bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The change of a to e in the Indo-Aryan Loan Words of Malayāḷam
Authors: Varma K. Goda
Published: January 2010

The pronunciation of a coming after certain initial consonants as e, is the most important of the vowel changes met with in the Indo-Aryan loanwords of Malayāḷam, and also perhaps the most interesting from a phonological point of view.

The first to note and record the change was Gundert. He observed that a occurring after the voiced sounds g, j, d, d, y, and r is heard as e in the pronunciation of the Malayāḷis (A Grammar of the Malayalam Language, 2nd ed., p. 8). Gundert's observation is obviously imperfect inasmuch as the change is regularly manifested after b and l also, over and above the sounds specified by him.
Sakische Etymologien
Authors: Hansen Olaf
Published: January 2010

Sak. ggathaa „ Laie“ und seine Ableitungen lassen sich als buddhistischer Terminus kaum von skt. gṛhasthā trennen. Offensichtlich deutet das sakische Wort auf ein mittelind. *gāṭṭha oder *gāṭṭha (vgl. pālī gāṭṭha), aus dem es entlehnt ist. Derselbe Laut ṭh für skt. sth findet sich auch im sak. Lehnwort vaṭhāyaa < mittelind. uvaṭṭhāyaa, skt. upasthā-. Die Herleitung von sak. ggāṭhaa aus dem Mittelindischen scheint mir gegenüber der von Konow in seinen Saka Studies p. 136 gegebenen besonders aus dem Grande denVorzug zu verdienen, als auch eine andere iranische Sprache das Wort derselben Quelle entnommen hat: soghd. k'rtk Dhyāna-Text 6 und k'rt'k Dhūta-Text 206, dessen präzise Bedeutung ich mit Herrn S. Matsunami im Jahre 1932 aus dem chinesischen Paralleltext erschliessen konnte.
Māla vihāra
Authors: Lévi Sylvain
Published: January 2010

J'ai eu l'occasion, il y a trois ans, d'attirer 1'attention sur un terme obscur du bouddhisme Sanscrit, mālavihāra, que j'avais rencontré dans le texte du Mahā-Karmavibhanga dont je donnais I'édition et la traduction (Paris, 1932, p. 63, note). Il s'agissait, dans ce passage, du fameux Candanamāla vihāra érigé par Pūrna à Śūrpāraka. J'avais rappelé à ce propos le récit du voyage de Bhagavat à, Śūrpāraka sur l'invitation de Pūrna et de la consécration du vihāra, tel qu'il est rapporté dans le Divyāvadāna (ii, Pūrnāvadāna) ou plus exactement dans le Vinaya des Mūla Sarvāstivādin's (Osadhivastu, chap, ii ═ Dulva tibétain ii, 40 sqq.). J'avais signalé quelques autres textes, tant sanscrits que pālis, où la même expression se retrouve, soit à propos du même Candanamāla vihāra (Kandjour, Mdo iii; Paramatthadīpanī (et non Apadāna; à rectifier) sur Theragāthā 187-188 Paramatthajotikā sur Suttanipāta, Pūralāsutta; soit comme une désignation générique (Mahāvastu ii, 367; Śiksāsamuccaya, p. 300; Divyavad., p. 79 et p. 467; texte Sanscrit de Koutcha publié par M. Lüders, Pr. Ak. Wiss. 1930, i, p. 23). Aux textes sur le Candanamāla je puis ajouter maintenant le Mafñjuśrīmūlakalpa (Trivandrum Sk. Ser., p. 619, inf.) qui mentionne un bhiksu nommé Nanda ou Nandaka, hôte du Candanamāla, avec une longévité de trois cents ans:—
Vedico yúḥ “ se ipsum ”
Authors: Pisani Vittore
Published: January 2010

M. Bloomfield, cerca, nella Miscellanea in onore di Ernst Kuhn (Aufsätze zur Kultur- und Sprachgeschichte … Monaco, 1916, p. 211 sgg.), di sostenere la sua proposta (JAOS., xxvii, p. 72 sgg.), secondo cui RV., viii, 18, 13 dovrebbe leggersi:

yó naḥ káç cid rírikṣati rakṣa1E63;tvéna mártya1E25;

suáiḥ ṣá évai jánaḥ

in luogo del tramandato ririṣīṣṭa yur; rappresenterebbe una contrazione di e il Bloomfield traduce in conseguenza :

“ The mortal who with demonic practices desires to harm us : may that person by his own doings injure his life! ”
Tathāgata and Tahāgaya
Authors: Thomas E. J.
Published: January 2010

The term tathāgata has been the subject of much discussion, butthe latest treatment leaves even the etymology undecided. The conclusion reached by the Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionaryis “ derivation uncertain ”. The question of the meaning is also left almost as vague, for what is there said is that Mrs. Rhys Davids, quoting Lord Chalmers, suggests “ he who has won through to the truth ”.
Notes on Bactrian phonology
Authors: Morgenstierne Georg
Published: January 2010

The corpus of Bactrian, of which KI forms the most important part, is too restricted to enable us to form even a remotely complete picture of its phonemic system and development. This would be the case even if every word had been finally or at any rate plausibly interpreted. As long as we restrict ourselves to the SK inscriptions, the language seems to represent, in the main, one single dialect. But if we include in the term Bactrian everything written in Ir. language and Greek script, from the coins of Kadphises I down to the IT of A.D. 866, it seems reasonable to assume that dialect variants, of chronological or local nature, are to be found. In this paper I shall be dealing mainly with the KI, with only occasional references to other sources. For the interpretation I shall base myself on the work of Henning, Benveniste, and Gershevitch, together with the contributions made by Harmatta and Humbach; and it will be assumed that the reader is conversant with, above all, Henning's interpretation of a substantial part of the text of the inscription.
The influence of the Tajik language on the vocalism of Central Asian Arabic dialects
Authors: Tsereteli George V.
Published: January 2010

The Arabs in Central Asia occupied in the past, as is well known, considerable territory, especially in the lower parts of the basins of the Zarafshān and Qashqa-daryā rivers, and also in Khojend and the south-eastern regions of Tajikistan.

In the course of centuries the majority of the Central Asian Arabs have lost their language and only small groups of them continue to speak Arabic up to the present time in the villages of Jōgarḹ, Čardaḹ (Ġijduwān district) and ‘Arab-Xōna (Wobkend district) of the Bukhārā region and in the village of Jeinau in the Qashqa-daryā region.
Recherches autour de qars, nom d'une étoffe de poil
Authors: Hamilton James , Beldiceanu Nicoară
Published: January 2010

Dans leurs éditions respectives du manuscrit ouï;gour de Touen-houang, Pelliot chinois 3509, où figure le conte bouddhique du Prince Bien-pensant et de son mauvais frère, Huart et Pelliot ont tous deux lu, à la p. 2, 1. 4, ‘qar(i)š’, sans avoir réussi, cependant, à expliquer cette forme de façon satisfaisante. En fait, le mot doit se lire qars, défini par Kāšγarī comme ‘vêtement (=étoffe) de poil de chameau et de laine de mouton’, mot.qui a persisté en čagatay au sens de ‘châle, bande d'étoffe dont on se ceint les reins’ (cf. M. Pavet de Courteille, Dictionnaire turc-oriental, Paris, 1870, 400; et W. Radloff, Versucheines Wörterbuches der Türk-Dialecte, II, St. Pétersbourg, 1899, col. 205). On rencontre Le mot qars à maintes reprises, d'ailleurs, dans d'autres manuscrits ouïgours du dixième siècle provenant de la grotte murée de Touen-houang. De ces textes, il ressort: (1) que les pièces de qars étaient qualifiées, dans presque tous les cas et à l'exclusion de toute autre couleur, de ‘blanches’ (yürüŋ) ou de ‘rouges‘ (qizil); (2) que les pièces de qars rouge valaient plus que les pièces de qars blanc dans la proportion de deux à trois: autrement dit, deux pièces rouges valaient trois pièces blanches; (3) qu'un mounton valait quatre pièces de qars rouge, ou encore, dans un autre cas, trois pièces de rouge et une pièce de blanc, de même qu'une peau (de mounton ?) valait deux pièces de qars rouge; (4) que le qars était une étoffe tissée (cf. notamment qars toqiyur, ‘ils tissent le qars’, à la p. 2, 1. 4, du ms. Pelliot chinois 3509 précité); et(5) que le qars pouvait servir à faire des vêtements, vu qu'il était commandé par tant de tonluγ (= la quantité d'étoffe requise pour un costume).
Notes on the Sanskrit Drama
Authors: Keith A. Berriedale
Published: January 2010

The fate of Bhāsa has been an unhappy one; long but little more than a name, his dramas have now been rescued from oblivion only to become the object of an energetic attack, which assures us that they are compilations and adaptations made for the stage of Kerala not earlier than the eighth century A.D., derived to some unknown extent from the works of Bhāsa. which, however, are now lost.
Prominence and Syllabication in Arabic
Authors: Mitchell T. F.
Published: January 2010

Faced with the fact that in many varieties of Arabic, including Bedouin dialects of the kind to which Sibawayhi was wont to turn, polysyllabic words and certain other unitary complexes are characterized in pronunciation by the prominence which makes one syllable stand out to the ear above the others, the linguist is understandably puzzled by the failure of the Arab grammarians to mention the subject of accentuation. Bewilderment increases with the realization not only that rules of prominence are statable for a given colloquial but also that correspondence between colloquials or between a colloquial and a given ‘Classical’ pronunciation is equally regular. Confusion is complete when the ‘rules’ given in all reference grammars of Classical Arabic are found to take no cognizance of regional differences of pronunciation and, what is worse, to bear little or no resemblance to the facts in any one region.
Notes on the textual relation between the Kuo yü and the Tso chuan
Authors: Boltz William G.
Published: January 2010

It is well known that a large number of the accounts in the Kuo yü have matching counterparts in the Tso chuan. By my count there are at least 73 Kuo yü accounts with Tso chuan parallels; this out of a total of 241 separate Kuo yü accounts altogether. This means that by percentage of accounts (vs. percentage of text) 30% of the Kuo yü bears some textual relation to the Tso chuan, a proportion surely large enough to justify looking into the question of what that relation is. The degree to which each of these 73 Kuo yü accounts matches its Tso chuan parallel varies considerably. At one extreme there are cases where only a very few lines, names, or words signal the fact of an underlying textual relation. At the other extreme virtually the whole Kuo yü passage may appear with only slight variations in the Tso chuan. Most of the 73 fall somewhere in between these two extremes.
A No-Win Situation for Public Officials with Faith Convictions
Authors: Hambler Andrew
Published: January 2010

This article considers two recent high-profile employment cases to investigate the peculiar dilemma faced by certain public officials who are called upon to implement public policy in situations where their consciences are made uneasy due to their faith-based convictions. Such officials face, among other options, the dilemma of choosing between an appeal to rational objections, based on ‘public reasons’ that are non-religious in character, or citing their own faith-based conscientious objections. In McClintock v Department of Constitutional Affairs, by initially basing his objections on a form of public reason, McClintock arguably muddied the waters for his subsequent unsuccessful claim of religious discrimination. In Ladele v Islington Borough Council, however, the appeal to conscience alone also failed as religious convictions were ‘trumped’ by the superior claims of particular policy objectives. This article thus concludes that the ‘religious’ public official may, ultimately, have nowhere to turn except either to silence conscience and acquiesce or to exercise that ‘minimum’ employment right under ECHR case law – the right to resign.
RECASTING THE PROBLEM OF RESULTANT LUCK
Authors: Ferrante Marcelo
Published: January 2010

I offer in this paper an argument in support of the orthodox view that resultant luck should not affect judgments of blameworthiness—and so, for example, that we should not blame the successful assassin more than the attempted assassin who equally tries but fails. This view, though widely held among moral philosophers and legal scholars, has been severely challenged as implying either the implausible rejection of moral luck or an equally implausible theory of wrongness according to which actual consequences may play no wrong-making role. The argument I offer, however, assumes both challenges to be true and shows that the orthodox view is consistent with holding them. Indeed, I argue that all other things being equal, successful offenders are no more to blame than their unsuccessful counterparts, even though agents are responsible for what they actually do (and therefore are subject to moral luck), and successful offenders do more wrong than their unsuccessful counterparts do (and therefore consequences do play a wrong-making role). The reason is that the difference in the amount of wrong done by one and the other offender, I show, is counterbalanced by a difference in the degree to which the successful offense and the unsuccessful one are attributable to their respective agents—blameworthiness being a function of both amount of wrong done and degree of attributability.
High-accuracy propagation of light rays
Authors: Teyssandier Pierre
Published: January 2010

We present a review of the different methods currently developed to determine the deflection of light rays due to gravity. The aim of these methods is primarily to calculate the angular distances with an accuracy of the order of microarcsecond.
Torsion eines gestielten subserösen Myoms – eine seltene Differentialdiagnose des akuten Abdomens
Authors: Yüksel-Hatz  , Chilla  , Tokic  , Singer  , Hohl  , Kubik-Huch
Published: January 2010

Wir berichten über eine seltene Ursache eines akuten Abdomens bei einer 43-jährigen Patientin, die sich wegen plötzlich aufgetretenen und im Verlauf stark zunehmenden Abdominalschmerzen auf der Notfallstation vorstellte. Der transabdominale und transvaginale Ultraschall zeigte einen Uterus myomatosus mit einem fraglich subtorquierten, subserösen Myom. Die ergänzende MRI bestätigte die vermutete Diagnose eines stielgedrehten Fundusmyoms. Im Rahmen der durchgeführten Laparoskopie erfolgte eine Myomenukleation.
Trigeminusneuralgie – Pathophysiologie, klinische Aspekte und Therapie
Authors: Stienen  , Cadosch  , Seule  , Fournier  , Hildebrandt  , Gautschi
Published: January 2010

Die Trigeminusneuralgie ist durch paroxysmal auftretende, blitzartigstechende Schmerzen charakterisiert. Die Beschwerden werden durch eine örtlich begrenzte Demyelinisierung des Nervus trigeminus mit konsekutiver Fortleitung überspringender Impulse auf afferente Schmerzfasern verursacht. Es gilt dabei, die symptomatische von der idiopathischen Trigeminusneuralgie zu unterscheiden. Um die ektop generierten Schmerzreize zu dämpfen ist als primäres Management eine pharmakologische Behandlung mit Antikonvulsiva einzusetzen. In therapierefraktären Fällen sind verschiedene neurochirurgische Verfahren indiziert. Die mikrovaskuläre Dekompression des Nervus trigeminus ist aufgrund des kausalen Therapieansatzes nicht nur das operative Verfahren erster Wahl, sondern zugleich aufgrund der ausgezeichneten Resultate auch wesentliche Stütze der Theorie der vaskulären Kompression. Ein umfassendes Wissen über die korrekte Diagnostik und Management der Trigeminusneuralgie sind essenziell, um Patienten effizient und erfolgreich behandeln zu können. Diese Übersichtsarbeit beinhaltet die aktuellsten Empfehlungen bezüglich diagnostischem Verfahren und Therapieoptionen.
Periphere Fazialisparese mit Krusten an der Ohrmuschel und Bläschen am Gaumen. Der pädiatrische PRAXIS-Fall.
Authors: Meyer  , Bühlmann  , Goetschel
Published: January 2010

Bei einer peripheren Fazialisparese mit gleichzeitigem Zoster oticus muss an das Ramsay–Hunt-Syndrom (RHS), bedingt durch das Varizella-zoster-Virus (VZV), gedacht werden. Die Diagnose wird klinisch gestellt. Eine frühzeitige Therapie mit Prednisolon und Acyclovir bzw. Valacyclovir innerhalb von drei Tagen wird empfohlen. Wir berichten über einen 14-jährigen Patienten der ein klassisches RHS und zusätzlich eine seröse Meningitis entwickelte. Das Vorliegen einer VZV-Infektion konnte mit Nachweis des Virus in herpetischen Läsionen an Ohrmuschel und Gaumen sowie im Liquor aufgezeigt werden.
Evidence of O2 consumption in underway seawater lines: Implications for air‐sea O2 and CO2 fluxes
Authors: Juranek Lauren W. , Hamme Roberta C. , Kaiser Jan , Wanninkhof Rik , Quay Paul D.
Published: January 2010

We observed O2 deficits of 0.5 to 2.0% (1 to 4 μmol/kg) in the underway seawater lines of three different ships. Deficits in O2/Ar and isotopic enrichments in dissolved O2 observed in underway seawater lines indicate a respiratory removal process. A 1% respiratory bias in underway lines would lead to a 2.5–5 μatm (2.5–5 μbar) enhancement in surface water pCO2. If an underway pCO2 bias of this magnitude affected all measurements, the global oceanic carbon uptake based on pCO2 climatologies would be 0.5–0.8 Pg/yr higher than the present estimate of 1.6 Pg/yr. Treatment of underway lines with bleach for several hours and thorough flushing appeared to minimize O2 loss. Given the increasing interest in underway seawater measurements for the determination of surface CO2 and O2 fluxes, respiration in underway seawater lines must be identified and eliminated on all observing ships to ensure unbiased data.
The Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML): Language Specification for Level 3 Version 1 Core (Release 1 Candidate)
Authors: Hucka Michael , Bergmann Frank , Hoops Stefan , Keating Sarah , Sahle Sven , Wilkinson Darren
Published: January 2010

This is the specification for Release 1 Candidate of *SBML Level 3 Version 1 Core*, an electronic model representation format for systems biology.SBML is oriented towards describing biological processes of the sort common in research on a number of topics, including metabolic pathways, cell signaling pathways, and many others. SBML is defined neutrally with respect to programming languages and software encoding; however, it is oriented primarily towards allowing models to be encoded using XML. This document contains many examples of SBML models written in XML.More information about SBML and this specification is available online at "http://sbml.org/Documents/Specifications/ ":http://sbml.org/Documents/Specifications/.
Characterization of RNase HII substrate recognition using RNase HII–argonaute chimaeric enzymes from Pyrococcus furiosus
Authors: Kitamura Sayaka , Fujishima Kosuke , Sato Asako , Tsuchiya Daisuke , Tomita Masaru , Kanai Akio
Published: January 2010

RNase H (ribonuclease H) is an endonuclease that cleaves the RNA strand of RNA–DNA duplexes. It has been reported that the three-dimensional structure of RNase H is similar to that of the PIWI domain of the Pyrococcus furiosus Ago (argonaute) protein, although the two enzymes share almost no similarity in their amino acid sequences. Eukaryotic Ago proteins are key components of the RNA-induced silencing complex and are involved in microRNA or siRNA (small interfering RNA) recognition. In contrast, prokaryotic Ago proteins show greater affinity for RNA–DNA hybrids than for RNA–RNA hybrids. Interestingly, we found that wild-type Pf-RNase HII (P. furiosus, RNase HII) digests RNA–RNA duplexes in the presence of Mn2+ ions. To characterize the substrate specificity of Pf-RNase HII, we aligned the amino acid sequences of Pf-RNase HII and Pf-Ago, based on their protein secondary structures. We found that one of the conserved secondary structural regions (the fourth β-sheet and the fifth α-helix of Pf-RNase HII) contains family-specific amino acid residues. Using a series of Pf-RNase HII–Pf-Ago chimaeric mutants of the region, we discovered that residues Asp110, Arg113 and Phe114 are responsible for the dsRNA (double-stranded RNA) digestion activity of Pf-RNase HII. On the basis of the reported three-dimensional structure of Ph-RNase HII from Pyrococcus horikoshii, we built a three-dimensional structural model of RNase HII complexed with its substrate, which suggests that these amino acids are located in the region that discriminates DNA from RNA in the non-substrate strand of the duplexes.
Combined inhibition of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid formation and of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids degradation attenuates hypertension and hypertensioninduced end-organ damage in Ren-2 transgenic rats
Authors: Chábová Věra Čertíková , Walkowska Agnieszka , Kompanowska-Jezierska Elzbieta , Sadowski Janusz , Kujal Petr , Vernerová Zdenka , Vaňourková Zdeňa , Kopkan Libor , Kramer Herbert J. , Falck John R. , Imig John D. , Hammock Bruce D. , Vaněčková Ivana , Červenka Luděk
Published: January 2010

Recent studies have shown that the renal CYP450 (cytochrome P450) metabolites of AA (arachidonic acid), the vasoconstrictor 20-HETE (20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid) and the vasodilator EETs (epoxyeicosatrienoic acids), play an important role in the pathophysiology of AngII (angiotensin II)-dependent forms of hypertension and the associated target organ damage. The present studies were performed in Ren-2 renin transgenic rats (TGR) to evaluate the effects of chronic selective inhibition of 20-HETE formation or elevation of the level of EETs, alone or in combination, on the course of hypertension and hypertension-associated end-organ damage. Both young (30 days of age) prehypertensive TGR and adult (190 days of age) TGR with established hypertension were examined. Normotensive HanSD (Hannover Sprague–Dawley) rats served as controls. The rats were treated with N-methylsulfonyl-12,12-dibromododec-11-enamide to inhibit 20-HETE formation and/or with N-cyclohexyl-N-dodecyl urea to inhibit soluble epoxide hydrolase and prevent degradation of EETs. Inhibition in TGR of 20-HETE formation combined with enhanced bioavailability of EETs attenuated the development of hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy, proteinuria, glomerular hypertrophy and sclerosis as well as renal tubulointerstitial injury. This was also associated with attenuation of the responsiveness of the systemic and renal vascular beds to AngII without modifying their responses to noradrenaline (norepinephrine). Our findings suggest that altered production and/or action of 20-HETE and EETs plays a permissive role in the development of hypertension and hypertension-associated end-organ damage in this model of AngII-dependent hypertension. This information provides a basis for a search for new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of hypertension.
Using Lagrangian coherent structures to analyze fluid mixing by cilia
Authors: Lukens Sarah , Yang Xingzhou , Fauci Lisa
Published: January 2010

Motivated by the desire to understand the fluid flow within the airway surface liquid of the lung, we consider the flow generated by a computational model of a motile, internally actuated cilium. The cilium, along with a mucus layer modeled by linear elastic elements, is coupled to a viscous, incompressible fluid. The evolution of this coupled system is captured using an immersed boundary method. The Eulerian velocity field computed on a grid is used to compute finite-time Lyapunov exponent fields, whose maximal ridges identify Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs). The computed LCS uncovers a barrier that separates a recirculation region of fluid that remains near the beating cilium from fluid that is advected downstream. Moreover, periodic stretching and folding of this region gives rise to complex mixing. Flow structures around a cilium propelling a mucus layer are compared to flow structures around a cilium with no mucus load.
Room-temperature terahertz mixer based on the simultaneous electronic and optical excitations of plasma waves in a field effect transistor
Authors: Marinchio H. , Chusseau L. , Torres J. , Nouvel P. , Varani L. , Sabatini G. , Palermo C. , Shiktorov P. , Starikov E. , Gružinskis V.
Published: January 2010

A method for the heterodyne detection of terahertz (THz) signals is proposed. A high electron mobility transistor is used as a nonlinear element, while the optical beating of two laser beams exciting plasma waves in the transistor channel plays the role of the THz local oscillator. High efficiency and room-temperature operation of such a mixer are demonstrated by numerical simulations.
Low-temperature electroluminescence quenching of AlGaN deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes
Authors: Zhang J. C. , Sakai Y. , Egawa T.
Published: January 2010

The temperature-dependent electroluminescence (EL) properties of AlGaN deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been studied. The low-temperature EL quenching is observed in 265 nm LEDs with p-type AlGaN heterostructure, which has not previously been reported in such short wavelength devices. However, this phenomenon disappears in those with a thin i-AlN electron blocking layer (EBL). It is found that the electron overflow becomes more severe at low temperature in the LEDs without EBL, whereas it is suppressed effectively in those with AlN EBL. On the basis of a model of temperature-dependent efficiency, the EL quenching is explained by the competition of electron overflow and radiative recombination.
Low voltage and high transmittance blue-phase liquid crystal displays with corrugated electrodes
Authors: Jiao Meizi , Li Yan , Wu Shin-Tson
Published: January 2010

A low voltage (<10 V) and high transmittance (∼85.6%) polymer-stabilized blue-phase liquid crystal (BPLC) display is proposed. The periodic corrugated electrodes generate a strong horizontal field component to induce isotropic-to-anisotropic transition in the BPLC medium through Kerr effect. Moreover, this field is uniformly distributed across the entire LC layer so that the accumulated phase retardation along the beam path is large, resulting in low voltage and high transmittance. This approach enables BPLC to be addressed by amorphous-silicon thin film transistors, which would accelerate its emergence as next-wave display technology.
The Phantom in the Mirror: A Modified Rubber-Hand Illusion in Amputees and Normals
Authors: Giummarra Melita J , Georgiou-Karistianis Nellie , Nicholls Mike E R , Gibson Stephen J , Bradshaw John L
Published: January 2010

The bodily boundaries in amputees may seem to be more malleable than in non-amputees, given the propensity for a phantom limb to embody a mirror-reflected hand. However, in the present investigation, in which phantom-limb illusions within body space are induced and manipulated, we found that perceiving phantom sensations and illusory embodiment does not require amputation. Surprisingly, in the present modified rubber-hand illusion, we found that simultaneous stroking or stimulation of the participant's target hand was not necessary to induce illusions of embodiment and corresponding perceptual illusions. We tested this upper-limb paradigm in fourteen upper-limb amputees and twenty-six controls (including fourteen lower-limb amputees). We propose a model for embodiment of a rubber or real hand passively observed in a mirror. In this model, passive observation of the hand in the mirror triggers body representations (body image and body schema), most likely through activation of the posterior parietal cortex and temporo-parietal junction. Activity in these regions heightens awareness of peripersonal space and increases tactile sensitivity, and may subsequently enhance perception of illusory touch and embodiment. Furthermore, sense of embodiment may be more apparent to the participant when the hand is threatened; however, embodiment may even be strengthened when the motor system is engaged, evoking motor schemata to support the more easily induced perceptual embodiment via body image.
Reduced neutral invertase activity in the culm tissues of transgenic sugarcane plants results in a decrease in respiration and sucrose cycling and an increase in the sucrose to hexose ratio
Authors: Rossouw Debra , Kossmann Jens , Botha Frederik C. , Groenewald Jan-Hendrik
Published: January 2010

Transgenic sugarcane plants (Saccharum officinarum L. interspecific hybrids) were regenerated from previously described cell lines with reduced neutral invertase (NI) activity. The effects that were observed in the differentiated culm tissues at different stages of maturity paralleled those observed across the growth cycle of the suspension cultures. Reduced NI activity correlated with an increase in sucrose and a decrease in hexose levels. However, the magnitude of the reduction in enzyme activity and the accompanying changes in carbohydrate metabolism were not as pronounced as in the suspension cultures. Feeding experiments with radio-labelled fructose provided evidence that the cycling of sucrose as well as the total respiration rate correlated directly with NI activity. Sucrose synthase activity was upregulated in the transgenic plants, possibly to compensate for the reduction in invertase activity. Despite this partial compensation, the respiratory rates of the transgenic lines were still significantly lower than those of the untransformed control lines. This study clearly demonstrates the importance of NI in directing carbon towards respiratory processes in the sugarcane culm. In addition, this is the first report in which data obtained from genetically modified sugarcane suspension cell cultures and their regenerated, whole-plant counterparts are compared. The observed correlations support the use of cell cultures as a model system for sugarcane internodes, which could significantly accelerate reverse genetic studies on sugarcane carbohydrate metabolism in the future.
Ammonium tolerance and the regulation of two cytosolic glutamine synthetases in the roots of sorghum
Authors: El Omari Redouane , Rueda-López Marina , Avila Concepción , Crespillo Remedios , Nhiri Mohamed , Cánovas Francisco M.
Published: January 2010

Tolerance to ammonium nutrition in plants can be related to their ability to detoxify ammonium via nitrogen assimilation in roots. Here, we report that sorghum–sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor L. × S. bicolor var. sudanense) hybrids exhibited enhanced biomass production under high levels of inorganic nitrogen supply as well as increased capacity for nitrogen assimilation in roots. Glutamine synthetase (GS, EC 6.3.1.2) activity and protein accumulated in roots at increasing concentrations of either nitrate or ammonium, with particularly high levels of GS in ammonium-treated plants. Ammonium but not nitrate differentially regulated two distinct cytosolic GS (GS1) isoforms composed by polypeptides of similar size but different charge. The comparative analysis of GS gene sequences and the deduced GS1 polypeptides suggested that the two GS1 isoforms were the expression products of SbGln1.2 and SbGln1.3 genes. SbGln1.3 expression was shown to be upregulated by high levels of inorganic nitrogen supply, with a maximal abundance of SbGln1.3 transcripts in ammonium-grown plants. SbGln1.2 expression was uniform along the root axis meanwhile protein and transcript levels for SbGln1.3 were particularly abundant in the upper part of the axis where lateral roots are prominent. Kinetic analysis revealed that the two GS1 isoenzymes have relatively low-affinity for ammonium ions. The spatial distribution of low-affinity GS1 isoenzymes would provide a sustained glutamine biosynthesis at high levels of ammonium supply and may represent at the same time an efficient system of ammonium detoxification. Such a mechanism may prevent transport of ammonium to leaves alleviating symptoms of toxicity and therefore contributing to sorghum ammonium tolerance.
Effects on differentiation of reproductive organs and sexual behaviour in Japanese quail by excessive embryonic ERα activation
Authors: Mattsson Anna , Brunström Björn
Published: January 2010

Exposure of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) embryos to oestrogenic substances disrupts sexual differentiation of the reproductive tract of both sexes and impairs the copulatory behaviour of the adult male. To examine whether these effects can be induced by selective activation of oestrogen receptor α (ERα), Japanese quail eggs were injected with various doses of the selective ERα agonist 16α-lactone-oestradiol (16α-LE2). The natural oestrogen 17β-oestradiol (E2) was used as a positive control. Both 16α-LE2 and E2 induced formation of an ovary-like cortex in the left testis (ovotestis) and reduced the size of the right testis in male embryos. The asymmetry in testis size remained in sexually mature males. Both substances induced retention and malformation of the Müllerian ducts in embryos of both sexes and malformed oviducts in juveniles. Male copulatory behaviour was suppressed by embryonic exposure to E2 and the highest dose of 16α-LE2. However, the lower dose of 16α-LE2, which markedly affected development of the reproductive organs, was without effects on behaviour. It can therefore not be excluded that the behavioural demasculinisation at the 100-fold higher dose involved cross-activation of oestrogen receptor β (ERβ). In conclusion, our results suggest that oestrogen-induced disruption of reproductive organ development in Japanese quail can be mediated via ERα, whereas the role of ERα in demasculinisation of copulatory behaviour remains to be clarified.
Reliability of ultrasound for early sexing of goat fetuses derived from natural mating and from fresh, frozen and vitrified embryo transfer
Authors: Neto L. M. Freitas , Santos M. H. B. , Filho C. R. Aguiar , Almeida-Irmão J. M. , Junior E. R. Santos , Caldas E. L. C. , Lima P. F. , Oliveira M. A. L.
Published: January 2010

The aim of the present study was to identify the migration period of the genital tubercle and its later differentiation into external genital structures in fetuses derived from natural mating and fetuses from fresh, frozen and vitrified embryo transfer. A transrectal ultrasound with a double-frequency linear transducer (6.0 and 8.0 MHz) was used to monitor 123 goat fetuses, which were allocated to one of four groups: fetuses originating from controlled natural mating (G1, n = 32) and fetuses derived from fresh (G2, n = 34), frozen (G3, n = 30) and vitrified (G4, n = 27) embryo transfer. The transferable embryos were collected 7 days after mating by laparoscopy. Migration of the genital tubercle occurred significantly earlier (P < 0.05) in G1 than in G2, G3 and G4. The visualisation of the scrotum, prepuce and vulva occurred significantly earlier (P < 0.05) in G1 than in G2, G3 and G4. Our results show that fetal sexing is feasible after 55 days for fetuses from natural mating and after 60 days in fetuses from fresh and cryopreserved embryos. Thus, real-time ultrasonography is a reliable tool for fetal sex determination in goats after Day 50 of pregnancy, taking into account both the location of the genital tubercle and the identification of external genital structures.
The Implicit Association Test as a Class Assignment: Student Affective and Attitudinal Reactions
Authors: Morris Kathryn A. , Ashburn-Nardo Leslie
Published: January 2010

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a popular means of examining “hidden” biases. However, some express concerns about classroom use of the IAT, citing students' potentially negative affective reactions to taking the IAT and discovering their implicit biases. To investigate the validity of this criticism, 35 social psychology students completed affect measures after taking and discussing the Race IAT. Students reported more positive than negative affect both immediately after taking the IAT and 1 week later. They also reported greater awareness of their own and others' implicit racial biases, knowledge of implicit processes, and perceived value of the IAT demonstration.
Towards Prediction of HCV Therapy Efficiency
Authors: Wasik Szymon , Jackowiak Paulina , Krawczyk Jacek B. , Kedziora Paweł , Formanowicz Piotr , Figlerowicz Marek , Błażewicz Jacek
Published: January 2010

We investigate a correlation between genetic diversity of hepatitis C virus population and the level of viral RNA accumulation in patient blood. Genetic diversity is defined as the mean Hamming distance between all pairs of virus RNA sequences representing the population. We have found that a low Hamming distance (i.e. low genetic diversity) correlates with a high RNA level; symmetrically, high diversity corresponds to a low RNA level. We contend that the obtained correlation strength justifies the use of the viral RNA level as a measure enabling prediction of efficiency of an established therapy. We also propose that patient qualification for therapy, based on viral RNA level, improves its efficiency.
Heterozygous deficiency of δ-catenin impairs pathological angiogenesis
Authors: DeBusk Laura M. , Boelte Kimberly , Min Yongfen , Lin P. Charles
Published: January 2010

Vascular and neuronal networks share a similar branching morphology, and emerging evidence implicates common mechanisms in the formation of both systems. δ-Catenin is considered a neuronal catenin regulating neuron cell–cell adhesion and cell motility. Here, we report expression of δ-catenin in vascular endothelium, and show that deletion of only one allele of δ-catenin is sufficient to impair endothelial cell motility and vascular assembly in vitro and pathological angiogenesis in vivo, thereby inhibiting tumor growth and wound healing. In contrast, deletion of one or both allele of δ-catenin had no effects on hormone-induced physiological angiogenesis in the uterus. Molecular analysis confirmed a gene dosage effect of δ-catenin on Rho GTPase activity. Moreover, we show that inflammatory cytokines, but not angiogenic factors, regulate δ-catenin expression, and the levels of δ-catenin positively correlate to human lung cancers. Collectively, our data suggest that inflammation, commonly associated with disease conditions, induces δ-catenin expression that specifically regulates pathological, and not physiological, angiogenesis. Because only pathological angiogenesis is sensitive to decreased levels of δ-catenin, this may provide a good target for antiangiogenic therapy.
Altering the spectrum of immunoglobulin V gene somatic hypermutation by modifying the active site of AID
Authors: Wang Meng , Rada Cristina , Neuberger Michael S.
Published: January 2010

High-affinity antibodies are generated by somatic hypermutation with nucleotide substitutions introduced into the IgV in a semirandom fashion, but with intrinsic mutational hotspots strategically located to optimize antibody affinity maturation. The process is dependent on activation-induced deaminase (AID), an enzyme that can deaminate deoxycytidine in DNA in vitro, where its activity is sensitive to the identity of the 5′-flanking nucleotide. As a critical test of whether such DNA deamination activity underpins antibody diversification and to gain insight into the extent to which the antibody mutation spectrum is dependent on the intrinsic substrate specificity of AID, we investigated whether it is possible to change the IgV mutation spectrum by altering AID’s active site such that it prefers a pyrimidine (rather than a purine) flanking the targeted deoxycytidine. Consistent with the DNA deamination mechanism, B cells expressing the modified AID proteins yield altered IgV mutation spectra (exhibiting a purine→pyrimidine shift in flanking nucleotide preference) and altered hotspots. However, AID-catalyzed deamination of IgV targets in vitro does not yield the same degree of hotspot dominance to that observed in vivo, indicating the importance of features beyond AID’s active site and DNA local sequence environment in determining in vivo hotspot dominance.
Preparation of multipartite entangled states and one-step implementation of 1→M economical phase-covariant quantum anti-cloning in cavity QED
Authors: Meng Fanyu , Zhu Aidong , Yeon Kyu-Hwang , Yu Seong-Cho
Published: January 2010

The scheme for preparing a multipartite entangled state and implementing 1→M economical phase-covariant quantum anti-cloning only by one step are proposed. By using the symmetric and asymmetric interactions between N atoms and the cavity, N-particle Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger (GHZ) and W states are prepared, respectively. Furthermore, a scheme of 1→M anti-cloning is also proposed through preparing the W state. The decoherence from atomic spontaneous emission is negligible due to the excited state of the atom being adiabatically eliminated under large detuning. The scheme is insensitive to the cavity decay due to the cavity only being virtually excited. The experimental feasibility of the present scheme is also discussed.
Teleportation of a specific family of tripartite entangled pure states via a five-qubit cluster state
Authors: Tang Jingwu , Peng Zhaohui
Published: January 2010

We propose teleporting a specific family of tripartite entangled pure states, which include both the Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger (GHZ) state and the W-class state, with the five-qubit cluster state. In this scheme, two different measurement strategies are introduced and the successful probability of both is one theoretically. In cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED), we propose generating the five-qubit cluster state and discuss the local measurement of the Bell state and the five-qubit cluster state. It is shown that our scheme may be realizable based on present cavity QED technology. In future, our scheme may be useful for establishing general tripartite entanglement in remote nodes of the communication network.
Validity of the single-term formula for ground band energies in light Xe–Gd nuclei
Authors: Mittal H M , Devi Vidya , Gupta J B
Published: January 2010

A two-parameter single-term energy formula E

J
=aJ

b
is used to study the energy–spin relationship in the ground bands of even–even light Xe–Gd (68⩽N⩽78) nuclei. This formula works better for soft nuclei as well as for deformed nuclei. We also compared it with other two-parameter formulae, i.e. Ejiri, ab, pq and Brentano et al soft rotor (SRF) formulae. The power index b and the coefficient a are fairly constant, independent of the number of levels for spin J⩽12+. The variation of average and with Z, N and with the valence nucleon pair product N
p
N
n is illustrated. Extension of the formula to E

J
=aJ
(b+cJ) is also tested.
Mice Exposed to Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia Simulate Clinical Features of Deficiency of both Qi and Yin Syndrome in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Authors: Chai Chengzhi , Kou Junping , Zhu Danni , Yan Yongqing , Yu Boyang
Published: January 2010

Deficiency of both Qi and Yin Syndrome (DQYS) is one of the common syndromes in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), mainly characterized by tiredness, emaciation, anorexia, fidget, palpitation and rapid pulse, and so forth. Currently, there is no available animal model which can reflect the clinical features of this syndrome. In the present paper, we observed the time‐course changes of whole behavior, body weight, food intake, locomotive activity and electrocardiogram in mice exposed to chronic intermittent hypoxia for 6 weeks, and measured bleeding time at last according to the clinical features of DQYS and one key pathological factor. The results showed that the mice exposed to intermittent hypoxia for certain time presented lackluster hair, dull looking hair, resistance, attacking, body weight loss, food intake decline, locomotive activity decrease, heart rate quickening and T wave elevating, which were similar to the major clinical features of DQYS. Meanwhile, bleeding time shortening was also found, which was consistent with the clinical fact that DQYS often accompanied with blood stasis. The possible explanation was also outlined according to the available literature. Such findings suggested chronic intermittent hypoxia could induce similar symptoms and signs in mice accorded with the clinical features of DQYS, which provided a suitable animal model for evaluation of drugs for the treatment of this syndrome and further exploration of pathological process or correlation of the syndrome and related diseases.
Pregnancy outcome in patients with complex pulmonary atresia: case report and review of the literature
Authors: Stangl Verena , Bamberg Christian , Schröder Torsten , Volk Thomas , Borges Adrian Constantin , Baumann Gert , Stangl Karl
Published: January 2010

Pulmonary atresia, a rare and complex congenital heart disease, is characterized by the absence of the central pulmonary artery and by the presence of a ventricular septal defect and aortopulmonary collaterals. Pregnancy reports concerning maternal and offspring outcome after palliative operation or repaired pulmonary atresia are sparse. We report here on the outcome of pregnancy in a woman, aged 36, with complex pulmonary atresia in whom palliative operation had been performed at the age of 23. We review the medical literature on pregnancy course as well as maternal and foetal outcome in cases involving this maternal congenital heart disease.
‘School was just a nightmare’: childhood abuse and neglect and school experiences
Authors: Frederick John , Goddard Chris
Published: January 2010

Children who have experienced abuse display significant difficulties in dealing with all aspects of the school environment. This paper examines the experiences at school of a group of respondents who had been subject to abuse and neglect during their childhood and adolescence. A qualitative research approach, utilizing in‐depth interviews, was used to explore their perspectives and insights in relation to their experiences. The findings of this study show how the various forms of abuse and neglect experienced in their families had consequences for them in the school setting. A further important finding was a lack of professional student welfare support for the interviewees at school. Implications for prevention and intervention approaches in relation to both policy and service delivery are outlined.
Young children returning home from care: the birth parents' perspective
Authors: Malet Montserrat Fargas , Mcsherry Dominic , Larkin Emma , Kelly Greg , Robinson Clive , Schubotz Dirk
Published: January 2010

While a wide range of literature exists on the experiences of children in foster care or adoption, much less is known about children who return home from care to their birth parents. This paper focuses on the perspectives of a small sample of birth parents of young children who returned home from care. It draws on findings from the Northern Ireland Care Pathways and Outcomes Study that has been following a population (n = 374) of children who were under 5 years and in care in Northern Ireland on the 31st of March 2000. As part of this study, interviews were conducted with the foster parents of 55 children, the adoptive parents of 51 children and the birth parents of nine children who had returned home from care. The paper explores the birth parents' views on how they coped while their child was in care, how they were coping after the child had returned home and how their child was faring at home. Results revealed that these parents, and their children, were experiencing multiple difficulties and struggled to cope after the children had returned home.
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy: an effective and evidence‐based treatment – comments in response to Mercer and Pignotti
Authors: Becker‐Weidman Arthur , Hughes Daniel
Published: January 2010

This paper describes the evidence base for Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy as an evidence‐based, empirically validated, and effective family‐therapy treatment for children with reactive attachment disorder and complex trauma. It is in response to a note by Mercer, Pennington, Pignotti, & Rosa. to our previous paper describing the evidence‐base of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy. The paper summarizes the extensive empirical literature that describes the effectiveness of such dimensions of Dyadic Develop‐mental Psychotherapy as affect arousal and regulation, gradual expo‐sure to trauma, parent education and consultation, explaining how the past may be continuing to affect present behaviour, forming and maintaining a therapeutic relationship through therapist acceptance, affirmation, empathy and various other dimensions. The paper presents several generally accepted criteria for determining evidence‐based practice and evidence‐based treatment and demonstrates how Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy meets those criteria. These criteria include those developed by Saunders et al., the UK National Health Services system, and the US Preventative Services Task Force system for ranking the quality of evidence. Finally, the paper responds to specific points raised by Mercer et al. indicating those with which we agree and those with which we disagree.