bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Variability of Nonionellina labradorica Dawson in Surface Sediments from Kongsfjorden, West Spitsbergen
Authors: SHETYE Suhas , MOHAN Rahul , SHUKLA Sunil Kumar , MARUTHADU Sudhakar , RAVINDRA Rasik
Published: June 2011

Kongsfjorden is a fjord in Spitsbergen (Svalbard archipelago) that lies adjacent to both Arctic and Atlantic water masses and is therefore a suitable site to understand the effects of climate change on ecosystems. To decipher the effect of the lateral advection of transformed Atlantic water (TAW) within the fjord, spatial variations of foraminiferal tests, their test size variations and stable isotopic composition (δ13C and δ18O) in the surface sediments were studied. Total organic carbon and textural analyses were also carried out. The dominant benthic foraminifera included Nonionellina labradorica, Elphidium excavatum, Cassidulina reniforme, Quinqueloculina stalkeri and Islandiella islandica. Nonionellina labradorica was the predominant species in the outer fjord, whereas Elphidium excavatum and Cassidulina reniforme were dominant in the inner fjord. Total organic carbon and the test size of Nonionellina labradorica within the fjord were highly correlated (r= 0.97) and both showed a decreasing trend towards the inner fjord Based on the distribution and abundance of Nonionellina labradorica as well as temperature profiles, we suggest that there was little or no major change in the lateral advection of TAW within the fjord in the immediate past.
Late Silurian to Early Devonian Palynomorphs from Qujing, Yunnan, Southwest China
Authors: TIAN Jiajie , ZHU Huaicheng , HUANG Min , LIU Feng
Published: June 2011

Well‐preserved and diversified spores, cryptospores, and acritarchs have been recorded from a relatively continuous sequence that encompasses the Silurian–Devonian boundary in Qujing, Yunnan, southwest China. Four spore assemblage zones from Late Silurian to Early Devonian in age are proposed based on the first appearance datum (FAD) of characteristic spore species. In ascending stratigraphic order, they are Ambitisporites dilutus–Apiculiretusispora synorea (DS; Late Ludfordian to Early Pridoli), Synorisporites verrucatus–Apiculiretusispora plicata (VP; Pridoli), Apiculiretusispora minuta–Leiotriletes ornatus (MO; Lochkovian), and Verrucosisporites polygonalis–Dibolisporites wetteldorfensis (PW; Pragian). The acritarch assemblage from the upper part of the Yulongsi Formation, the Xiaxishancun Formation, and the lower–middle parts of the Xitun Formation indicates an age of Late Silurian. Based on palynological evidence, the upper part of the Yulongsi Formation is considered Late Ludfordian to Early Pridoli in age; the Xiaxishancun Formation is believed to be Pridoli in age; the Xitun Formation is considered Late Pridoli to Early Lochkovian in age; the Guijiatun Formation is considered Lochkovian in age; and the Xujiachong Formation is Late Lochkovian to Pragian in age. The Silurian‐Devonian boundary is recognized between the VP and the MO spore biozones, and occurs within the middle part of the Xitun Formation.
Basement of the South China Sea Area: Tracing the Tethyan Realm
Authors: LIU Hailing , ZHENG Hongbo , WANG Yanlin , LIN Qiujin , WU Chaohua , ZHAO Meisong , DU Yunkong
Published: June 2011

The basement of the South China Sea (SCS) and adjacent areas can be divided into six divisions (regions) – Paleozoic Erathem graben‐faulted basement division in Beibu Gulf, Paleozoic Erathem strike‐slip pull‐apart in Yinggehai waters, Paleozoic Erathem faulted‐depression in eastern Hainan, Paleozoic Erathem rifted in northern Xisha (Paracel), Paleozoic Erathem strike‐slip extending in southern Xisha, and Paleozoic‐Mesozoic Erathem extending in Nansha Islands (Spratly) waters. The Pre‐Cenozoic basement in the SCS and Yunkai continental area are coeval within the Tethyan tectonic domain in the Pre‐Cenozoic Period. They are formed on the background of the Paleo‐Tethyan tectonic domain, and are important components of the Eastern Tethyan multi‐island‐ocean system. Three branches of the Eastern Paleo‐Tethys tectonic domain, North Yunkai, North Hainan, and South Hainan sea basins, have evolved into the North Yunkai, North Hainan, and South Hainan suture zones, respectively. This shows a distinctive feature of localization for the Pre‐Cenozoic basement. The Qiongnan (i.e. South Hainan) Suture Zone on the northern margin of the South China Sea can be considered the vestige of the principal ocean basin of Paleo‐Tethys, and connected with the suture zone of the Longmucuo‐Shuanghu belt–Bitu belt –Changning‐Menglian‐Bentong‐Raub belt, the south extension of Bitu‐Changning‐Menglian–Ching Mai belt–Chanthaburi‐Raub‐Bentong belt on the west of South China Sea, and with the Lianhua‐Taidong suture zone (a fault along the east side of Longitudinal Valley in Taiwan)–Hida LP/HT (low pressure‐high temperature) metamorphic belt–Hida‐marginal HP/LT metamorphic belt in southwestern Honshu of Japan, on the east of the South China Sea. The Qiongbei (North Hainan) suture zone may eastwards extended along the Wangwu‐Wenjiao fault zone, and connects with the Lufeng‐Dapu‐Zhenghe‐Shangyu (Lianhuashan) deep fault zone through the Pearl River Mouth Basin. The Meso‐Tethys developed on the south of the South China Sea. The Nansha Trough may be considered the vestige of the northern shelf of the Meso‐Tethys. The oceanic crust of the Meso‐Tethys has southwards subducted along the subduction‐collision‐thrust southern margin of the Nansha Trough with a subduction‐pole opposite to those of the Yarlung Zangbo‐Mytkyina‐Bago zone on the west of the South China Sea, and the Meso‐Tethyan (e.g. Northern Chichibu Ocean of the Meso‐Tethys) suture zone “Butsozo tectonic line” in the outer belt of the Jurassic‐Early Cretaceous terrene group in southwest Japan, on the east of the South China Sea.
Theoretical Prediction of Gibbs Free Energies of Formation for Crystalline α‐MOOH and α‐M2O3 Based on a Linear Free‐Energy Relationship
Authors: SUN Xiaoming
Published: June 2011

In the present study, the modified Sverjensky–Molling equation, derived from a linear‐free energy relationship, is used to predict the Gibbs free energies of formation of crystalline phases of α‐MOOH (with a goethite structure) and α‐M2O3 (with a hematite structure) from the known thermodynamic properties of the corresponding aqueous trivalent cations (M3+). The modified equation is expressed as ΔG0f,MVX=aMVXΔG0n,M3++bMVX+βMVXγM3+, where the coefficients aMVX, bMVX, and βMVX characterize a particular structural family of MvX (M is a trivalent cation [M3+] and X represents the remainder of the composition of solid); γ3+ is the ionic radius of trivalent cations (M3+); ΔG0f,MVX is the standard Gibbs free energy of formation of MvX; and ΔG0n,M3+ is the non‐solvation energy of trivalent cations (M3+). By fitting the equation to the known experimental thermodynamic data, the coefficients for the goethite family (α‐MOOH) are aMVX=0.8838, bMVX=–424.4431 (kcal/mol), and βMVX=115 (kcal/mol.Å), while the coefficients for the hematite family (α‐M2O3) are aMVX=1.7468, bMVX=–814.9573 (kcal/mol), and βMVX=278 (kcal/mol.Å). The constrained relationship can be used to predict the standard Gibbs free energies of formation of crystalline phases and Active phases (i.e. phases that are thermodynamically unstable and do not occur at standard conditions) within the isostructural families of goethite (α‐MOOH) and hematite (α‐M2O3) if the standard Gibbs free energies of formation of the trivalent cations are known.
Late Jurassic Cu‐Mo Mineralization at the Zhashui‐Shanyang District, South Qinling, China: Constraints from Re‐Os Molybdenite and Laser Ablation‐Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry U‐Pb Zircon Dating
Authors: LI Qiugen , LIU Shuwen , WANG Zongqi , WANG Dongsheng , YAN Zhen , YANG Kai , WU Fenghui
Published: June 2011

The Zhashui‐Shanyang district is one of the most important sulfide deposits in the Qinling Orogen where the formation of porphyry‐skarn Cu‐Mo deposits has a close genetic link with the Yanshannian magmatism. Laser Ablation‐Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) U‐Pb zircon dating of two granodiorite intrusions (Xiaohekou and Lengshuigou deposits) was investigated in the Zhashui‐Shanyang district and the rock‐forming ages obtained from 148.3±2.8 to 152.6±1.2 Ma, averaging 150.5 Ma, accompanied by a younger disturbance age of 144.3±1.7 Ma in the Lengshuigou intrusion, which is in excellent agreement with published sensitive high resolution ion micro‐probe (SHRIMP) zircon date on the later monzodiorite porphyry phase in the Lenshuigou deposit. Two samples were selected for molybdenite ICP‐MS Re‐Os isotopic analyses from the Lengshuigou granodiorite porphyry, yielding Re‐Os model ages from 149.2±2.7 Ma to 150.6±3.4 Ma, with a weighted mean age of 149.7±2.1 Ma. These mineralization ages overlap rock‐forming ages of the host intrusions within the error range. This implies that the mineralization occurred in the Late Jurassic, which belongs to the tectonic phase B event of the Yanshan Movement, not Cretaceous as previously thought. Therefore, the Late Jurassic mineralization of the Zhashui‐Shanyang district could be connected to the large‐scale Yanshan molybdenum metallogenic period, the geodynamic regime of which is attributable to the far field response of convergence of surrounding plates, perhaps the approximately westward subduction of the Izanagi plate beneath the Eurasian continent.
Re–Os and U–Pb Geochronology of the Erlihe Pb–Zn Deposit, Qinling Orogenic Belt, Central China, and Constraints on Its Deposit Genesis
Authors: ZHANG Fan , LIU Shuwen , LI Qiugen , SUN Yali , WANG Zongqi , YAN Quanren , YAN Zhen
Published: June 2011

The Erlihe Pb–Zn deposit is an important mine of the Pb–Zn metallogenic zone in the South Qinling Orogen. It has been considered a sedimentary exhalative deposit in previous investigations because the ore body occurs concordantly at the transitional location of an upright fold. Re and Os isotopic analyses for paragenetic pyrites with sphalerite and galena from the ore body have been used to determine the timing of mineralization and to trace the source of metallogenic materials. The Re–Os isotopic data of four pyrite samples construct an isochron, yielding a weighted average age of 226±17 Ma (mean square weighted deviation=1.7), which is considered the main mineralization age. A dioritic porphyrite vein sample, showing weaker mineralization, was also dated using the SHRIMP zircon U–Pb isotopic method to constrain the youngest metallogenic age of the ore deposit, because it distributes along a group of tensional joints cutting not only the upright fold in the deposit field, but also the main ore bodies. The dioritic porphyrite sample yields a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 221±3 Ma, which is slightly younger than the Re–Os isotopic isochron age of the pyrites, considered as the upper age limit of the mineralization, namely the ending age of the mineralization. The Os isotopic compositions of sulfide minerals distribute within a range between Os isotopic compositions of the crust and the mantle, indicating that the ore deposit can be derived from magma‐related fluid, and the metallogenic materials are most likely derived from the mixing source of the crust and the mantle. The Erlihe Pb–Zn deposit and associated dioritic porphyrite vein, important records of Qinling tectonic–magmatism–mineralization activities, were formed during the Triassic collisional orogeny processes.
Oxygen Isotope Characteristics of the Footwall Alteration Zones in the Hongtoushan Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposit, Liaoning Province, China and Restoration of Their Formation Temperatures
Authors: ZHENG Yuanchuan , GU Lianxing , TANG Xiaoqian , LIU Sihai , WU Changzhi , LI Chunhai
Published: June 2011

The Hongtoushan Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide Deposit (VMSD) occurs in the Hunbei granite‐greenstone terrane, Liaoning Province, NE China. Rocks in the mining area have been metamorphosed around 3.0–2.8 Ga to upper amphibolite facies at temperatures between 600°C and 650°C. Cordierite‐anthophyllite gneiss (CAG) in the Hongtoushan mining area, which occurs hundreds of meters below the ore horizon, corresponds to the metamorphosed semi‐conformable alteration zone of the VMSD hydrothermal system, whereas the one immediately below the main ore layer represents the metamorphosed pipe‐like alteration zone. Whole‐rock oxygen isotope signatures were well preserved in both types of CAGs, although the mineral components have been entirely changed during regional metamorphism. Therefore, whole‐rock oxygen isotopes can be used to estimate the formation temperature of both types of alteration zone. Calculations show that the semi‐conformable and pipelike alteration zones for the Hongtoushan submarine hydrothermal system were formed at 290–360°C and 285–320°C, respectively, whereas estimates for the former were slightly higher than that of the latter, indicating that the semi‐conformable alteration zone represents the deep part of the Hongtoushan seafloor hydrothermal system, while the pipe‐like alteration zone represents the discharge conduits for metal‐rich fluids, which is closer to the seafloor.
Hydrocarbon Generation Kinetic Characteristics from Different Types of Organic Matter
Authors: WANG Min , LU Shuangfang , XUE Haitao , WANG Weiming , LIU Min , DONG Qi , WANG Guihua
Published: June 2011

In order to contrast the hydrocarbon generation kinetic characteristics from different types of organic matter (OM), 18 samples from different basins were pyrolyzed using Rock‐Eval‐II apparatus under the open system. From the experimental results, the curve of hydrocarbon generation rate vs. temperature can be easily obtained, which usually can be used to optimize kinetic parameters (A, E, F) of the hydrocarbon generation model. In this paper, the parallel first‐order reaction with a single frequency factor model is selected to describe the hydrocarbon generation kinetic characteristics. The hydrocarbon generation kinetic parameters reveal that the types of compound structures and chemical bonds of the lacustrine facies type I OM are relatively homogeneous, with one dominating activation energy. The types of chemical bonds of the lacustrine facies type II2 OM and the terrestrial facies type III OM are relative complex, with a broad activation energy distribution, and the reaction fraction of the preponderant activation energy drops with the decrease of hydrogen index. The impact of the activation energy distribution spaces on the geological extrapolation of kinetic parameters is also investigated. The results show that it has little effect on the hydrocarbon transformation ratio (TR) and therefore, the parallel first‐order reaction model with proper number of activation energies can be better used to describe the hydrocarbon generation process. The geological extrapolation results of 18 samples of kinetic parameters show that the distribution range of the hydrocarbon generation rate of the type I OM is relatively narrow and the hydrocarbon generation curve is smooth. In comparison, the distribution range of the hydrocarbon generation for type II1 and type II2–III OM are quite wide, and the hydrocarbon generation curves have fluctuation phenomena. The distribution range of the hydrocarbon generation rate and the fluctuation phenomena are related to the kinetic parameters of OM; the narrower the activation energy distribution, the narrower the hydrocarbon generation rate distribution, and the smoother the hydrocarbon generation curve, and vice versa.
Campylobacter populations in wild and domesticated Mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)
Authors: Colles Frances M. , Ali Jan S. , Sheppard Samuel K. , McCarthy Noel D. , Maiden Martin C. J.
Published: June 2011

Identifying the Campylobacter genotypes that colonize farmed and wild ducks will help to assess the proportion of human disease that is potentially attributable to the consumption of duck meat and environmental exposure to duck faeces. Comparison of temporally and geographically matched farmed and wild ducks showed that they had different Campylobacter populations in terms of: (i) prevalence, (ii) Campylobacter species and (iii) diversity of genotypes. Furthermore, 92.4% of Campylobacter isolates from farmed ducks were sequence types (STs) commonly associated with human disease, in contrast to just one isolate from the wild ducks. Only one ST, ST‐45, was shared between the two sources, accounting for 0.9% of wild duck isolates and 5% of farmed duck isolates. These results indicate that domestic ‘niche’ as well as host type may affect the distribution of Campylobacter, and that husbandry practises associated with intensive agriculture may be involved in generating a reservoir of human disease associated lineages.
Natural hybridization and introgression in sympatricLigulariaspecies (Asteraceae, Senecioneae)
Authors: YU Jiao‐Jun , KURODA Chiaki , GONG Xun
Published: June 2011

Abstract The difficulty in clarifying species of genusLigulariaCass. has been attributed to rapid and continuous allopatric speciation in small and isolated populations, combined with interspecific diploid hybridization in the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau and adjacent areas. However, no concrete example has been reported to prove this hypothesis. We studied a natural mixed population of six species ofLigulariain which some individuals were morphologically intermediate betweenL. subspicataandL. nelumbifolia. Based on DNA sequences (trnC‐F, trnL‐rpL32, trnQ‐5′rps16, trnK‐rps16, and internal transcribed spacer) and inter‐simple sequence repeat data, we concluded that putative hybrids are primarily products of hybridization betweenL. nelumbifoliaandL. subspicata. The other four species or additional, unknown species may also be involved in hybridization. This hybridization is bidirectional but asymmetrical. Hybrid individuals were mostly the first generation, but F2and later‐generation hybrids were also present. Moreover, the backcrossed individuals detected indicate that natural gene flow occurs among at least threeLigulariaspecies. Hybrids may become stabilized to form new species or may function as intermediates in evolutionary diversification.
Renal effects of dopamine infusion in conscious horses
Authors: TRIM CYNTHIA M. , MOORE J. N. , CLARK E. SUSAN
Published: June 2011

An ultrasonic flow probe was implanted around a branch of the left renal artery in five horses. The effects of dopamine were studied in the unsedated horses 10 days after surgery. Three experiments, separated by at least two days, were performed in random order on each horse. In two experiments, dopamine was infused intravenously for 60 mins at either 2.5 and 5.0 μg/kg bodyweight (bwt)/min. Saline was infused for 60 mins before and after each infusion, and for 180 mins in the third experiment as a control. Renal blood flow increased during administration of dopamine at both dose rates (P=0.0001). Urine volume increased (P=0.055), and osmolality decreased (P<0.05), with infusion of dopamine at 5.0 μg/kg bwt/min. Arterial blood pressure and heart rate were not significantly affected. Fractional excretions of sodium and potassium were not significantly changed with dopamine infusion. The higher dopamine dose rate was accompanied by dysrhythmias in some horses.
A novel method using confocal laser scanning microscopy for sensitive measurement of P-glycoprotein-mediated transport activity in Caco-2 cells
Authors: Wakuda Hirokazu , Nejime Namie , Tada Yukari , Kagota Satomi , Fahmi Odette A , Umegaki Keizo , Yamada Shizuo , Shinozuka Kazumasa
Published: June 2011

Objectives

The aim of this study was to use time-lapse confocal laser scanning microscopy to establish a more sensitive and specific method for evaluating P-glycoprotein activity in Caco-2 cells.

Methods

The change in the fluorescence of residual rhodamine 123 at the apical and central regions of Caco-2 cells was measured in the presence of digoxin or St John's wort by using time-lapse confocal laser scanning microscopy. The data were compared with measurements made using conventional techniques, a fluorescence microplate reader and a fluorescence microscope.

Key findings

The percentage decrease of rhodamine 123 caused by 10 µm digoxin or 0.1 µg/ml St John's wort was significantly larger in the apical region of the Caco-2 cell than in the central region or in the whole cell. The digoxin-induced inhibition in the apical region as measured by time-lapse confocal laser scanning microscopy was greater than that measured in the whole cell by a microplate reader or a fluorescence microscope.

Conclusions

The assay of residual rhodamine 123 in the apical region of Caco-2 cells by confocal laser scanning microscopy was more sensitive than the conventional methods using a microplate reader or fluorescence microscopy. It will be a valuable screening tool for studying both the inhibition and induction of P-glycoprotein activity.
In-vitro permeability of poorly water soluble drugs in the phospholipid vesicle-based permeation assay: the influence of nonionic surfactants
Authors: Fischer Sarah Maud , Flaten Gøril Eide , Hagesæther Ellen , Fricker Gert , Brandl Martin
Published: June 2011

Objectives

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of nonionic surfactants on drug permeability using the phospholipid vesicle-based permeation assay (PVPA), which excludes other than trans-membrane diffusion pathways.

Methods

Barrier integrity was monitored both by electrical resistance and permeability measurement of the hydrophilic marker calcein. Permeability of the model drugs ketoprofen and nadolol across the PVPA-barrier was measured by HPLC-UV. Micelle association of the model drugs was determined using ultrafiltration, whereby micelle-bound drug and molecular drug were separated.

Key findings

The nonionic surfactant poloxamer 188 was demonstrated not to affect barrier integrity. Drug permeability was found depressed in the presence of poloxamer 188 in a concentration-dependent manner. Both drugs were found to associate with poloxamer 188 micelles. The extent of the decrease in permeability correlated mostly, but not in all cases, with the fraction of micelle-bound drug.

Conclusions

Micelle association was one important but not the only factor affecting drug permeability across the PVPA-barrier.
Targeted lung cancer therapy using ephrinA1-loaded albumin microspheres
Authors: Lee Hung-Yen , Mohammed Kamal A , Peruvemba Shriram , Goldberg Eugene P , Nasreen Najmunnisa
Published: June 2011

Objectives

EphrinA1, the ligand of EphA2 receptor tyrosine kinase, has been proven to suppress the growth of tumours. The aim of this study was to conjugate ephrinA1 on the surface of albumin microspheres and investigate the non-small cell lung carcinoma growth and migration in vitro.

Methods

Bovine serum albumin microspheres were designed and synthesized using a natural polymer albumin by emulsification chemical cross-linking. EphrinA1 was then conjugated on the surface of microspheres by imine formation. The microspheres conjugated with ephrinA1 (ephrinA1-MS) were characterized for particle size, surface morphology, loading efficiency and stability in vitro. The ephrinA1-MS were labelled with fluorescein isothiocyanate to determine phagocytosis. In addition, the effects of ephrinA1-MS on A549 cell growth and migration were determined.

Key findings

Albumin microspheres exhibited low toxicity for A549 cells (above 90% cell viability). More than 80% of microspheres were phagocytosed within 2 h of incubation. EphrinA1-MS decreased the expression of focal adhesion kinase more effectively than recombinant ephrinA1 alone. Furthermore, ephrinA1-MS showed significant inhibition of non-small cell lung cancer migration when compared with resting cells. EphrinA1-MS attenuated the growth of tumour colonies in matrigels.

Conclusions

The developed ephrinA1-MS may serve as potential carriers for targeted delivery of the tumour suppressive protein ephrinA1, with minimal cytotoxic effects and greater antitumour therapeutic efficacy against non-small cell lung cancer.
Esenbeckia leiocarpa Engl. inhibits inflammation in a carrageenan-induced murine model of pleurisy
Authors: Pozzatti Patrícia , dos Reis Gustavo Oliveira , Pereira Danielle Fontana , Heller Melina , Micke Gustavo Amadeu , Horst Heros , Pizzolatti Moacir Geraldo , Fröde Tânia Silvia
Published: June 2011

Objectives

The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of the crude hydroalcoholic extract (CHE) isolated from Esenbeckia leiocarpa Engl., and fractions and subfractions derived from it.

Methods

Dried E. leiocarpa Engl. bark was macerated and extracted with ethanol to obtain the CHE. The n-hexane, ethyl acetate, aqueous and alkaloid fractions, as well as two alkaloid subfractions (polar and nonpolar) were obtained from the CHE. A preliminary analysis using thin-layer chromatography was performed. Capillary electrophoresis, physical characteristics and spectral data produced by IR analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance (1H and 13C NMR), and mass spectrometry analysis were used to identify and elucidate the structure of the major compounds. Swiss mice were used in a carrageenan-induced pleurisy model. Pro-inflammatory parameters (leukocyte and exudate concentrations, myeloperoxidase and adenosine-deaminase activity, and nitrate/nitrite, interleukin 1β and tumour necrosis factor α levels) were quantified in exudates at 4 h after carrageenan-induced pleurisy in mice.

Key findings

The dihydrocorynantheol alkaloid was isolated as the majority compound in the CHE, ethyl acetate and alkaloid fractions, and in the polar and nonpolar alkaloid subfractions. The CHE, fractions and subfractions inhibited the increases in leukocyte and exudate concentrations, myeloperoxidase and adenosine-deaminase activity, and nitrite/nitrate, interleukin 1β, and tumour necrosis factor α levels (P < 0.05) in the fluid secreted from the pleural cavity of the carrageenan-treated mice.

Conclusions

E. leiocarpa Engl. showed significant in vivo anti-inflammatory action by inhibiting the inflammation caused by carrageenan. This effect may be, in part, due to the dihydrocorynantheol alkaloid, which was identified as the majority compound isolated from E. leiocarpa bark.
How students’ achievement goals shape their beliefs about effective teaching: A ‘build‐a‐professor’ study
Authors: Senko Corwin , Belmonte Kimberly , Yakhkind Anastasyia
Published: June 2011

Background.  Which instructor qualities do students consider most important? The answer likely depends on the student. This study attempted to trace beliefs about the most essential instructor qualities to students’ academic achievement goals.

Aims.  The present study tested the hypothesis that students pursuing mastery goals favour instructors who stimulate and challenge them intellectually, whereas those pursuing performance goals favour instructors who present material clearly and provide clear cues about how to succeed.

Sample.  Participants were 157 students at a 4‐year public university.

Method.  Participants designed the ideal professor through a hypothetical combination of nine widely valued instructor qualities, such as enthusiasm, presentation clarity, and an interactive teaching style. The more they acquired of any one instructor quality, the less they could acquire of the others, thus compelling students to distinguish necessary qualities from desirable luxury qualities.

Results.  Students’ achievement goals corresponded to their views about the most essential instructor qualities. Mastery goals predicted greater demand for professors who intellectually challenge students and possess topic expertise, whereas performance goals predicted high demand for professors who present material clearly and provide cues about how to succeed in the course.

Conclusions.  The findings support emerging theorizing about how mastery and performance goals nudge students to pursue different learning agendas, with distinct consequences to their learning experience.
Adherence to anti‐hypertensive medication: Proposing and testing a conceptual model
Authors: Quine Lyn , Steadman Liz , Thompson Susan , Rutter Derek R.
Published: June 2011

Objectives.  A conceptual model of the psychological factors underpinning adherence to anti‐hypertensive medication is proposed and tested. The model suggests that adherence is influenced by three sets of variables: demography, health status, and perceived effects of medication; cognitions and motivation; and intention to adhere.

Methods and Design.  Patients with known hypertension were recruited from three primary care practices in South‐East England and were asked to complete a postal questionnaire. A total of 1,070 responses were received. The questionnaire asked about the three sets of predictor variables, and adherence. Eight weeks after the first questionnaire, a second was posted to all respondents, this time asking about adherence over the intervening period.

Results.  The three sets of predictor variables were treated as blocks in a hierarchical model, so that each successive block added to the variance in adherence explained by the previous blocks. The data were analysed by hierarchical multiple regression. The predictors accounted for 19% of the variance in adherence at Time 1, and 34% at Time 2. The leading individual predictors at Time 1 were age, gender, conscientiousness, hypertensive identity, perceived behavioural control, and intention. At Time 2, they were the same, except that gender made way for adherence at Time 1.

Conclusions.  The model offers a parsimonious account, and the findings suggest a number of approaches to designing interventions to modify behaviour.
Physicians’ communication of the common‐sense self‐regulation model results in greater reported adherence than physicians’ use of interpersonal skills
Authors: Phillips L. Alison , Leventhal Howard , Leventhal Elaine A.
Published: June 2011

Objectives.  Interventions that address patients’ illness and treatment representations have improved patient adherence and outcomes when administered by psychologists and/or health educators and focused on a single chronic illness. The current study assesses the potential feasibility/effectiveness of an intervention based on the common‐sense self‐regulation model (CS‐SRM) when administered by providers in a primary care setting.

Design.  We designed a prospective, correlational study in order to optimize patients’ and providers’ time and to gain initial evidence of the CS‐SRM‐approach's feasibility/effectiveness.

Methods.  Patients (n= 243) were recruited from a primary care waiting room and reported on objective behaviours of their providers (providers’ CS‐SRM‐related behaviours and interpersonal skills) and other theoretically related measures directly after the medical encounter and reported on adherence, presenting problem resolution, and emergency care usage 1 month later.

Results.  The more providers gave their patients an adaptive understanding of their presenting problem/treatment (the greater the number of CS‐SRM‐related behaviours they engaged in), the more adherent were patients in the month following the encounter and the better was their problem resolution 1 month later. The CS‐SRM‐related behaviours were more predictive of these outcomes and emergency care usage than were the providers’ interpersonal skills.

Conclusions.  In the time‐limited encounter, interventions may have to prioritize theoretical approaches for attaining patient adherence. The current study, although correlational, indicates that addressing the patients’ illness/treatment representations is more important than the providers’ interpersonal skills for attaining patient adherence and provides preliminary evidence that a CSM‐based intervention in the primary care setting may be both feasible and effective.
The structure of semantic person memory: Evidence from semantic priming in person recognition
Authors: Wiese Holger
Published: June 2011

This paper reviews research on the structure of semantic person memory as examined with semantic priming. In this experimental paradigm, a familiarity decision on a target face or written name is usually faster when it is preceded by a related as compared to an unrelated prime. This effect has been shown to be relatively short lived and susceptible to interfering items. Moreover, semantic priming can cross stimulus domains, such that a written name can prime a target face and vice versa. However, it remains controversial whether representations of people are stored in associative networks based on co‐occurrence, or in more abstract semantic categories. In line with prominent cognitive models of face recognition, which explain semantic priming by shared semantic information between prime and target, recent research demonstrated that priming could be obtained from purely categorically related, non‐associated prime/target pairs. Although strategic processes, such as expectancy and retrospective matching likely contribute, there is also evidence for a non‐strategic contribution to priming, presumably related to spreading activation. Finally, a semantic priming effect has been demonstrated in the N400 event‐related potential (ERP) component, which may reflect facilitated access to semantic information. It is concluded that categorical relatedness is one organizing principle of semantic person memory.
Framing effects and risk‐sensitive decision making
Authors: Mishra Sandeep , Gregson Margaux , Lalumière Martin L.
Published: June 2011

Prospect theory suggests that people are risk‐averse when facing gains, but risk‐prone when facing losses, a pattern known as the framing effect. Although framing effects have been widely demonstrated, few studies have investigated framing effects under conditions of need. Risk‐sensitivity theory predicts that decision makers should prefer high‐risk options in situations of high need, when lower risk options are unlikely to meet those needs. In two experiments, we examined (1) whether framing effects occurred in behavioural tasks involving risky decision making from description and decision making from experience, (2) whether participants’ risky decision making conformed to the predictions of risk‐sensitivity theory, and (3) whether decision framing interacted with conditions of need to influence decision making under risk. The results suggest that under all circumstances, risky decision making conformed to the predictions of risk‐sensitivity theory. Framing effects were at least partially demonstrable under all experimental conditions. Finally, negative frames interacted with situations of high need to produce particularly elevated levels of risky choice. Together, the results suggest that risk‐sensitivity theory can augment prospect theory to explain choice under conditions of need.
Parameter recovery and model selection in mixed Rasch models
Authors: Preinerstorfer David , Formann Anton K.
Published: June 2011

This study examines the precision of conditional maximum likelihood estimates and the quality of model selection methods based on information criteria (AIC and BIC) in mixed Rasch models. The design of the Monte Carlo simulation study included four test lengths (10, 15, 25, 40), three sample sizes (500, 1000, 2500), two simulated mixture conditions (one and two groups), and population homogeneity (equally sized subgroups) or heterogeneity (one subgroup three times larger than the other). The results show that both increasing sample size and increasing number of items lead to higher accuracy; medium‐range parameters were estimated more precisely than extreme ones; and the accuracy was higher in homogeneous populations. The minimum‐BIC method leads to almost perfect results and is more reliable than AIC‐based model selection. The results are compared to findings by Li, Cohen, Kim, and Cho (2009) and practical guidelines are provided.
Computer-Based Design Synthesis Research: An Overview
Authors: Chakrabarti Amaresh , Shea Kristina , Stone Robert , Cagan Jonathan , Campbell Matthew , Hernandez Noe Vargas , Wood Kristin L.
Published: June 2011

One of the hallmarks of engineering design is the design synthesis phase where the creativity of the designer most prominently comes into play as solutions are generated to meet underlying needs. Over the past decades, methodologies for generating concepts and design solutions have matured to the point that computation-based synthesis provides a means to explore a wider variety of solutions and take over more tedious design tasks. This paper reviews advances in function-based, grammar-based, and analogy-based synthesis approaches and their contributions to computational design synthesis research in the last decade.
Probabilistic Sensitivity Analysis With Respect to Bounds of Truncated Distributions
Authors: Millwater H. , Feng Y.
Published: June 2011

Bounds on variables are often implemented as a part of a quality control program to ensure a sufficient pedigree of a product component, and these bounds may significantly affect the product’s design through constraints such as cost, manufacturability, and reliability. Thus, it is useful to determine the sensitivity of the product reliability to the imposed bounds. In this work, a method to compute the partial derivatives of the probability-of-failure and the response moments, such as mean and the standard deviation, with respect to the bounds of truncated distributions are derived for rectangular truncation. The sensitivities with respect to the bounds are computed using a supplemental “flux” integral that can be combined with the probability-of-failure or response moment information. The formulation is exact in the sense that the accuracy depends only upon the numerical algorithms employed. The flux integral is formulated as a special case of the probability integral for which the sensitivities are being computed. As a result, the methodology can be implemented with any probabilistic method, such as sampling, first order reliability method, conditional expectation, etc. Moreover, the maximum and minimum values of the sensitivities can be obtained without any additional computational cost. The methodology is quite general and can be applied to both component and system reliability. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method. In comparison, the examples using Monte Carlo sampling demonstrated that the flux-based methodology achieved the same accuracy as a standard finite difference approach using approximately 4 orders of magnitude fewer samples. This is largely due to the fact that this method does not rely upon subtraction of two near-equal numbers.
Piezoelectric T-Beam Actuators
Authors: Kommepalli Hareesh K. R. , Mateti Kiron , Rahn Christopher D. , Tadigadapa Srinivas A.
Published: June 2011

This paper develops models, fabricates, experimentally tests, and optimizes a novel piezoelectric T-beam actuator. With a T-shaped cross-section, and bottom and top flanges and web electrodes, a cantilevered beam can bend in both in-plane and out-of-plane directions upon actuation. Analytical models predict the tip displacement and blocking force in both directions. Six mesoscale T-beam prototypes are monolithically fabricated by machining and microfabrication techniques and experimentally tested for in-plane and out-of-plane displacements and out-of-plane blocking force. The analytical models closely predict the T-beam displacement and blocking force performance. A nondimensional analytical model predicts that all T-beam designs for both in-plane and out-of-plane actuations, regardless of scale, have nondimensional displacement and blocking force equal to nondimensional voltage. Another form of nondimensional model optimizes the T-beam cross-section for maximum performance. Optimization study shows that a cross-section with width ratio, b*, and thickness ratio, t*, approaching zero produces maximum displacement, b*=t*=0.381 produces maximum blocking force, and b*≈0.25, t*≈0.33 produces maximum mechanical energy.
The Influence of Compressibility on the Aerodynamics of an Inverted Wing in Ground Effect
Authors: Doig Graham , Barber Tracie J. , Neely Andrew J.
Published: June 2011

For inverted wings in close ground proximity, such as race car configurations, the aerodynamic ground effect can produce local velocities significantly greater than the freestream and the effects of compressibility may occur sooner than would be expected for a wing that is not close to a ground plane. A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics study was conducted, involving a modified NASA GA(W)-2 LS [1]-0413 MOD inverted wing with an endplate, to investigate the onset and significance of compressibility for low subsonic Mach numbers. With the wing angle of incidence fixed, Mach numbers from 0.088 to 0.4 were investigated, at ground clearances ranging from infinite (free flight) to a height-to-chord clearance of 0.067. The freestream Mach number at which flow compressibility significantly affects the predicted aerodynamic coefficients was identified to be as low as 0.15. Beyond this point, as the compressible flow conditions around the wing result in changed pressure distribution and separation behavior, treating the flow as incompressible becomes inappropriate and leads to consistent underprediction of lift and drag. The influence on primary vortex behavior of density changes around the wing was found to be relatively inconsequential even at the higher end of the Mach scale investigated. By a freestream Mach number of 0.4 and at low clearances, local supersonic flow regions were established close to the suction peak of the lower wing surface in compressible simulations; the formation of a normal shock wave between the wing and the ground was shown to result in significant increases in separation and therefore overall drag, as well as a distinct loss of downforce.
An Instrument for Controlled, Automated Production of Micrometer Scale Fused Silica Pipettes
Authors: Pak Nikita , Dergance Michael J. , Emerick Matthew T. , Gagnon Eric B. , Forest Craig R.
Published: June 2011

Micropipettes are hollow glass needles with tip openings ranging from less than 1 μm up to 75 μm. Based on the size of the inner diameter of the micropipettes, they can be used for applications such as patch clamping, microinjection, and cell transfer. In the state-of-the-art fabrication of micropipettes, a skilled individual is able to produce about 2 − 4 micropipettes per minute. Many labs, which utilize hundreds of pipettes on a weekly basis, would benefit from the increased speed, accuracy, and repeatability of an automated fabrication apparatus. We have designed, built, and tested a working prototype of a fully automated fused silica micropipette puller. Our device pulls pipettes from a continuous spool of capillary glass, which leads to minimized setup time for the operator and the ability to produce 6 micropipettes per minute. Micropipettes were pulled with average lengths ranging from 6–20 mm and average tip diameters ranging from 18–175 μm. Standard deviations for length and diameter were calculated to range from 0.24-2.9 mm and 3.5–12 μm, respectively. Through measurements of the pulled pipettes, a trend has been determined which shows higher pulling velocity increases tip length and decreases tip diameter. A new model for heat transfer and geometrical analysis for the heating and cooling of the pipettes has been developed and matches closely to this experimental data. This can be used to predict pipette geometry.
Observation of NH2 species on tilted InN (011−1) facets
Authors: Acharya A. R. , Buegler M. , Atalay R. , Dietz N. , Thoms B. D. , Tweedie J. S. , Collazo R.
Published: June 2011

The structural properties and surface bonding configuration of InN layers grown by high-pressure chemical vapor deposition have been characterized using Raman spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD), and high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. The appearance of the A1(TO) mode at 447 cm−1 in unpolarized z(·)z− Raman spectrum indicates distortions in the crystal lattice due to the growth of tilted plane crystallites. A Bragg reflex in the x-ray diffraction spectrum at 2Θ ≈ 33° has been assigned to tilted InN facets in the polycrystalline InN layer. The high resolution electron energy loss spectrum for this InN layer features vibration modes assigned to NH2 species indicating a surface orientation consistent with the crystalline properties observed in Raman spectroscopy and XRD. The appearance of tilted planes is suggested to be due to the effects of high V–III ratio and lattice mismatch on the growth mechanism.
Protecting the Protector
Authors: Gesty-Palmer Diane
Published: June 2011

Targeting a metabolic enzyme in blood protects neurons in the brain and ameliorates symptoms in animal models of Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease.
Testing Complex Genetic Interactions for Complex Diseases
Authors: Nielson Carrie M.
Published: June 2011

A novel approach to testing for synergistic interactions among genes allows statistical analysis to accommodate hypotheses based on complex biological systems.
An Insect Nidovirus Emerging from a Primary Tropical Rainforest
Authors: Zirkel Florian , Kurth Andreas , Quan Phenix-Lan , Briese Thomas , Ellerbrok Heinz , Pauli Georg , Leendertz Fabian H. , Lipkin W. Ian , Ziebuhr John , Drosten Christian , Junglen Sandra
Published: June 2011

Tropical rainforests show the highest level of terrestrial biodiversity and may be an important contributor to microbial diversity. Exploitation of these ecosystems may foster the emergence of novel pathogens. We report the discovery of the first insect-associated nidovirus, tentatively named Cavally virus (CAVV). CAVV was found with a prevalence of 9.3% during a survey of mosquito-associated viruses along an anthropogenic disturbance gradient in Côte d’Ivoire. Analysis of habitat-specific virus diversity and ancestral state reconstruction demonstrated an origin of CAVV in a pristine rainforest with subsequent spread into agriculture and human settlements. Virus extension from the forest was associated with a decrease in virus diversity (P< 0.01) and an increase in virus prevalence (P< 0.00001). CAVV is an enveloped virus with large surface projections. The RNA genome comprises 20,108 nucleotides with seven major open reading frames (ORFs). ORF1a and -1b encode two large proteins that share essential features with phylogenetically higher representatives of the orderNidovirales, including the familiesCoronavirinaeandTorovirinae, but also with families in a basal phylogenetic relationship, including the familiesRoniviridaeandArteriviridae. Genetic markers uniquely conserved in nidoviruses, such as an endoribonuclease- and helicase-associated zinc-binding domain, are conserved in CAVV. ORF2a and -2b are predicted to code for structural proteins S and N, respectively, while ORF3a and -3b encode proteins with membrane-spanning regions. CAVV produces three subgenomic mRNAs with 5′ leader sequences (of different lengths) derived from the 5′ end of the genome. This novel cluster of mosquito-associated nidoviruses is likely to represent a novel family within the orderNidovirales.

IMPORTANCEKnowledge of microbial diversity in tropical rainforests is sparse, and factors driving the emergence of novel pathogens are poorly understood. We discovered and mapped the spread and genetic evolution of a novel mosquito nidovirus from a pristine rainforest to human settlements. Notably, virus diversity decreased and prevalence increased during the process of spreading into disturbed habitats. The novel virus, tentatively termed Cavally virus, contains genetic features common to members of the orderNidovirales(familiesCoronaviridae,Arteriviridae, andRoniviridae), including conservation of the replicase machinery and expression of subgenomic RNA messages, has a basal phylogenetic relationship to the familyCoronaviridae, and clearly differs from the established nidovirus families. Inclusion of this putative novel family in the nidovirus phylogeny suggests that nidoviruses may have evolved from arthropods.