bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hierarchical nature of morphological integration and modularity in the human posterior face
Authors: Bastir Markus , Rosas Antonio
Published: March 2005

Morphological integration and modularity are important points of intersection between evolution and the development of organismal form. Identification and quantification of integration are also of increasing paleoanthropological interest. In this study, the “posterior face,” i.e., the mandibular ramus and its integration with the associated midline and lateral basicranium, is analyzed in lateral radiographs of 144 adult humans from three different geographic regions. The null hypothesis of homogenously pervasive morphological integration among “posterior‐face” components is tested with Procrustes geometric morphometrics, partial least squares, and singular warps analysis. The results reveal statistically significant differences in integration. Only loose integrative relationships are found between midline and lateral components of the basicranium, which may indicate the presence of at least two different basicranial modules. This modularity can be interpreted in terms of spatiotemporal dissociation in the development of those basicranial structures, and gives support to hypotheses of independent phylogenetic modifications at the lateral and midline basicranium in humans. In addition, morphological integration was statistically significantly stronger between the middle cranial fossa and the mandibular ramus than between the ramus and the midline cranial base. This finding confirms previous hypotheses of a “petroso‐mandibular unit,” which could be a developmental consequence of well‐known phylogenetic modifications in coronal topology of the posterior face and base in hominoid evolution, related to middle cranial fossa expansion. This unit could be involved in later evolutionary tendencies in the hominid craniofacial system. Am J Phys Anthropol 128:26–34, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Long-term outcome after laparoscopic fenestration of symptomatic simple cysts of the liver
Authors: Fabiani P , Iannelli A , Chevallier P , Benchimol D , Bourgeon A , Gugenheim J
Published: March 2005

Symptoms controlled despite recurrence
Differential expression of RARβ isoforms in the mouse striatum during development: A gradient of RARβ2 expression along the rostrocaudal axis
Authors: Liao Wen‐Lin , Tsai Hsiu‐Chao , Wu Chen‐Ying , Liu Fu‐Chin
Published: March 2005

The retinoic acid receptor RARβ is highly expressed in the striatum of the ventral telencephalon. We studied the expression pattern of different RARβ isoforms in the developing mouse striatum by in situ hybridization. We found a differential ontogeny of RARβ2 and RARβ1/3 in embryonic day (E) 13.5 lateral ganglionic eminence (striatal primordium). RARβ2 mRNA was detected primarily in the rostral and ventromedial domains, whereas RARβ1/3 mRNAs were enriched in the caudal and dorsolateral domains. Notably, by E16.5, a prominent decreasing gradient of RARβ2 mRNA was present in the developing striatum along the rostrocaudal axis, i.e., RARβ2 was expressed at higher levels in the rostral than the caudal striatum. No such gradient was found for RARβ1/3 and RARβ3 mRNAs. The rostrocaudal RARβ2 gradient gradually disappeared postnatally and was absent in the adult striatum. The differential expression pattern of RARβ isoforms in the developing striatum may provide an anatomical basis for differential gene regulation by RARβ signaling. Developmental Dynamics 233:584–594, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Gene trap screening as an effective approach for identification of Wnt‐responsive genes in the mouse embryo
Authors: Yamaguchi Yoshifumi , Ogura Satoshi , Ishida Mio , Karasawa Mika , Takada Shinji
Published: March 2005

In this study, we examined whether gene trap methodology, which would be available for systematic identification and functional analysis of genes, is effective for screening of Wnt‐responsive genes during mouse development. We screened out two individual clones among 794 gene‐trapped embryonic stem cell lines by their in vitro response to WNT‐3A proteins. One gene was mainly expressed in the ductal epithelium of several developing organs, including the kidney and the salivary glands, and the other gene was expressed in neural crest cells and the telencephalic flexure. The spatial and temporal expression of these two genes coincided well with that of several Wnt genes. Furthermore, the expression of these two genes was significantly decreased in embryos deficient for Wnts or in cultures of embryonic tissues treated with a Wnt signal inhibitor. These results indicate that the gene trap is an effective method for systematic identification of Wnt‐responsive genes during embryogenesis. Developmental Dynamics 233:484–495, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dynamic Gd‐DTPA enhanced MRI as a surrogate marker of angiogenesis in tissue‐engineered bladder constructs: A feasibility study in rabbits
Authors: Cheng Hai‐Ling Margaret , Chen Jun , Babyn Paul S. , Farhat Walid A.
Published: March 2005

Purpose

To evaluate the potential of dynamic contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE‐MRI) to assess angiogenesis in tissue‐engineered bladder constructs in a blinded animal study, and compare different analysis approaches and their correlation with microvessel density (MVD).

Materials and Methods

Constructs fortified with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for enhanced vascularity were grafted onto the bladder in nine rabbits. DCE‐MRI of Gd‐DTPA uptake was performed and analyzed using Tofts' model, the area under the concentration time curve (AUC), and the uptake slope. DCE‐MRI parameters were compared to MVD determined with CD31 immunohistochemistry.

Results

Significantly increased MVD was found in the high VEGF group (20 ng/g of tissue) but not at low VEGF (10 ng/g) (2.3× increase, P = 0.035 vs. 1.1× over control). Enhanced permeability at low VEGF was suggested by elevated Ktrans, but overall correlation to MVD was poor. Significant correlation to MVD was obtained with AUC8min (r = 0.705, P = 0.034). Furthermore, AUC8min provided the most precise discrimination between different VEGF preparations and was the only parameter to show a significant increase (P = 0.0058) consistent with MVD changes at high VEGF.

Conclusion

Findings support DCE‐MRI for evaluating angiogenesis in bladder constructs and suggest vessel changes other than density. Future studies should incorporate larger contrast agents and permeability assessment to devise an optimal DCE‐MRI strategy. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2005;21:415–423. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pulsed electromagnetic fields reduce knee osteoarthritic lesion progression in the aged Dunkin Hartley guinea pig
Authors: Fini M. , Giavaresi G. , Torricelli P. , Cavani F. , Setti S. , Canè V. , Giardino R.
Published: March 2005

An experimental in vivo study was performed to test if the effect of Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (PEMFs) on chondrocyte metabolism and adenosine A2a agonist activity could have a chondroprotective effect on the knee of Dunkin Hartley guinea‐pigs of 12 months with spontaneously developed osteoarthritis (OA). After a pilot study, 10 animals were randomly divided into two groups: PEMF‐treated group (6 h/day for 3 months) and Sham‐treated group. Microradiography and histomorphometry were performed on the entire articular surface of knee joints used in evaluating chondropathy severity, cartilage thickness (CT), cartilage surface Fibrillation Index (FI), subchondral bone plate thickness (SBT) and histomorphometric characteristics of trabecular epiphyseal bone. The PEMF‐treated animals showed a significant reduction of chondropathy progression in all knee examined areas (p < 0.05). CT was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in the medial tibia plateaus of the PEMF‐treated group when compared to the Sham‐treated group. The highest value of FI was observed in the medial tibia plateau of the Sham‐treated group (p < 0.05). Significant lower values were observed in SBT of PEMF‐treated group in comparison to Sham‐treated group in all knee examined areas (p < 0.05). The present study results show that PEMFs preserve the morphology of articular cartilage and slower the progression of OA lesions in the knee of aged osteoarthritic guinea pigs. The chondroprotective effect of PEMFs was demonstrated not only in the medial tibial plateau but also on the entire articular surface of the knee. © 2005 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Dust storms and cyclone tracks over the arid regions in east Asia in spring
Authors: Takemi Tetsuya , Seino Naoko
Published: March 2005

It has been argued that frequent dust storm developments in east Asia in spring are closely related to midlatitude synoptic‐scale cyclone activity. This study investigates the relationship of springtime dust storms and other dust‐related phenomena in east Asia to the tracks and locations of synoptic‐scale cyclones by conducting statistical analyses of surface weather data, cyclone track data, and satellite data. Through these analyses, we discuss the role of cyclone activity on dust weather phenomena in east Asia. In the Gobi Desert and northeast China regions, strong cyclonic winds associated with strong cyclones are responsible for the dust weather developments, and the dust weather preferably occurs in the southwestern sector of the cyclone, where frontal activity and cold air action are significant. Despite the extremely dry climate, the formation of frontal cloud systems is evident particularly over the Gobi Desert, which will contribute to the higher frequency of severer dust weather. On the other hand, in the Taklamakan Desert severe dust weather (i.e., dust storm) is not so much affected by synoptic‐scale cyclones, but weaker dust phenomena such as dust haze occur around the centers of cyclones that do not propagate farther eastward out of the Taklamakan region.
Wounds of Love
Authors: Graziano Frank
Published: March 2005

An in-depth study of St. Rose of Lima (1586–1617), canonized in 1671 as the first saint of the New World, serves to explore the meanings of female mysticism and the ways in which saints are products of their cultures. The opening chapter analyzes trends in scholarship on mysticism and the interrelations of sanctity and insanity. Rose and flower poetics are then pursued into the odor of sanctity, “deflowering,” edenic imagery, and the miracle by which Rose of Lima received her name. Two historical chapters analyze the politics of Rose of Lima’s canonization, exploring how mystical union bypasses sacramental and sacerdotal channels, poses an implicit threat to the bureaucratized church, and may be co-opted to integrate a competing claim into the Catholic canon. Virginity, austerity, mortification, eucharistic devotion, visions, expression of love through suffering, ecstasy, and mystical marriage are then studied both in themselves and in their relations to eroticism and to modern psychological disorders.
Russian Orthodoxy on the Eve of Revolution
Authors: Shevzov Vera
Published: March 2005

This book explores the religious lives of Orthodox Christians in Russia before the revolution. It examines how Orthodox communal identity was fostered and sustained through the spaces, places, times, and images around which believers ordered their religious lives. It looks at debates between ecclesiastical officials. It argues that the challenge to Orthodoxy not only came from outsiders such as Marxists revolutionaries, but also from the faith community itself.
Spinoza's Necessitarianism Reconsidered
Authors: Curley Edwin , Walski Gregory
Published: March 2005

In this paper, we defend the view that Spinoza is committed to allowing for the existence of a plurality of possible worlds, that his necessitarianism is merely moderate, not strict enough to exclude the possibility of other worlds (in the Leibnizian sense of the expression, which requires that a “world” include all the things existing at all times and not merely all the things existing at some time). To show that evidence for attributing strict necessitarianism to Spinoza is lacking, we shall concentrate on Don Garrett's article, “Spinoza's Necessitarianism,” in the conviction that his case for attributing strict necessitarianism to Spinoza is the strongest one available.
Integrating Electrical Power Systems
Authors: Fredrik Tell
Published: March 2005

Deals with the management of the development, production, and marketing of electrical power systems. In considering the history of the electrical manufacturing industry, the aim is to outline general patterns of systems integration during different stages of the product life cycle of electrical power systems. Discusses how different degrees of complexity relating to organisation, technology, and markets affect the capability needs of various forms of systems integration during different stages in the life cycle of electrical power systems manufacture.
Specialization and Systems Integration
Authors: Pavitt Keith
Published: March 2005

Argues that the Systems Integration firms are progressively replacing the large, established manufacturing firm, described by Penrose and Chandler, as the major motor of technical change in advanced, high‐wage countries. This shift reflects in part the unexpected difficulties faced by large industrial firms in exploiting new technological opportunities. It also reflects the following combined effects of advances in IT and globalisation: the acceleration of offshore manufacturing, facilitated by improvements in monitoring and control, in modular interfaces, and in the transmission of codified skills; modularity; digitally‐based systems.
Corporate Strategy and Systems Integration Capabilities
Authors: Prencipe Andrea
Published: March 2005

Identifies two analytical categories of systems integration in multitechnology multicomponent products, namely, synchronic and diachronic. Synchronic systems integration refers to the technological capabilities required to set the product concept design, decompose it, co‐ordinate the network of suppliers, and then recompose the product within a given family. Diachronic systems integration refers to the technological capabilities to envisage and move progressively towards different and alternative paths of product architectures (i.e. new product families) to meet evolving customer requirements.
Towards a Dynamics of Modularity
Authors: Chesbrough Henry
Published: March 2005

Our understanding of the interaction between technological structure and organisational structure has made many advances. Argues that a more dynamic conception of the relationship is necessary in order to capture important elements that otherwise go unnoticed. Illustrations of a dynamic conception are offered, based on empirical research in the disk‐drive industry. Organisational traps may emerge, in that companies are not properly aligned with their technologies, but adaptation is difficult. Path dependent behaviours can result, which intensify these traps.
The Geography of Systems Integration
Authors: Best Michael H.
Published: March 2005

A new model of technology management and regional innovation based on the principle of systems integration is presented. The principle of systems integration is manifested in the organisational capability of firms, individually and networked, to foster rapid technological change. The effect is a network or cluster of entrepreneurial firms in which design is decentralised within the enterprise and diffused amongst networked enterprises. The combination of entrepreneurial firms and inter‐firm networks is shown to foster a range of dynamic cluster processes that, in turn, underlie the growth of Silicon Valley and the unexpected resurgence of Boston's Route 128.
Annuities and Retirement Well-Being
Authors: Panis Constantijn W. A.
Published: March 2005

This chapter examines the impact of annuitisation on retirement well-being. It focuses on two measures of well-being: self-reported satisfaction with retirement, and the number of self-reported depressive symptoms. Retirees with greater annuitisation were more satisfied with retirement, and maintained their satisfaction throughout retirement. Retirees without lifelong annuities become less satisfied over the years.
National Taxation, Fiscal Federalism and Global Taxation
Authors: Boadway Robin
Published: March 2005

This chapter, together with chs. 2 and 10, approaches the question of development funding in a theoretical way, rather than by examining individual proposals for sources. One purpose of the book is to bring to bear on this accumulated knowledge in the field of national public finance, and more generally public economics. This chapter looks at the lessons to be learned from the fiscal federalism literature. It highlights some of the similarities and some of the differences between fiscal institutions in federations and those that might apply in a global setting, and draws a number of conclusions about sources of new revenues for development, dealing specifically with taxes on nations, taxes on global externalities, and taxes on internationally mobile tax bases. The three main sections of the chapter look at: revenue‐raising in a federal setting – assignment of revenue‐raising authority, intergovernmental transfers, cooperative behaviour by subnational governments, and freeriding by subnational governments; revenue‐raising in federations with no central government – non‐cooperative and cooperative subnational redistribution; and the implications for global revenue sources – taxes on nations (a global equalisation scheme), taxes on international externalities, and taxes on internationally mobile tax bases.
Issues Related to Time Averaging of Exposure in Modeling Risks Associated with Intermittent Exposures to Lead
Authors: Lorenzana Roseanne M. , Troast Richard , Klotzbach Julie M. , Follansbee Mark H. , Diamond Gary L.
Published: March 2005

Typical exposures to lead often involve a mix of long‐term exposures to relatively constant exposure levels (e.g., residential yard soil and indoor dust) and highly intermittent exposures at other locations (e.g., seasonal recreational visits to a park). These types of exposures can be expected to result in blood lead concentrations that vary on a temporal scale with the intermittent exposure pattern. Prediction of short‐term (or seasonal) blood lead concentrations arising from highly variable intermittent exposures requires a model that can reliably simulate lead exposures and biokinetics on a temporal scale that matches that of the exposure events of interest. If exposure model averaging times (EMATs) of the model exceed the shortest exposure duration that characterizes the intermittent exposure, uncertainties will be introduced into risk estimates because the exposure concentration used as input to the model must be time averaged to account for the intermittent nature of the exposure. We have used simulation as a means of determining the potential magnitude of these uncertainties. Simulations using models having various EMATs have allowed exploration of the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to time averaging of exposures and impact on risk estimates associated with intermittent exposures to lead in soil. The International Commission of Radiological Protection (ICRP) model of lead pharmacokinetics in humans simulates lead intakes that can vary in intensity over time spans as small as one day, allowing for the simulation of intermittent exposures to lead as a series of discrete daily exposure events. The ICRP model was used to compare the outcomes (blood lead concentration) of various time‐averaging adjustments for approximating the time‐averaged intake of lead associated with various intermittent exposure patterns. Results of these analyses suggest that standard approaches to time averaging (e.g., U.S. EPA)(1) that estimate the long‐term daily exposure concentration can, in some cases, result in substantial underprediction of short‐term variations in blood lead concentrations when used in models that operate with EMATs exceeding the shortest exposure duration that characterizes the intermittent exposure. Alternative time‐averaging approaches recommended for use in lead risk assessment(2) more reliably predict short‐term periodic (e.g., seasonal) elevations in blood lead concentration that might result from intermittent exposures. In general, risk estimates will be improved by simulation on shorter time scales that more closely approximate the actual temporal dynamics of the exposure.
Toddlers' Representations of Space
Authors: Lourenco Stella F. , Huttenlocher Janellen , Vasilyeva Marina
Published: March 2005

In the present study, we examined how people code object location when an object is hidden in an enclosed space. On object location tasks involving disorientation, viewers must code the location of an object in relation to the spatial environment because they cannot directly track their changing relation to the object. Recently, we showed that viewers also code their perspective relative to the entire space (inside vs. outside) in such tasks. To determine whether viewers code perspective whenever they must locate an object, we examined young children's performance on a task in which coding perspective would be difficult. Our task involved both disorientation and translation (i.e., movement from inside to outside the space or vice versa). When translation preceded disorientation, performance was comparable to performance on tasks with no translation. However, when disorientation preceded translation, performance was at chance. The implications of these findings for location coding are discussed.
Biodegradation of 2,4-dicholophenoxyacetic acid using an acidogenic anaerobic sequencing batch reactor
Authors: Chin H , Elefsiniotis P , Singhal N
Published: March 2005

A bench-scale study was carried out to investigate the potential to biologically treat 2,4-dicholophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) contaminated wastewater in an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR), operated in the acid-phase digestion mode. The effects of 2,4-D feed concentration (20 to 200 mg L1) and temperature (ambient and 33 °C) on biodegradation were investigated at a hydraulic retention time of 48 h and a solids retention time of 10 d, using glucose as a supplemental substrate. Following a long acclimation period of about 100 d, complete 2,4-D degradation was observed at feed concentrations of 20 and 100 mg L1. However, at a 2,4-D concentration of 200 mg L1, only 65% removal was achieved. Overall, operation at an ambient temperature resulted in a slightly better performance than that at 33 °C. An adaptation period of approximately a week was required any time the 2,4-D concentration was increased, indicating a sensitive behavior towards shock loadings. On the other hand, glucose was completely and readily degraded throughout the study. A sequential utilization pattern of glucose and 2,4-D was also observed, with degradation of both substrates following first-order kinetics. Moreover, volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were the main products of acidogenesis, accounting for 65% of the effluent soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD), with acetic acid being by far the most predominant VFA detected. Key words: anaerobic sequencing batch reactor, acidogenesis, kinetics, 2,4-D, glucose, volatile fatty acids.
Acis-9,trans-11-conjugated linoleic acid-rich oil reduces the outcome of atherogenic process in hyperlipidemic hamster
Authors: Valeille Karine , Férézou Jacqueline , Amsler Ghislaine , Quignard-Boulangé Annie , Parquet Michel , Gripois Daniel , Dorovska-Taran Victoria , Martin Jean-Charles
Published: March 2005

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) mixtures demonstrated antiatherogenic properties in several animal models, including hamsters, but the mechanism of action of the main food-derived CLA isomer is unknown in this species. This study thus focused on cis-9, trans-11-CLA (rumenic acid), and its effect was compared with that of fish oil, which is known to influence several aspects of atherogenesis. Syrian hamsters were fed (for 12 wk) diets containing 20% (wt/wt) butter fat (B diet) or the same diet augmented with either 1% (wt/wt) of a cis-9, trans-11-CLA-rich oil (BR diet) or 1% (wt/wt) fish oil (BF diet). The BR diet induced the lowest aortic lipid deposition (from −30% to −45%) among the butter oil-fed hamsters. In this group, plasma also displayed a reduced non-HDL-to-HDL-cholesterol ratio (21% less than in the butter oil group) and inflammatory serum amyloid A levels (70–80%) and an improvement of anti-oxidized LDL paraoxonase activity (all P < 0.05). Compared with the B group, the beneficial effects of the BR diet could be further explained in part by preventing the high VCAM-1 expression rate, increasing (30%) ATP-binding cassette subfamily A1 expression in the aorta, and downregulating expression of inflammatory-related genes (TNF-α, IL-1β, and cyclooxygenase 2, 2- to 2.8-fold, P < 0.05). This effect was partly associated with an activation of peroxisome proliferator-activating receptor (PPAR)/liver X receptor (LXR)-α signaling cascade. Interestingly, activation of PPAR/LXR-α signaling was not observed in hamsters fed the BF diet, in which the early signs of atherogenesis were increased. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that milk fat-rich cis-9, trans-11-CLA reduces the atherogenic process in hyperlipidemic hamsters.
The Influence of Renal Function on Hydroxyurea Pharmacokinetics in Adults With Sickle Cell Disease
Authors: Yan Jing‐He , Ataga Kenneth , Kaul Sanjeev , Olson Jeffery S. , Grasela Dennis M. , Gothelf Samantha , Kutlar Abdulah , Orringer Eugene
Published: March 2005

This was an open‐label, nonrandomized, 2‐center study conducted to assess the influence of renal function on the pharmacokinetics of hydroxyurea in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD). Seventeen patients were divided into 5 groups: normal renal function (n = 7), mild renal impairment (n = 2), moderate renal impairment (n = 3), severe renal impairment (n = 2), and end‐stage renal disease (ESRD, n = 3). Except for patients with ESRD, all the patients received a 15‐mg/kg single oral dose of hydroxyurea. Patients with ESRD received a 15‐mg/kg oral dose of hydroxyurea on 2 occasions. Blood and urine samples were collected for the assessment of hydroxyurea pharmacokinetics. The results indicate that the systemic exposure increases and the urinary recovery decreases as the degree of renal insufficiency worsens. On the basis of the exposure and the apparent clearance from the current and 2 historical studies, the authors have proposed an initial dosing regimen of hydroxyurea (7.5 mg/kg/day) for SCD patients with CLcr <60 mL/min. This dosing strategy is anticipated to provide a safe dose for SCD patients with renal impairment.
Studies to Investigate the Pharmacokinetic Interactions Between Ranolazine and Ketoconazole, Diltiazem, or Simvastatin During Combined Administration in Healthy Subjects
Authors: Jerling Markus , Huan Bee‐Lian , Leung Kwan , Chu Nancy , Abdallah Hisham , Hussein Ziad
Published: March 2005

The interactions of ranolazine, a new antianginal compound, with inhibitors and substrates of the CYP3A isoenzyme family were studied in 1 open‐label and 4 double‐blind, randomized, multiple‐dose studies. In healthy adult volunteers, the authors sought (1) to determine the steady‐state pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of immediate‐ and sustained‐release ranolazine with and without ketoconazole, diltiazem, or simvastatin and (2) to evaluate the effect of ranolazine on the pharmacokinetics of diltiazem, simvastatin, simvastatin metabolites, and HMG‐CoA reductase activity. Ketoconazole increased ranolazine plasma concentrations and reduced the CYP3A4‐mediated metabolic transformation of ranolazine, confirming that CYP3A4 is the primary metabolic pathway for ranolazine. Diltiazem reduced oral clearance of ranolazine in a dose‐dependent manner. Simvastatin did not affect ranolazine pharmacokinetics, although ranolazine increased the AUC and Cmax of simvastatin, simvastatin acid, 2 simvastatin metabolites, and HMG‐CoA reductase activity by <2‐fold. Administration of ranolazine in combination with diltiazem or simvastatin was safe and well tolerated during the interval studied.
FcγRIIIb Genotypes and Smoking in Periodontal Disease Progression Among Community‐Dwelling Older Adults in Japan
Authors: Yoshihara Akihiro , Sugita Noriko , Yamamoto Kouji , Kobayashi Tetsuo , Hirotomi Toshinobu , Ogawa Hiroshi , Miyazaki Hideo , Yoshie Hiromasa
Published: March 2005

Background: FcγRIIIb genotypes and smoking are risk factors for periodontal disease. However, the interaction of FcγRIIIb‐ NA1‐NA2 polymorphism with smoking remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine if FcγRIIIb‐NA1‐NA2 polymorphism and smoking are associated with periodontal disease progression among elderly people.

Methods: Among 70‐year‐old subjects, 164 with neither diabetes mellitus nor blood sugar ≥140 mg/dl, who had more than 20 teeth and who could participate in both the baseline and the follow‐up examinations were included in the study. The NA1 group comprised subjects with FcγRIIIb‐NA1NA1 genotype (N = 53), while the NA2 group included subjects with FcγRIIIb‐NA1NA2 or NA2NA2 genotype (N = 111). We examined the progression of periodontitis by measuring attachment loss during 3 years.

Results: The frequency of subjects who showed ≥4 mm additional attachment loss at one or more sites was 55.6% for smokers and 37.2% for non‐smokers. The odds ratio (OR) was 2.13 (confidence interval [CI]: 0.92 to 4.76). We found a better association between periodontal progression and smoking in the NA2 group. The OR for smokers was 3.03 (CI:1.12 to 8.33, P = 0.028). Additionally, the mean number of sites with ≥4 mm additional attachment loss per person between smokers and non‐smokers in the NA2 group or between smokers and non‐smokers in the NA1 group was 2.90 ± 3.42 and 0.74 ± 1.53 or 0.57 ± 0.79 and 0.68 ± 1.03, respectively (P <0.001; analysis of variance [ANOVA]).

Conclusion: Our results may suggest an association between smoking and periodontal disease progression in elderly people with FcγRIIIb‐NA2 polymorphism. J Periodontol 2005;76:250‐255.
Proteins
Authors: Nambudripad Raman , Smith Temple F.
Published: March 2005

Proteins are biopolymers built up from 20 different amino acids. Their diversity derives from the different combinations of the amino acids that form the sequence. The function of a protein depends on its unique three‐dimensional structure, which is itself determined by the amino acid sequence. The principal forces that drive proteins to their folded structure are the hydrophobic effect and backbone hydrogen bonding. The latter gives rise to the two elements of secondary structure, α‐helix and β‐sheet, commonly observed in proteins. The number of ways that these structures can pack is finite, giving rise to a limited number of folding motifs that recur in proteins of even unrelated structure. The function of proteins is carried out by a few residues in an active site which interacts with other molecules. Prediction of protein structure from its amino acid sequence is an active area of research. Different approaches include energy minimization, comparative modeling, and inverse protein folding. Progress in molecular biology and molecular modeling have made the study of the function and design of proteins a reality. With the sequencing of the human genome, much research is being done in the area of comparative genomics to understand the molecular basis of the diseased state and “personalized” medicine. Systems biology is another area which has drawn a lot of attention.
Life Cycle Assessment
Authors: Guinée Jeroen B. , Heijungs Reinout
Published: March 2005

Environmental Life Cycle Assessmen (LCA) of products has become an important tool for assessing the environmental impact of products and services from cradle‐to‐grave. One of LCA’s Leitmotivs is to get a full picture of the impacts of a product or service in order to find the best solutions for their improvement without shifting the impacts to other fields. LCA has become a core topic in the field of environmental management. In this article, the topic of LCA is introduced. The focus is on a discussion of LCA methodology. The four methodological phases (goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation) are explained. Steps distinguished within each phase are discussed with respect to methodological issues. These issues are illustrated with brief examples. Aspects of data, software, and procedures are separately discussed. Finally, LCA applications and the future of LCA are addressed.
Gas‐Phase Catalysis by Atomic and Cluster Metal Ions: The Ultimate Single‐Site Catalysts
Authors: Böhme Diethard K. , Schwarz Helmut
Published: March 2005

Gas‐phase experiments with state‐of‐the‐art techniques of mass spectrometry provide detailed insights into numerous elementary processes. The focus of this Review is on elementary reactions of ions that achieve complete catalytic cycles under thermal conditions. The examples chosen cover aspects of catalysis pertinent to areas as diverse as atmospheric chemistry and surface chemistry. We describe how transfer of oxygen atoms, bond activation, and coupling of fragments can be mediated by atomic or cluster metal ions. In some cases truly unexpected analogies of the idealized gas‐phase ion catalysis can be drawn with related chemical transformations in solution or the solid state, and so improve our understanding of the intrinsic operation of a practical catalyst at a strictly molecular level.
Altered parcellation of neocortical somatosensory maps in N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor‐deficient mice
Authors: Lee Li‐Jen , Erzurumlu Reha S.
Published: March 2005

The body map in the parietal neocortex is built by inputs from the brainstem and thalamic somatosensory nuclei. Receptor density in the sensory periphery and neural activity play a major role in allocation of cortical tissue to different components of the somatosensory body map. Here we present evidence that neural activity mediated via N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptors plays a major role in parcellation of the cortical body map subdivisions. In mice with genetically lowered NMDA receptor function along the trigeminal pathway, subcortical trigeminal nuclei shrink and, consequently, the face representation area of the primary somatosensory cortex diminishes in size. In contrast, dorsal column subcortical paw representation areas that are not as severely affected by the genetic manipulation of NMDA receptors do not show any areal changes, yet their cortical projection zones expand. Our findings indicate that both subcortical and cortical mechanisms contribute to cortical parcellation of body map subdivisions in an NMDA receptor‐dependent manner. J. Comp. Neurol. 485:57–63, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Involvement of phospholipase A2 and lipoxygenase in lipopolysaccharide‐induced inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in glial cells
Authors: Won Je‐Seong , Im Yeong‐Bin , Khan Mushfiquddin , Singh Avtar K. , Singh Inderjit
Published: March 2005

The present study underlines the importance of phospholipase A2 (PLA2)‐ and lipoxygenase (LO)‐mediated signaling processes in the regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression. In glial cells, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced the activities of PLA2 (calcium‐independent PLA2; iPLA2 and cytosolic PLA2; cPLA2) as well as gene expression of iNOS. The inhibition of cPLA2 by methyl arachidonyl fluorophosphates (MAFP) or antisense oligomer against cPLA2 and inhibition of iPLA2 by bromoenol lactone reduced the LPS‐induced iNOS gene expression and NFκB activation. In addition, the inhibition of LO by nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA; general LO inhibitor) or MK886 (5‐LO inhibitor), but not baicalein (12‐LO inhibitor), completely abrogated the LPS‐induced iNOS expression. Because NDGA could abrogate the LPS‐induced activation of NFκB, while MK886 had no effect on it, LO‐mediated inhibition of iNOS gene induction by LPS may involve an NFκB‐dependent or ‐independent (by 5‐LO) pathway. In contrast to LO, however, the cyclooxygenase (COX) may not be involved in the regulation of LPS‐mediated induction of iNOS gene because COX inhibition by indomethacin (general COX inhibitor), SC560 (COX‐1 inhibitor), and NS398 (COX‐2 inhibitor) affected neither the LPS‐induced iNOS expression nor activation of NFκB. These results indicate a role for cPLA2 and iPLA2 in LPS‐mediated iNOS gene induction in glial cells and the involvement of LO in these reactions. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Regulation by the extracellular matrix (ECM) of prolactin‐induced αs1‐casein gene expression in rabbit primary mammary cells: Role of STAT5, C/EBP, and chromatin structure
Authors: Jolivet Geneviève , Pantano Thaïs , Houdebine Louis Marie
Published: March 2005

The aim of the present study was to understand how the extracellular matrix (ECM) regulates at the gene level the prolactin (Prl)‐induced signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5)‐dependent expression of the αs1‐casein gene in mammary epithelial cells. CCAAT enhancer binding proteins (C/EBPs) are assumed regulators of β‐casein gene expression. Rabbit primary mammary cells express αs1‐casein gene when cultured on collagen and not on plastic. Similar C/EBPβ, C/EBPδ, STAT5, and Prl‐activated STAT5 were found under all culture conditions. Thus the ECM does not act through C/EBPs or STAT5. This was confirmed by transfections of rabbit primary mammary cells by a construct sensitive to ovine prolactin (oPrl) and ECM (6i TK luc) encompassing STAT5 and C/EBP binding sites. The mutation of C/EBPs binding sites showed that these sites were not mandatory for Prl‐induced expression of the construct. Interestingly, chromatin immunoprecipitation by the anti‐acetylhistone H4 antibody (ChIP) showed that the ECM (and not Prl) maintained a high amount of histone H4 acetylation upstream of the αs1‐casein gene especially at the level of a distal Prl‐ and ECM‐ sensitive enhancer. Alpha6 integrin (a membrane receptor of laminin, the principal active component of the mammary ECM) was found at the surface of cells cultured on collagen but not on plastic. In cells cultured on collagen in the presence of anti‐α6 integrin antibody, Prl‐induced transcription of the endogenous αs1‐casein gene was significantly reduced, without modifying C/EBPs and STAT5. Besides, histone H4 acetylation was reduced. Thus, we propose that the ECM regulates rabbit αs1‐casein protein expression by local modification of chromatin structure, independently of STAT5 and C/EBPs. Copyright © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Drosophila molting neurohormone bursicon is a heterodimer and the natural agonist of the orphan receptor DLGR2
Authors: Mendive Fernando M. , Van Loy Tom , Claeysen Sylvie , Poels Jeroen , Williamson Michael , Hauser Frank , Grimmelikhuijzen Cornelis J.P. , Vassart Gilbert , Vanden Broeck Jozef
Published: March 2005

Bursicon is a neurohumoral agent responsible for tanning and hardening of the cuticle and expansion of the wings during the final phase of insect metamorphosis. Although the hormonal activity was described more than 40 years ago, the molecular nature of bursicon has remained elusive. We identify here Drosophila bioactive bursicon as a heterodimer made of two cystine knot polypeptides. This conclusion was reached in part from the unexpected observation that in the genome of the honey bee, the orthologs of the two Drosophila proteins are predicted to be fused in a single open reading frame. The heterodimeric Drosophila protein displays bursicon bioactivity in freshly eclosed neck‐ligated flies and is the natural agonist of the orphan G protein‐coupled receptor DLGR2.
Nav1.6 channels generate resurgent sodium currents in spinal sensory neurons
Authors: Cummins Theodore R. , Dib-Hajj Sulayman D. , Herzog Raimund I. , Waxman Stephen G.
Published: March 2005

The Nav1.6 voltage‐gated sodium channel has been implicated in the generation of resurgent currents in cerebellar Purkinje neurons. Our data show that resurgent sodium currents are produced by some large diameter dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons from wild‐type mice, but not from Nav1.6‐null mice; small DRG neurons do not produce resurgent currents. Many, but not all, DRG neurons transfected with Nav1.6 produce resurgent currents. These results demonstrate for the first time the intrinsic ability of Nav1.6 to produce a resurgent current, and also show that cell background is critical in permitting the generation of these currents.
Energy Policy and Regulation in the People's Republic of China. By PHILLIP ANDREWS-SPEED. [The Hague, London and New York: Kluwer Law International, 2004. vii+405 pp. €135.00; £94.50; $159.00. ISBN 90-411-2233-8.]
Authors: Downs Erica S.
Published: March 2005

Phillip Andrews-Speed has written a timely book. China's rapid economic growth has generated an enormous appetite for energy. Over the past decade, China has become an increasingly important factor in global energy markets. China was responsible for about one third of the increase in daily world oil consumption in 2003, and China's demand for oil and coal has contributed to the recent higher prices for both of these commodities. Consequently, the decisions Beijing makes – and does not make – about energy will have an increasing impact not only on China but also on the rest of the world.

Energy Policy and Regulation in the People's Republic of China surveys energy policy formulation, implementation and regulation in China. The book is primarily based on research previously published by the author, and reads more like a collection of parts than an organic whole. Nonetheless, two themes loosely bind the chapters together. First, China lacks a coherent energy policy. Secondly, China's powerful state-owned energy companies exert considerable influence over energy decision-making.

Andrews-Speed argues that China's energy policy incoherence can be explained, in part, by the fragmented institutional structure of energy decision-making. China does not have a Ministry of Energy to oversee the formulation and implementation of policy. Currently, this responsibility nominally falls to the Energy Bureau within the National Development Reform Commission (NDRC). Yet, the Energy Bureau lacks both the manpower and the authority to play a major role in policy making. Both the Chinese and Western media indicate that the Energy Bureau's small staff of 30 is so overwhelmed with projects in need of approval that it has little time to devise and co-ordinate broader policy objectives. The Energy Bureau's ability to shape policy is also limited by the fact that it is only one of many actors involved in energy matters. Energy decisions, according to Andrews-Speed, are the result of bargaining and consensus-building among the stakeholders in any given initiative and do not reflect an overarching strategy for energy.
The Minor Arts of Daily Life: Popular Culture in Taiwan. Edited by DAVID K. JORDAN, ANDREW D. MORRIS, and MARC L. MOSKOWITZ. [Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2004. vii+278 pp. ISBN 0-8248-2800-3.]
Authors: Harrison Mark
Published: March 2005

From the early 1990s, the study of Taiwan has flourished into what is almost a field in its own right. Yet, despite this growth, Taiwan Studies remains an unstable and inchoate area of scholarship. Beyond key issues like democratization, national identity and the “miracle economy,” it has no dominant problematics, discursive structures or proscribed methodologies. And, unlike Chinese Studies, it is too small a field to be clearly demarcated into sub-fields.

As a result, the study of Taiwan is unusually open to any and all possible topics for study. Indeed, the free play of the range of subjects in Taiwan studies is one aspect of the continuing establishment and consolidation of the meaning of “Taiwan” itself, and of a Taiwanese identity, over the last ten to 20 years.

The Minor Arts of Daily Life: Popular culture in Taiwan is in the first instance an excellent contribution to this developing field, but it is also indicative of the challenges to producing legitimate academic knowledge of Taiwan.

The book begins with a review of Taiwanese history, which, even now, is a necessary opening step to establish the discursive boundaries of a scholarly project on Taiwan. The introductory chapter presents what has become a received history of Taiwan, organizing it by ruling regimes over the last four centuries. This history was established most clearly in English by the work of Thomas Gold in the mid-1980s and here it is filled out with much detail and nuance.

The body of the book is divided into four sections organized into generalizing categories: religion, the public sphere, economic life and popular entertainment. The methodologies include social history in Morris's chapter on baseball, anthropology in Katz's work on chicken-beheading rites, and media studies in Chu's chapter on talk-back television. Simon's work on gay and lesbian identity and Chin-ju Lin's chapter on Filipino domestic workers in Taiwan also add important critical dimensions.
Input of particulate organic and dissolved inorganic carbon from the Amazon to the Atlantic Ocean
Authors: Druffel E. R. M. , Bauer J. E. , Griffin S.
Published: March 2005

We report concentrations and isotope measurements (radiocarbon and stable carbon) of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and suspended particulate organic carbon (POC) in waters collected from the mouth of the Amazon River and the North Brazil Current. Samples were collected in November 1991, when the Amazon hydrograph was at its annual minimum and the North Brazil Current had retroflected into the equatorial North Atlantic. The DIC Δ14C results revealed postbomb carbon in river and ocean waters, with slightly higher values at the river mouth. The low DIC δ13C signature of the river end‐member (−11‰) demonstrates that about half of the DIC originated from the remineralization of terrestrially derived organic matter. A linear relationship between DIC and salinity indicates that DIC was mixed nearly conservatively in the transition zone from the river mouth to the open ocean, though there was a small amount (≤10%) of organic matter remineralization in the mesohaline region. The POC Δ14C values in the river mouth were markedly lower than those values from the western Amazon region (Hedges et al., 1986). We conclude that the dominant source of POC near the river mouth and in the inner Amazon plume during November 1991 was aged, resuspended material of significant terrestrial character derived from shelf sediments, while the outer plume contained mainly marine‐derived POC.
Toward the development of a diffuse horizontal shortwave irradiance working standard
Authors: Michalsky J. J. , Dolce R. , Dutton E. G. , Haeffelin M. , Jeffries W. , Stoffel T. , Hickey J. , Los A. , Mathias D. , McArthur L. J. B. , Nelson D. , Philipona R. , Reda I. , Rutledge K. , Zerlaut G. , Forgan B. , Kiedron P. , Long C. , Gueymard C.
Published: March 2005

The first intensive observation period (IOP) to simultaneously measure diffuse horizontal shortwave irradiance (scattered solar radiation that falls on a horizontal surface) with a wide array of shaded pyranometers suggested that a consensus might be reached that would permit the establishment of a standard with a smaller uncertainty than previously achieved. A second IOP has been held to refine the first IOP measurements using a uniform calibration protocol, offset corrections for all instruments and validation of those corrections, improvements in some of the instruments, and better data acquisition. The venue for both IOPs was the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement central facility in northern Oklahoma. The 9 days of measurements in October 2003 included a better mixture of clear and overcast conditions than during the first IOP and revealed considerable differences among the instruments' responses for different cloud conditions. Four of the 15 instruments were eliminated as candidates to be included in the standard because of noisy signals, inadequate offset correction, or instability with respect to the majority of the measurements. Eight pyranometers agreed to within ±2% for clear‐sky conditions. Three others have a high bias on clear days relative to these eight, but all 11 agree within ±2% on overcast days. The differences and causes of this behavior under clear and cloudy skies are examined.