA , MIGLIORE ROSANNA , MESSINA ANTONINO
Published: February 2009

In this paper we investigate the possibility of controlling dynamical localization conditions for a charged particle confined in a 1D lattice biased with a dc-bichromatic field and long-range intersite interactions. We derive the quasi-energy spectrum of the system proving that the tunneling dynamics of the particle can be destroyed provided that the parameters of the external irradiating electric field are properly chosen.
Short-term adaptation of postprandial lipoprotein secretion and intestinal gene expression to a high-fat diet
Authors: Hernández Vallejo Sandra Jimena , Alqub Malik , Luquet Serge , Cruciani-Guglielmacci Céline , Delerive Philippe , Lobaccaro Jean-Marc , Kalopissis Athina-Despina , Chambaz Jean , Rousset Monique , Lacorte Jean-Marc
Published: February 2009

Western diet is characterized by a hypercaloric and hyperlipidic intake, enriched in saturated fats, that is associated with the increased occurrence of metabolic diseases. To cope with this overload of dietary lipids, the intestine, which delivers dietary lipids to the body, has to adapt its capacity in lipid absorption and lipoprotein synthesis. We have studied the early effects of a high-fat diet (HFD) on intestinal lipid metabolism in mice. After 7 days of HFD, mice displayed normal fasting triglyceridemia but postprandial hypertriglyceridemia. HFD induced a decreased number of secreted chylomicrons with increased associated triglycerides. Secretion of larger chylomicrons was correlated with increased intestinal microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) content and activity. Seven days of HFD induced a repression of genes involved in fatty acid synthesis (FAS, ACC) and an increased expression of genes involved in lipoprotein assembly (apoB, MTP, and apoA-IV), suggesting a coordinated control of intestinal lipid metabolism to manage a high-fat loading. Of note, the mature form of the transcription factor SREBP-1c was increased and translocated to the nucleus, suggesting that it could be involved in the coordinated control of gene transcription. Activation of SREBP-1c was partly independent of LXR. Moreover, HFD induced hepatic insulin resistance whereas intestine remained insulin sensitive. Altogether, these results demonstrate that a short-term HFD is sufficient to impact intestinal lipid metabolism, which might participate in the development of dyslipidemia and metabolic diseases.
Greater fractalkine expression in mesenteric arteries of female spontaneously hypertensive rats compared with males
Authors: Sullivan Jennifer C. , Pardieck Jennifer L. , Doran Derek , Zhang Yan , She Jin-Xiong , Pollock Jennifer S.
Published: February 2009

A mircoarray analysis was performed to identify novel inflammatory genes that are differentially expressed in the mesenteric arteries of male and female spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Fractalkine was found to be the inflammatory gene with the greatest differential expression in mesenteric arteries, with the expression being greater in female SHRs compared with males. Greater inflammatory mediators in female SHRs were verified by measuring urinary monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, transforming growth factor-β, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) excretion, all of which were greater in female SHRs compared with males. Real-time PCR, Western blot analysis, and ELISA verified greater soluble fractalkine in mesenteric arteries of female SHRs. Consistent with increased fractalkine expression, TNF-α-converting enzyme and TNF-α levels in mesenteric arteries were also greater in female SHRs. We next tested the hypothesis that mesenteric arteries from female SHRs will have greater fractalkine-induced dysfunction. Acetylcholine, sodium nitroprusside, phenylephrine, and KCl concentration-response curves were performed in third-order mesenteric arteries from male and female SHRs pretreated with either vehicle or fractalkine (1 μg/ml). Fractalkine decreased sensitivity to 1) acetylcholine in arteries from male SHRs, 2) phenylephrine in arteries from both sexes, and 3) KCl in arteries from female SHRs. In conclusion, urinary and vascular markers of inflammation are greater in female SHRs compared with males, although blood pressure and cardiovascular risk are less in females.
Elevated levels of activin A in clinical and experimental pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Yndestad Arne , Larsen Karl-Otto , Øie Erik , Ueland Thor , Smith Camilla , Halvorsen Bente , Sjaastad Ivar , Skjønsberg Ole Henning , Pedersen Turid M. , Anfinsen Ole-Gunnar , Damås Jan Kristian , Christensen Geir , Aukrust Pål , Andreassen Arne K.
Published: February 2009

Activin A, a member of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β superfamily, is involved in regulation of tissue remodeling and inflammation. Herein, we wanted to explore a role for activin A in pulmonary hypertension (PH). Circulating levels of activin A and its binding protein follistatin were measured in patients with PH ( n = 47) and control subjects ( n = 14). To investigate synthesis and localization of pulmonary activin A, we utilized an experimental model of hypoxia-induced PH. In mouse lungs, we also explored signaling pathways that can be activated by activin A, such as phosphorylation of Smads, which are mediators of TGF-β signaling. Possible pathophysiological mechanisms initiated by activin A were explored by exposing pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells in culture to this cytokine. Elevated levels of activin A and follistatin were found in patients with PH, and activin A levels were significantly related to mortality. Immunohistochemistry of lung autopsies from PH patients and lungs with experimental PH localized activin A primarily to alveolar macrophages and bronchial epithelial cells. Mice with PH exhibited increased pulmonary levels of mRNA for activin A and follistatin in the lungs, and also elevated pulmonary levels of phosphorylated Smad2. Finally, we found that activin A increased proliferation and induced gene expression of endothelin-1 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells, mediators that could contribute to vascular remodeling. Our findings in both clinical and experimental studies suggest a role for activin A in the development of various types of PH.
Effect of exercise intensity and volume on persistence of insulin sensitivity during training cessation
Authors: Bajpeyi Sudip , Tanner Charles J. , Slentz Cris A. , Duscha Brian D. , McCartney Jennifer S. , Hickner Robert C. , Kraus William E. , Houmard Joseph A.
Published: February 2009

The purpose of this study was to determine whether exercise prescriptions differing in volume or intensity also differ in their ability to retain insulin sensitivity during an ensuing period of training cessation. Sedentary, overweight/obese subjects were assigned to one of three 8-mo exercise programs: 1) low volume/moderate intensity [equivalent of ∼12 miles/wk, 1,200 kcal/wk at 40–55% peak O2 consumption (V̇o2peak), 200 min exercise/wk], 2) low volume/vigorous intensity (∼12 miles/wk, 1,200 kcal/wk at 65–80% V̇o2peak, 125 min/wk), and 3) high volume/vigorous intensity (∼20 miles/wk, 2,000 kcal/wk at 65–80% V̇o2peak, 200 min/wk). Insulin sensitivity (intravenous glucose tolerance test, SI) was measured when subjects were sedentary and at 16–24 h and 15 days after the final training bout. SI increased with training compared with the sedentary condition ( P ≤ 0.05) at 16–24 h with all of the exercise prescriptions. SI decreased to sedentary, pretraining values after 15 days of training cessation in the low-volume/vigorous-intensity group. In contrast, at 15 days SI was significantly elevated compared with sedentary ( P ≤ 0.05) in the prescriptions utilizing 200 min/wk (low volume/moderate intensity, high volume/vigorous intensity). In the high-volume/vigorous-intensity group, indexes of muscle mitochondrial density followed a pattern paralleling insulin action by being elevated at 15 days compared with pretraining; this trend was not evident in the low-volume/moderate-intensity group. These findings suggest that in overweight/obese subjects a relatively chronic persistence of enhanced insulin action may be obtained with endurance-oriented exercise training; this persistence, however, is dependent on the characteristics of the exercise training performed.
New Mechanism of Rosiglitazone to Reduce Neointimal Hyperplasia
Authors: Lee Choon-Soo , Kwon Yoo-Wook , Yang Han-Mo , Kim Sung-Hwan , Kim Tae-Youn , Hur Jin , Park Kyung-Woo , Cho Hyun-Jai , Kang Hyun-Jae , Park Young-Bae , Kim Hyo-Soo
Published: February 2009

Objective—

Mechanism of neointimal hyperplasia after vascular injury includes activation of signaling pathways and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that are involved in cell proliferation and migration. Rosiglitazone, a synthetic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) agonist, was reported to inhibit neointimal hyperplasia in diabetic animals and humans. But the underlying mechanism has not been clarified. In this study, we examined how rosiglitazone inhibited neointimal hyperplasia.

Methods and Results—

The proliferation and survival of cultured rat VSMCs were reduced by rosiglitazone, which was mediated by inhibition of ERK and activation GSK-3β, without change of Akt. The antiproliferative effect of rosiglitazone was reversed by GSK-3β inactivation. The migration of VSMCs was also suppressed by rosiglitazone that inhibited the expression and activity MMP-9 through GSK-3β activation. Thus migration of MMP-9(−/−) VSMCs from MMP-9 knockout mice was not affected by rosiglitazone. The underlying mechanism of MMP-9 suppression by rosiglitazone was that it inhibited NF-κB DNA binding activity, which was also dependent on GSK-3β. In rat carotid artery, balloon injury significantly inactivated GSK-3β with induction of MMP-9, which was effectively prevented by rosiglitazone. Thus, rosiglitazone significantly decreased the ratio of intima to media by reducing proliferation and inducing apoptosis of VSMCs at neointima, which was reversed by inactivation of GSK-3β with adenoviral transfer of catalytically-inactive GSK-KM gene.

Conclusions—

Rosiglitazone activates GSK-3β, which inhibits not only proliferation of VSMCs but also migration of VSMCs through blocking NF-κB–dependent MMP-9 activation.
Campaigners for Camouflage: Abbott H. Thayer and William J. Dakin
Authors: Elias Ann
Published: February 2009

The author makes a comparative study of American naturalist Abbott H. Thayer and Australian zoologist William J. Dakin, two civilian campaigners for military camouflage in two different wars who nevertheless share strikingly similar stories.
Kinetic Architectural Skins and the Computational Sublime
Authors: Moloney Jules
Published: February 2009

The idea of the computational sublime has been introduced into discourse within the generative electronic arts. The author proposes that, for an artwork to exploit the sublime, the form and context in which the mapping of computational process occurs are crucial. He suggests that digital-analogue hybrids within an urban setting allow engagement with a wider audience and the capacity for the work to be surveyed over multiple timescales. To this end, a framework for the design of kinetic architectural skins is presented for artists to consider as a potential resource for collaboration.
Flow—A Flowing Information Interactive Art
Authors: Tseng Yu-Chuan , Lee Chia-Hsiang , Wang Ding-Ming
Published: February 2009

Flow is an interactive art work creating a context of flowing information which is unable to be held, but is instead in a state of intermix. The practice aims to represent the chaos state of information in which we find ourselves in our present-day society. When confronted with a huge amount of information, we process it differently based on our opinions. We assume that we understand without question, but how can we firmly believe that our cognition is correct?
Ideas, Institutions and Poverty Reduction in the European Union: Questions for a Theology of Governance
Authors: Davis Francis
Published: February 2009

This article is based on new research focused on attempts by the pan-European Roman Catholic Caritas Europa social welfare federation to advocate for poverty reduction in twenty-four European Union Member States in the period 2006–2008. Addressing itself to the fresh challenges of Christian advocacy at the international and globalizing levels, it seeks to tease out questions for a theology of governance and appropriate ecclesiology in an environment where the idea of the 'local' is relocated to the 'national' level, where 'congregations' and individuals may not have the reach to engage in meaningful action, and where the consequent institutional design and organizational location of Christian reflection, ideas and praxis may influence, aid or hinder the prophetic task along with Christian authenticity.
Taming Prophetic Religion? Faith-Based Activism and Welfare Provision
Authors: Wood Richard
Published: February 2009

This article examines the current debate in the United States (primarily) and Britain regarding government-funded social service provision via faith-based institutions. By highlighting the tension between the 'priestly' and 'prophetic' roles of public religion, it argues for the critical importance of protecting religion's prophetic role even as society moves toward more extensive public financing of priestly social service provision. The article first outlines contemporary prophetic religion in the United States, especially faith-based community organizing (also known as broad-based community organizing) efforts, emphasizing three facets of the field: its scale, its role in building social capital, the issues it has addressed. Secondly, the article argues that, despite the narrow partisan tenor of recent faith-based social service provision in the US, it may have redeeming features that new leaders will want to preserve. However, H. R. Niebuhr's (1951) analysis of the relationship between religion and culture is invoked to characterize four key tensions between priestly and prophetic religion that may be exacerbated by governmental funding. The conclusion outlines several approaches through which practitioners, policymakers, the press, and scholars can help society maximize the benefits and minimize the risks of such funding.
Derivation of a 10-Year Radar-Based Climatology of Rainfall
Authors: Overeem Aart , Holleman Iwan , Buishand Adri
Published: February 2009

Weather radars give quantitative precipitation estimates over large areas with high spatial and temporal resolutions not achieved by conventional rain gauge networks. Therefore, the derivation and analysis of a radar-based precipitation “climatology” are highly relevant. For that purpose, radar reflectivity data were obtained from two C-band Doppler weather radars covering the land surface of the Netherlands (≈3.55 × 104 km2). From these reflectivities, 10 yr of radar rainfall depths were constructed for durations D of 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h with a spatial resolution of 2.4 km and a data availability of approximately 80%. Different methods are compared for adjusting the bias in the radar precipitation depths. Using a dense manual gauge network, a vertical profile of reflectivity (VPR) and a spatial adjustment are applied separately to 24-h (0800–0800 UTC) unadjusted radar-based precipitation depths. Further, an automatic rain gauge network is employed to perform a mean-field bias adjustment to unadjusted 1-h rainfall depths. A new adjustment method is developed (referred to as MFBS) that combines the hourly mean-field bias adjustment and the daily spatial adjustment methods. The record of VPR gradients, obtained from the VPR adjustment, reveals a seasonal cycle that can be related to the type of precipitation. A verification with automatic (D ≤ 24 h) and manual (D = 24 h) rain gauge networks demonstrates that the adjustments remove the systematic underestimation of precipitation by radar. The MFBS adjustment gives the best verification results and reduces the residual (radar minus rain gauge depth) standard deviation considerably. The adjusted radar dataset is used to obtain exceedance probabilities, maximum rainfall depths, mean annual rainfall frequencies, and spatial correlations. Such a radar rainfall climatology is potentially valuable for the improvement of rainfall parameterization in weather and climate models and the design of hydraulic structures.
Calculation of Energy Release Rates for Cohesive and Interlaminar Delamination Based on the Classical Beam-adhesive Model
Authors: Quantian Luo  , Liyong Tong
Published: February 2009

This article presents analytical formulas for determining mode I and II energy release rates for two cases: (a) cohesive fracture of adhesive joints and; (b) interlaminar delamination of layered beams. The formulas are firstly derived for calculating energy release rates GI and GII for a crack propagating in adhesive layer from one crack tip by using a classical beam-adhesive model. Then novel and simple closed-form formulas of G I and GII for an interface crack in layered beams are obtained by letting the adhesive thickness approach zero. In the present formulas, the effects of the asymmetry and each force component are clearly identified.
Learning Long Words—
Authors: Savinainen-Makkonen Tuula
Published: February 2009

The early phonological development of six normally developing children learning Finnish is reported. The primary focus is on their production of multisyllabic targets. The one-syllable and two-syllable forms found in the speech of children learning English has often been seen as a universal feature of early words. Later research has indicated that, for example, some children learning Japanese may produce word forms that contain three to five syllables already at the age of 15 months among the first fifty words. In Finnish long words are common and as expected, children targeted them already at the first word stage. However, they succeeded only after this stage had passed. Individual differences were extensive. Although the main tendency seems to reduce the last element of long words producing the SW1- pattern, important exceptions can be found so that the results do not provide strong support for a metrical template. The study also indicated that the segmental factor may influence the deletion pattern: the syllable that contained a stop was produced, regardless of its position.
Prosodic Variation in Southern British English
Authors: Peppé Sue , Maxim Jane , Wells Bill
Published: February 2009

A neglected aspect of intonation research has been the nature and extent of variability in the use of prosodic features within a speech community.Crossspeaker variability in intonation was investigated through analysis of data collected from 90 adult speakers of English from London, England, using a new prosodic test battery (PEPS). PEPS is designed to elicit information about how speakers use prosodic features to realize different types of linguistic and communicative function in their own speech, and also how they perceive and interpret these features. Although there were no significant effects of gender or age in isolation on prosodic performance, there was a small effect of educational level among younger adults. Despite this group homogeneity,qualitative analysis of data from two of the production tasks showed considerable variation across participants in their use of prosodic features,suggesting that speakers'realization of communicative functions through prosody is more variable than has hither to been assumed.
Emotion in Language and Speech: Methodological Issues in Naturalistic Approaches
Authors: Greasley Peter , Sherrard Carol , Waterman Mitch
Published: February 2009

Researchers currently seek to improve validity in speech and language studies by adopting naturalistic procedures In emotion-display research, validity is threatened by standard experimental controls which diminish the naturalism of stimuli and responseranges. Were port two experiments comparing the adequacy of naturalistic with standard procedures. Experiment 1 had 158 judges code 89 samples of naturally-occurring emotional speech with free- choice emotion labels, and later with labels from a standard set. When free-choice labels were similar across judges, they were consistent with standard labels, but showed a range of intensity and contextual relevance. We recommend that future studies include wider options for judges when coding emotions. Experiment 2 compared valency ratings of words when presented in, or out of, context. Standard procedures score lexical valencies using affective dictionaries, disregarding natural contexts. Experiment 2 compared 23 judges' valency ratings of words presented individually, and later in their original context. Between 30% and 44% of words were rated differently in context (depending on the statistical significance level adopted). We concluded from Experiment 2 that, where small corpora adequately model a domain, the improved accuracy of valency rating achieved by presenting words in their natural context justifies the extra procedures required.
Kinematic Event Patterns in Speech: Special problems
Authors: Westbury John R. , Severson Elizabeth J. , Lindstrom Mary J.
Published: February 2009

The view that each utterance is fundamentally a pattern of serially-ordered events underlies a group of well-known speech kinematic studies emphasizing temporal coordination among articulators. Methodological problems that might affect the validity and significance of conclusions from these studies are identified. Results from a new analysis of synchronous acoustic and fleshpointkinematic data, recorded from 53 normal young-adult speakers of American English, are then reported. The kinematic data represented speech-related actions of the tongue blade and dorsum, both lips, and the mandible, during the test words s pecial and p roblem, and were drawn from an existing X-ray microbeam speech production database. Distributions of event patterns across speakers revealed four main results: (1) different patterns for the two test words; (2) a comparable degree of cross-speaker agreement about relative tongue and jaw movement timing, but marked disagreement about lip and jaw movement timing, between test words; (3) highly distinctive movement patterns for some speakers; and, (4) a general conclusion that serial event order, alone, provides very limited understanding of movement patterns produced by individual speakers. By design, these results focus attention on methods of kinematic event pattern analyses, and the general value of such analyses for insights about speech production.
Structural Computation and the Role of Morphological Markings in the Processing of Japanese
Authors: Yamashita Hiroko
Published: February 2009

Inan SOV' strictly head-final language with otherwise relatively free wordorder such as Japanese, disambiguating information including verb information is not available until the end of a clause. In such a language, a sentence theoretically has numerous possible syntactic structures before the verb information becomes available. The current study investigated (1) whether syntactic computation takes place in an ambiguous sentence fragment in Japanese and (2) if and how information from constituents other than the verb is utilized.

Two experiments were conducted using automated, word-by-word visual presentations with a lexical decision task on an extrasentential target. The results suggest that syntactic computation takes place in Japanese before verb information becomes available. A strong preference was observedfor a simplex clause when three differently Case- marked arguments belonged to the same clause. The findings also indicate that information from surface Case marking is utilized productively' and when there is ambiguity in marking between arguments and adjuncts, the distinction is made before incorporating the constituents into the existing structure.
A Comparison of Theoretical and Human Syllabification
Authors: Goslin Jeremy , Frauenfelder Ulrich H.
Published: February 2009

A review of phonological syllabification theory reveals considerable controversy, with a number of conflicting theories put forward to explain this process. In this study the performance of five, French specific, syllabification procedures were compared and contrasted both against each other, using lexical analysis, and against human syllable boundary placement, using a metalinguistic syllable repetition task. Lexical analysis revealed substantial, practical differences in the application of procedures, with disagreements rising along with consonant cluster complexity. Results from the syllable repetition task showed differences in participant's syllabification consistency due to experimental condition, that is, syllable onset or offset detection, and the consonant cluster used in the stimuli. Comparison between the predictions of syllabification procedures and human segmentation show greater agreement for procedures based upon phonotactic regularities than sonority. Furthermore, segmentation by maximizing the length of syllable onset, practiced in most procedures, was not reflected in our results. Instead participants preferred single consonant onsets, apart from the case of obstruent-liquid clusters, which are considered as a single indivisible unit.
The Conceptual Similarity of Intonational Tones and its Effects on Intertranscriber Reliability
Authors: Herman Rebecca , McGory Julia Tevis
Published: February 2009

Tests of intertranscriber agreement in prosodically-labeled corpora have been used as an objective performance measure of reliability. Reasonably high agreements among labelers have been found, but systematic disagreements exist, indicating that some intonational patterns are more difficult for transcribers to label while others are easier. This may be due to differences in the way transcribers distinguish between tonal labels for pitch events. We developed a method to map the subjective similarity space for the categories in an intonational transcription system. From this map, we derived a conceptual similarity index indicating the distance between tone categories This subjective similarity index is used to predict the intertranscriber reliability. It is found that tones which are conceptually similar result in higher transcriptional disagreements while tones which are conceptually dissimilar result in lower disagreement.
Prosodic Characteristics of Skilled Reading: Fluency and Expressiveness in 8—10-year-old Readers
Authors: Cowie R. , Douglas-Cowie E. , Wichmann A.
Published: February 2009

Statistical methods of describing prosody were used to study fluency, expressiveness and their relationship among 8—10-year-old readers. 67 children were rated on fluency and expressiveness. The two were partially independent in the full sample: expressiveness rarely occurred without fluency, but fluency occurred without expressiveness. A balanced subsample of 24 was selected for closer instrumental and statistical analysis. There were robust relationships between expressiveness and variables associated with pitch mobility; and between fluency and measures associated with temporal organization. Interactions indicated that the relationships were not simple. Differences between groups depended on sentence content and position —expressive readers distinguished sentences more sharply according to content, and the groups diverged on some measures as the passage progressed. Also, measures associated primarily with either fluency or expression often showed secondary sensitivity to the other: temporal organization was associated with fluency, but worsened over time among inexpressive readers; and readers who were both fluent and expressive were distinctive in several respects. Some measures offer a basis for rules aimed at assigning individuals to skill categories, particularly the magnitude of pitch movements and reading time per syllable. The rules distinguish well among readers who were either at one of the extremes of skill, or fluent but inexpressive; it is harder to discriminate among the other readers (who have mixed skill patterns). The effects suggest psychological hypotheses about the underlying mechanisms.
Prosodic Finality and Sentence Type in French
Authors: Smith Caroline L.
Published: February 2009

Prosodic boundaries are marked in speech by modifications to dimensions such as F0, duration, and segmental quality. The experiment reported here tests the hypothesis that modifications at the end of a prosodic domain may be amplified or attenuated depending on the type of sentence (statement or question). The prosodic modifications investigated here for French are sentence-final lengthening and vowel devoicing, which is related to changes in voice quality.

Six native speakers of French read 10 matched sets of sentences, which included both statements and questions. Measurements were made of the last vowel in each test sentence and of sentence-medial vowels in control sentences. Statement-final vowels were less periodic and more often devoiced than vowels at the end of questions or sentencemedial vowels, but question-final vowels were lengthened more than statement-final vowels. These results occurred in questions both with and without a final pitch rise, suggesting that sentence type is more important than final intonation contour in determining how prosodic finality is marked. The difference between statements and questions thus appears to be in the relative importance of lengthening and voice quality modification in marking finality, not in the overall extent to which it is marked.
Constraints of Lexical Stress on Lexical Access in English: Evidence from Native and Non-native Listeners
Authors: Cooper Nicole , Cutler Anne , Wales Roger
Published: February 2009

Four cross-modal priming experiments and two forced-choice identification experiments investigated the use of suprasegmental cues to stress in the recognition of spoken English words, by native (English-speaking) and nonnative (Dutch) listeners. Previous results had indicated that suprasegmental information was exploited in lexical access by Dutch but not by English listeners. For both listener groups, recognition of visually presented target words was faster, in comparison to a control condition, after stress-matching spoken primes, either monosyllabic ( mus-from MUsic/muSEum) or bisyllabic ( admi-from ADmiral/admiRAtion ). For native listeners, the effect of stress-mismatching bisyllabic primes was not different from that of control primes, but mismatching monosyllabic primes produced partial facilitation. For non-native listeners, both bisyllabic and monosyllabic stress-mismatching primes produced partial facilitation. Native English listeners thus can exploit suprasegmental information in spoken-word recognition, but information from two syllables is used more effectively than information from one syllable. Dutch listeners are less proficient at using suprasegmental information in English than in their native language, but, as in their native language, use mono- and bisyllabic information to an equal extent. In forced-choice identification, Dutch listeners outperformed native listeners at correctly assigning a monosyllabic fragment (e.g., mus-) to one of two words differing in stress.
Effects of Lexical Factors on Lexical Access among Typical Language-Learning Children and Children with Word-Finding Difficulties
Authors: Newman Rochelle S. , German Diane J.
Published: February 2009

This investigation studied the influence of lexical factors, known to impact lexical access in adults, on the word retrieval of children. Participants included 320 typicaland atypical(word-finding difficulties) language-learning children, ranging in age from 7 to 12 years. Lexical factors examined included word frequency, age-of-acquisition, neighborhood density, neighborhood frequency, and stress pattern. Findings indicated that these factors did influence lexical access in children. Words which were high in frequency and neighborhood frequency, lowin neighborhood density and age-of-acquisition, and which contained the typical stress pattern for the language were easier to name. Further, the number of neighbors that were more frequent than the target word also had an effect on the word's ease of retrieval. Significant interactions indicated that age-of-acquisition effects decreased with maturation for typically-learning children whereas these effects continued to impact the lexical access of children with word-finding difficulties across the ages studied, suggesting that these children's difficulties in accessing words may have prevented them from developing strong access paths to these words. These findings support a view of lexical access in which access paths to words become strengthened with successful use.
Tone Perception Ability of Cantonese-Speaking Children
Authors: Yuet Sheung Lee Kathy , Sung Nok Chiu  , van Hasselt Charles Andrew
Published: February 2009

Studies have shown that while children acquire all Cantonese tones by age two, they are not able to label them reliably until approximately age 10. One possible explanation for the large age discrepancy may be the different methodologies used. This study aimed to (1) investigatea new research design for the collection of reliable tone perception data from young children; (2) compare lexical and nonlexical items for testing tone perception ability; and (3) identify the relative ease of perceiving the three basic tone contrasts in Cantonese, that is, high level/high rising (T1 /T2), high level/low falling (T1/T4), and, high rising/low falling tones (T2/T4).

The three tone pairs were presented to 31 children in the form of word and nonword stimuli. It was found that the research design could be used to assess the tone perception knowledge of children as young as 2;09. Significant differences were found between word and nonword stimuli and also in the identification of the T2/T4 contrast in comparison with the other two pairs.

Children's overall tone perception abilities are discussed in detail with reference to the role of lexical knowledge and the potential for tone perception confusions arising from differences in fundamental frequencies for tone onset and offset.