bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Three emendations in Columella
Authors: Winterbottom Michael
Published: November 2004

I refer to the editions of the third book of Columella by S. Hedberg (Uppsala, 1968) and J. C. Dumont (Paris, 1993).

… nullus tamen uel iniquissimus locus non maiorem quaestum reddet quam acceperit inpensam: siquidem, ut cultoris neglegentia sex milia seminum intereant, reliqua tamen decem milia tribus milibus nummorum libenter et cum lucro redemptorum erunt… 3.3.12–13
Athens and the Hellenistic kings (338–261b.c.): the language of the decrees
Authors: Kralli Ioanna
Published: November 2004

It has been a widespread belief among historians of antiquity that Athens’ importance on the political scene declined rapidly after 338, and especially after 322; Athens, so it is assumed, succumbed to the will of Alexander and, later on, of his Diadochoi. Of course, it cannot be denied that Athens found itself in a very precarious and sometimes impossible position. Yet the attitudes of Athens towards one king or the other, as well as its status, vary considerably until 261, the end of the Chremonidean War against Antigonos Gonatas, king of Macedon.

Certain aspects of the Athenian relationship with the various monarchs are reflected in the decrees of the assembly, passed in honour of royal officials, as well as in the decrees conferring the highest honours (proedriaof the games,sitesisin thePrytaneion, and a statue) upon Athenian citizens who belonged to a king's court. My purpose is to examine precisely the image that Athens projects through the above-mentioned decrees with regard to its relations with the various rulers and their officials; and these in relation to its perception of its own position on the military and political scene on different historical occasions.
An anthology of early Latin epigrams? A ghost reconsidered
Authors: Vardi Amiel D.
Published: November 2004

In Book 19, chapter 9 of theNodes AtticaeGellius describes the birthday party of a young Greek of equestrian rank at which a group of professional singers entertained the guests by performing poems by Anacreon, Sappho, ‘et poetarum quoque recentium ⋯λεγεῖα quaedam erotica’ (4). After the singing, Gellius goes on, some of the Greekσυμπόταιpresent challenged Roman achievements in erotic poetry, excepting only Catullus and Calvus, and criticized in particular Laevius, Hortensius, Cinna, and Memmius. Rising to meet this charge, Gellius’ teacher of rhetoric, Antonius Julianus, admits the superiority of the Greeks in what he calls ‘cantilenarum mollitiae’ in general (8), but to show that the Romans too have some good erotic poets, he recites four early Latin love epigrams, by Valerius Aedituus (frs. 1 and 2), Porcius Licinus (fr. 6), and Lutatius Catulus (fr. I). The same three poets are listed in the same order in Apuleius’Apologyin a list of amatory poets which he provides in order to establish precedents and thus invalidate his prosecutors’ referral to his erotic poems in their accusation (Apul.Apol.9). Catulus is also enumerated in Pliny's list of Roman dignitaries who composed ‘uersiculos seueros parum’ like his own (Ep.5.3.5), and an amatory epigram of his is cited by Cicero inDe Natura Deorum1.79 (fr. 2). We possess no further evidence connecting the other two with the composition of either erotic or, more generally, ‘light’ verse, but a poem by Porcius Licinus on Roman literary history is attested by several sources including Varro, Suetonius, and Gellius himself.
O egregie grammatice: the vocative problems of Latin words ending in -ius
Authors: Dickey Eleanor
Published: November 2004

A long-lasting and sometimes acrimonious debate over the correct vocative form of second-declension Latin words in -ius began more than 800 years ago. For the past century most classicists have considered the matter to be settled, and little discussion on the subject has taken place. Yet the century-old conclusions we now so unthinkingly accept are based on very little evidence and are internally inconsistent in some of their details. The past hundred years have provided us not only with more Latin to work with, better tools for search and analysis, and a more complete knowledge of the history of the Latin language, but also with a new understanding and respect for the ancient grammarians and their views on the structure of their language. It is time to re-examine the ancient and modern views on the vocative of -ius words, to see whether any viable conclusions can be drawn and whether the ancient grammarians may have more to contribute than our predecessors believed.
Who practised love-magic in classical antiquity and in the late Roman world?
Authors: Dickie Mathew W.
Published: November 2004

INTRODUCTION

Very soon after I began working on the identity of magic-workers in classical antiquity, I realized that it was necessary to come to terms with a thesis about depictions of erotic magic-working in Greek and Roman literature. It asserted that male writers engaged in a systematic misrepresentation of the realities of magic-working in portraying erotic magic as an exclusively female preserve; the reality was that men were the main participants in this form of magic-working. The thesis is based on the supposition that the truth about erotic magic and the people who performed it is to be found in the formularies or spell-books preserved in papyrus and indefixiones.These two sources of information are said to show us that erotic magic was performed by men and not by the women who are the persons depicted engaging in love-magic in literature. The scholar who first presented the thesis was the late John Winkler. A version of it is to be found in Fritz Graf's general account of Greek and Roman magic. There is agreement over what are taken to be the facts, but views diverge over their interpretation. Winkler appeals to the Freudian notion of denial and transference to offer an explanation not only of the discrepancy between life and literature, but of what he took to be the belief held by the young men who cast erotic spells that the girls who were the objects of their spells were as sexually eager as they were: men, when overwhelmed by sexual desire for unattainable women, through a process of denial transfer that feeling to women, whether old or young, whom they fondly imagine suffer the same intense sexual longings as themselves.
Developing teacher self-awareness: feedback and the use of video
Authors: Laycock John , Bunnag Piranya
Published: November 2004

Video is often seen as a useful means of providing feedback to teachers in various kinds of training situation. This article looks at its role in the overall context of feedback, and then outlines its use in a programme with regular practical teaching of real classes, which resulted in the need for generalized viewing guides. Design considerations are outlined, and the guides actually devised are summarized. Experience indicated that the guides had a positive effect in increasing self-awareness, but that they cannot be used in isolation from other forms of feedback.
Preparing for interactive video
Authors: Allan Margaret S.
Published: November 2004

A comparison of the properties of the video cassette recorder (VCR) and the videodisc player points up the advantages for education of disc as a medium for the storage and playback of video signals. It is argued that some form of optical disc technology is very likely to come into language classrooms before the end of the 1990s and that it will be welcomed by those teachers who are currently attempting to use their VCRs as flexible resources in their language programmes. Different applications of interactive video in education and language study are described, with reference to recent examples.
Tape journals: bridging the gap between communication and correction
Authors: Allan Diana
Published: November 2004

The question of how to provide successful feedback is particularly relevant in the teaching of oral skills to learners of English as a second or foreign language. How can teachers encourage fluency and communication, yet give corrective feedback without destroying a student's confidence? This article looks at the technique of using tape journals to give non-threatening feedback.
Life Before Fodor and Frommer: Americans in Paris from Thomas Jefferson to John Quincy Adams
Authors: Chew William L.
Published: November 2004

Several thousand Americans, most of whom hailed from the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic states, and who travelled for business or combined business with tourism, visited France and Paris during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic era. A fairly representative group of some fifty travellers have left accounts of their stay, providing an insight into American attitudes towards France and the French, particularly as regards national stereotyping. Key parameters determining such stereotyping included Franco-American relations and domestic politics during the time of an individual's stay; Enlightened American notions of the virtuous Republic and its relation to gender issues; and American exceptionalist discourse. Travel conditions varied over the period, and were particularly difficult under the Directory, if somewhat less so under Napoleon. Americans were not seldom mistaken for Englishman and harassed in one fashion or another. The monuments and tourist attractions they chose to visit, however, were largely the same as those visited by their modern compatriots.
Some Fifth-Century Masking Conventions
Authors: Marshall C. W.
Published: November 2004

Does it matter that all fifth-century staged performance was masked? Modern discussions of fifth-century drama focus almost exclusively on the words of the text, for that is what survives to us, and there is a sound methodology in this, since in a theatre that held over 15,000 people aural appreciation was central. I wish to isolate the amount of information that was communicated to the audience by masks, and so discover what then can be incorporated into modern studies of ancient staging, and in particular to determine what visual details existed for the ancient audience to help them understand ‘character’. Direct evidence is slight, and this must remain a brief overview. Nevertheless, reasonable deductions from the plays allow for a clear appreciation of what was the essential information conveyed by fifth-century masks.
Catullus 64, Medea, and the François Vase
Authors: Morwood James
Published: November 2004

In his 1982 essay on Catullus 64, Richard Jenkyns offered an eloquent and elegant counterblast to the ‘reductivism that has characterized much recent criticism of Latin poetry’ (p. 82). He argued that to impose a unifying interpretation on such a work as Peleus and Thetis impoverishes it. ‘Anyone who has failed to perceive that throughout this poem Catullus is deliberately various, disproportionate and unpredictable has certainly not understood it’ (p. 92). With the advent of the millennium, it seems that Jenkyns, even if he won the battle, did not win the war, though, doubtless because of him, the unities which scholars now advocate have become decidedly more capacious, more able to serve as hold-alls, than those imposed by their predecessors. The instinct to identify unifying principles appears to be a strong one. In any case, Jenkyns’ own view of the poem – that it ‘is made up of pictures in that it is a gallery of tableaux or set pieces’ (p. 150) – can surely be taken as suggesting the kind of e pluribus unum of a work such as Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. The various tableaux, each of them displayed, as it were, by the poet to elicit a differing response, may add up to a single experience. It is not simply that the total may be greater than the sum of the individual parts; it is rather that the total may attain a unity of its own.
The Tears of Marcellus: History of a Literary Motif in Livy
Authors: Rossi Andreola
Published: November 2004

In a recent article Christina Kraus shows how Livy, in the first decade, creates an overlap between the text that he is writing and the subject he is writing about: the city of Rome.1 ‘Like the city it describes and constitutes, then, theAb urbe conditais a growing physical object through which the writer and the reader move together’ she observes. As a result the foundation and fall of the city, the two most dynamic moments of this space-entity, create parallel junctures both in the development of the city and in the development of the text. Kraus offers an apposite example. In book 5 ofAb urbecondita, Rome comes close to disaster not once but twice. Theexordiumof book 6, the beginning of the new pentad, refounds both the city and its history, creating a perfect analogy between the text and the city. Most importantly, by means of assimilation to other cities that have endured a similar fate, Livy is able to shape further the significance of the event. By construing the near fall of Rome in book 5 through the filter of the fall of Troy, Rome at the end of the first pentad symbolically moves beyond its Trojan past and refounds itself for good.
To Make a New Thermopylae: Hellenism, Greek Liberation, and the Battle of Thermopylae
Authors: Morris Ian Macgregor
Published: November 2004

In the eighteenth century, attitudes towards ancient Greece were changing from an antiquarian interest in literature and art, into a wider emotional affiliation that permeated many aspects of artistic and political life. With this new attitude came an interest in contemporary Greece and an awareness of and concern about her state under Turkish rule which, by the early nineteenth century, culminated in growing sympathy for the cause of Greek liberation. Of all the characters and incidents of ancient Greek history, none played such a central part in this tradition as those involved in the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 B.C., so that by the very eve of the Greek revolution in 1821 Byron could call on his contemporaries to ‘make a new Thermopylae’. The history of Thermopylae in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries is, in many ways, the history of contemporary hellenism.
Classical conditioning of eyelid and mystacial vibrissae responses in conscious mice
Authors: Troncoso Julieta , Múnera Alejandro , Delgado-García José María
Published: November 2004

The murine vibrissae sensorimotor system has been scrutinized as a target
of motor learning through trace classical conditioning. Conditioned eyelid
responses were acquired by using weak electrical whisker-pad stimulation as
conditioned stimulus (CS) and strong electrical periorbital stimulation as
unconditioned stimulus (US). In addition, conditioned vibrissal protraction
was obtained pairing either weak electrical whisker-pad stimulation or a tone
as CS, with a strong electric shock delivered in the whisker-pad as US. This
finding suggests that evolutionary pressure has selected a sensorimotor system
capable of constructing conditioned responses on the basis of temporal
relationships of stimuli, independently of any putative functional
purpose.
Modulation of the ligand binding properties of the transcription repressor NmrA by GATA‐containing DNA and site‐directed mutagenesis
Authors: Lamb Heather K. , Ren Jingshan , Park Alison , Johnson Christopher , Leslie Kris , Cocklin Simon , Thompson Paul , Mee Christopher , Cooper Alan , Stammers David K. , Hawkins Alastair R.
Published: November 2004

NmrA is a negative transcription‐regulating protein that binds to the C‐terminal region of the GATA transcription‐activating protein AreA. The proposed molecular mechanism of action for NmrA is to inhibit AreA binding to its target promoters. In contrast to this proposal, we report that a C‐terminal fragment of AreA can bind individually to GATA‐containing DNA and NmrA and that in the presence of a mixture of GATA‐containing DNA and NmrA, the AreA fragment binds preferentially to the GATA‐containing DNA in vitro. These observations are consistent with NmrA acting by an indirect route, such as by controlling entry into the nucleus. Deletion of the final nine amino acids of a C‐terminal fragment of AreA does not affect NmrA binding. Wild‐type NmrA binds NAD+(P+) with much greater affinity than NAD(P)H, despite the lack of the consensus GXXGXXG dinucleotide‐binding motif. However, introducing the GXXGXXG sequence into the NmrA double mutant N12G/A18G causes an ∼13‐fold increase in the KDfor NAD+and a 2.3‐fold increase for NADP+. An H37W mutant in NmrA designed to increase the interaction with the adenine ring of NAD+has a decrease in KDof ∼4.5‐fold for NAD+and a marginal 24% increase for NADP+. The crystal structure of the N12G/A18G mutant protein shows changes in main chain position as well as repositioning of H37, which disrupts contacts with the adenine ring of NAD+, changes which are predicted to reduce the binding affinity for this dinucleotide. The substitutions E193Q/D195N or Q202E/F204Y in the C‐terminal domain of NmrA reduced the affinity for a C‐terminal fragment of AreA, implying that this region of the protein interacts with AreA.
Microbial Factor-Mediated Development in a Host-Bacterial Mutualism
Authors: Koropatnick Tanya A. , Engle Jacquelyn T. , Apicella Michael A. , Stabb Eric V. , Goldman William E. , McFall-Ngai Margaret J.
Published: November 2004

Tracheal cytotoxin (TCT), a fragment of the bacterial surface molecule peptidoglycan (PGN), is the factor responsible for the extensive tissue damage characteristic of whooping cough and gonorrhea infections. Here, we report that
Vibrio fischeri
also releases TCT, which acts in synergy with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to trigger tissue development in its mutualistic symbiosis with the squid
Euprymna scolopes
. As components of PGN and LPS have commonly been linked with pathogenesis in animals, these findings demonstrate that host interpretation of these bacterial signal molecules is context dependent. Therefore, such differences in interpretation can lead to either inflammation and disease or to the establishment of a mutually beneficial animal-microbe association.
Effects of Prior Polysaccharide Vaccination on Magnitude, Duration, and Quality of Immune Responses to and Safety Profile of a Meningococcal Serogroup C Tetanus Toxoid Conjugate Vaccination in Adults
Authors: Southern Jo , Deane Sarah , Ashton Lindsey , Borrow Ray , Goldblatt David , Andrews Nick , Balmer Paul , Morris Rhonwen , Kroll J. Simon , Miller Elizabeth
Published: November 2004

Extensive use of meningococcal AC polysaccharide (MACP) vaccines has raised concerns about induction of immunologic hyporesponsiveness to C polysaccharide. We investigated the immunogenicity and safety of a meningococcal C-tetanus conjugate (MCC-TT) vaccine in naïve adults and prior MACP vaccinees. Laboratory staff (n= 113) were recruited; 73 were naïve to meningococcal vaccination, and 40 had previously received ≥1 dose of MACP vaccine. Blood was taken prior to MCC-TT vaccination and 1 week, 1 month, and 6 months later. At each time point, proportions of subjects with serum bactericidal antibody (SBA) titers of ≥8 or ≥128 were similar (P> 0.46); >94% of subjects achieved titers of ≥128 at 1 month. However, the geometric mean titer (GMT) of SBA at 1 month was higher in the naïve (1,757; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1,102 to 2,803) than in the previously vaccinated (662; 95% CI, 363 to 1,207) group (P= 0.02), and similarly at 6 months (P< 0.001). Conversely, geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) of serogroup C-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) were significantly higher in the previously vaccinated group pre-MCC-TT and at 1 week; the groups were similar at 1 month, and there was some evidence that the GMC for the previously vaccinated group was higher at 6 months. Qualitative differences in antibodies between groups were demonstrated by using the SBA/IgG ratio, though avidity measures were similar for the two groups throughout the study. MCC-TT was well tolerated, with similar safety profiles in the two groups. Pain in the arm and headache were the most frequently reported events following vaccination. The study shows that MCC-TT is safe and immunogenic in naïve and previously MACP-vaccinated adults, though the magnitude and persistence of postvaccination SBA responses in the latter group were lower.
Evaluation of a Diagnostic Algorithm Using Immunoglobulin M Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay To Differentiate Human West Nile Virus and St. Louis Encephalitis Virus Infections during the 2002 West Nile Virus Epidemic in the United States
Authors: Martin Denise A. , Noga Amanda , Kosoy Olga , Johnson Alison J. , Petersen Lyle R. , Lanciotti Robert S.
Published: November 2004

A diagnostic algorithm was developed to differentiate between human infections of West Nile virus (WNV) and St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) using positive-to-negative (P/N) ratios derived from the immunoglobulin M capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (MAC-ELISA). To validate this algorithm, we tested 1,418 serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from confirmed WNV and SLEV infections collected during the WNV epidemic of 2002 in the United States. WNV P/N-to-SLEV P/N ratios (W/S ratios) were calculated and used to identify the infecting virus. These results were compared to results from the plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT), which is currently the standard assay used to discriminate between closely related flavivirus infections. If the W/S ratio was ≥1, the predictive value positive (PNP) for WNV was 97.8%, where 95% of flavivirus cases were due to WNV infection and only 3.7% of specimens would require PRNT to differentiate WNV from SLEV infection. Use of the W/S ratio as part of the testing algorithm to interpret MAC-ELISA results generates reportable probable cases quickly, alleviating the need for PRNT in most instances.
Utility ofSchistosoma bovisAdult Worm Antigens for Diagnosis of Human Schistosomiasis by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay and Electroimmunotransfer Blot Techniques
Authors: Pardo J. , Carranza C. , Turrientes M. C. , Pérez Arellano J. L. , López Vélez R. , Ramajo V. , Muro A.
Published: November 2004

Immunodiagnostic methods based on the detection of antibodies continue to be the most effective and practical methods for the diagnosis of imported schistosomiasis.Schistosoma bovisis a species whose final natural hosts are bovines, ovines, caprines, and small wild ruminants. Different studies have demonstrated the analogies existing betweenS. bovisand otherSchistosomaspecies which affect humans. The objective of this work was to evaluate the utility ofS. bovisadult worm antigens (AWA) for the diagnosis of imported human schistosomiasis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and electroimmunotransfer blotting (EITB) techniques. By detecting eggs, the ELISA forS. bovisAWA was able to definitively detect imported cases with a sensitivity of 94%. The specificity of the ELISA forS. bovisAWA was 97%. There were no differences between the results of theS. bovisAWA ELISA for patients infected withSchistosoma mansoniand those infected withSchistosoma haematobium. The EITB technique showed bands of 85, 37, and 20 kDa, which are characteristic of infections withSchistosomaspp. Specific bands to indicate infection by different species ofSchistosomahave not been detected. The combined use of the ELISA forS. bovisAWA and EITB increased the global sensitivity of the study to 97%. Our findings suggest that the ELISA forS. bovisAWA is a useful test for the immunodiagnosis of imported schistosomiasis and that EITB for detectingS. bovisAWA permits the confirmation of diagnosis when the ELISA forS. bovisAWA is positive.
Expression of Tocopherol-Associated Protein in Mast Cells
Authors: Ikeda Teruo , Murakami Masaru , Funaba Masayuki
Published: November 2004

Tocopherol-associated protein (TAP) was expressed in mouse mast cells. TAP was predominantly localized in the cytoplasm, and the subcellular localization was not changed by α-tocopherol. The results suggest that the physiological role of TAP in mast cells is not regulation of tocopherol function but an as-yet-unidentified activity.
Enhanced response to caffeine and 4-chloro-m-cresol in malignant hyperthermia-susceptible muscle is related in part to chronically elevated resting [Ca2+]i
Authors: López José R. , Linares Nancy , Pessah Isaac N. , Allen Paul D.
Published: November 2004

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a potentially fatal pharmacogenetic syndrome caused by exposure to halogenated volatile anesthetics and/or depolarizing muscle relaxants. We have measured intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) using double-barreled, Ca2+-selective microelectrodes in myoballs prepared from skeletal muscle of MH-susceptible (MHS) and MH-nonsusceptible (MHN) swine. Resting [Ca2+]i was approximately twofold in MHS compared with MHN quiescent myoballs (232 ± 35 vs. 112 ± 11 nM). Treatment of myoballs with caffeine or 4-chloro- m-cresol (4-CmC) produced an elevation in [Ca2+]i in both groups; however, the concentration required to cause a rise in [Ca2+]i elevation was four times lower in MHS than in MHN skeletal muscle cells. Incubation of MHS cells with the fast-complexing Ca2+ buffer BAPTA reduced [Ca2+]i, raised the concentration of caffeine and 4-CmC required to cause an elevation of [Ca2+]i, and reduced the amount of Ca2+ release associated with exposure to any given concentration of caffeine or 4-CmC to MHN levels. These results suggest that the differences in the response of MHS skeletal myoballs to caffeine and 4-CmC may be mediated at least in part by the chronic high resting [Ca2+]i levels in these cells.
A Massera‐type criterion for almost periodic solutions of higher‐order delay or advanceabstract functional differential equations
Authors: Van Minh Nguyen , Minh Ha Binh
Published: November 2004

Let u be a given bounded uniformly continuous
mild solution of a higher‐order abstract functional differential
equation of delay or advance type. We give a so‐called
Massera‐type criterion for the existence of a mild solution,
which is a “spectral component” of u with spectrum similar to
the one of the forcing term f. Various spectral criteria for the
existence of almost periodic and quasiperiodic mild solutions are
given.
Staging the Greensboro Sit-Ins
Authors: Kowal Rebekah J.
Published: November 2004

Organizers situated and designed their demonstrations to maximize social and political effects. Staging the sit-ins at Woolworth's—an “all-American store”—made great theatre that attracted a national audience
Material Flow and Ecological Restructuring in China
Authors: Liu Yi , Mol Arthur P. J. , Chen Jining
Published: November 2004

Environmental problems are closely related to society' processing of materials through the entire economy. Because neither traditional environmental nor economic analytical methods can provide sufficient insight into the physical dimension of economies, this article presents an integrated methodology, combining a substance flow analysis (SFA) approach and an ecological restructuring analysis. This approach is applied to phosphorus (P) in China, one of the most rapidly growing industrializing economies, in order to better understand of the economy's material use and its change over time. A static national SFA model is developed with statistical data from 1996. By tracking the national economy's P flows from origins to destinations, the critical P flows with respect to environmental impacts are identified. Based on the regime of national P flows, this article analyzes the degree of ecological restructuring by dynamically describing the structural changes of related critical P flows over the last two decades with a set of ecological restructuring indicators (ERIs). Finally, some potential and desired changes are discussed, with the goal of ecologizing the national P flow regime; that is, reducing the ecological impact of the national P flow regime. The methodology of this article illustrates its applicability and value for presenting an overall insight into the physical dimensions of national economies.
Dependence of Intake Fraction on Release Location in a Multimedia Framework
Authors: MacLeod Matthew , Bennett Deborah H. , Perem Merike , Maddalena Randy L. , McKone Thomas E. , Mackay Don
Published: November 2004

A defining feature of industrial ecology is the design of processes to minimize any disruption of the functioning of the natural ecosystem that supports life, including human beings. The extent of human exposure to anthropogenic contaminants in the environment is a complex function of the amount of chemical emitted, its physicochemical properties and reactivity, the nature of the environment, and the characteristics of the pathways for human exposure, such as inhalation, dermal contacts, and intake of food and water. For some chemicals, the location of emissions relative to areas of high population density or intense food production may also be an important factor. We explore the relative importance of these variables using the regionally segmented Berkeleyf‐Trent (BETR) North America contaminant fate model and data for food production patterns and population density for North America. The model is applied to fourfff contaminants emitted to air: benzene, carbon tetrachloride, benzo‐a‐pyrene, and 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzo‐pff‐dioxin. The total continental intake fraction (iF), relating exposure quantity to emission quantity, is employed as a metric for assessing population exposure to these contaminants. Results show that the use of continentally averaged parameters for population density and food production provides an accurate estimate of the median of iF calculated for emissions in individual regions; however, iF can range from this median by up to 3 orders of magnitude, especially for chemicals transferred to humans through foods. The locations of population and food production relative to sources of chemicals are important variables that should be considered when assessing the possible human health impacts of chemical emissions as in life‐cycle assessment.
Identification and utilization of inter-species conserved (ISC) probesets on Affymetrix human GeneChip® platforms for the optimization of the assessment of expression patterns in non human primate (NHP) samples
Authors: Wang Zhining , Lewis Mark G , Nau Martin E , Arnold Alma , Vahey Maryanne T
Published: November 2004

Background

While researchers have utilized versions of the Affymetrix human GeneChip® for the assessment of expression patterns in non human primate (NHP) samples, there has been no comprehensive sequence analysis study undertaken to demonstrate that the probe sequences designed to detect human transcripts are reliably hybridizing with their orthologs in NHP. By aligning probe sequences with expressed sequence tags (ESTs) in NHP, inter-species conserved (ISC) probesets, which have two or more probes complementary to ESTs in NHP, were identified on human GeneChip® platforms. The utility of human GeneChips® for the assessment of NHP expression patterns can be effectively evaluated by analyzing the hybridization behaviour of ISC probesets. Appropriate normalization methods were identified that further improve the reliability of human GeneChips® for interspecies (human vs NHP) comparisons.

Results

ISC probesets in each of the seven Affymetrix GeneChip® platforms (U133Plus2.0, U133A, U133B, U95Av2, U95B, Focus and HuGeneFL) were identified for both monkey and chimpanzee. Expression data was generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 12 human and 8 monkey (Indian origin Rhesus macaque) samples using the Focus GeneChip®. Analysis of both qualitative detection calls and quantitative signal intensities showed that intra-species reproducibility (human vs. human or monkey vs. monkey) was much higher than interspecies reproducibility (human vs. monkey). ISC probesets exhibited higher interspecies reproducibility than the overall expressed probesets. Importantly, appropriate normalization methods could be leveraged to greatly improve interspecies correlations. The correlation coefficients between human (average of 12 samples) and monkey (average of 8 Rhesus macaque samples) are 0.725, 0.821 and 0.893 for MAS5.0 (Microarray Suite version 5.0), dChip and RMA (Robust Multi-chip Average) normalization method, respectively.

Conclusion

It is feasible to use Affymetrix human GeneChip® platforms to assess the expression profiles of NHP for intra-species studies. Caution must be taken for interspecies studies since unsuitable probesets will result in spurious differentially regulated genes between human and NHP. RMA normalization method and ISC probesets are recommended for interspecies studies.
Functional characterization in Caenorhabditis elegans of transmembrane worm-human orthologs
Authors: Henricson Anna , Sonnhammer Erik LL , Baillie David L , Gomes Ana Vaz
Published: November 2004

Background

The complete genome sequences for human and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans offer an opportunity to learn more about human gene function through functional characterization of orthologs in the worm. Based on a previous genome-wide analysis of worm-human orthologous transmembrane proteins, we selected seventeen genes to explore experimentally in C. elegans. These genes were selected on the basis that they all have high confidence candidate human orthologs and that their function is unknown. We first analyzed their phylogeny, membrane topology and domain organization. Then gene functions were studied experimentally in the worm by using RNA interference and transcriptional gfp reporter gene fusions.

Results

The experiments gave functional insights for twelve of the genes studied. For example, C36B1.12, the worm ortholog of three presenilin-like genes, was almost exclusively expressed in head neurons, suggesting an ancient conserved role important to neuronal function. We propose a new transmembrane topology for the presenilin-like protein family. sft-4, the worm ortholog of surfeit locus gene Surf-4, proved to be an essential gene required for development during the larval stages of the worm. R155.1, whose human ortholog is entirely uncharacterized, was implicated in body size control and other developmental processes.

Conclusions

By combining bioinformatics and C. elegans experiments on orthologs, we provide functional insights on twelve previously uncharacterized human genes.
"Any other comments?" Open questions on questionnaires – a bane or a bonus to research?
Authors: O'Cathain Alicia , Thomas Kate J
Published: November 2004

Background

The habitual "any other comments" general open question at the end of structured questionnaires has the potential to increase response rates, elaborate responses to closed questions, and allow respondents to identify new issues not captured in the closed questions. However, we believe that many researchers have collected such data and failed to analyse or present it.

Discussion

General open questions at the end of structured questionnaires can present a problem because of their uncomfortable status of being strictly neither qualitative nor quantitative data, the consequent lack of clarity around how to analyse and report them, and the time and expertise needed to do so. We suggest that the value of these questions can be optimised if researchers start with a clear understanding of the type of data they wish to generate from such a question, and employ an appropriate strategy when designing the study. The intention can be to generate depth data or 'stories' from purposively defined groups of respondents for qualitative analysis, or to produce quantifiable data, representative of the population sampled, as a 'safety net' to identify issues which might complement the closed questions.

We encourage researchers to consider developing a more strategic use of general open questions at the end of structured questionnaires. This may optimise the quality of the data and the analysis, reduce dilemmas regarding whether and how to analyse such data, and result in a more ethical approach to making best use of the data which respondents kindly provide.
A model of inflammatory arthritis highlights a role for oncostatin M in pro-inflammatory cytokine-induced bone destruction via RANK/RANKL
Authors: Hui Wang , Cawston Tim E , Richards Carl D , Rowan Andrew D
Published: November 2004

Oncostatin M is a pro-inflammatory cytokine previously shown to promote marked cartilage destruction both in vitro and in vivo when in combination with IL-1 or tumour necrosis factor alpha. However, the in vivo effects of these potent cytokine combinations on bone catabolism are unknown. Using adenoviral gene transfer, we have overexpressed oncostatin M in combination with either IL-1 or tumour necrosis factor alpha intra-articularly in the knees of C57BL/6 mice. Both of these combinations induced marked bone damage and markedly increased tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive multinucleate cell staining in the synovium and at the front of bone erosions. Furthermore, there was increased expression of RANK and its ligand RANKL in the inflammatory cells, in inflamed synovium and in articular cartilage of knee joints treated with the cytokine combinations compared with expression in joints treated with the cytokines alone or the control. This model of inflammatory arthritis demonstrates that, in vivo, oncostatin M in combination with either IL-1 or tumour necrosis factor alpha represents cytokine combinations that promote bone destruction. The model also provides further evidence that increased osteoclast-like, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive staining multinucleate cells and upregulation of RANK/RANKL in joint tissues are key factors in pathological bone destruction.
Aspects of the Electron Transfer Reaction Rate for Systems Accompanying a Chemical Equilibrium Change
Authors: Yago Tomoaki , Kobori Yasuhiro , Akiyama Kimio , Tero-Kubota Shozo
Published: November 2004

In photoinduced electron-transfer systems accompanying chemical equilibrium changes, such as the formation/dissociation of a noncovalent-bonded complex, the calculation method of the charge separation and recombination reaction rates have been derived based on a simple model, in which the formation/dissociation of noncovalent bonding during the electron-transfer reaction is treated as a change of the chemical equilibrium. The effects of the formation/dissociation of noncovalent bonding on the driving forces and the reorganization energies were calculated using the chemical equilibrium constants for the reactant and product states. It has been demonstrated that the formation/dissociation of noncovalent bonding affects the electron-transfer reaction rates not only by stabilizing the charge-separated state, but also by increasing the reorganization energy.
Kekulénoid Addition Patterns for Fullerenes and Some Lower Homologs
Authors: Babic Darko , Došlic Tomislav , Klein Douglas J , Misra Anirban
Published: November 2004

The challenging problem of the enumeration and generation of addition patterns for fullerenes such that the remnant π-network has a Kekulé structure (i.e., a nearest neighbor pairing pattern) is studied. A methodology to generate (and thence also to enumerate) these Kekulénoid addition patterns is described, and applied to several fullerenes of up to 36 carbons. Pólya-theoretic (coloring) pattern counts which ignore Kekulé structures are found to be much larger than the Kekulénoid-restricted counts. Evidence is marshaled for simple yet general approximate “asymptotic-flavored” formulas for the various counts. As a consequence, the number of Kekulénoid addition patterns CNH2m for buckminsterfullerene C60 is estimated. Overall, this is but ≈0.1% of the Pólya-theoretic addition pattern counts for all numbers of addition sites.
Synthesis of Novel Chemically Amplified Materials Based on Calix[4]arene Derivatives with Acetal Moieties
Authors: Kudo Hiroto , Mitani Kouji , Koyama Syuhei , Nishikubo Tadatomi
Published: November 2004

The synthesis and photoinduced deprotection reaction of calix[4]resorcinarene derivatives with pendant acetal moieties were examined. C-methyl[(methoxymethylcarbonyl)oxy]calix[4]resorcinarene (CRA-Acetal) and C-4-hydroxyphenyl[(methoxymethylcarbonyl)oxy]calix[4]resorcinarene (CRAph-Acetal) were prepared from C-methylcalix[4]resorcinarene (CRA) and C-4-hydroxyphenylcalix[4]resorcinarene (CRAph). The synthesized CRA-Acetal and CRAph-Acetal had good solubilities, good film-forming properties, and high thermal stabilities. The photoinduced deprotection reaction of CRA-Acetal and CRAph-Acetal was examined in the presence of bis[4-(diphenylsulfonio)phenyl]sulfide (DPSP) as a photo-acid generator in the film state upon UV irradiation. It was found that the deprotection reaction of acetal groups of CRA-Acetal and CRAph-Acetal proceeded smoothly without further heating to produce the corresponding calixarene derivatives, CRA-COOH and CRAph-COOH with carboxylic acid groups.
Synthesis of Organic–Inorganic Polymer Hybrids from Ammoniumpropyl-Functionalized Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane
Authors: Adachi Kaoru , Tamaki Ryo , Chujo Yoshiki
Published: November 2004

Organic–inorganic polymer hybrids were prepared from ammoniumpropyl-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane, octa(3-chloroammoniumpropyl)octasilsesquioxane (OCAPS), and several organic polymers such as poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) (PDMAAm), and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The polymer hybrids obtained were optically transparent and soluble in methanol or water. The results of IR spectra of the organic polymers and the polymer hybrids indicate an interaction between the organic component and the inorganic one in the homogeneous polymer hybrids.
Stabilizing Queueing Networks with Setups
Authors: Dai J. G. , Jennings O. B.
Published: November 2004

For multiclass queueing networks, dispatch policies govern the assignment of servers to the jobs they process. Production policies perform the analogous task for queueing networks whose servers are subject to switch-over delays or setups, a model we refer to as setup networks. It is well known that a poorly chosen dispatch policy may lead to instability of a multiclass queueing network, even when the traffic intensity at each station is less than one and the policy is nonidling. Not surprisingly, setup networks and production policies inherit these instability concerns. With this in mind, we define a family of “sensible” production policies that are adaptations of dispatch policies and restrict the frequency of setup performance.

We provide a framework for proving the stability of a setup network operating under a sensible production policy. Central to this framework is the artificial fluid model of a setup network. The artificial fluid models presented are generalizations of standard fluid models of multiclass queueing networks; see, for example, Dai (1995). Unlike their standard fluid model counterparts, artificial fluid models do not arise directly from a limiting procedure on some discrete network process; hence the “artificial” qualifier. Nevertheless, stability of the artificial fluid model implies stability of the associated setup network, a connection paralleling the main result of Dai (1995).

As an exercise in using the artificial fluid model framework for proving stability of setup networks, we investigate several production policies adapted from dispatch policies. One production policy of particular interest involves a modification of the first-in-first-out dispatch policy.
The Structured Distance to Ill-Posedness for Conic Systems
Authors: Lewis A. S.
Published: November 2004

An important measure of conditioning of a conic linear system is the size of the smallest structured perturbation making the system ill-posed. We show that this measure is unchanged if we restrict to perturbations of low rank. We thereby derive a broad generalization of the classic Eckart-Young result characterizing the distance to ill-posedness for a linear map.
On Random Symmetric Travelling Salesman Problems
Authors: Frieze Alan
Published: November 2004

Let the edges of the complete graph Kn be assigned independent uniform [0, 1] random edge weights. Let ZTSP and Z2FAC be the weights of the minimum length travelling salesman tour and minimum weight 2-factor, respectively. We show that whp |ZTSP − Z2FAC| = o(1). The proof is obtained by the analysis of a polynomial time algorithm that finds a tour only a little longer than Z2FAC.
An Exact Algorithm for the Multiple Vehicle Pickup and Delivery Problem
Authors: Lu Quan , Dessouky Maged
Published: November 2004

We consider the multiple vehicle pickup and delivery problem (MVPDP) with the objective of minimizing the total travel cost and the fixed vehicle cost. Most of the optimization-based approaches for solving the MVPDP are developed for a restrictive hard time window or tight capacity environment that depend significantly on the reduction of the feasible solution space. We develop an alternative optimization solution approach for the MVPDP that does not require these constraints to be tight. The problem is formulated as a 0–1 integer-programming problem. A branch-and-cut algorithm is developed to optimally solve the problem. Four classes of valid inequalities for the MVPDP are proposed. By using the proposed solution approach, we were able to optimally solve problem instances of up to 5 vehicles and 17 customers on problems without clusters and up to 5 vehicles and 25 customers on problems with clusters within a stopping criterion of three CPU hours on a SUN Fire 4800 server.
Dispatching of an Electric Monorail System: Applying Metaheuristics to an Online Pickup and Delivery Problem
Authors: Gutenschwager Kai , Niklaus Christian , Voß Stefan
Published: November 2004

In this article we present a new solution approach for a specific online pickup and delivery problem as it occurs in a real-world dispatching task of electric monorail load carriers. The presented optimization module adapts the communication structure of the respective IT components of the warehouse system to facilitate an easy integration. Numerical results are presented comparing steepest descent as well as reactive tabu search and simulated annealing with the dispatching system used so far. Tests are performed on the basis of a detailed simulation model of the entire warehouse and show a clear superiority for this approach.
The maximum of the local time of a transient random walk
Authors: Révész P.
Published: November 2004

Let {Sn, n = 0，1，2，...} be of the sequence a simple random walk in Zd (d ≥ 3) with local time ξ(x, n). The properties of the sequence ξ(n)= maxx ξ(x, n) are investigated.
Infrared Signatures of Proton Transfer in Guanine·Cytosine and Adenine·Thymine Base Pairs: DFT Study
Authors: Hayashi Tomoyuki , Mukamel Shaul
Published: November 2004

The structures of all stable tautomers of guanine·cytosine and adenine·thymine Watson‐Crick base pairs produced by single and double proton transfers from the most stable structures are optimized using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6–31G(d,p) level. The zwitterionic tautomer of guanine·cyosine is stable in a high‐dielectric medium (water), but not in the gas phase. Normal mode calculations show that the infrared peak positions and intensities of the carbonyl, N‐H, and O‐H stretching modes are sensitive to the tautomer geometries.
Tight‐Binding Description of the STM Image of Molecular Chains
Authors: Calev Yoel , Cohen Hezy , Cuniberti Gianaurelio , Nitzan Abraham , Porath Danny
Published: November 2004

A tight‐binding model for scanning tunneling microscopy images of a molecule adsorbed on a metal surface is described. The model is similar in spirit to that used to analyze conduction along molecular wires connecting two metal leads and makes it possible to relate these two measurements to each other. In particular, the dependence of molecular conduction properties along and across a molecular chain on the chain length, intersite electronic coupling strength, and on thermal and disorder effects are discussed and contrasted. It is noted that structural or chemical defects that may affect drastically the conduction along a molecular chain have a relatively modest influence on conduction across the molecular wire in the transverse direction.