bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Head to head comparisons of two modalities of perfusion adenosine stress echocardiography with simultaneous SPECT
Authors: Gudmundsson Petri , Shahgaldi Kambiz , Winter Reidar , Dencker Magnus , Kitlinski Mariusz , Thorsson Ola , Ljunggren Lennart , Willenheimer Ronnie B
Published: April 2009

Background

Real-time perfusion (RTP) contrast echocardiography can be used during adenosine stress echocardiography (ASE) to evaluate myocardial ischemia. We compared two different types of RTP power modulation techniques, angiomode (AM) and high-resolution grayscale (HR), with99mTc-tetrofosmin single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) for the detection of myocardial ischemia.

Methods

Patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD), admitted to SPECT, were prospectively invited to participate. Patients underwent RTP imaging (SONOS 5500) using AM and HR during Sonovue®infusion, before and throughout the adenosine stress, also used for SPECT. Analysis of myocardial perfusion and wall motion by RTP-ASE were done for AM and HR at different time points, blinded to one another and to SPECT. Each segment was attributed to one of the three main coronary vessel areas of interest.

Results

In 50 patients, 150 coronary areas were analyzed by SPECT and RTP-ASE AM and HR. SPECT showed evidence of ischemia in 13 out of 50 patients. There was no significant difference between AM and HR in detecting ischemia (p = 0.08). The agreement for AM and HR, compared to SPECT, was 93% and 96%, with Kappa values of 0.67 and 0.75, respectively (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

There was no significant difference between AM and HR in correctly detecting myocardial ischemia as judged by SPECT. This suggests that different types of RTP modalities give comparable data during RTP-ASE in patients with known or suspected CAD.
Human embryonic stem cells hemangioblast express HLA-antigens
Authors: Basak Grzegorz Wladyslaw , Yasukawa Satoshi , Alfaro Andre , Halligan Samantha , Srivastava Anand S , Min Wei-Ping , Minev Boris , Carrier Ewa
Published: April 2009

Background

It has been suggested that the initial differentiation of endothelial and hematopoietic cells during embryogenesis occurs from a common progenitor, called hemangioblast (hB). We hypothesized that these cells with dual hematopoietic/endothelial potential could be used in future regenerative medicine.

Methods

We used the two-step differentiation technology to generate bipotential blast cells from human embryonic stem cells (hES). This involved short differentiation in our in vitro EB system followed by differentiation in semisolid culture medium supplemented with mixture of cytokines.

Results

The occurrence of blast-colony-forming cells (BL-CFC) during EB differentiation (day 0–6) was transient and peaked on day 3. The emergence of this event was associated with expression of mesoderm gene T, and inversely correlated with expression of endoderm gene FoxA2. Similarly, the highest BL-CFC number was associated with increase in expression of early hematopoietic/endothelial genes: CD34, CD31 and KDR. The derived colonies were composed of 30–50 blast cells on day 6 in culture. These cells had homogenous appearance in Wright-Giemsa stain, but to a different extent expressed markers of immature hematopoietic and endothelial cells (CD31, CD34, VE-cadherin, Flt-1) and mature differentiated cells (CD45, CD33, CD146). We found that some of them expressed fetal and embryonic globin genes. Interestingly, these cells expressed also HLA class I molecules, however at very low levels compared to endothelial and hematopoietic cells. The blast cells could be successfully differentiated to hematopoietic cells in a CFU assay. In these conditions, blast cells formed CFU-M colonies (63.4 ± 0.8%) containing macrophages, BFU-E colonies (19.5 ± 3.5%) containing nucleated red blood cells, and CFU-EM colonies (17.1 ± 2.7%) composed of macrophages and nucleated erythrocytes. Cells of CFU-EM and BFU-E colonies expressed both ε – and γ- globin genes, but not adult-type γ-globin. When in endothelial cell culture conditions, blast cells differentiated to endothelial cells which had the ability to take up Dil-Ac-LDL and to form complex vascular networks in Matrigel.

Conclusion

1) Hematoendothelial precursors exist transiently in early embryonic development and form single cell-derived colonies; 2) their differentiation can be tracked by the use of chosen molecular markers; 3) blast colonies consist of cells having properties of endothelial and hematopoietic precursors, however the issue of their ability to maintain dual properties over time needs to be further explored; 4) blast cells can potentially be used in regenerative medicine due to their low expression of HLA molecules.
Genome-wide investigation of in vivoEGR-1 binding sites in monocytic differentiation
Authors: Kubosaki Atsutaka , Tomaru Yasuhiro , Tagami Michihira , Arner Erik , Miura Hisashi , Suzuki Takahiro , Suzuki Masanori , Suzuki Harukazu , Hayashizaki Yoshihide
Published: April 2009

Background

Immediate early genes are considered to play important roles in dynamic gene regulatory networks following exposure to appropriate stimuli. One of the immediate early genes, early growth response gene 1 (EGR-1), has been implicated in differentiation of human monoblastoma cells along the monocytic commitment following treatment with phorbol ester. EGR-1 has been thought to work as a modifier of monopoiesis, but the precise function of EGR-1 in monocytic differentiation has not been fully elucidated.

Results

We performed the first genome-wide analysis of EGR-1 binding sites by chromatin immunoprecipitation with promoter array (ChIP-chip) and identified EGR-1 target sites in differentiating THP-1 cells. By combining the results with previously reported FANTOM4 data, we found that EGR-1 binding sites highly co-localized with CpG islands, acetylated histone H3 lysine 9 binding sites, and CAGE tag clusters. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed enriched terms, including binding of molecules, in EGR-1 target genes. In addition, comparison with gene expression profiling data showed that EGR-1 binding influenced gene expression. Moreover, observation of in vivo occupancy changes of DNA binding proteins following PMA stimulation indicated that SP1 binding occupancies were dramatically changed near EGR-1 binding sites.

Conclusions

We conclude that EGR-1 mainly recognizes GC-rich consensus sequences in promoters of active genes. GO analysis and gene expression profiling data confirm that EGR-1 is involved in initiation of information transmission in cell events. The observations of in vivo occupancy changes of EGR-1 and SP1 suggest that several types of interplay between EGR-1 and other proteins result in multiple responses to EGR-1 downstream genes.
A new function of the Fas-FasL pathway in macrophage activation
Authors: Chakour Reza , Allenbach Cindy , Desgranges Florian , Charmoy Mélanie , Mauel Jacques , Garcia Irène , Launois Pascal , Louis Jacques , Tacchini-Cottier Fabienne
Published: April 2009

Triggering of the Fas/Fas ligand pathway leads to macrophage activation and to the induction of microbicidal activity in macrophages infected with Leishmania major.

Upon infection with the protozoan parasite Leishmania major, susceptible BALB/c mice develop unhealing lesions associated with the maturation of CD4+Th2 cells secreting IL-4. In contrast, resistant C57BL/6 mice heal their lesions, because of expansion and secretion of IFN-γ of CD4+ Th1 cells. The Fas-FasL pathway, although not involved in Th cell differentiation, was reported to be necessary for complete resolution of lesions. We investigate here the role of IFN-γ and IL-4 on Fas-FasL nonapoptotic signaling events leading to the modulation of macrophage activation. We show that addition of FasL and IFN-γ to BMMø led to their increased activation, as reflected by enhanced secretion of TNF, IL-6, NO, and the induction of their microbicidal activity, resulting in the killing of intracellular L. major. In contrast, the presence of IL-4 decreased the synergy of IFN-γ/FasL significantly on macrophage activation and the killing of intracellular L. major. These results show that FasL synergizes with IFN-γ to activate macrophages and that the tight regulation by IFN-γ and/or IL-4 of the nonapoptotic signaling events triggered by the Fas-FasL pathway affects significantly the activation of macrophages to a microbicidal state and may thus contribute to the pathogenesis of L. major infection.
[18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Correlates With Akt Pathway Activity but Is Not Predictive of Clinical Outcome During mTOR Inhibitor Therapy
Authors: Ma Wen Wee , Jacene Heather , Song Dongweon , Vilardell Felip , Messersmith Wells A. , Laheru Dan , Wahl Richard , Endres Chris , Jimeno Antonio , Pomper Martin G. , Hidalgo Manuel
Published: April 2009

Purpose

Positron emission tomography (PET) with [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) has increasingly been used to evaluate the efficacy of anticancer agents. We investigated the role of FDG-PET as a predictive marker for response to mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibition in advanced solid tumor patients and in murine xenograft models.

Patients and Methods

Thirty-four rapamycin-treated patients with assessable baseline and treatment FDG-PET and computed tomography scans were analyzed from two clinical trials. Clinical response was evaluated according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, and FDG-PET response was evaluated by quantitative changes and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) criteria. Six murine xenograft tumor models were treated with temsirolimus. Small animal FDG-PET scans were performed at baseline and during treatment. The tumors were analyzed for the expression of pAkt and GLUT1.

Results

Fifty percent of patients with increased FDG-PET uptake and 46% with decreased uptake had progressive disease (PD). No objective response was observed. By EORTC criteria, the sensitivity of progressive metabolic disease on FDG-PET in predicting PD was 19%. Preclinical studies demonstrated similar findings, and FDG-PET response correlated with pAkt activation and plasma membrane GLUT1 expression.

Conclusion

FDG-PET is not predictive of proliferative response to mTOR inhibitor therapy in both clinical and preclinical studies. Our findings suggest that mTOR inhibitors suppress the formation of mTORC2 complex, resulting in the inhibition of Akt and glycolysis independent of proliferation in a subset of tumors. Changes in FDG-PET may be a pharmacodynamic marker for Akt activation during mTOR inhibitor therapy. FDG-PET may be used to identify patients with persistent Akt activation following mTOR inhibitor therapy.
Pooled Analysis of Individual Patient-Level Data From All Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trials of Darbepoetin Alfa in the Treatment of Patients With Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia
Authors: Ludwig Heinz , Crawford Jeffrey , Österborg Anders , Vansteenkiste Johan , Henry David H. , Fleishman Alex , Bridges Ken , Glaspy John A.
Published: April 2009

Purpose

Although numerous clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy and tolerability of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) in patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA), results of some recent trials and one meta-analysis have suggested that ESAs may negatively impact survival and/or disease control in patients with cancer.

Methods

To assess the benefits and risks of ESAs in CIA, we conducted a pooled analysis of individual patient-level data from all randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials in 2,122 patients with CIA receiving darbepoetin alfa (DA; n = 1,200) or placebo (n = 912).

Results

DA did not increase mortality (hazard ratio = 0.97; 95% CI, 0.85 to 1.1) and had no effect on progression-free survival (hazard ratio = 0.93; 95% CI, 0.84 to 1.04) and disease progression (hazard ratio = 0.92; 95% CI, 0.82 to 1.03), but, as expected, increased the risk for thromboembolic events (hazard ratio = 1.57; 95% CI, 1.10 to 2.26). Overall and progression-free survival were not affected by baseline hemoglobin and seemed better in patients who achieved hemoglobin more than 12 or more than 13 g/dL. Transfusions and rates of hemoglobin increase (> 1 g/dL in 14 days; > 2 g/dL in 28 days) owing to transfusions were associated with an increased risk for death and disease progression in both treatment groups; in the absence of transfusions, rates of hemoglobin increase did not appear to increase the risk for adverse outcomes. Compared with placebo, DA significantly reduced the risk of receiving one or more transfusion.

Conclusion

There seemed to be no association between DA and risk of death or disease progression in this meta-analysis of individual patient data from DA studies conducted in CIA, the approved indication for ESAs in oncology.
Tugging at the Roots: The Errant Textography of Middle English Romance
Authors: Seaman Myra
Published: April 2009

This article offers an alternative story of the transmission of Middle English verse romance to the one traditionally told by textual scholarship, one rooted in stemmatics' focus on genealogical descent and its principal interest in origins. Like the medieval romance hero himself, the English romance narrative wandered from locus to locus, in this case from manuscript to manuscript, with each encounter inscribing on it a different identity with characteristics influenced by local cultural values. Stemmatics' analogy of the family tree thus enforces an artificially unified reading of Middle English romance and promotes a fundamentally modern reception of the genre. The stories that individual manuscript versions tell, when linked together in an organic network rather than grafted into a hierarchical family tree, is episodic with no clear cause-and-effect, action-and-reaction relationship indicated among these various versions. Its story lies in its scattered dissemination, fruitfully conveyed by the image of the rhizome.
Evolutionary prisoner's dilemma games with one-dimensional local interaction and imitation
Authors: Chen Hsiao-Chi , Chow Yunshyong
Published: April 2009

In this paper we explore the impact of imitation rules on players' long-run behaviors in evolutionary prisoner's dilemma games. All players sit sequentially and equally spaced around a circle. Players are assumed to interact only with their neighbors, and to imitate either their successful neighbors and/or themselves or the successful actions taken by their neighbors and/or themselves. In the imitating-successful-player dynamics, full defection is the unique long-run equilibrium as the probability of players' experimentations (or mutations) tend to 0. By contrast, full cooperation could emerge in the long run under the imitating-successful-action dynamics. Moreover, it is discovered that the convergence rate to equilibrium under local interaction could be slower than that under global interaction.
From damage models to SIR epidemics and cascading failures
Authors: Gathy Maude , Lefèvre Claude
Published: April 2009

This paper is concerned with a nonstationary Markovian chain of cascading damage that constitutes an iterated version of a classical damage model. The main problem under study is to determine the exact distribution of the total outcome of this process when the cascade of damages finally stops. Two different applications are discussed, namely the final size for a wide class of SIR (susceptible → infective → removed) epidemic models and the total number of failures for a system of components in reliability. The starting point of our analysis is the recent work of Lefèvre (2007) on a first-crossing problem for the cumulated partial sums of independent parametric distributions, possibly nonstationary but stable by convolution. A key mathematical tool is provided by a nonstandard family of remarkable polynomials, called the generalised Abel–Gontcharoff polynomials. Somewhat surprisingly, the approach followed will allow us to relax some model assumptions usually made in epidemic theory and reliability. To close, approximation by a branching process is also investigated to a certain extent.
Endocytosis of MHC molecules by distinct membrane rafts
Authors: Knorr Ruth , Karacsonyi Claudia , Lindner Robert
Published: April 2009

In B-lymphocytes, endocytosis of MHC I and MHC II molecules is important for the cross-priming and presentation of labile antigens, respectively. Here, we report that MHC I and MHC II were internalized by separate endocytic carriers that lacked transferrin receptor. Cholera toxin B was co-internalized with MHC II, but not with MHC I, suggesting that the CLIC/GEEC pathway is involved in the uptake of MHC II. Endocytosis of MHC I and MHC II was inhibited by filipin, but only MHC II showed a strong preference for a membrane raft environment in a co-clustering analysis with GM1. By using a novel method for the extraction of detergent-resistant membranes (DRMs), we observed that MHC I and MHC II associate with two distinct types of DRMs. These differ in density, protein content, lipid composition, and ultrastructure. The results of cell surface biotinylation and subsequent DRM isolation show that precursors for both DRMs coexist in the plasma membrane. Moreover, clustering of MHC proteins at the cell surface resulted in shifts of the respective DRMs, revealing proximity-induced changes in the membrane environment. Our results suggest that the preference of MHC I and MHC II for distinct membrane rafts directs them to different cellular entry points.
Characterization of Snail nuclear import pathways as representatives of C2H2 zinc finger transcription factors
Authors: Mingot José-Manuel , Vega Sonia , Maestro Beatriz , Sanz Jesús M. , Nieto M. Angela
Published: April 2009

Snail proteins are C2H2 class zinc finger transcription factors involved in different processes during embryonic development, as well as in several adult pathologies including cancer and organ fibrosis. The expression of Snail transcription factors is tightly regulated at the transcriptional level and their activity is modulated by their subcellular localization. Given the importance of this gene family in physiology and pathology, it is essential to understand the mechanisms by which Snail proteins are imported into or exported out of the nucleus. Here we show that several importins mediate the nuclear import of the human Snail proteins and we identify a unique nuclear localization signal (NLS), recognized by all the importins, that has been conserved during the evolution of the Snail family. This NLS is characterized by the presence of basic residues at defined positions in at least three consecutive zinc fingers. Interestingly, the consensus residues for importin-binding are also involved in DNA binding, suggesting that importins could prevent non-specific binding of these transcription factors to cytoplasmic polyanions. Importantly, the identified basic residues are also conserved in other families of C2H2 transcription factors whose nuclear localization requires the zinc finger region.
Chlamydia Screening Programme, HMP Hydebank Wood Young Offender Centre, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
Authors: Hirst H , Dinsmore W W
Published: April 2009

In a young offender's centre, 204 male prisoners were offered chlamydia screening, from January 2007 to April 2007. The aim of this screening programme was to identify and treat asymptomatic prisoners with chlamydia infection. Offering the screening within a prison was an opportunity to test a hard-to-reach population that is at high risk of chlamydia infection. The programme established a high level of testing acceptability with a 98% screening uptake rate. Using nucleic acid amplification testing, 21 (10.5%) tested prisoners were positive for Chlamydia trachomatis. Patients were treated under Patient Group Direction (PGD). Further screening for sexually transmitted diseases was offered to chlamydia-positive patients by the genitourinary (GU) medicine specialist.
Effects of Infrasound on the Proliferation and the Expression of BDNF in the Hippocampus
Authors: Hua Yuan , Hua Long , Xiang Mu , Jing Liu , Jing-Zao Chen
Published: April 2009

To explore the effects of infrasound on the memory function and neurogenesis in the rat hippocampus, BDNF and BrdU-labled neurons were investigated by the immunohistochemical method. After exposure to infrasound of 8Hz, 130dB for 14 days, the Morris water maze test was performed to assess spatial learning and memory. The rats were sacrificed and sections of hippocampus were stained for BrdU and BDNF. The infrasound exposure obviously extended the latency to find the platform, and decreased the number of BrdU-labled cells and BDNF -like neurons in the hippocampus. These results indicated that infrasound may interfere the memory function which the decrease of BDNF and neurogenesis cells in hippocampus might be involved in.
Annoyance Related to Low Frequency Noise in Subjective Assessment of Workers
Authors: Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska Malgorzata , Dudarewicz Adam , Waszkowska Malgorzata , Sliwinska-Kowalska Mariola
Published: April 2009

The aim of this study was to assess annoyance related to low frequency noise (LFN) in employees of the control rooms and office-like areas.

Subjects were 276 workers, aged 26–62 years, exposed to noise at A-weighted sound pressure level (SPL) of 41–66 dB. They were asked to assess noise annoyance at their workplace using a 100 point graphical scale. The subjective ratings were compared with various noise metrics and objective evaluations based on proposed LFN exposure criteria for occupational settings.

There was a difference in annoyance assessment related to noise with and without (or with less prominent) low frequency content. Low frequency noise was rated as more annoying even though it was at lower dBA levels.

Among the noise metrics, the low frequency A-weighted SPL yielded the highest correlation with subjective evaluations of LFN. There was also a quite good agreement between individual annoyance ratings and limit excesses corresponding to preliminary Swedish and Polish exposure criteria.
Dual-Stage HDD Disturbance Cancellation Based on an Efficient Adaptive Feedforward Compensation Algorithm
Authors: Zhang Hongbo , Huang Xinhan , Peng Gang , Wang Min
Published: April 2009

This paper applies an efficient adaptive feedforward compensation (AFC) algorithm for periodic disturbance cancellation on hard disk drive (HDD) servo systems. Such an algorithm is shown to be equivalent to a linear time invariant (LTI) model. With the help of this equivalence, we can easily choose optimal phase advance parameters, precisely predict the upper bounds of the allowable adaptation gains and determine the appropriate coefficients of a feedthrough term. Additionally, in order to obtain higher servo bandwidth, dual-stage actuated structure is put forward. This dual-stage actuator system consists of Voice Coil Motor (VCM) as a primary actuator and micro-actuator as a secondary actuator. Such a configuration can further reject the disturbance and maximize the servo system performance. The simulation results in time domain and frequency domain that this scheme is capable of achieving a satisfactory performance in dealing with disturbances.
How to find the Source of Low Frequency Noise: Three Case Studies
Authors: Ostendorf Carel
Published: April 2009

When people are annoyed by low frequency noise, their first concern is to stop the noise. Therefore it is necessary to find the source of the noise. Unfortunately, not in every case is the source very obvious. In most cases a lot of potential sources are available both inside and outside the building. Of course in theory it is possible to find the source by switching on and off all the potential sources but in practice this is not always practicable.

In this paper three cases of possible low frequency noise are presented in which different methods of finding the source have been used. In all these cases the nuisance is present in a domestic situation and has been going on for several years. Some of the residents suffer from mental problems due to the unwanted noise. Using the measurement results the searching methods are discussed and evaluated.
Adsorption Characteristics of Cu(II) and Pb(II) Ions onto Natural Manganese Ore from Aqueous Solution
Authors: Shi Taihong , Jia Shiguo , Chen Ying , Wen Yinghong , Du Changming , Wang Zhuochao , Qiu Rongling
Published: April 2009

The adsorption of heavy metal cations, i.e. Pb(II) and Cu(II), from aqueous solution by a natural manganese mineral (rhodochrosite) was investigated. The properties of the ore were studied using SEM, FT-IR, XRD and BET methods. The value of pHpzc was determined using an equilibrium technique to give a value of 7.8 ± 0.1 which was not affected by the presence of added electrolyte. Batch experiments were carried out to investigate the adsorption processes. Kinetic experiments indicated that the processes could be simulated by a pseudo-second-order model and the Elovich equation, suggesting that the process may be chemisorption in nature. The adsorption capacity increased with increasing initial concentration of metal cations. The resulting isotherms could be described by the Langmuir relationship, with the adsorbent showing a higher affinity towards Pb(II) ions than Cu(II) ions. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that the adsorption process was endothermic and possibly chemical in nature with positive values of ΔH0. Positive ΔS0 values suggested that a dissociative process was involved. The small positive ΔG0 values indicated that the adsorption processes required a small amount of energy. The adsorption processes were only slightly influenced by the concentration of added electrolyte but were strongly dependent on the pH value. It is proposed that the most possible mechanism for the adsorption processes involves inner-sphere complexation.
Mesoporous Ni–Fe Alloys
Authors: Okuno Yu , Hattori Yoshiyuki , Ohba Tomonori , Kaneko Katsumi , Kanoh Hirofumi
Published: April 2009

A nano-structured alloy of Ni and Fe was prepared using poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as a polymer precursor, followed by the reduction of Ni2+ and Fe3+ ions to the corresponding metals by heat treatment of the PVA film containing the metal ions under an inert atmosphere. The alloy obtained was characterized by nitrogen adsorption studies, X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy measurements, and by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The nano-structured alloy had the same crystal structure as that of metallic Ni although metallic Fe formed a different structure. The introduction of Fe atoms caused disorder and less crystallinity in the crystal structure of the alloy, whereas Ni atoms tended to maintain the original crystal structure. Nitrogen adsorption measurements at 77 K showed that the nano-structured Ni–Fe alloy contained mesopores of 4–10 nm in diameter.
An Aminated Bacterial Biosorbent Capable of Effectively Binding Negatively Charged Pollutants in Aqueous Solution
Authors: Won Sung Wook , Vijayaraghavan K. , Mao Juan , Yun Yeoung-Sang
Published: April 2009

The main aim of this work was to enhance the biosorption capacity of Corynebacterium glutamicum for the remediation of wastewaters containing Reactive dyes. Amine groups were found to be responsible for accommodating negatively charged Reactive Red 4 (RR4) molecules via electrostatic interaction. Thus, increasing the number of amine groups on C. glutamicum, via amination, resulted in an enhanced RR4 biosorption capacity. The pH-edge experiments revealed that acidic conditions (pH = 2) favoured the biosorption of RR4 molecules. Isotherm experiments indicated that the aminated C. glutamicum exhibited the highest RR4 uptake, i.e. 133.8 mg/g at pH 2, compared to 96.8 mg/g for raw C. glutamicum. Of the two isotherm models considered, the Toth model provided a better description of the experimental isotherms, with high correlation coefficients and low percentage error values. Kinetic experiments revealed the importance of the initial dye concentration, with equilibrium being rapidly attained after ca. 1 h for all the concentrations examined. The non-linear form of the pseudo-second-order model described the biosorption kinetic data, with high correlation coefficients and low percentage error values compared to the pseudo-first-order model. Desorption was successful achieved at pH 10, with > 90.2% elution efficiencies for both the raw and aminated biomasses.
The yfiC gene of E. coli encodes an adenine-N6 methyltransferase that specifically modifies A37 of tRNA1Val(cmo5UAC)
Authors: Golovina Anna Y. , Sergiev Petr V. , Golovin Andrey V. , Serebryakova Marina V. , Demina Irina , Govorun Vadim M. , Dontsova Olga A.
Published: April 2009

Transfer RNA is highly modified. Nucleotide 37 of the anticodon loop is represented by various modified nucleotides. In Escherichia coli, the valine-specific tRNA (cmo5UAC) contains a unique modification, N6-methyladenosine, at position 37; however, the enzyme responsible for this modification is unknown. Here we demonstrate that the yfiC gene of E. coli encodes an enzyme responsible for the methylation of A37 in tRNA1Val. Inactivation of yfiC gene abolishes m6A formation in tRNA1Val, while expression of the yfiC gene from a plasmid restores the modification. Additionally, unmodified tRNA1Val can be methylated by recombinant YfiC protein in vitro. Although the methylation of m6A in tRNA1Val by YfiC has little influence on the cell growth under standard conditions, the yfiC gene confers a growth advantage under conditions of osmotic and oxidative stress.
Developmental Trajectories of Young Girls With Fragile X Syndrome
Authors: Hatton Deborah D. , Wheeler Anne , Sideris John , Sullivan Kelly , Reichardt Alison , Roberts Jane , Clark Renee , Bailey Donald B.
Published: April 2009

To describe the early phenotype of girls with full mutation fragile X, we used 54 observations of 15 girls between the ages of 6 months and 9 years to examine developmental trajectories as measured by the Battelle Development Inventory. In this sample, autistic behavior was associated with poorer developmental outcomes, primarily due to interactions of age with autistic behavior, even though autistic behavior, measured continuously, was relatively mild. Although this small sample, ascertained primarily through male relatives with fragile X syndrome, limits generalizability, considerable variability in developmental outcome in young girls was documented. In addition, findings support previous research suggesting that even mild autistic behaviors in girls can be associated with developmental outcomes.
Outcomes in Different Residential Settings for People With Intellectual Disability: A Systematic Review
Authors: Kozma Agnes , Mansell Jim , Beadle-Brown Julie
Published: April 2009

Large-scale reviews of research in deinstitutionalization and community living were last conducted about 10 years ago. Here we surveyed research from 1997 to 2007. Articles were included if the researchers based the study on original research, provided information on the participants and methodology, compared residential arrangements for adults with intellectual disability, and were published in English-language peer-reviewed journals. Sixty-eight articles were found. In 7 of 10 domains, the majority of studies show that community-based services are superior to congregate arrangements. These studies provide more evidence of the benefits of deinstitutionalization and community living and continue to indicate variability in results, suggesting that factors other than the basic model of care are important in determining outcomes.
Kant's Concept of Freedom and the Human Sciences
Authors: Cohen Alix A.
Published: April 2009

The aim of this paper is to determine whether Kant's account of freedom fits with his theory of the human sciences. Several Kant scholars have recently acknowledged a tension between Kant's metaphysics and his works on anthropology in particular. Jacobs and Kain write that ‘Kant made his intentions quite clear: he proposed a pragmatic empirical anthropology. The problem is, as commentators have noted, that it is not at all clear how these declared intentions fit with some central claims of his critical philosophy.’ Wood acknowledges the unexpected nature of Kant's anthropological endeavours: ‘The pragmatic approach to anthropology serves to indicate the great distance separating Kantian anthropology from […] what Kant's metaphysical theory of freedom and nature might lead us to expect.’ Louden actually holds that ‘Kant did not satisfactorily address these issues, and in order for [him] to do so it will be necessary to offer conjectures that occasionally go beyond his texts.’
On Always being Right (about What One is Thinking)
Authors: Spicer Finn
Published: April 2009

There are a number of strands to the knowledge we have of our own minds; two strands are these: we often know with ease what we are thinking and we often know with ease what it is we believe. This paper concerns the knowledge of what we are thinking; it pursues questions as to what kind of judgment subjects make about their own thoughts, how those judgments are formed and why they constitute knowledge; it also asks how these judgments relate to the judgments subjects make about their own beliefs when they know with ease what they believe. It focuses on the account developed by Tyler Burge (1988, 1996, 2003) as part of his project of reconciling externalism about thought content with privileged self-knowledge. Burge's account is well known and influential; as such it is a fitting target for examination and criticism.
Must Democracy Be Reasonable?
Authors: Christiano Thomas
Published: April 2009

Democratic theorists stress the importance of free and equal discussion and debate in a well-functioning democratic process. In this process, citizens attempt to persuade each other to support legislation by appealing to considerations of justice, liberty or the common good and are open to changing their minds when hearing the arguments of others. They are concerned to ground policy and legislation on the most defensible considerations of morality and the best empirical evidence. To be sure, majority rule remains important in democratic decision making because of the persistence of disagreement. But many have argued that debates over legislation that appeal to moral considerations ought to be given a much larger place in our understanding of the ideals of democracy than theorists have given them in the past. This emphasis on the importance of moral debate and discussion in democracy is characteristic of what I call thewideview of deliberative democracy.
Skepticism and Internalism
Authors: Nordby Halvor
Published: April 2009

The skeptical Dream argument appeals to the possibility of dreaming. The skeptic holds that states of being awake are subjectively indistinguishable from possible dream states and that this means that we do not know that we are awake. This, the skeptic then claims, means that we have to accept that we do not have external world knowledge.

It is natural to assume that there must be a connection between the Dream argument and epistemic internalism, the view that a belief is justified for a given person if and only if the person has cognitive access to all the factors that are needed for the belief to be justified. The problem, the skeptic thinks, is that in order for my belief that I am awake to be justified I have to have cognitive access to something that establishes that I am awake. But according to the skeptic, even if I am awake, this is not something I have cognitive access to. However, the more precise connections between internalism and the skeptical argument are not so clear.
A Model for Thought Experiments
Authors: Höggqvist Sären
Published: April 2009

Philosophical interest in thought experiments has grown over the last couple of decades. Several positions have emerged, defined largely by their differing responses to a perceived epistemological challenge: how do thought experiments yield justified belief revision, even in science, when they provide no new empirical data? Attitudes towards this supposed explanandum differ. Many philosophers accept that it poses a genuine puzzle and hence seek to provide a substantive explanation. Others reject or deflate the epistemic claims made for thought experiments.

In this paper I present a model for many thought experiments in philosophy and science. The model doesn't assume that thought experiments in fact manage to achieve epistemic justifi cation, but it allows us to see how they aspire to do so. It also emphasises both the parallels and the discrepancies between thought experiments and ordinary scientific experiments.
Causal History Matters, but Not for Individuation
Authors: Timpe Kevin
Published: April 2009

In ‘Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility,’ Harry Frankfurt introduces a scenario aimed at showing that the having of alternative possibilities is not required for moral responsibility. According to the Principle of Alternative Possibilities (PAP), an agent is morally responsible for her action only if she could have done otherwise; Frankfurt thinks his scenario shows that PAP is, in fact, false. Frankfurt also thinks that the denial of PAP gives credence to compatibilism, the thesis that an agent could both be causally determined in all her actions and yet be morally responsible. Since its introduction, Frankfurt's original example has generated a voluminous literature, including a plethora of other, more complicated, Frankfurt-style examples (FSEs).
Causal Essentialism versus the Zombie Worlds
Authors: Garrett Brian Jonathan
Published: April 2009

David Chalmers claims that the logical possibility of ‘zombie worlds’ — worlds physically indiscernible from the actual world, but that lack consciousness — reveal that consciousness is a distinct fact, or property, in addition to the physical facts or properties.

The ‘existence’ or possibility of Zombie worlds violates the physicalist demand that consciousness logically supervene upon the physical. On the assumption that the logical supervenience of consciousness upon the physical is, indeed, a necessary entailment of physicalism, the existence of zombie worlds implies the falsity of physicalism. How do we determine the logical possibility of zombie worlds? By conceptual analysis of the concepts involved, keeping empirical facts in mind.
Devious Truths
Authors: Friedlander Benjamin
Published: April 2009

This essay invokes one of Dickinson's better-known programmatic statements, "Tell all the truth but tell it slant - " (Fr1263), to explore the narratological and antinarratological aspects of truth-telling. The exploration is further pursued through a reading of the poem "Tell as a Marksman - were forgotten" (Fr1148) based on the story of William Tell. Incorporating an acknowledgement that there are different kinds of truth, Tell's story helps to explain why Dickinson celebrates both circuitous speech and the utter straightforwardness of a cry. Further, Dickinson's manner of retelling Tell's story helps to explain why circuitous speech must be conceived of as a broad category encompassing even the didacticism of her friend J. G. Holland. Holland's moralizing essays, often criticized for their banality, bear comparison with Dickinson's pedagogical manner in "Tell as a marksman," and provide an apposite model for the slant speech of "Tell all the truth."
"[S]o of course there was Speaking and Composition - ": Dickinson's Early Schooling as a Writer
Authors: Scheurer Erika
Published: April 2009

This essay examines the pedagogical theory and practice underlying Dickinson's instruction in composition during her years at Amherst Academy (1840-1847). While none of Dickinson's school essays remain, we do know which textbooks were used at the Academy during her years of attendance. Two of these textbooks—Samuel Read Hall's Instructor's Manual: Lectures on School-Keeping and Richard Green Parker's Aids to English Composition —as well as extant Amherst Academy essays written by Dickinson's father, Edward, and her friend and classmate, Mary Warner, reveal that the education Dickinson received in composition would have enabled the precocious young writer's talents. At that time, most primary and secondary schools discouraged original writing by students, focusing on grammatical correctness through rote learning. If writing was assigned at all, the topics were not developmentally appropriate for children. The Academy, however, employed a more progressive pedagogy that would gain wider acceptance later in the century. Based on the influence of Swiss education reformer Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and his disciples, this pedagogy stressed treating children as children, not as miniature adults; having them write on concrete subject matter; and promoting students' internal motivation and confidence as learners and writers. Instructors aimed to promote ease and fluency in student writers through such practices as the assignment of familiar writing topics, frequent writing practice, and unevaluated informal writing. Originality in writing was valued and celebrated. Dickinson's education in composition at Amherst Academy, then, provided fertile ground from which she would grow as a confident and fluent writer of creative genius.
The White Symbolic of Emily Dickinson
Authors: King Wesley
Published: April 2009

In Dickinson's poetry, whiteness represents a range of themes, from purity to death, and is linked closely with positions of power. This essay examines the relationship between whiteness, meaning, power, and its underlying racial logics. Reading through the lens of psychoanalytic theory, it focuses on two poems where considerations of whiteness open onto a crisis between the stable meaning of appearances and the power associated with the word "white." Tracing Dickinson's imagery through her letters and other literary subtexts, this essay argues that these poems reflect a deep engagement with the forces that shape racial recognition.
Dickinson's Species of Narrative
Authors: Willis Elizabeth
Published: April 2009

Dozens of narratives run through Emily Dickinson's work, but what is their function within the overwhelmingly lyric structure of her poems? This essay explores the field of meanings generated when Dickinson's word choices are read in the context of the intellectual debates of her time. In "This World is not conclusion" (Fr373) we find sociopolitical, scientific, and religious conflict all pressing against the lyric structure of the poem, and see Dickinson commenting on this very collision of forces. Specifically, the poem touches on the language of Charles Darwin's then recently published Origin of Species and on the religious and sociopolitical implications of the mid-nineteenth-century Opium Wars. Reading Dickinson's poems for their narrative elements may reveal much about their historicity, but more importantly these narrative threads reveal the subtlety and richness of her diction and the logic behind the emendations she made within the fascicles. While her poems have a purposeful topicality, they also repeatedly turn our attention away from historical narratives and toward a reconsideration of poetic creation itself and the priority of sound within her poems.
John Muir and the Religion of Nature
Authors: Worster Donald
Published: April 2009

John Muir certainly ranks among the most importtant conservationists and naturalists in American history. Yet we haven’t had a full biography of Muir for well over half a century. So the recent publication of A Passion for Nature: The Life of John Muir (Oxford, 2008) is a welcome event—especially since Donald Worster, one of the founders of the field of environmental history, is its author. In this issue, Worster comments on Muir and the “religion of nature” and then responds to questions from Historically Speaking senior editor Donald A. Yerxa.
The Importance of Studying Ordinary Lives: An Interview with Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Authors: Stephens Randall J.
Published: April 2009

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is the 300th Anniversary University Professor at Harvard University and president of the American Historical Association. She is the author of a number of influential books and essays on colonial history, material culture, social history, and women’s history. Her Pulitzer Prize-winning A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based on Her Diary, 1785–1812 (Vintage, 1990)—a creative narrative of the life of an early American midwife—was made into a PBS documentary.

Oddly enough, Ulrich is perhaps most famous for a phrase she coined in a 1976 article: “well-behaved women seldom make history.” Soon that aphorism was adorning coffee mugs, t-shirts, and bumper stickers across the country. In 2007 Ulrich wrote Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History to examine the appeal of that phrase and to describe the life and work of women who “turned to history as a way of making sense of their own lives.” “The pervasive theme is rebellion,” writes Ulrich, who focuses on several women authors and their influential works through the centuries. Historically Speaking editor Randall Stephens recently spoke to Ulrich at her Harvard University office.
Reconsidering the “Long Civil Rights Movement”
Authors: Arnesen Eric
Published: April 2009

The following two essays are adapted from papers given at the Historical Society’s June 2008 conference at the Johns Hopkins University.
Champlain’s Dream : An Interview with David Hackett Fischer
Authors: Yerxa Donald A.
Published: April 2009

David Hackett Fischer rescues Samuel De Champlain from neglect—at least in American textbooks—in his latest offering, Champlain’s Dream: The Visionary Adventurer Who Made a New World in Canada (Simon and Schuster, 2008). Fischer brings to Champlain’s Dream the same combination of exhaustive research, personal familiarity with the sites about which he writes, and elegant prose that has won him so much praise in the past, including the 2005 Pulitzer Prize in history for Washington’s Crossing. Fischer, University and Warren Professor of History at Brandeis University, portrays Champlain as a complex character. The founder of Quebec and builder of New France, for instance, was also an important figure for French humanism. Senior Editor Donald A. Yerxa interviewed Fischer on December 4, 2008.
Telling Treasure Tales: Commemoration and Consciousness in Dominica
Authors: Rose Deidre
Published: April 2009

This article examines popular narratives of buried treasure collected in the Commonwealth of Dominica between August 1996 and May 2000. I will analyze these narratives in terms of what they might signify for their tellers, as members of Dominican society and possibly as the descendants of the Kalinago warriors who reclaimed treasures from Spanish ships passing near the island. A unifying theme of this article is that, whatever the “truth” of these stories, they function to create a sense of continuity through time, and create or reinscribe specific social and historical relations. They enable participants in the narrative to insert themselves and their ancestors into a popular version of Dominican history, one that extends to the precolonial era and focuses on Carib resistance to Spanish domination.
Humor, Unlaughter, and Boundary Maintenance
Authors: Smith Moira
Published: April 2009

Some joke performances are meant to elicit differential responses—laughter from some, and unlaughter from salient others—and so serve as powerful methods for heightening group boundaries. This article illustrates this thesis by analyzing audience responses to practical jokes and to the Muhammad cartoons that aroused worldwide controversy in 2006. To further make this case, I will delineate a theory of the audience for humor. Such a theory has heretofore been largely missing from both folklore and humor scholarship; instead, the lion’s share of scholarly attention has gone to the performers, with the audience’s role taken for granted. In boundary-heightening humor, the audience response is the subject of special attention, and it is interpreted in terms of contemporary notions about the importance of having a sense of humor and especially of being able to laugh at oneself.