bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization of a Co-CoO Obliquely Evaporated Magnetic Tape by Analytical Electron Microscopy and Electron Holography
Authors: Shindo Daisuke , Hosokawa Masasuke , Liu Zheng , Murakami Yasukazu , Ito Takuya , Iwasaki Yoh , Tachibana Junichi
Published: August 2004

The microstructure and magnetic domain structure of a Co-CoO obliquely evaporated tape for magnetic recording are studied by analytical electron microscopy and electron holography, respectively. While the existence of Co and CoO crystallites is confirmed by energy-filtered electron diffraction, columnar structure of the Co crystallites surrounded by the densely packed CoO crystallites is visualized by an elemental mapping method with electron energy loss spectroscopy, and the crystal orientation relation among the Co crystallites is clarified by high-resolution electron microscopy. It is found that the neighboring Co crystallites have close crystal orientations. On the other hand, electron holography reveals the magnetic flux distribution in a thin section of the tape. Although there exists the background resulting from the effect of inner potential with thickness variation, the distribution of lines of magnetic flux is found to correspond well to the recorded pattern.
First Observation of InxGa1−xAs Quantum Dots in GaP by Spherical-Aberration-Corrected HRTEM in Comparison with ADF-STEM and Conventional HRTEM
Authors: Tanaka Nobuo , Yamasaki Jun , Fuchi Shingo , Takeda Yoshikazu
Published: August 2004

InxGa1−xAs quantum dots in GaP(100) crystals prepared by the OMVPE technique are observed along the [011] direction with a newly developed 200-kV spherical aberration(Cs)-corrected HRTEM, a 200-kV annular dark-field (ADF)-STEM, and a 200-kV conventional HRTEM equipped with a thermal field-emission gun. The dots are 6–10 nm in size and strongly strained due to the misfit of about 9% with the GaP substrate and GaP cap layer. All of the cross-sectional high-resolution electron micrographs show dumbbell images of Ga and P atomic columns separated by 0.136 nm in well-oriented and perfect GaP areas, but the interpretable images are limited to those taken with the Cs-corrected HRTEM and ADF-STEM with Fourier filtering of the images. The Cs-corrected HRTEM and ADF-STEM are comparable from the viewpoint of interpretable resolution. A detailed comparison between the Cs-corrected HRTEM images and the simulated ones with electron incidence tilted by 1° to 5° from the [011] zone axis gives information on local lattice bending in the dots from the images around 0.1 nm resolution. This becomes one of the useful techniques newly available from electron microscopy with sub-Ångstrom resolution.
Observation of Nanometer-Xe Clusters Embedded in Al Crystals
Authors: Song M. , Mitsuishi K. , Furuya K.
Published: August 2004

The structure of Xe precipitates with sizes in several nanometers embedded in Al is known to be stable and its structure is well confirmed. But knowledge about the structure of Xe precipitates with nanometer sizes is very limited. There are difficulties in observing such small structures embedded in a crystalline matrix. An off-Bragg condition is used to observe diffraction patterns, dark-field, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images. The structure of Xe precipitates with sizes of about 2 nm and smaller is observed and confirmed. They are in an fcc structure and their orientation relationship with the Al matrix is similar to that of larger crystalline Xe precipitates or in an undefined structure. The lattice spacing or atomic distance in such nanometer-sized Xe precipitates is smaller than those of larger Xe precipitates embedded in Al matrix. There is a trend that as the size becomes smaller, the precipitates are more likely to have an undefined structure.
The 1s-State Analysis Applied to High-Angle, Annular Dark-Field Image Interpretation—When Can We Use It?
Authors: Anstis Geoffrey R.
Published: August 2004

A small probe centered on an atomic column excites the bound and unbound states of the two-dimensional projected potential of the column. It has been argued that, even when several states are excited, only the 1sstate is sufficiently localized to contribute a signal to the high-angle detector. This article shows that non-1sstates do make a significant contribution for certain incident probe profiles. The contribution of the 1sstate to the thermal diffuse scattering is calculated directly. Sub-Ångstrom probes formed by Cs-corrected lenses excite predominantly the 1sstate and contributions from other states are not very large. For probes of lower resolution when non-1sstates are important, the integrated electron intensity at the column provides a better estimate of image intensity.
The Precession Technique in Electron Diffraction and Its Application to Structure Determination of Nano-Size Precipitates in Alloys
Authors: Gjønnes J. , Hansen V. , Kverneland A.
Published: August 2004

Crystal structure of nano-scale precipitates in age-hardening aluminum alloys is a challenge to crystallography. The utility of selected area electron diffraction intensities from embedded precipitates is limited by double scattering via matrix reflections. This effect can be signally reduced by the precession technique, which we have used to collect extensive intensity data from the semicoherent, metastable η′-precipitate in the Al-Zn-Mg alloy system. A structure model in the space group P-62c is proposed from high-resolution microscopy and electron diffraction intensities. The advantages of using the precession technique for quantitative electron diffraction is discussed.
Ultralow-Energy Excitations and Prospects for Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy
Authors: Howie A.
Published: August 2004

The key contribution of electron microscopy methods to condensed matter spectroscopy is undoubtedly spatial resolution. So far this has mainly been manifest through electron energy loss spectroscopy in the 1-eV to 10-keV energy range and has not seriously challenged the dominance of optical, X-ray, and neutron spectroscopy methods over most of the vast field at lower energies. At frequencies up to a few megahertz, corresponding to energies of a few nanoelectron volts and below, direct excitation by pulsed electron beams or electric fields has proved effective. Prospects are discussed for extending spatially resolved spectroscopy to the intermediate energy region, mainly by combining the advantages of electrons with those of photons.
FFT Multislice Method—The Silver Anniversary
Authors: Ishizuka Kazuo
Published: August 2004

The first paper on the FFT multislice method was published in 1977, a quarter of a century ago. The formula was extended in 1982 to include a large tilt of an incident beam relative to the specimen surface. Since then, with advances of computing power, the FFT multislice method has been successfully applied to coherent CBED and HAADF-STEM simulations. However, because the multislice formula is built on some physical approximations and approximations in numerical procedure, there seem to be controversial conclusions in the literature on the multislice method. In this report, the physical implication of the multislice method is reviewed based on the formula for the tilted illumination. Then, some results on the coherent CBED and the HAADF-STEM simulations are presented.
Screw Dislocations in GaN Grown by Different Methods
Authors: Liliental-Weber Z. , Zakharov D. , Jasinski J. , O'Keefe M.A. , Morkoc H.
Published: August 2004

A study of screw dislocations in hydride-vapor-phase-epitaxy (HVPE) template and molecular-beam-epitaxy (MBE) overlayers was performed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in plan view and in cross section. It was observed that screw dislocations in the HVPE layers were decorated by small voids arranged along the screw axis. However, no voids were observed along screw dislocations in MBE overlayers. This was true both for MBE samples grown under Ga-lean and Ga-rich conditions. Dislocation core structures have been studied in these samples in the plan-view configuration. These experiments were supported by image simulation using the most recent models. A direct reconstruction of the phase and amplitude of the scattered electron wave from a focal series of high-resolution images was applied. It was shown that the core structures of screw dislocations in the studied materials were filled. The filed dislocation cores in an MBE samples were stoichiometric. However, in HVPE materials, single atomic columns show substantial differences in intensities and might indicate the possibility of higher Ga concentration in the core than in the matrix. A much lower intensity of the atomic column at the tip of the void was observed. This might suggest presence of lighter elements, such as oxygen, responsible for their formation.
Quantitative Analyses of Precession Diffraction Data for a Large
Cell Oxide
Authors: Own Christopher S. , Subramanian Arun K. , Marks Laurence D.
Published: August 2004

Kinematical and two-beam calculations have been conducted and are
compared to experimental precession data for the large unit cell
crystal La4Cu3MoO12. Precession
electron diffraction intensities are found to exhibit approximate
two-beam behavior and demonstrate clear advantages over conventional
SADP intensities for use in structure solution.
In SituReflection Electron Microscopy of Ge Island Nucleation on Mesa Structures
Authors: Ross F.M. , Kammler M. , Walsh M.E. , Reuter M.C.
Published: August 2004

We have usedin situelectron microscopy to observe the nucleation of Ge islands on lithographically patterned Si(001) mesas. Images were obtained at video rate during chemical vapor deposition of Ge, using a reflection electron microscopy geometry that allows nucleation to be observed over large areas. By comparing the kinetics of nucleation and coarsening on substrates modified by different annealing conditions, we find that the final island arrangement depends on the nature of the mesa sidewalls, and we suggest that this may be due to changes in diffusion of Ge across the nonplanar surface.
Convergent-Beam Low Energy Electron Diffraction (CBLEED) and the Measurement of Surface Dipole Layers
Authors: Spence J.C.H. , Poon H.C. , Saldin D.K.
Published: August 2004

We propose the formation of LEED patterns using a highly convergent beam forming a probe of nanometer dimensions. A reflection rocking curve may then be recorded in many diffraction orders simultaneously. Multiple scattering calculations show that the intensity variations within these rocking curves is as sensitive to the parameters describing the surface dipole layer as conventional I/V scans. However the data may be collected from areas sufficiently small to avoid defects and surface steps, radiation damage controlled by use of low voltages, and the information depth selected by choice of the (constant) voltage. We briefly discuss also the application of this method to oxides and the formation of atomic-resolution scanning images in an idealized instrument in which coherent diffracted LEED orders overlap.
Observation of Magnetic Multilayers by Electron Holography
Authors: Tanji T. , Hasebe S. , Nakagami Y. , Yamamoto K. , Ichihashi M.
Published: August 2004

Magnetic structures of Co/Cu multilayers in cross section are observed by two kinds of electron holography: a Fourier method and a phase-shifting method, which is introduced briefly. The Fourier method can easily reconstruct wave functions and is applied to many specimens, whereas the phase-shifting method requires longer time for processing, but has a higher spatial resolution that permits us to discuss fine structures. Magnetization vectors in Co layers aligning parallel and separating into two blocks with antiparallel alignment are observed. Magnetic blurring on the boundary between Co and Cu in the reconstructed phase images is larger than the estimated atomic roughness.
Properties of Nanobelts and Nanotubes Measured byIn SituTEM
Authors: Wang Zhong Lin
Published: August 2004

Characterizing the physical properties of individual nanostructures is challenging because of the difficulty in manipulating the objects of sizes from nanometers to micrometers. Most nanomeasurements have been carried using scanning probe microscopy. In this article, we demonstrate that transmission electron microscopy can be a powerful tool for quantitative measurements of the mechanical and electrical properties of a single nanostructure. Dual-mode resonance of an oxide nanobelt has been observed, and its bending modulus has been measured. Anin situtechnique was demonstrated for measuring the work function at the tip of a carbon nanotube. The ballistic quantum conductance of a multiwalled carbon nanotube was observed at room temperature using the setup in TEM. It is concluded thatin situmeasurement by directly linking structure with property is a future direction of electron microscopy.
Introduction: An International Workshop in Honor of Regents'
Professor John Maxwell Cowley on the Occasion of His 80th
Birthday
Authors: Smith David J.
Published: August 2004

This issue is dedicated to Regents' Professor John Maxwell
Cowley, FRS, in recognition of his lifelong contributions to electron
microscopy, diffraction, and crystallography. This collection of 22
peer-reviewed articles is based on presentations made at the
international workshop entitled “Recent Developments and
Applications of Atomic Resolution Electron Microscopy and
Spectroscopy—A Silver Jubilee.” The workshop was held in
the historic Old Main building on the campus of Arizona State
University in early January 2003 and was attended by about 150 people.
It celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Center for High Resolution
Electron Microscopy, which was founded by John Cowley, and also served
as an occasion to honor him on his 80th birthday. Keynote speakers
included Sumio Iijima, discoverer of the carbon nanotube; Mikail Roco,
senior advisor on nanotechnology for the National Science Foundation;
and John Cowley himself, whose lecture addressed innovative ideas for
achieving sub-Ångstrom resolution without requiring aberration
correction.
Quick Photoshop for Research: A Guide to Digital Imaging for
Photoshop 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x. Jerry Sedgewick. Kluwer Academic/Plenum
Publishers, New York; 2002, 107 pages (Spiral-bound, $49.50)
ISBN 0-306-47375-5
Authors: Morre Joe
Published: August 2004

This four-part guide touches upon topics such as acquisition,
scanning, rudimentary image manipulation, and the printing or
computer-assisted presentation of photomicrographs. The guide is very
concise yet complete in content. The sequence of topics is sound, and
the graphic presentation of dialog boxes and pull down menus is
unambiguous and simple to follow.
Therapieverlauf und Langzeiteffekt eines multimodalen Trainingsprogramms bei Aufmerksamkeitsdefizit-/Hyperaktivitätsstörungen
Authors: Lauth Gerhard W. , Fellner Claudia
Published: August 2004

Zusammenfassung. Der folgende Beitrag stellt eine multimodale Therapie bei aufmerksamkeitsgestörten/hyperaktiven Kindern vor. Die Therapie bestand aus verschiedenen Therapiemodulen (Aufmerksamkeitstraining mit dem Kind, Eltern- und Lehrerberatung, Sozialtraining), von denen jeweils eine bereichsspezifische Wirksamkeit erwartet wurde. Anhand von Einzelfallanalysen (Grundraten-Versuchspläne) wurde überprüft, inwieweit sich das Zielverhalten der Kinder im Alltag verbesserte. Hierzu wurde in den Grundraten, therapiebegleitend sowie 12 Monate nach Ende der Therapie erfasst, inwieweit die Kinder im Alltag wünschenswertes Zielverhalten realisierten. Eltern und Lehrer gaben hierzu an, inwieweit den Kindern charakteristische und alltagstypische Verhaltensweisen gelangen. Die Wirksamkeit der Therapie wurde in Form von Effektstärken berechnet. Bei Therapieende wurde eine durchgängig große Effektstärke festgestellt. In der Katamnese sahen die Eltern das Verhalten der Kinder als dauerhaft gebessert, während die Lehrer nach einem Jahr einen eher mittleren Behandlungseffekt konstatierten. Die Daten zur Wirksamkeit der einzelnen Behandlungsmodule zeigen, dass zur Stabilisierung der Behandlungseffekte in der Schule eine möglichst alltagsnahe Lehrerberatung notwendig ist. Die hier praktizierte Methodik wird als ökonomische Evaluationsmethode gesehen. Es wird dafür plädiert, in der Praxis vor allem positive Evaluationskriterien heran zu ziehen, um das Ausmaß erwünschten Verhaltens zu erfassen.
Adipositastherapie bei Kindern und Jugendlichen:
Authors: Hubel Ralph , Lehrke Sonja , Laessle Reinhold G.
Published: August 2004

Zusammenfassung. Dargestellt wird eine Metaanalyse zum Thema “Wirksamkeit verhaltenstherapeutischer Adipositastherapie bei Kindern und Jugendlichen“. Nach einer zusammenfassenden Beschreibung der Charakteristika von 35 Studien werden die Ergebnisse von 17 untersuchten Therapiegruppen, für die Effektstärken berechnet werden konnten, deskriptivstatistischen Effektstärkenanalysen unterzogen. Auf der Basis der Daten von 352 untersuchten Personen ergab sich eine Effektstärke von d = 1.85 für den Body Mass Index (BMI) bzw. von 2.12 für das prozentuale Übergewicht (N = 131) im Prä-post-Vergleich. Zum Katamnesezeitpunkt lagen die Effektstärken bei 0.56 für den BMI (N = 120) bzw. 0.77 für das prozentuale Übergewicht (N = 88). Bezüglich des Selbstwerts ergaben sich Effektstärken von 0.52 (N = 96) nach der Therapie bzw. 0.65 zur Katamnese (N = 75). Abschließend werden die Aussagekraft der Ergebnisse dieser Metaanalyse kritisch diskutiert und Vorschläge für die zukünftige Forschung zum genannten Thema formuliert.
Achievement, Power, and Affiliation Motives as Clues to (E)migration Desires: A Four-Countries Comparison
Authors: Boneva Bonka , Frieze Irene H. , Ferligoj Anuška , Jarošová Eva , Pauknerová Daniela , Orgocka Aida
Published: August 2004

Within the framework of McClelland’s motivational theory, a model of the motivational structure of the migrant personality is proposed. It is argued that those who choose to leave their country of origin have higher achievement and power motivation and lower affiliation motivation than those who want to stay. This model was tested with 1050 college students in Albania, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia. Data were collected between 1993 and 1996. MANOVA analysis confirmed our predictions for the achievement and power motives. Students who wanted to emigrate had higher achievement and power motivation scores than those who wanted to stay. This model was also applied to internal migrants. It was tested with 789 United States college students. Those who wanted to leave the region of their university after graduation scored significantly higher on achievement and power motivation than those who wanted to stay. It is argued that this pattern is specific for countries or regions of economic stagnation or decline, while it may be reversed for countries or regions of economic growth. Predictions for the affiliation motivation were only partly supported. Our findings suggest that psychological factors are important predictors of (e)migration.
National Differences in Personality, Socio-Economicf and Work-Related Attitudinal Variables
Authors: Kirkcaldy Bruce D. , Furnham Adrian , Martin Terry
Published: August 2004

National means were obtained for equivalent age respondents (n = 14 000) in a large sample of countries (n = 53) with respect to personality variables (psychoticism, extraversion, and neuroticism), socio-economic factors (inflation, gross domestic product (GDP), economic growth, labor force, human development index (HDI), cost of living, divorce rate, family size), and work-related attitudes (work ethic, mastery, achievement motivation, competitiveness, achievement/conformity, money beliefs, and attitudes towards savings). In addition, the subjective well-being measure (SWB) from Diener and colleagues (1995) was included. European countries emerged as showing a lower economic growth, but higher GDP, higher cost of living standards, a higher human development index, as well as smaller family sizes compared to non-European countries. Among European countries, GDP correlated negatively with competitiveness. Participants from nations characterized by high subjective well-being scores were less competitive, and attached less importance to money. Well-being was further associated with a greater need for mastery over problems and events, and achievement through conformity. Moreover, while personality variables were unrelated to economic factors, they were predictably associated with several work attitude scales. More specifically, extraversion was significantly positively correlated with achievement motivation, mastery, and savings, while psychoticism was negatively correlated with work ethic, achievement motivation, and mastery. The implications of the findings are discussed.
Physiological Arousal and Performance in Elite Archers: A Field Study
Authors: Robazza Claudio , Bortoli Laura , Nougier Vincent
Published: August 2004

The performance and heart rate of ten top-level female archers were assessed in a field study. The study was designed (a) to analyze the impact of physiological arousal on performance, (b) to investigate whether heart-rate deceleration during shooting, a marker of optimal functioning of attentional processes, is affected by arousal modification, and (c) to verify whether heart-rate deceleration appears under conditions of occluded vision and mental rehearsal or while simulating execution. Treatments comprised optimal, delayed, blind, simulated, high-arousal, and low-arousal shooting conditions. Within-factors analysis of variance was conducted on performance variables (shooting scores, variable error, and total error) and heart rate. The results revealed that best and worst outcomes were associated with optimal and delayed conditions, respectively. Decreased performance was also found for high arousal. Analysis of heart rate yielded significant results: Heart-rate deceleration during shooting, from draw to release, was associated with optimal, blind, and simulated conditions. Implications for practice in archery are derived from findings. Performance outcomes and heart-rate pattern can be assessed during training to determine optimal arousal and action timing. Furthermore, heart-rate deceleration can be used as a physiological marker of modifications induced by mental rehearsal and skill simulation.
Weekly Exercise Consistently Reinstates Positive Mood
Authors: Steinberg Hannah , Nicholls Briony R. , Sykes Elizabeth A. , LeBoutillier N. , Ramlakhan Nerina , Moss T.P. , Dewey Alison
Published: August 2004

Mood improvement immediately after a single bout of exercise is well documented, but less is known about successive and longer term effects. In a “real-life” field investigation, four kinds of exercise class (Beginners, Advanced, Body Funk and Callanetics) met once a week for up to 7 weeks. Before and after each class the members assessed how they felt by completing a questionnaire listing equal numbers of “positive” and “negative” mood words. Subjects who had attended at least five times were included in the analysis, which led to groups consisting of 18, 20, 16, and 16 subjects, respectively. All four kinds of exercise significantly increased positive and decreased negative feelings, and this result was surprisingly consistent in successive weeks. However, exercise seemed to have a much greater effect on positive than on negative moods. The favorable moods induced by each class seemed to have worn off by the following week, to be reinstated by the class itself. In the Callanetics class, positive mood also improved significantly over time. The Callanetics class involved “slower,” more demanding exercises, not always done to music. The Callanetics and Advanced classes also showed significantly greater preexercise negative moods in the first three sessions. However, these differences disappeared following exercise. Possibly, these two groups had become more “tolerant” to the mood-enhancing effects of physical exercise; this may be in part have been due to “exercise addiction.”
Perceptual Illusions in Imagery
Authors: Giusberti Fiorella , Cornoldi Cesare , De Beni Rossana , Massironi Manfredo
Published: August 2004

A mental image is in many ways analogous to a percept but it is not completely identical to it. In some respects, visual perception and visual imagery work in different ways. One area which is worth examining with regard to similarities and asymmetries between perception and imagery is the initial phases of visual information processing. The literature includes some references to the equivalence of imagery and perception in optical illusions, but data are contradictory.

In our view, a mental image should not be particularly sensitive to variables which are critical in producing an optical illusion, i.e., variables affecting the early phases of information processing and field global effects. Our hypothesis is that an optical illusion will be present in a perception condition but not in an equivalent imagery condition. To test this, we carried out two experiments using the Ebbinghaus illusion and the Ponzo illusion. The results confirmed our hypothesis, demonstrating that there are indeed asymmetries between perception and imagery and that such differences mainly concern specific perceptual processes that differ from those involved in the generation of a mental image.
“Forgivingness”: Factor Structure in a Sample of Young, Middle-Aged, and Elderly Adults
Authors: Mullet Etienne , Houdbine Anne , Laumonier Sophie , Girard Michelle
Published: August 2004

The effect of various circumstances known to moderate willingness to forgive was studied in a sample of adults whose ages ranged from 18 to 90 years. The factorial structure of these circumstances was shown, as well as the link between age and the different factors. Four factors were extracted: (1) A Revenge Versus Forgiveness factor reflecting a general tendency in people to forgive (or to seek revenge) regardless of circumstances. (2) A Personal and Social Circumstances factor synthesizing the effects of various incentives from the social environment of the person. (3) An Obstacle to Forgiveness factor synthesizing the effects of the circumstance linked to the offense. (4) A Forgiveness Block factor. Age appeared as the strongest determinant of forgivingness.
Laktobazillen als Probiotika zur Behandlung urogenitaler und intestinaler Infektionen sowie zur Vorbeugung und Therapie von allergischen Erkankungen
Authors: Merk Kathrin , Borelli Claudia , Schaller Martin , Korting Hans Christian
Published: August 2004

Laktobazillen sind probiotische Mikroorganismen, die als Teil der normalen Mikroflora des Menschen den Gastrointestinal‐ sowie den Urogenitaltrakt besiedeln. Mehrere Studien weisen auf die gesundheitsförderne Wirkung, insbesondere den Schutz vor pathogenen Bakterien und Pilzen, hin. So konnte die sowohl präventive als auch therapeutische Wirkung von Laktobazillen bei Durchfallerkrankungen unterschiedlicher Genese sowie auch bei urogenitalen Infektionen nachgewiesen werden. Auch bei der Entstehung und Behandlung von Allergien bzw. atopischen Erkrankungen scheinen Laktobazillen einen protektiven Effekt zu haben.
HLA-DRB1*04 and HLA-DQB1*03 Association with the Atrophic but not with the Goitrous Form of Chronic Autoimmune Thyroiditis in a Brazilian Population
Authors: Engelbrecht Zantut-Wittmann D. , Persoli L. , Tambascia M. A. , Fischer E. , Franco Maldonado D. , Costa A. M. , Pavin E. J.
Published: August 2004

Autoimmune chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis appears in two forms, goitrous and atrophic. The evidence available is not enough to prove that the goitrous precedes the atrophic form, but immunogenetic analysis suggests that they may be distinct entities. The distribution of HLA class II alleles DRB1* and DQB1* was verified in patients from the region of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil with both forms of thyroiditis. Ninety-one patients with primary hypothyroidism through autoimmune thyroiditis were classified as goitrous - 54 patients, 42.27 ± 11.72 years old, having had hypothyroidism for 8.57 ± 6.63 years - or atrophic - 37 patients, 42.72 ± 12.01 years old, hypothyroidism for 6.73 ± 4.07 years. The distribution of class II alleles was determined, DRB1* and DQB1* were genotyped after purifying DNA blood samples using the DNAzol technique, and the low-resolution PCR-SSP system was utilized for determination of generic alleles. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact test were
utilized to compare the distribution frequency of HLA alleles and the significant p-values were subjected to Bonferroni correction. We have demonstrated that the DRB1*04 allele is associated with autoimmune thyroiditis, and that there are genotypic differences regarding the presentation forms with a strong association between DRB1*04 and DQB1*03 and the atrophic form only.
Comparison of dwarf mistletoes (Arceuthobium spp., Viscaceae) in the western United States with mistletoes (Amyema spp., Loranthaceae) in Australia—ecological analogs and reciprocal models for ecosystem management
Authors: Shaw David C. , Watson David M. , Mathiasen Robert L.
Published: August 2004

Whereas the biology, physiology and systematics of mistletoes have been explored in considerable detail, their ecology has received less attention and our understanding is highly fragmentary. A conspicuous exception is the dwarf mistletoes (Arceuthobium spp.)—a genus that exclusively parasitises coniferous trees, including many commercially valuable species in the forests of the western United States. Accordingly, these plants have been the subjects of intensive cross-disciplinary research for the past five decades, initially from a control and management perspective but extending into most aspects of their ecology and life history. This review summarises our understanding of dwarf mistletoes, focusing on recent developments in the areas of mistletoe–wildlife interactions, fire, ecosystem ecology and conservation biology. We also compare dwarf mistletoes with Australian mistletoes in the genus Amyema, a diverse suite of species found throughout the continent. Despite fundamental differences in their evolutionary origin and most aspects of their autecology and life history, the genera exhibit many similarities in terms of their ecological role in forests and woodlands, and their influence on stand- and forest-scale dynamics. In particular, both groups provide nesting resources for a range of birds and mammals, and nutritional resources for a diverse assemblage of species. Both also interact with fire, potentially leading to changes in successional dynamics at the stand scale. At an applied level, both groups are widely considered as pests but, as our understanding of these keystone species improves, they have the potential to serve as sensitive ecological indicators for their respective ecosystems. Key research priorities are identified for further research on both groups of mistletoes and more explicit comparative research, with Arceuthobium serving as a valuable template for future work on Amyema and Australian mistletoes in general.
Quantification of the susceptibility of the native flora of the South-West Botanical Province, Western Australia, to Phytophthora cinnamomi
Authors: Shearer B. L. , Crane C. E. , Cochrane A.
Published: August 2004

This study compares, for the first time, variation in estimates of susceptibility of native flora to Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands among four databases and proposes an estimate of the proportion of the flora of the South-West Botanical Province of Western Australia that is susceptible to the pathogen. Estimates of the susceptibility of south-western native flora to P. cinnamomi infection were obtained from databases for Banksia woodland of the Swan Coastal Plain, jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Donn. ex Smith) forest, the Stirling Range National Park and Rare and Threatened Flora of Western Australia. For the woodland, forest and national park databases, hosts were naturally infected in uncontrolled diverse natural environments. In contrast, threatened flora were artificially inoculated in a shadehouse environment. Considerable variation occurred within taxonomic units, making occurrence within family and genus poor predictors of species susceptibility. Identification of intra-specific resistance suggests that P. cinnamomi could be having a strong selection pressure on some threatened flora at infested sites and the populations could shift to more resistant types. Similar estimates of the proportion of species susceptible to P. cinnamomi among the databases from the wide range of environments suggests that a realistic estimate of species susceptibility to P. cinnamomi infection in the south-western region has been obtained. The mean of 40% susceptible and 14% highly susceptible equates to 2284 and 800 species of the 5710 described plant species in the South-West Botanical Province susceptible and highly susceptible to P. cinnamomi, respectively. Such estimates are important for determining the cost of disease to conservation values and for prioritising disease importance and research priorities. P. cinnamomi in south-western Australia is an unparalleled example of an introduced pathogen with a wide host range causing immense irreversible damage to unique, diverse but mainly susceptible plant communities.
Caryopsis dormancy, germination and seedling emergence in sand, of Leymus racemosus (Poaceae), a perennial sand-dune grass inhabiting the Junggar Basin of Xinjiang, China
Authors: Huang Zhenying , Dong Ming , Gutterman Yitzchak
Published: August 2004

Leymus racemosus (Lam.) Tzvel. (Poaceae), wild rye, is an endangered, but economically important, perennial grass. It is mainly distributed in the moving or semistabilised sand in deserts of the Junggar Basin in Xinjiang, China. Freshly harvested caryopses are in non-deep physiological dormancy, causing slow and low germination. Six weeks of cold stratification at 5�C is required for the highest germination percentage to be reached at 25–30�C. Scarifying the fruit coat, or artificial removal of different proportions of the endosperm, also increases caryopsis germination. The greater the proportion of the endosperm that was removed, the higher the percentage of germination reached. However, the dry weight of the seedlings and the rate of root and shoot lengthening were significantly influenced by the proportion of the endosperm that remained on the caryopses.The influences of caryopsis size, or of the proportion of remaining endosperm, on germination and seedling emergence from different depths in sand were studied. The percentage of germination was negatively influenced by burial depth, but not by caryopsis size or the proportion of the endosperm that remained. Seedling emergence was negatively related to both burial depth and caryopsis or endosperm sizes. Seedlings from the smallest seeds or from caryopses with 75% endosperm removed did not emerge from 4 cm, and no seedlings from any of the treatments emerged from a depth of 8 cm.
Dietary fats, marbling and human health
Authors: Baghurst K.
Published: August 2004

This paper provides a description of dietary fats, including saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, as well as trans fatty acids and dietary cholesterol. The main concerns about dietary fats for human health are discussed, with particular reference to obesity, coronary heart disease and cancer. In relation to obesity, concern is with total fat intake in relation to excess energy intake; for heart disease this is also an issue but perhaps more important is the issue of the type of fats consumed, notably the role of saturated v. polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. For cancer, evidence suggests few links with either total or type of fat in the diet. The paper then reviews red meat as a source of dietary fat, concentrating on Australian beef and the types of fat found in the beef. In the USA, current data tables indicate fat levels from 3.7% for the leanest cuts with most cuts being at least 6–7% fat. In Australia, analyses show lower fat levels with between 1.6 and 6.5% fat for pasture-fed beef and 1.6 and 6.5% for grain-fed beef. Generally, the fatty acid composition of marbling fat is similar to subcutaneous fat from the same animal. Contrary to some commonly held beliefs it does not, therefore, confer any health benefit but merely contributes to the overall fat level.
The effects of environmental factors on fatty acid composition and the assessment of marbling in beef cattle: a review
Authors: Tume R. K.
Published: August 2004

Marbling refers to the appearance of white flecks of fatty tissue between muscle fibre bundles. The whiteness and opacity of the fat is important for visual assessment of marbling and depends on the crystallisation of the triacylglycerols within the fat cells. In the living animal, fat is in a liquid state. With chilling, the triacylglycerols undergo phase changes (solidify) and become opaque. The temperature at which this occurs is largely dependent upon the melting points of the individual fatty acids. Marbling fat can comprise a diverse range of fatty acids and each has an individual melting point (e.g. palmitoleic melts at 0°C; stearic melts at 70°C). The visual appearance of marbling will thus depend on the melting points of the constituent fatty acids at chiller temperature. The high melting point stearic acid can vary significantly in content across groups of cattle and has a major influence on the physical properties and visual appearance of marbling fat. The effects of nutrition, seasonal and climatic variation are reviewed and linked to marbling appearance and fat hardness.
Growth, development and nutritional manipulation of marbling in cattle: a review
Authors: Pethick D. W. , Harper G. S. , Oddy V. H.
Published: August 2004

This review describes the pattern of intramuscular fat accretion in cattle and the potential for its manipulation during both the pasture (or backgrounding) and intensive grain-finishing phases of development. A growth curve for the development of marbling in British and Japanese Black type breeds is discussed with the conclusion that 3 phases of development exist: (i) a period of growth up to ~200 kg hot carcass weight where intramuscular fat does not increase; (ii) a period of linear development as carcass weight increases from 200 to 450�kg; and (iii) the attainment of mature body size (~500 kg carcass weight depending on genotype) at which intramuscular fat content appears to reachea maximum. Data are also presented to show that the intramuscular and other fat depots develop at similar rates indicating that intramuscular fat is not a late maturing depot. Pre-finishing growth checks reduce the initial intramuscular fat at the start of finishing and this is translated into lower levels at the end of finishing. It is argued that the greatest potential for the manipulation of intramuscular fat accretion during fattening is via an increase in the net energy of the ration. Increasing net energy can be achieved by increasing the cereal grain content of the diet (grain v. grass); by feeding processed cereal grain, which allows both maximal rumen fermentation and small intestinal digestion of starch, and by increasing the lipid content of the diet. In addition it is proposed that the substrate supply or hormonal milieu can also be optimised, along with the availability of net energy to maximise fat accretion. The role of lipolysis (fat turnover) as a regulator of fat accretion is also discussed.
Industry application of marbling genetics: a brief review
Authors: Parnell P. F.
Published: August 2004

Improved marbling performance has been recognised for many years as an important objective for the high value export sector of the Australian beef industry. Over the last decade there have been several developments that have provided breeders with substantially better information on which to base breeding decisions aimed at improved marbling performance. These include the application of real-time ultrasound scanning for intramuscular fat percentage (IMF%); the derivation of genetic parameters involving IMF%; the incorporation of IMF% in multi-trait genetic evaluation; and, the industry adoption of selection index technology to assist in optimal multi-trait selection including marbling performance.It is argued that a major constraint to the genetic improvement in beef palatability traits, including marbling performance, has been the inadequate communication of effective market signals and poor information flow through the beef supply chain. This situation is unlikely to change unless the industry achieves a greater degree of vertical co-ordination and improved linkage across the supply chain from the producer to the consumer. There is a need for the implementation of genuine value based marketing systems that provide an appropriate financial incentive for seedstock and commercial beef producers to adopt breeding and management strategies that emphasise the improvement of beef palatability and marbling. The application of gene marker technology will provide future opportunities, as well as additional challenges, in the quest for achieving improved marbling performance.
The effects of marbling on flavour and juiciness scores of cooked beef, after adjusting to a constant tenderness
Authors: Thompson J. M.
Published: August 2004

Relationship between consumer sensory scores and intramuscular fat percentage were examined using data from 3613 striploin (M. longissimus dorsi) samples. These samples were sensory tested, using consumer taste panels, after 14 days ageing. There were curvilinear relationships between sensory scores for tenderness, juiciness, like flavour and overall liking and intramuscular fat percentage, showing that these relationships plateaued between 15�and 17% intramuscular fat. High correlations (r > 0.86) between sensory scores meant that the individual scores were confounded. In an attempt to minimise this confounding, flavour and juiciness scores were adjusted for an independent measure of tenderness, namely peak force. There were curvilinear relationships between flavour and juiciness scores, with peak force indicating that the relationship plateaued at the higher shear forces. After adjustment for peak force, the relationships between the flavour and juiciness scores and the intramuscular fat percentage (after adjustment for peak force) also showed positive curvilinear relationships. These plateaued at the higher levels of intramuscular fat percentage (14 and 20%, for flavour and juiciness scores, respectively). These results show that if young animals are processed in a manner where myofibrillar toughness is controlled, flavour and juiciness scores for beef samples that are served as grilled steaks to Australian consumers will tend to plateau at the higher intramuscular fat percentage.
Evolutionarily conserved sequence elements that positively regulate IFN-γ expression in T cells
Authors: Shnyreva Maria , Weaver William M. , Blanchette Mathieu , Taylor Scott L. , Tompa Martin , Fitzpatrick David R. , Wilson Christopher B.
Published: August 2004

Our understanding of mechanisms by which the expression of IFN-γ is regulated is limited. Herein, we identify two evolutionarily conserved noncoding sequence elements (IFNgCNS1 and IFNg CNS2) located ≈5 kb upstream and ≈18 kb downstream of the initiation codon of the murineIfnggene. When linked to the murineIfnggene (–3.4 to +5.6 kb) and transiently transfected into EL-4 cells, these elements clearly enhanced IFN-γ expression in response to ionomycin and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and weakly enhanced expression in response to T-bet. A DNase I hypersensitive site and extragenic transcripts at IFNgCNS2 correlated positively with the capacity of primary T cell subsets to produce IFN-γ. Transcriptionally favorable histone modifications in theIfngpromoter, intronic regions, IFNgCNS2, and, although less pronounced, IFNgCNS1 increased as naïve T cells differentiated into IFN-γ-producing effector CD8+and T helper (TH) 1 T cells, but not into TH2 T cells. Like IFN-γ expression, these histone modifications were T-bet-dependent in CD4+cells, but not CD8+T cells. These findings define two distal regulatory elements associated with T cell subset-specific IFN-γ expression.
Visualization of antitumor treatment by means of fluorescence molecular tomography with an annexin V–Cy5.5 conjugate
Authors: Ntziachristos Vasilis , Schellenberger Eyk A. , Ripoll Jorge , Yessayan Doreen , Graves Edward , Bogdanov Alexei , Josephson Lee , Weissleder Ralph
Published: August 2004

In vivo
imaging of treatment responses at the molecular level could have a significant impact on the speed of drug discovery and ultimately lead to personalized medicine. Strong interest has been shown in developing quantitative fluorescence-based technologies with good molecular specificity and sensitivity for noninvasive 3D imaging through tissues and whole animals. We show herein that tumor response to chemotherapy can be accurately resolved by fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) with a phosphatidylserine-sensing fluorescent probe based on modified annexins. We observed at least a 10-fold increase of fluorochrome concentration in cyclophosphamide-sensitive tumors and a 7-fold increase of resistant tumors compared with control studies. FMT is an optical imaging technique developed to overcome limitations of commonly used planar illumination methods and demonstrates higher quantification accuracy validated by histology. It is further shown that a 3-fold variation in background absorption heterogeneity may yield 100% errors in planar imaging but only 20% error in FMT, thus confirming tomographic imaging as a preferred tool for quantitative investigations of fluorescent probes in tissues. Tomographic approaches are found essential for small-animal optical imaging and are potentially well suited for clinical drug development and monitoring.
Nitric oxide facilitates cardiomyogenesis in mouse embryonic stem cells
Authors: Kanno Shinichi , Kim Peter K. M. , Sallam Karim , Lei Jing , Billiar Timothy R. , Shears Larry L.
Published: August 2004

Stem cell therapy holds great promise for the replacement of damaged or dysfunctional myocardium. Nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to promote embryonic stem (ES) cell differentiation in other systems. We hypothesized that NO, through NO synthase gene transfer or exogenous NO exposure, would promote the differentiation of mouse ES cells into cardiomyocytes (CM). In our study, NO treatment increased both the number and the size of beating foci in embryoid body (EB) outgrowths. Within 2 weeks, 69% of the inducible NO synthase-transduced EB displayed spontaneously beating foci, as did 45% of the NO donor-treated EB, compared with only ≈15% in controls. Cardiac-specific genes and protein expression were significantly increased in NO-treated ES. Electron microscopy and immunocytochemistry revealed that these NO-induced contracting cells exhibited characteristics consistent with CM. At day 7 in culture, troponin T was expressed in 45.6 ± 20.6% of the NO-treated ES cells but in only 9.25 ± 1.77% of control cells. Interestingly, 50.4 ± 18.4% of NO-treated ES cells were troponin T-negative and annexin V-positive. This apoptotic phenotype was seen in <1% of the control ES cells. These data strongly support our hypothesis that mouse ES cells can be accelerated to differentiate into CM by NO treatment. NO may influence cardiac differentiation by both inducing a switch toward a cardiac phenotype and inducing apoptosis in cells not committed to cardiac differentiation.
High-resolution vegetation and climate change associated with Pliocene Australopithecus afarensis
Authors: Bonnefille R. , Potts R. , Chalié F. , Jolly D. , Peyron O.
Published: August 2004

Plio-Pleistocene global climate change is believed to have had an important influence on local habitats and early human evolution in Africa. Responses of hominin lineages to climate change have been difficult to test, however, because this procedure requires well documented evidence for connections between global climate and hominin environment. Through high-resolution pollen data from Hadar, Ethiopia, we show that the hominin
Australopithecus afarensis
accommodated to substantial environmental variability between 3.4 and 2.9 million years ago. A large biome shift, up to 5°C cooling, and a 200- to 300-mm/yr rainfall increase occurred just before 3.3 million years ago, which is consistent with a global marine δ
18
O isotopic shift.