bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Solution Structure of theEscherichia coliDNA Polymerase III θ Subunit
Authors: Mueller Geoffrey A. , Kirby Thomas W. , DeRose Eugene F. , Li Dawei , Schaaper Roel M. , London Robert E.
Published: September 2005

The catalytic core ofEscherichia coliDNA polymerase III holoenzyme contains three subunits: α, ε, and θ. The α subunit contains the polymerase, and the ε subunit contains the exonucleolytic proofreading function. The small (8-kDa) θ subunit binds only to ε. Its function is not well understood, although it was shown to exert a small stabilizing effect on the ε proofreading function. In order to help elucidate its function, we undertook a determination of its solution structure. In aqueous solution, θ yielded poor-quality nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, presumably due to conformational exchange and/or protein aggregation. Based on our recently determined structure of the θ homolog from bacteriophage P1, named HOT, we constructed a homology model of θ. This model suggested that the unfavorable behavior of θ might arise from exposed hydrophobic residues, particularly toward the end of α-helix 3. In gel filtration studies, θ elutes later than expected, indicating that aggregation is potentially responsible for these problems. To address this issue, we recorded1H-15N heteronuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC) spectra in water-alcohol mixed solvents and observed substantially improved dispersion and uniformity of peak intensities, facilitating a structural determination under these conditions. The structure of θ in 60/40 (vol/vol) water-methanol is similar to that of HOT but differs significantly from a previously reported θ structure. The new θ structure is expected to provide additional insight into its physiological role and its effect on the ε proofreading subunit.
Rejection of Impassable Substrates by
Yersinia
Type III Secretion Machines
Authors: Sorg Joseph A. , Miller Nathan C. , Marketon Melanie M. , Schneewind Olaf
Published: September 2005

Type III machines of pathogenic
Yersinia
spp. transport Yop proteins across the bacterial envelope into host cells. Translational fusions of
yopE
to the dihydrofolate reductase gene (
dhfr
) or the β-galactosidase gene (
lacZ
) generate hybrid proteins that block type III injection of Yop proteins into host cells, consistent with the canonical view that impassable DHFR and LacZ hybrids jam secretion machines. Mutations in repressors of posttranscriptional gene regulation,
Yersinia enterocolitica yscM1
and
yscM2
as well as
Yersinia pestis lcrQ
, relieve the YopE-DHFR-imposed blockade and restore type III injection into host cells. Genetic suppression of the type III blockade does not, however, promote YopE-DHFR secretion. A model is proposed whereby rejection of YopE-DHFR from the secretion pathway inhibits type III gene expression.
Clustered Genes Related to Sulfate Respiration in Uncultured Prokaryotes Support the Theory of Their Concomitant Horizontal Transfer
Authors: Mussmann Marc , Richter Michael , Lombardot Thierry , Meyerdierks Anke , Kuever Jan , Kube Michael , Glöckner Frank Oliver , Amann Rudolf
Published: September 2005

The dissimilatory reduction of sulfate is an ancient metabolic process central to today's biogeochemical cycling of sulfur and carbon in marine sediments. Until now its polyphyletic distribution was most parsimoniously explained by multiple horizontal transfers of single genes rather than by a not-yet-identified “metabolic island.” Here we provide evidence that the horizontal transfer of a gene cluster may indeed be responsible for the patchy distribution of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRP) in the phylogenetic tree. We isolated three DNA fragments (32 to 41 kb) from uncultured, closely related SRP from DNA directly extracted from two distinct marine sediments. Fosmid ws39f7, and partially also fosmids ws7f8 and hr42c9, harbored a core set of essential genes for the dissimilatory reduction of sulfate, including enzymes for the reduction of sulfur intermediates and synthesis of the prosthetic group of the dissimilatory sulfite reductase. Genome comparisons suggest that encoded membrane proteins universally present among SRP are critical for electron transfer to cytoplasmic enzymes. In addition, novel, conserved hypothetical proteins that are likely involved in dissimilatory sulfate reduction were identified. Based on comparative genomics and previously published experimental evidence, a more comprehensive model of dissimilatory sulfate reduction is presented. The observed clustering of genes involved in dissimilatory sulfate reduction has not been previously found. These findings strongly support the hypothesis that genes responsible for dissimilatory sulfate reduction were concomitantly transferred in a single event among prokaryotes. The acquisition of an optimized gene set would enormously facilitate a successful implementation of a novel pathway.
A Case Study of State-Specific and State-Averaged Brueckner Equation-of-Motion Coupled-Cluster Theory: The Ionic-Covalent Avoided Crossing in Lithium Fluoride
Authors: Nooijen Marcel , Shamasundar K. R.
Published: September 2005

State-specific Brueckner equation-of-motion coupled-cluster theory (SS-B-EOMCC) is summarized, which can be considered an internally contracted version of a state-selective multireference coupled-cluster theory, which, however, is not entirely size-consistent. The method is applicable to general multireference problems, adheres to the space and spin symmetries of the molecular system, is straightforwardly extended to a state-averaged version, and has an associated perturbative variant which yields results close to the full coupled-cluster treatment. A key strength is that Brueckner orbitals are used, such that orbitals are optimized in the presence of dynamic correlation. A number of variations on the theme of SS-EOMCC is applied to study the ionic-covalent avoided crossing in LiF in a 6-311++G(3df,3pd) basis set. While reasonable results are obtained at the state-averaged level, the iterative solution process does not consistently converge for SS-EOMCC, due to the non-Hermiticity of the transformed Hamiltonian which may yield complex eigenvalues upon truncated diagonalization. This leads to an irrevocable breakdown of the state-specific EOMCC approach. We indicate some future directions that can resolve some of the problems with the SS-EOMCC methodology, as revealed by the demanding test case of the LiF potential energy curves.
Time-Independent Coupled-Cluster Theory of the Polarization Propagator
Authors: Moszynski Robert , Żuchowski Piotr S. , Jeziorski Bogumił
Published: September 2005

A novel, time-independent formulation of the coupled-cluster theory of the polarization propagator is presented. This formulation, unlike the equation-of-motion coupled-cluster approach, is fully size-extensive and, unlike the conventional time-dependent coupled-cluster method, is manifestly Hermitian, which guarantees that the polarization propagator is always real for purely imaginary frequencies and that the resulting polarizabilities exhibit time-reversal symmetry (are even functions of frequency) for purely real or purely imaginary perturbations. This new formulation is used to derive compact expressions for the three leading terms in the Møller-Plesset expansion for the polarization propagator. The true and apparent correlation contributions to the second-order term are analyzed and separated at the operator level. Explicit equations for the polarization propagator at the non-perturbative, singles and doubles level (CCSD) are presented.
Hydrogen Atom and One-Electron Molecular Systems in a Strong Magnetic Field: Are All of Them Alike
Authors: Turbiner Alexander V. , Kaidalov Alexei B. , López Vieyra Juan Carlos
Published: September 2005

Easy physics-inspired approximations of the total and binding energies for the H atom and for the molecular ions H2(+)(ppe), H3(2+)(pppe), (HeH)++(αpe), He2(3+)(ααe) as well as quadrupole moment for the H atom and the equilibrium distances of the molecular ions in strong magnetic fields > 109 G are proposed. The idea of approximation is based on the assumption that the dynamics of the one-electron Coulomb system in a strong magnetic field is governed by the ratio of transverse to longitudinal sizes of the electronic cloud.
Dipole Oscillator Strength Distributions and Properties for Methanol, Ethanol and Propan-1-ol and Related Dispersion Energies
Authors: Kumar Ashok , Jhanwar B. L. , Meath William J.
Published: September 2005

Recommended isotropic dipole oscillator strength distributions (DOSDs) have been constructed for the methanol and ethanol molecules through the use of quantum mechanical constraint techniques and experimental dipole oscillator strength (DOS) data; the DOS data employed are recent experimental results not available at the time of the original constrained DOSD analysis of these molecules. The constraints are furnished by molar refractivity data and the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule. The DOSDs are used to evaluate a variety of isotropic dipole oscillator strength sums, logarithmic dipole oscillator strength sums, and mean excitation energies for the molecules. Pseudo-DOSDs for these molecules, and for propan-1-ol based on an earlier constrained DOSD analysis for this molecule, are also presented. They are used to obtain reliable results for the isotropic dipole-dipole dispersion energy coefficients C6, for the interactions of the alcohols with each other and with 36 other species, and the triple-dipole dispersion energy coefficients C9for interactions involving any triple of molecules involving methanol, ethanol and propan-1-ol.
The Spherical Tensor Gradient Operator
Authors: Weniger Ernst Joachim
Published: September 2005

The spherical tensor gradient operator Ylm(∇), which is obtained by replacing the Cartesian components of r by the Cartesian components of ∇ in the regular solid harmonic Ylm(r), is an irreducible spherical tensor of rank l. Accordingly, its application to a scalar function produces an irreducible spherical tensor of rank l. Thus, it is in principle sufficient to consider only multicenter integrals of scalar functions: Higher angular momentum states can be generated by differentiation with respect to the nuclear coordinates. Many of the properties of Ylm(∇) can be understood easily with the help of an old theorem on differentiation by Hobson [Proc. Math. London Soc. 24, 54 (1892)]. It follows from Hobson's theorem that some scalar functions of considerable relevance as for example the Coulomb potential, Gaussian functions, or reduced Bessel functions produce particularly compact results if Ylm(∇) is applied to them. Fourier transformation is very helpful in understanding the properties of Ylm(∇) since it produces Ylm(-ip). It is also possible to apply Ylm(∇) to generalized functions, yielding for instance the spherical delta function δlm(r). The differential operator Ylm(∇) can also be used for the derivation of pointwise convergent addition theorems. The feasibility of this approach is demonstrated by deriving the addition theorem of rvYlm(r) with v ∈ πR.
Acting parentally: an argument against sex selection
Authors: McDougall R
Published: September 2005

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s (HFEA) recent restrictive recommendations on sex selection have highlighted the need for consideration of the plausibility of ethical arguments against sex selection. In this paper, the author suggests a parental virtues approach to some questions of reproductive ethics (including sex selection) as a superior alternative to an exclusively harm focused approach such as the procreative liberty framework. The author formulates a virtue ethics argument against sex selection based on the idea that acceptance is a character trait of the good parent. It is concluded that, because the argument presented posits a wrong in the sex selecting agent’s action that is not a harm, the argument could not function as a justification of the HFEA’s restrictive position in light of their explicit commitment to procreative liberty; it does, however, suggest that ethical approaches focused exclusively on harm fail to capture all the relevant moral considerations and thus that we should look beyond such approaches.
Authorship ignorance: views of researchers in French clinical settings
Authors: Pignatelli B , Maisonneuve H , Chapuis F
Published: September 2005

Objectives:To assess the knowledge and behaviour of researchers regarding criteria for authorship, and the practices of ghost and gift authorship.

Design:Semidirective interviews of senior clinical researchers.

Setting:University hospital.

Participants:Thirty-nine main investigators of clinical research programmes.

Main measurements:Awareness and use of International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship, and perceptions about ghost and gift authorship.

Results:A total of 48 protocols submitted by 42 principal investigators between 1994 and 1996 were identified. Thirty-nine investigators were contacted; 37 (one of whom delegated a co-author) were interviewed between May 2002 and March 2003. Two co-authors of two principal investigators were also interviewed. In all, 42 studies were represented. The interviews lasted for 40–90 minutes and were conducted with openness and respect for confidentiality.

The choice of names of co-authors did not follow the ICMJE recommendations. Half of the respondents stated they were aware of criteria for authorship and knew of ICMJE, but most of them did not cite any of the ICMJE criteria among those they applied in deciding authorship. Most of them disagreed with the obligation to meet the three criteria justifying co-authorship because they found these too rigid and inapplicable. Gift authorship was a common practice; 59% of the respondents had been a recipient of gift authorship. Twenty-five (64%) were aware of ghost authorship and the majority considered it questionable and blameworthy.

Conclusions:The ICMJE criteria were ignored by clinicians at a university hospital. Ghost and gift authorship were frequent among them. There is a need for French guidelines for authorship to be prepared and implemented.
Preimplantation HLA typing: having children to save our loved ones
Authors: Devolder K
Published: September 2005

Preimplantation tissue typing has been proposed as a method for creating a tissue matched child that can serve as a haematopoietic stem cell donor to save its sick sibling in need of a stem cell transplant. Despite recent promising results, many people have expressed their disapproval of this method. This paper addresses the main concerns of these critics: the risk of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for the child to be born; the intention to have a donor child; the limits that should be placed on what may be done to the donor child, and whether the intended recipient can be someone other than a sibling. The author will show that these concerns do not constitute a sufficient ground to forbid people to use this technique to save not only a sibling, but also any other loved one’s life. Finally, the author briefly deals with two alternative scenarios: the creation of a human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matched child as an insurance policy, and the banking of HLA matched embryos.
Stroke patients’ preferences and values about emergency research
Authors: Blixen C E , Agich G J
Published: September 2005

Background:In the USA, the Food and Drug Administration waiver of informed consent permits certain emergency research only if community consultation occurs. However, uncertainty exists regarding how to define the community(ies) or their representatives.

Objective:To collect data on the actual preferences and values of a group—those at risk for stroke—most directly affected by the waiver of informed consent for emergency research.

Design:Face to face focused interviews were conducted with 12 patients who were hospitalised with a stroke diagnosis in the previous year. The interviews were audiotaped and a transcript based method was used for their analysis.

Results:All 12 participants felt “that it was important that new treatments for stroke be developed”, but they were initially confused about the distinction between “research for stroke” and “emergency research for stroke”. However, after explanation, most (n =  10; 83%) expressed willingness to participate in the latter. In the absence of a surrogate to give informed consent in a stroke emergency situation, the majority (n =  11; 92%) said they would want the physician to “go ahead and enrol them in the trial”.

Conclusions:This study is the first to identify the values and concerns of individuals most directly affected by stroke emergency research. Further interviews and focus groups are needed to develop and test a validated questionnaire on the preferences and values surrounding emergency research for stroke.
Can arguments address concerns?
Authors: Häyry M
Published: September 2005

People have concerns, and ethicists often respond to them with philosophical arguments. But can conceptual constructions properly address fears and anxieties? It is argued in this paper that while it is possible to voice, clarify, create and—to a certain extent—tackle concerns by arguments, more concrete practices, choices, and actions are normally needed to produce proper responses to people’s worries. While logical inconsistencies and empirical errors can legitimately be exposed by arguments, the situation is considerably less clear when it comes to moral, cultural, and emotional norms, values, and expectations.
AN ECOLOGICAL APPROACH TO CREATING ACTIVE LIVING COMMUNITIES
Authors: Sallis James F. , Cervero Robert B. , Ascher William , Henderson Karla A. , Kraft M. Katherine , Kerr Jacqueline
Published: September 2005

▪ Abstract  The thesis of this article is that multilevel interventions based on ecological models and targeting individuals, social environments, physical environments, and policies must be implemented to achieve population change in physical activity. A model is proposed that identifies potential environmental and policy influences on four domains of active living: recreation, transport, occupation, and household. Multilevel research and interventions require multiple disciplines to combine concepts and methods to create new transdisciplinary approaches. The contributions being made by a broad range of disciplines are summarized. Research to date supports a conclusion that there are multiple levels of influence on physical activity, and the active living domains are associated with different environmental variables. Continued research is needed to provide detailed findings that can inform improved designs of communities, transportation systems, and recreation facilities. Collaborations with policy researchers may improve the likelihood of translating research findings into changes in environments, policies, and practices.
Preserved placental oxygenation and development during severe systemic hypoxia
Authors: Schäffer Leonhard , Vogel Johannes , Breymann Christian , Gassmann Max , Marti Hugo H.
Published: September 2005

Local tissue oxygenation profoundly influences placental development. To elucidate the impact of hypoxia on cellular and molecular adaptation in vivo, pregnant mice at embryonic days 7.5–11.5 were exposed to reduced environmental oxygen (6–7% O2) for various periods of time. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α mRNA was highly expressed in the placenta, whereas HIF-2α was predominantly found in the decidua, indicating that HIF-1 is a relevant oxygen-dependent factor involved in placental development. During severe hypoxia, HIF-1α protein was strongly induced in the periphery but, however, not in the labyrinth layer of the placenta. Accordingly, no indication for tissue hypoxia in this central area was detected with 2-(2-nitro-1 H-imidazol-1-yl)- N-(2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropyl)acetamide staining and VEGF expression as hypoxic markers. The absence of significant tissue hypoxia was reflected by preserved placental architecture and trophoblast differentiation. In the search for mechanisms preventing local hypoxia, we found upregulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expression in the labyrinth layer. Inhibition of NOS activity by Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester application resulted in ubiquitous placental tissue hypoxia. Our results show that placental oxygenation is preserved even during severe systemic hypoxia and imply that NOS-mediated mechanisms are involved to protect the placenta from maternal hypoxia.
Respiratory loading intensity and diaphragm oxidative stress:N-acetyl-cysteine effects
Authors: Barreiro E. , Gáldiz J. B. , Mariñán M. , Alvarez F. J. , Hussain S. N. A. , Gea J.
Published: September 2005

We hypothesized that resistive breathing of moderate to high intensity might increase diaphragm oxidative stress, which could be partially attenuated by antioxidants. Our objective was to assess the levels of oxidative stress in the dog diaphragm after respiratory muscle training of a wide range of intensities and whether N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) might act as an antioxidant. Twelve Beagle dogs were anesthetized with 1% propophol, tracheostomized, and subjected to continuous inspiratory resistive breathing (IRB) (2 h/day for 2 wk). They were further divided into two groups ( n = 6): NAC group (oral NAC administration/24 h for 14 days) and control group (placebo). Diaphragm biopsies were obtained before (baseline biopsy) and after (contralateral hemidiaphragm) IRB and NAC vs. placebo treatment. Oxidative stress was evaluated in all diaphragm biopsies through determination of 3-nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity, protein carbonylation, hydroxynoneal protein adducts, Mn-SOD, and catalase, using immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. Both protein tyrosine nitration and protein carbonylation were directly related to the amount of the respiratory loads, and NAC treatment abrogated this proportional rise in these two indexes of oxidative stress in response to increasing inspiratory loads. A post hoc analysis revealed that only the diaphragms of dogs subjected to high-intensity loads showed a significant increase in both protein tyrosine nitration and carbonylation, which were also significantly reduced by NAC treatment. These results suggest that high-intensity respiratory loading-induced oxidative stress may be neutralized by NAC treatment during IRB in the canine diaphragm.
Minimal role for H1and H2histamine receptors in cutaneous thermal hyperemia to local heating in humans
Authors: Wong Brett J. , Williams Sarah J. , Minson Christopher T.
Published: September 2005

The precise mechanism(s) underlying the thermal hyperemic response to local heating of human skin are not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate a potential role for H1and H2histamine-receptor activation in this response. Two groups of six subjects participated in two separate protocols and were instrumented with three microdialysis fibers on the ventral forearm. In both protocols, sites were randomly assigned to receive one of three treatments. In protocol 1, sites received 1) 500 μM pyrilamine maleate (H1-receptor antagonist), 2) 10 mM l-NAME to inhibit nitric oxide synthase, and 3) 500 μM pyrilamine with 10 mM NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME). In protocol 2, sites received 1) 2 mM cimetidine (H2antagonist), 2) 10 mM l-NAME, and 3) 2 mM cimetidine with 10 mM l-NAME. A fourth site served as a control site (no microdialysis fiber). Skin sites were locally heated from a baseline of 33 to 42°C at a rate of 0.5°C/5 s, and skin blood flow was monitored using laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF). Cutaneous vascular conductance was calculated as LDF/mean arterial pressure. To normalize skin blood flow to maximal vasodilation, microdialysis sites were perfused with 28 mM sodium nitroprusside, and control sites were heated to 43°C. In both H1and H2antagonist studies, no differences in initial peak or secondary plateau phase were observed between control and histamine-receptor antagonist only sites or between l-NAME and l-NAME with histamine receptor antagonist. There were no differences in nadir response between l-NAME and l-NAME with histamine-receptor antagonist. However, the nadir response in H1antagonist sites was significantly reduced compared with control sites, but there was no effect of H2antagonist on the nadir response. These data suggest only a modest role for H1-receptor activation in the cutaneous response to local heating as evidenced by a diminished nadir response and no role for H2-receptor activation.
Production of Chemokines by Perivascular Adipose Tissue
Authors: Henrichot Elvire , Juge-Aubry Cristiana E. , Pernin Agnès , Pache Jean-Claude , Velebit Valdimir , Dayer Jean-Michel , Meda Paolo , Chizzolini Carlo , Meier Christoph A.
Published: September 2005

Objective—Obesity is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Although it is known that white adipose tissue (WAT) produces numerous proinflammatory and proatherogenic cytokines and chemokines, it is unclear whether adipose-derived chemotactic signals affect the chronic inflammation in atherosclerosis.

Methods and Results—Histological examination showed that perivascular WAT (pWAT) is in close proximity to vascular walls, particularly at sites that have a tendency to develop atherosclerosis. In rodents, the amount of pWAT is markedly increased by a high-fat diet. At a functional level, supernatant from subcutaneous and pWAT strongly induced the chemotaxis of peripheral blood leukocytes. The migration of granulocytes and monocytes was mostly mediated by interleukin-8 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, respectively, whereas both chemokines contributed to the migration of activated T cells. Moreover, pWAT produces these chemokines, as shown by immunohistochemistry and by explant culture. The accumulation of macrophages and T cells at the interface between pWAT and the adventitia of human atherosclerotic aortas may reflect this prochemotactic activity of pWAT.

Conclusions—Human pWAT has chemotactic properties through the secretion of different chemokines, and we propose that pWAT might contribute to the progression of obesity-associated atherosclerosis.
The Sinhalese Contribution to Estate Labour in Ceylon, 1881–1891
Authors: Wenzlhuemer Roland
Published: September 2005

It has become a firmly established belief among economic and labour historians that Sri Lanka's plantation industry rested almost exclusively on imported Tamil labour during the 19th century. Although strong evidence countering this "dualistic" viewpoint has been produced since the late 1970s—especially by Éric Meyer—, the contribution of the local Sinhalese peasantry to estate wage labour remains underestimated or, indeed, largely ignored. This article strives to support Meyer's point by bringing together old and new evidence illustrating the at times substantial Sinhalese participation in plantation wage labour. C'est une croyance bien établie parmi les historiens économiques et du travail que l'industrie de la plantation du Sri Lanka reposait presque exclusivement sur le travail de la main-d'čuvre tamoule pendant le 19e siècle. Bien que des indications fortes contre cette perspective "dualiste" aient été produites depuis les années 70—particulièrement par Éric Meyer—, la contribution de la paysannerie locale cinghalaise au travail salarié dans les plantations reste sous-estimée , ou en grande partie ignorée. Cet article tâche de soutenir l'opinion de Meyer en rassemblant des indications vieilles et nouvelles illustrant la participation cinghalaise parfois substantielle au travail salarié dans les plantations.
Some Reflections on Babylonian Exchange during the End of the Third Millennium BC
Authors: Widell Magnus
Published: September 2005

For some products in the Ur III period, a sufficient number of texts provide their silver equivalences, and the ancient value of the products can be estimated. This paper suggests that we should envision two exchange systems in the Ur III period, which operated within two separate and rather different economic spheres. Local exchange took place, at a stated time and place, for the purpose of individual exchange of goods and services. Through this exchange, regular people would obtain a number of different necessities of life that were not provided by the temple and palace households. This was a barter exchange and the silver values encountered in the Ur III texts do not relate to this exchange. Silver was only used in large-scale transactions of goods and in more significant sales of real estate, humans or livestock. Although we may assume that there was a connection between the official silver equivalences and the actual values of the products and commodities in the local exchange, minor fluctuations and changes in the large-scale exchange system would not affect the bartering values in the local exchange. Nous possédons suffisamment de textes nous indiquant quel était l'équivalent en argent de certains produits de la période d'Ur III pour être à même d'estimer la valeur que ces derniers avaient dans l'antiquité. Le présent article suggère qu'il nous faut imaginer, durant la période d'Ur III, deux systèmes d'échange opérant dans le cadre de deux sphères économiques différentes. Les échanges locaux avaient lieu à un moment et à un endroit déterminés, dans le but d'échanger des biens et des services entre particuliers. Ces échanges permettaient aux gens du peuple de se procurer diverses choses nécessaires à l'existence qui ne leur étaient pas fournies par l'intendance du temple et du palais. Il s'agissait d'un simple troc et la valeur en argent mentionnée dans les textes d'Ur III ne concernait pas ces échanges. L'argent n'était utilisé que lors de transactions de biens se traitant sur une grande échelle ou lors de ventes plus importantes de propriétés immobilières, d'hommes ou de bétail. Bien que l'on puisse supposer qu'il y ait eu un rapport entre l'équivalent officiel en argent et la valeur réelle des produits et des matières premières dans les échanges locaux, des fluctuations mineures et des changements dans le système d'échange à grande échelle n'affectaient pas la valeur des produits troqués lors de ces échanges.
Mesopotamian Mensuration: Balance Pan Weights from Nippur
Authors:   Hafford
Published: September 2005

Balance pan weights are used in both manufacture and trade and therefore are a correlate of economic activity. Ancient examples can provide insight into the nature and extent of ancient economies. Many ancient weights have been discovered at the site of Nippur in Iraq and most are here analyzed for the first time. Common weight forms at Nippur are those that are typical across the ancient Near East, but a single system of weight measurement is strongly indicated in statistical analysis. This is in contradiction to most analyzed sites farther north, where many weight systems are simultaneously in play. It seems to indicate Nippur's relative isolation within a socio-economic system, reflecting a general lack of incoming merchants or craftspeople from distant regions. Utilisés à la fois dans la manufacture et le commerce, les poids de balance à plateaux représentent un correlat de l'activité économique. Ceux datant de l'Antiquité peuvent donc nous donner un aperçu de la nature et de l'étendue des économies antiques. Ils sont nombreux à avoir été découverts sur le site de Nippur, en Irak, et la plupart est ici analysée pour la première fois. Les formes de poids les plus communes à Nippur sont celles que l'on retrouve typiquement dans tout le Proche-Orient. Mais l'analyse statistique suggère fortement l'existence d'un système unique de mesure du poids, ce qui est en contradiction avec les analyses précédemment menées dans les sites plus au nord, où plusieurs systèmes de mesure étaient simultanément en vigueur. Ces éléments semblent donc indiquer que Nippur était relativement isolé au sein d'un système socio-économique, ce qui montre que le nombre de marchants ou d'artisans extérieurs provenant de régions lointaine était généralement peu élevé.
As Socrates Shows, the Athenians Did Not Believe in Gods
Authors: Giordano-Zecharya Manuela
Published: September 2005

This paper reopens the discussion of key terms of the Socratic indictment, such as "worship" or "belief," from the point of view of Athenian religiosity. It addresses the content of the accusation itself: the main contention is that the accusations of "atheism" and "disbelief " are indeed opaque when understood against the background of the sources and in the context of Greek religiosity. The investigation includes a detailed inquiry into the categories of faith and belief and into the cultural reasons underlying the choice of these terms in Socratic scholarship.
The Interannual Variability of the Onset of the Maize Growing Season over South Africa and Zimbabwe
Authors: Tadross M. A. , Hewitson B. C. , Usman M. T.
Published: September 2005

Subsistence farmers within southern Africa have identified the onset of the maize growing season as an important seasonal characteristic, advance knowledge of which would aid preparations for the planting of rain-fed maize. Onset over South Africa and Zimbabwe is calculated using rainfall data from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Merged Analysis of Precipitation (CMAP) and the Computing Center for Water Research (CCWR). The two datasets present similar estimates of the mean, standard deviation, and trend of onset for the common period (1979–97) over South Africa. During this period, onset has been tending to occur later in the season, in particular over the coastal regions and the Limpopo valley. However, the CCWR data (1950–97) indicate that this is part of long-term (decadal) variability.

Characteristic rainfall patterns associated with late and early onset are estimated using a self-organizing map (SOM). Late onset is associated with heavier rainfall over the subcontinent. When onset is early over Zimbabwe, there is an increased frequency of more intense rainfall over northeast Madagascar during the preceding August. Accompanying these intense events is an increased frequency of positive 500-hPa geopotential height anomalies to the southeast of the continent. Similar positive height anomalies are also frequently present during early onset. The study indicates that onset variability is partly forced by synoptic conditions, and the successful use of general circulation models to estimate onset will depend on their simulation of the zonally asymmetric component of the westerly circulation.
A Nonlinear Analysis of the ENSO Cycle and Its Interdecadal Changes*
Authors: An Soon-Il , Hsieh William W. , Jin Fei-Fei
Published: September 2005

The nonlinear principal component analysis (NLPCA), via a neural network approach, was applied to thermocline anomalies in the tropical Pacific. While the tropical sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies had been nonlinearly mapped by the NLPCA mode 1 onto an open curve in the data space, the thermocline anomalies were mapped to a closed curve, suggesting that ENSO is a cyclic phenomenon. The NLPCA mode 1 of the thermocline anomalies reveals the nonlinear evolution of the ENSO cycle with much asymmetry for the different phases: The weak heat accumulation in the whole equatorial Pacific is followed by the strong El Niño, and the subsequent strong drain of equatorial heat content toward the off-equatorial region precedes a weak La Niña. This asymmetric ENSO evolution implies that the nonlinear instability enhances the growth of El Niño, but dwarfs the growth of La Niña. The nonlinear ENSO cycle was found to have changed since the late 1970s. For the pre-1980s the ENSO cycle associated with the thermocline is less asymmetrical than that during the post-1980s, indicating that the nonlinearity of the ENSO cycle has become stronger since the late 1970s.
Characterizing Midlatitude Jet Variability: Lessons from a Simple GCM
Authors: Fyfe John C. , Lorenz David J.
Published: September 2005

Fluctuations in the tropospheric zonal jet are often characterized using anomaly patterns, or empirical orthogonal functions, representing deviations of the zonal-mean flow from climatology. In previous studies the leading anomaly pattern has been interpreted as representing north–south jet movements, while the second anomaly pattern has been interpreted as representing independent fluctuations in jet strength and width. Here it is shown that these leading anomaly patterns are in fact dependent and together represent north–south movements of the jet. Fluctuations in jet strength, which are approximately inversely proportional to jet width, superimpose upon these dominant north–south meanderings. The distinction between the usual anomaly pattern perspective and this new perspective may have important implications in the interpretation of tropospheric zonal jet variability.
Beyond the metaphor: The morphology of organizational decline and turnaround
Authors: Lamberg Juha-Antti , Pajunen Kalle
Published: September 2005

This study is based on the thesis that Vladimir Propp's (1928/2001) theory of folktale structure functions not only as a morphology of folktales, but also as a structural, deep-level model of any process that includes crisis and recovery. We essentially suggest that corporate decline and turnaround processes can be emplotted into a folktale-like structure that supports Propp's theory and thereby helps uncover deep-level mechanisms governing the process. The developed model describes seven mechanisms that drive the organization from initial strategic harmony to disharmony, and furthermore to the construction of a new strategic harmony, thus creating a perspective for the interpretation of long-term organizational decline and turnaround processes. Theoretical and practical implications are offered.
The ‘bounded' career: An empirical study of human capital, career mobility and employment outcomes in a mediated labour market
Authors: King Zella , Burke Simon , Pemberton Jim
Published: September 2005

Many scholarly attempts to ascribe meaning to contemporary employment have adopted terms such as ‘new’ or ‘boundaryless’ careers.We argue that it makes more sense to conceptualize careers as ‘bounded’ than as ‘boundaryless’. We argue that careers are bounded by prior career history, occupational identity and by institutional constraints imposed by ‘gatekeepers’ to job opportunities. We present an empirical study of employment outcomes in a mediated labour market. Drawing on placement history and CV data from IT professionals, we examine the impact of occupation-specific human capital, prior career mobility and agency relationships on the probability of being shortlisted for a vacancy. We find that a candidate's prior history with the recruitment agency is a more important factor than occupation-specific human capital in determining access to job vacancies, indicating that intermediaries structure labour market opportunities. Even in a high-turnover industry, prior career mobility has a negative effect on access to permanent vacancies.
Working hard or hardly working: A study of individuals engaging in personal business on the job
Authors: D'Abate Caroline P.
Published: September 2005

This exploratory study examined how the relationships and meshed boundaries among work, home and leisure life realms are enacted in human behavior. Specifically, it assessed the types of leisure-and home-oriented activities that people engage in at work and examined why such personal activities are performed during the workday. Semi-structured interviews with individuals from a variety of occupations provided qualitative data that were coded to identify the types of personal activities that take place on company time (e.g. personal phone calls, e-mails to friends, office betting pools) and the underlying factors behind engaging in personal business on the job (i.e. the balance between work and personal life realms, the various rationale or meanings people construct to rationalize this behavior, and the meaning or importance that people place upon home, work, and leisure). These findings have implications for (i) future researchers by increasing understanding of the behavioral manifestations of the overlap between work and personal life realms, and (ii) organizations by helping them understand this important, but often ignored, aspect of employee behavior.
Living with enterprise in an enterprise economy: Freelance and contract workers in the media
Authors: Storey John , Salaman Graeme , Platman Kerry
Published: September 2005

Changes in organizational structures, logics and employment practices in the media industries – critically the outsourcing of labour, whereby employees become freelance workers – supply an ideal context in which to explore the extent to which, and the ways in which, ideological and structural pressures encourage workers to accept the logic and imperatives of enterprise. An important and influential body of literature identifies the ‘enterprising self ’ as a central paradigmatic concept underpinning the rationale of new, alternative, work forms and relationships. And enterprising forms or logics of organization, or of organizational employment practices and relationships are closely associated with management pressures on workers (contract freelance workers or permanent employees) to accept enterprise as a major element of their self-identities.This study of media workers contributes to the debate about the ‘enterprising self ’. Many writers have noted that workers in the enterprise economy are exposed to systemic efforts to see themselves in terms of enterprise. But relatively little work has explored how workers respond to these efforts.The findings of this study reveal the various ways in which freelance workers make sense of enterprise and how they understand themselves, and their employment experiences in terms of enterprise.
Treatment of Recalcitrant Lateral Epicondylitis with Suture Anchor Repair
Authors: Thornton Steven J. , Rogers Jennifer R. , Prickett William D. , Dunn Warren R. , Allen Answorth A. , Hannafin Jo A.
Published: September 2005

Background

Chronic lateral epicondylitis has been treated with various surgical procedures with varying and often less-thansatisfactory outcomes.

Hypothesis

The use of suture anchor repair of the extensor carpi radialis brevis to the lateral epicondyle in the treatment of chronic lateral epicondylitis will result in a more anatomical repair, with resultant improvements in strength, pain, and return to previous sport.

Study Design

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

A total of 20 patients (22 elbows) were treated surgically and were observed for a minimum of 2 years. All patients had debridement of the degenerative tissue, followed by repair of the extensor carpi radialis brevis to the lateral epicondyle with a suture anchor. The average time to follow-up was 4.2 years (range, 2.2-9.5 years). All patients completed a Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire to assess residual disability, and 16 patients underwent a physical examination. The objective evaluation included the assessment of range of motion, grip strength, and pinch strength. Pain was assessed preoperatively and postoperatively using a visual analog pain scale. Patients were also questioned with regard to a return to their previous level of activities.

Results

The grip and pinch strengths achieved for the operative extremity were 110% and 106%, respectively, of the nonoperative limb. The 16 patients who underwent a physical examination had achieved full range of motion, with 15 (94%) returning to their previous level of activity at an average time of 4.1 months. The mean preoperative pain score was 8.1 (range, 4.0-10.0), whereas the mean postoperative pain score was 0.41 (range, 0-1.5), indicating significant pain relief (P<. 001). The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand scores demonstrated only mild residual disability (mean, 6.6) at follow-up.

Conclusion

The use of a suture anchor to repair the extensor carpi radialis brevis to the epicondyle after debridement was a satisfactory procedure for recalcitrant lateral epicondylitis with regard to strength, return to previous activities, and pain relief.
The chemistry of allanite from the Daibosatsu Pass, Yamanashi, Japan
Authors: Hoshino M. , Kimata M. , Nishida N. , Kyono A. , Shimizu M. , Takizawa S.
Published: September 2005

The crystal structure of allanite from granitic pegmatite, the Daibosatsu Pass, Yamanashi, Japan, has been refined under the constraint of chemical composition determined by electron microprobe analysis of rare earth elements. Back-scattered-electron images and X-ray element maps of the allanites show that each of their crystal grains has chemically homogeneous distribution of major elements. A typical formula for the chemistry is: (Ca0.920☐0.080)Σ1.000(La0.238Ce0.443Pr0.048Nd0.100Sm0.019Th0.042Mn0.008☐0.102)Σ1.000(Al0.607Fe0.3173+Ti0.076)Σ1.000(Al1.000)(Fe0.5432+Fe0.3653+Mn0.055Mg0.037)Σ1.000(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH).

The crystal structure of allanite, monoclinic, a 8.905 (1), b 5.7606 (5), c 10.123 (1) Å, β 114.78°(1), space group P21/m, Z = 2, has been refined to an unweighted R factor of 3.46% for 1459 observed reflections. Although the H atom position was not determined on the Difference-Fourier map, inspection of the bond valence sums demonstrates that the H atom is uniquely located at the O10 atom and involved in a hydrogen bond to O4. A systematic examination as to crystal chemistry of allanites suggests that the isolated SiO4 tetrahedron has the largest distortion of three kinds of the tetrahedron containing Si2O7 groups in the allanite structure. This observation is common to the epidote group minerals, while the larger distortion of A2 sites caused by occupancy by REE in allanites contrasts with the smaller one of A sites in other epidote group minerals. In the allanite groups the bond angles between the O10–H bond and hydrogen bond H···O4 are found to range from 170 to 180°.

Compilation of the chemical compositions of the title allanite and the others from granitic rocks, Japan, which reveals Th-incorporation as the coupled substitution of 3Th4+ + ☐ (vacancy) ⇌ 4REE3+, provides an explanation for the observation that higher Th concentrations characterize allanites from the island arcs. The ternary Al2O3-Fe2O3-ΣREE diagram illustrates that allanites are grouped, according to their origins, into three classes suggestive of tectonic backgrounds for the crystallization localities; (1) intracontinental, (2) island arc and (3) continental margin.