bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SENSORY FLAVOR PROFILING AND MAPPING OF REGIONAL VARIETIES OF CORIANDER (CORIANDRUM SATIVUM L.)
Authors: PRAKASH MAYA , DATTATREYA ANUPAMA , BHAT K.K.
Published: May 2007

Spices and condiments have been considered virtually indispensable in the culinary art. The quality of spices varies depending on the region of cultivation, climatic conditions and storage history. In the present study, coriander from 8 regions of India, labeled as R1 to R8, were examined for sensory quality by conducting threshold test, time‐intensity study and flavor profiling. Principal component analysis (PCA) was carried out to group the samples. Threshold values ranged from 0.010 to 0.035% with R7 showing lower values for threshold (0.010%) followed by R8 (0.020%). Higher intensity of aroma of R7 and R8 was further confirmed by more of lingering aroma as shown by time intensity study. Flavor profiling by quantitative descriptive analysis showed that the coriander samples from different regions did not differ significantly (P± 0.05) in almost all attributes except for spicy aroma. Mapping of samples using PCA technique showed that the samples occupied different quadrants based on the intensity of attributes. Sample R7 and R8 were found to be grouped close together, and R5 and Reformed another group.
Can You Hear us Now? Voices from the Margin: Using Indigenous Methodologies in Geographic Research
Authors: LOUIS RENEE PUALANI
Published: May 2007

Indigenous methodologies are an alternative way of thinking about research processes. Although these methodologies vary according to the ways in which different Indigenous communities express their own unique knowledge systems, they do have common traits. This article argues that research on Indigenous issues should be carried out in a manner which is respectful and ethically sound from an Indigenous perspective. This naturally challenges Western research paradigms, yet it also affords opportunities to contribute to the body of knowledge about Indigenous peoples. It is further argued that providing a mechanism for Indigenous peoples to participate in and direct these research agendas ensures that their communal needs are met, and that geographers then learn how to build ethical research relationships with them. Indigenous methodologies do not privilege Indigenous researchers because of their Indigeneity, since there are many ‘insider’ views, and these are thus suitable for both Indigenous and non‐Indigenous researchers. However, there is a difference between research done within an Indigenous context using Western methodologies and research done using Indigenous methodologies which integrates Indigenous voices. This paper will discuss those differences while presenting a historical context of research on Indigenous peoples, providing further insights into what Indigenous methodologies entail, and proposing ways in which the academy can create space for this discourse.
Postcolonial Conservation and Kiekie Harvests at Morere New Zealand – Abstracting Indigenous Knowledge from Indigenous Polities
Authors: COOMBES BRAD
Published: May 2007

Conservation authorities and local Maori are engaged in a collaborative science project within the Morere Scenic Reserve (east coast of the North Island in New Zealand). Although the project was restricted initially to the integration of knowledge to support sustainable harvests of kiekie (Freycinetia baueriana), the illegitimacy of state agencies to manage competing Maori demands for that species led inadvertently to the devolution of harvest administration to a local tribe. The success of the Morere experiment is evident in widespread support for a subsequent decision to fallow the kiekie resource, suggesting that further experiments to activate Indigenous polities within conservation management are warranted. Nonetheless, ambivalence towards Maori development needs circumscribes the potential of devolved management and collaborative science.
(Re)asserting Indigenous Rights and Jurisdictions within a Politics of Place: Transformative Nature of Native Title Negotiations in South Australia
Authors: AGIUS PARRY , JENKIN TOM , JARVIS SANDY , HOWITT RICHIE , WILLIAMS RHIÂN
Published: May 2007

Australia's dominant politics of place has largely failed to give meaningful recognition to Indigenous peoples. The Native Title Act 1993 required governments, industry and others to (re)consider the basis and extent of their authority, unsettling the non‐Indigenous systems’ assumed dominance. While Indigenous hopes about Native title have diminished as a result of subsequent judicial, legislative and administrative responses, Native title negotiations have been pivotal in redefining politics of place and Indigenous–settler relationships in Australia at several scales. Focusing on South Australia's Statewide Indigenous Land Use Agreement Negotiation Strategy, this paper considers such a redefinition. The paper identifies four strategies as critical to success in transformative spatial politics: getting process right; recognising and supporting Indigenous jurisdictions; engaging and transforming non‐Indigenous scales; and shifting Native title process away from legalities, towards people and relationships. Since 1999, these strategies have transformed the politics of place and built more equitable inter‐cultural relationships and networks based on mutual recognition and respect between Indigenous and non‐Indigenous rights and interests in land and waters.
Changes in firing pattern of lateral geniculate neurons caused by membrane potential dependent modulation of retinal input through NMDA receptors
Authors: Augustinaite S. , Heggelund P.
Published: May 2007

An optimal visual stimulus flashed on the receptive field of a retinal ganglion cell typically evokes a strong transient response followed by weaker sustained firing. Thalamocortical (TC) neurons in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus, which receive their sensory input from retina, respond similarly except that the gain, in particular of the sustained component, changes with level of arousal. Several lines of evidence suggest that retinal input to TC neurons through NMDA receptors plays a key role in generation of the sustained response, but the mechanisms for the state‐dependent variation in this component are unclear. We used a slice preparation to study responses of TC neurons evoked by trains of electrical pulses to the retinal afferents at frequencies in the range of visual responses in vivo. Despite synaptic depression, the pharmacologically isolated NMDA component gave a pronounced build‐up of depolarization through temporal summation of the NMDA receptor mediated EPSPs. This depolarization could provide sustained firing, the frequency of which depended on the holding potential. We suggest that the variation of sustained response in vivo is caused mainly by the state‐dependent modulation of the membrane potential of TC neurons which shifts the NMDA receptor mediated depolarization closer to or further away from the firing threshold. The pharmacologically isolated AMPA receptor EPSPs were rather ineffective in spike generation. However, together with the depolarization evoked by the NMDA component, the AMPA component contributed significantly to spike generation, and was necessary for the precise timing of the generated spikes.
Dual GABAA receptor‐mediated inhibition in rat presympathetic paraventricular nucleus neurons
Authors: Park Jin Bong , Skalska Silvia , Son Sookjin , Stern Javier E.
Published: May 2007

The inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA plays a key role in the modulation of paraventricular nucleus (PVN) neuronal excitability and sympathoexcitatory outflow, under both physiological and pathological conditions. In addition to mediating conventional synaptic transmission (phasic inhibition), GABAA receptors of distinct biophysical, molecular and pharmacological properties have been recently found to underlie a slower, persistent form of inhibition (tonic inhibition). Whether the ‘tonic’ inhibitory modality is present in presympathetic PVN neurons, and what its role is in modulating their activity is at present unknown. Here, we combined tract‐tracing techniques with patch‐clamp electrophysiology to address these questions. Recordings obtained from PVN‐RVLM (rostral ventrolateral medulla) projecting neurons show that besides blocking GABAA‐mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs, Iphasic), the GABAA receptor blockers bicuculline and picrotoxin caused an outward shift in the holding current (Itonic). Conversely, the high affinity GABAA blocker gabazine blocked Iphasic without affecting Itonic. THIP, a GABAA receptor agonist that preferentially activates δ‐ over γ‐containing receptors, enhanced the magnitude of Itonic. Our results also indicate that during conditions of strong and/or synchronous synaptic activity, Itonic may be activated by spillover of synaptically released GABA. Blockade of Itonic induced membrane depolarization, increased firing activity, and enhanced the input–output function of PVN‐RVLM neurons. Altogether, our results support the presence of a persistent GABAA‐mediated inhibitory modality in presympathetic PVN neurons, which plays a major role in modulating their excitability and firing activity.
A Spectral Model for Forces Due to Ice Crushing
Authors: Kärnä Tuomo , Qu Yan , Bi Xiangjun , Yue Qianjin , Kuehnlein Walter
Published: May 2007

This paper presents a model of dynamic ice forces on vertical offshore structures. The model concerns a loading scenario where a competent ice sheet is drifting and crushing against the structure. Full scale data obtained on two offshore structures were used in the derivation of a method that applies both to narrow and wide structures. A large amount of events with directly measured local forces was used to derive formulas for spectral density functions of the local ice forces. A nondimensional formula that was derived for the autospectral density is independent of ice thickness. Coherence functions were used to define cross-spectral density functions of the local ice forces. The two kind of spectral density functions were used to obtain the spectral density of the total ice force. The method takes into account both the spatial and time correlation between the local forces. Accordingly, the model provides a tool to consider the nonsimultaneous characteristics of the local ice pressures while assessing the total ice force.
Parametric Equations Using Generic Representation of Joint Stiffness
Authors: Nazari A. , Daniel W. J. T , Guan Z. , Gurgenci H.
Published: May 2007

For most design and recertification work on tubular structures, it is not practical to determine the joint hot spot stresses experimentally or using detailed finite element analysis. Therefore, parametric equations were developed in the past for various joint geometries to relate stress concentration factors around the joints to basic joint geometrical parameters. Such parametric equations have limited applications to reinforced joints because the nature of reinforcement varies and may be difficult to represent by a generic set of geometric parameters. In this paper, a new method is introduced to include local joint stiffness in the parametric equations represented by a generic characteristic of the joint determined by modal analysis. The parametric equations produced in this paper can be applied to any reinforced T-joint regardless of the nature of reinforcement. This is especially useful in those cases where the exact nature of reinforcement is not known, for example, hidden in the interior or deteriorated through age or fabrication error. The dimensionless joint stiffness parameter can be calculated by a simple modal test and a beam model without needing to know the nature and details of the reinforcement.
Elementary simulation of tethered Brownian motion
Authors: Beausang John F. , Zurla Chiara , Finzi Laura , Sullivan Luke , Nelson Philip C.
Published: May 2007

We describe a simple simulation, suitable for an undergraduate project or graduate problem set, of the Brownian motion of a particle in a Hooke’s law potential well. Understanding this physical situation is necessary in many experimental contexts, for instance in single molecule biophysics, and its simulation helps students appreciate the dynamical character of thermal equilibrium. The simulation captures behavior seen in experimental data on tethered particle motion.
On the nonradiative and quasistatic conditions and the limitations of circuit theory
Authors: Zozaya Alfonso
Published: May 2007

Field theory is used to analyze a simple circuit and to deduce the conditions for nonradiative and quasistatic fields. From the condition for quasistatic fields, which is the more stringent of the two, Kirchhoff’s voltage equation and its range of validity are deduced. These conditions for the validity of circuit theory are not treated appropriately in the undergraduate curricula. A simple numerical problem is given to illustrate these ideas.
Importance of flagella and enterotoxins for Aeromonas virulence in a mouse model
Authors: Sen Keya , Lye Dennis
Published: May 2007

A genetic characterization of eight virulence factor genes, elastase, lipase, polar flagella (flaA/flaB, flaG), lateral flagella (lafA), and the enterotoxins alt, act, and ast, was performed using polymerase chain reaction with 55 drinking water and nine clinical isolates. When 16 Aeromonas hydrophila strains, seven Aeromonas veronii strains, and seven Aeromonas caviae strains exhibiting different combinations of virulence factor genes were tested in immunocompromised mice by intraperitoneal injection, only those strains that had one or more of the enterotoxins flaA, flaB, and either flaG or lafA showed signs of being virulent. The correlation was seen in 97% (29/30) of the strains, which included strains from drinking water. Thus, Aeromonas water isolates have the potential to be pathogenic in immunocompromised hosts.
Comparison of enterotoxigenicEscherichia coliisolated from surface water and diarrhoeal stool samples in Bangladesh
Authors: Begum Y A , Talukder K A , Nair G B , Khan S I , Svennerholm A-M , Sack R B , Qadri F
Published: May 2007

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a common cause of bacterial infection leading to acute watery diarrhea in infants and young children. Although the prevalence of ETEC is high in Bangladesh and infections can be spread through food and contaminated water, limited information is available about ETEC in the surface water. We carried out studies to isolate ETEC from surface water samples from ponds, rivers, and a lake from a site close to field areas known to have a high incidence of diarrhea in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Matlab, Bangladesh. ETEC strains isolated from the water sources were compared with ETEC strains isolated from patients with diarrhea at two hospitals in these areas. ETEC were isolated from 30% (45 of 150) of the samples from the surface water sources and 19% (518 of 2700) of the clinical specimens. One hundred ETEC strains isolated from patients with similar phenotypes as the environmental strains were compared for phenotypic and genotypic properties. The most common O serogroups on ETEC were O6, O25, O78, O115, and O126 in both types of strains. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analyses of the ETEC strains showed that multiple clones of ETEC were present within each colonization factor type and that some clones detected in the environment were also isolated from the stools of patients. The strains showed multiple and similar antibiotic resistance patterns. This study shows that ETEC is prevalent in surface water sources in Bangladesh suggesting a possible reason for the endemicity of this pathogen in Bangladesh.Key words: enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), surface water samples, colonization factors, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, toxin types.
Agrobacterium-mediated insertional mutagenesis of the ochratoxigenic fungusAspergillus westerdijkiae
Authors: Mata Marcia M , Taniwaki Marta H , Iamanaka Beatriz T , Sartori Daniele , Oliveira André L.M , Furlaneto Márcia C , Fungaro Maria Helena P.
Published: May 2007

Aspergillus westerdijkiae is a potent ochratoxin A (OTA) producer that has been found in coffee beans. OTA is known to have nephrotoxic effects and carcinogenic potential in animal species. Here we report for the first time the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation for Aspergillus westerdijkiae and the generation of ochratoxin-defective mutants. Conidia were transformed to hygromycin B resistance using strain AGL-1 of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The obtained transformation frequency was up to 47 transformants per 106target conidia. Among 600 transformants, approximately 5% showed morphological variations. Eight transformants with consistently reduced OTA production were obtained. Two of these transformants did not produce OTA (detection limit: 0.1 µg/kg); the other six mutants produced lower amounts of OTA (1%–32%) compared with the wild-type strain. By using thermal asymmetric interlaced polymerase chain reaction, we successfully identified a putative flavin adenine dinucleotide monooxygenase gene.Key words: Aspergillus ochraceus, Aspergillus westerdijkiae, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, Agrobacterium-mediated insertional mutagenesis, ochratoxin A.
The glnAntrBC operon of Herbaspirillum seropedicae is transcribed by two oppositely regulated promoters upstream of glnA
Authors: Schwab Stefan , Souza Emanuel M , Yates Marshall G , Persuhn Darlene C , Steffens M Berenice R. , Chubatsu Leda S , Pedrosa Fábio O , Rigo Liu U
Published: May 2007

Herbaspirillum seropedicae is an endophytic bacterium that fixes nitrogen under microaerophilic conditions. The putative promoter sequences glnAp1 (σ70-dependent) and glnAp2 (σ54), and two NtrC-binding sites were identified upstream from the glnA, ntrB and ntrC genes of this microorganism. To study their transcriptional regulation, we used lacZ fusions to the H. seropedicae glnA gene, and the glnA-ntrB and ntrB-ntrC intergenic regions. Expression of glnA was up-regulated under low ammonium, but no transcription activity was detected from the intergenic regions under any condition tested, suggesting that glnA, ntrB and ntrC are co-transcribed from the promoters upstream of glnA. Ammonium regulation was lost in the ntrC mutant strain. A point mutation was introduced in the conserved –25/–24 dinucleotide (GG→TT) of the putative σ54-dependent promoter (glnAp2). Contrary to the wild-type promoter, glnA expression with the mutant glnAp2 promoter was repressed in the wild-type strain under low ammonium levels, but this repression was abolished in an ntrC background. Together our results indicate that the H. seropedicae glnAntrBC operon is regulated from two functional promoters upstream from glnA, which are oppositely regulated by the NtrC protein.Key words: Herbaspirillum seropedicae, nitrogen assimilation, glnAntrBC operon, transcriptional regulation.
Photoperiod regulates elicitation of growth promotion but not induced resistance by plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria
Authors: Kloepper J.W. , Gutiérrez-Estrada A. , McInroy J.A.
Published: May 2007

For several years, we have noticed that plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), which consistently promote plant growth in greenhouse tests during spring, summer, and fall, fail to elicit plant growth promotion during the midwinter under ambient light conditions. This report tests the hypothesis that photoperiod regulates elicitation of growth promotion and induced systemic resistance (ISR) by PGPR. A commercially available formulation of PGPR strains Bacillus subtilis GB03 and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens IN937a (BioYield®) was used to grow tomato and pepper transplants under short-day (8 h of light) (SD) and long-day (12 h of light) (LD) conditions. Results of many experiments indicated that under LD conditions, BioYield consistently elicited significant increases in root and shoot mass as well as in several parameters of root architecture. However, under SD conditions, such increases were not elicited. Differential root colonization of plants grown under LD and SD conditions and changes in leachate quality partially account for these results. BioYield elicited ISR in tomato and pepper under both LD and SD conditions, indicating that although growth promotion was not elicited under SD conditions, induced resistance was. Overall, the results indicate that PGPR-mediated growth promotion is regulated by photoperiod, while ISR is not.
Optimization of laccase production from Trametes versicolor by solid fermentation
Authors: Jing Debing , Li Peijun , Stagnitti Frank , Xiong Xianzhe
Published: May 2007

The regulation of culture conditions, especially the optimization of substrate constituents, is crucial for laccase production by solid fermentation. To develop an inexpensive optimized substrate formulation to produce high-activity laccase, a uniform design formulation experiment was devised. The solid fermentation of Trametes versicolor was performed with natural aeration, natural substrate pH (about 6.5), environmental humidity of 60% and two different temperature stages (at 37 °C for 3 days, and then at 30 °C for the next 17 days). From the experiment, a regression equation for laccase activity, in the form of a second-degree polynomial model, was constructed using multivariate regression analysis and solved with unconstrained optimization programming. The optimized substrate formulation for laccase production was then calculated. Tween 80 was found to have a negative effect on laccase production in solid fermentation; the optimized solid substrate formulation was 10.8% glucose, 27.7% wheat bran, 9.0% (NH4)2SO4, and 52.5% water. In a scaled-up verification of solid fermentation at a 10 kg scale, laccase activity from T. versicolor in the optimized substrate formulation reached 110.9 IU/g of dry mass.
Induction and characterization of morphologic mutants in a natural Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain
Authors: Barberio Claudia , Bianchi Lucia , Pinzauti Francesca , Lodi Tiziana , Ferrero Iliana , Polsinelli Mario , Casalone Enrico
Published: May 2007

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a good model with which to study the effects of morphologic differentiation on the ecological behaviour of fungi. In this work, 33 morphologic mutants of a natural strain of S. cerevisiae, obtained with UV mutagenesis, were selected for their streak shape and cell shape on rich medium. Two of them, showing both high sporulation proficiency and constitutive pseudohyphal growth, were analysed from a genetic and physiologic point of view. Each mutant carries a recessive monogenic mutation, and the two mutations reside in unlinked genes. Flocculation ability and responsiveness to different stimuli distinguished the two mutants. Growth at 37 °C affected the cell but not the colony morphology, suggesting that these two phenotypes are regulated differently. The effect of ethidium bromide, which affects mitochondrial DNA replication, suggested a possible “retrograde action” of mitochondria in pseudohyphal growth.
DYNAMICS OF DIFFUSION AND ADSORPTION: ZnO/α-Al2O3(0001)
Authors: YANG CHUN , LI Y. R. , YI YU
Published: May 2007

A heteroepitaxial growth model of the ZnO film on sapphire(0001) is calculated by using a plane wave ultrasoft pseudo-potential method based on the density functional theory. A strong chemical adsorption on the sapphire(0001) is observed. It is found that interfacial atoms have different diffusivity at 400°C, 600°C and 800°C. The temperature has a decisive effect on the surface and interface structures of ZnO /α -Al 2 O 3(0001) and on the growth mode of ZnO thin films. In the whole process of the adsorption and growth of ZnO , the diffusivity of O atoms is higher than that of Zn , and the interlayer diffusion has an important impact on growth of the thin films. There are two growth modes of ZnO on sapphire(0001), which is further demonstrated by theoretical calculation. It can be observed from the calculation that the vacancies of Zn where the atomic layer is near to the α -Al 2 O 3(0001) surface is more than that of O atoms.
GRAPH ZETA FUNCTION AND DIMENSION OF COMPLEX NETWORK
Authors: SHANKER O.
Published: May 2007

In a recent paper we had defined the dimension of a complex network in terms of the scaling property of the volume. The question assumes significance because the dependence of system behavior on dimension is an important topic in statistical mechanics. Hence we consider the definition in more detail, and we propose a more widely applicable definition in this work. This definition has good mathematical properties, and it is based on the definition of a zeta function for complex networks.
Enhanced Hepatocyte Growth Factor Signaling by Type II Transforming Growth Factor-β Receptor Knockout Fibroblasts Promotes Mammary Tumorigenesis
Authors: Cheng Nikki , Chytil Anna , Shyr Yu , Joly Alison , Moses Harold L.
Published: May 2007

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) plays complex dual roles as an inhibitor and promoter of tumor progression. Although the influence of the stromal microenvironment on tumor progression is well recognized, little is known about the functions of TGF-β signaling in the stroma during tumor progression. Using cre-lox technology, expression of the type II TGF-β receptor was selectively knocked out in fibroblasts (Tgfbr2FspKO). In a co-xenograft model, we show that Tgfbr2FspKO fibroblasts enhance mammary carcinoma growth and metastasis in mice while increasing hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) expression and c-Met signaling downstream pathways including signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (Stat3) and p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Treatment of tumor-bearing mice with a pharmacologic inhibitor (EXEL-7592) of c-Met blocks tumor progression and reduces levels of phospho-Stat3 and phospho-p42/44 MAPK. Similarly, small interfering RNA knockdown of c-Met expression in mammary tumor cells reduces metastasis and c-Met signaling caused by Tgfbr2FspKO fibroblasts. The results show that TGF-β signaling in fibroblasts suppresses tumor metastasis by antagonizing HGF/c-Met signaling within tumor epithelial cells. Furthermore, this co-xenograft model represents a unique context to study stromal TGF-β and HGF signaling in mammary tumorigenesis. [Cancer Res 2007;67(10):4869–77]
Bronchoalveolar Lavage in Interstitial Lung Diseases: Does the Recovery Rate Affect the Results?
Authors: Schildge J. , Nagel C. , Grun C.
Published: May 2007

Background: Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is an established diagnostic tool in interstitial lung diseases. BAL frequently yields findings of diagnostic value and at times even confirmatory diagnostic results. Objectives: The present study has been designed to investigate whether the recovery rate affects BAL results relative to the instilled volume. Methods: Six hundred and eighteen patients with the following diagnoses were included into the study: 236 with sarcoidosis, 85 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, 83 with cryptogenic organizing pneumonitis, 64 with connective tissue disease affecting the lungs, 54 with respiratory bronchiolitis with interstitial lung disease, 51 with extrinsic allergic alveolitis and 45 control patients. BAL was performed during flexible bronchoscopy with an irrigation volume of 100 ml 0.9% saline solution in 5 aliquots of 20 ml each. Only patients with a recovery of at least 30 ml were evaluated. Initially, the entire patient population was analysed, followed by an analysis within the different diagnostic groups and a comparison between patients with a high (>50 ml) and low (≤50 ml) recovery rate. Results: The recovery rate varied between the diagnostic groups (p < 0.001) and was negatively correlated with age (r = –0.21, p < 0.001) and smoking history (r = –0.11, p < 0.035). There were no correlations with inspiratory vital capacity (%pred.; p = 0.26) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (%pred.; p = 0.15), but a positive correlation with the index (forced expiratory volume in 1 s/inspiratory vital capacity) × 100 (r = 0.23, p < 0.001). The cellular and non-cellular constituents of BAL were not affected by the recovery: cells/millilitre BAL (p = 0.71), relative proportion of macrophages (p = 0.92), lymphocytes (0 = 0.33), neutrophils (p = 0.14) and eosinophils (p = 0.11), albumin concentration (p = 0.13), and proportion of albumin in total protein (p = 0.06). The same applied for the lymphocyte surface markers CD4 (p = 0.72) and CD8 (p = 0.53). In the group with a high recovery rate, patients with sarcoidosis had a lower proportion of eosinophils (p = 0.04) and patients with cryptogenic organizing pneumonitis a higher concentration of albumin (p = 0.02) and lymphocytes (p = 0.007). Otherwise, no further differences were detected. Conclusions: The recovery rate hardly affected the cellular and non-cellular constituents of BAL at a lower limit of 30% of the instilled volume.
Cardiac Sympathetic Rejuvenation
Authors: Kimura Kensuke , Ieda Masaki , Kanazawa Hideaki , Yagi Takashi , Tsunoda Makoto , Ninomiya Shin-ichi , Kurosawa Hiroyuki , Yoshimi Kenji , Mochizuki Hideki , Yamazaki Kazuto , Ogawa Satoshi , Fukuda Keiichi
Published: May 2007

Neuronal function and innervation density is regulated by target organ-derived neurotrophic factors. Although cardiac hypertrophy drastically alternates the expression of various growth factors such as endothelin-1, angiotensin II, and leukemia inhibitory factor, little is known about nerve growth factor expression and its effect on the cardiac sympathetic nerves. This study investigated the impact of pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy on the innervation density and cellular function of cardiac sympathetic nerves, including kinetics of norepinephrine synthesis and reuptake, and neuronal gene expression. Right ventricular hypertrophy was induced by monocrotaline treatment in Wistar rats. Newly developed cardiac sympathetic nerves expressing β
3
-tubulin (axonal marker), GAP43 (growth-associated cone marker), and tyrosine hydroxylase were markedly increased only in the right ventricle, in parallel with nerve growth factor upregulation. However, norepinephrine and dopamine content was paradoxically attenuated, and the protein and kinase activity of tyrosine hydroxylase were markedly downregulated in the right ventricle. The reuptake of [
125
I]-metaiodobenzylguanidine and [
3
H]-norepinephrine were also significantly diminished in the right ventricle, indicating functional downregulation in cardiac sympathetic nerves. Interestingly, we found cardiac sympathetic nerves in hypertrophic right ventricles strongly expressed highly polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) (an immature neuron marker) as well as neonatal heart. Taken together, pressure overload induced anatomical sympathetic hyperinnervation but simultaneously caused deterioration of neuronal cellular function. This phenomenon was explained by the rejuvenation of cardiac sympathetic nerves as well as the hypertrophic cardiomyocytes, which also showed the fetal form gene expression.
An Examination of Precipitation in Observations and Model Forecasts during NAME with Emphasis on the Diurnal Cycle
Authors: Janowiak John E. , Dagostaro Valery J. , Kousky Vernon E. , Joyce Robert J.
Published: May 2007

Summertime rainfall over the United States and Mexico is examined and is compared with forecasts from operational numerical prediction models. In particular, the distribution of rainfall amounts is examined and the diurnal cycle of rainfall is investigated and compared with the model forecasts. This study focuses on a 35-day period (12 July–15 August 2004) that occurred amid the North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME) field campaign. Three-hour precipitation forecasts from the numerical models were validated against satellite-derived estimates of rainfall that were adjusted by daily rain gauge data to remove bias from the remotely sensed estimates. The model forecasts that are evaluated are for the 36–60-h period after the model initial run time so that the effects of updated observational data are reduced substantially and a more direct evaluation of the model precipitation parameterization can be accomplished.

The main findings of this study show that the effective spatial resolution of the model-generated precipitation is considerably more coarse than the native model resolution. On a national scale, the models overforecast the frequency of rainfall events in the 1–75 mm day−1 range and underforecast heavy events (>85 mm day−1). The models also have a diurnal cycle that peaks 3–6 h earlier than is observed over portions of the eastern United States and the NAME tier-1 region. Time series and harmonic analysis are used to identify where the models perform well and poorly in characterizing the amplitude and phase of the diurnal cycle of precipitation.
On Air–Sea Interaction at the Mouth of the Gulf of California
Authors: Zuidema Paquita , Fairall Chris , Hartten Leslie M. , Hare Jeffrey E. , Wolfe Daniel
Published: May 2007

Surface flux, wind profiler, oceanic temperature and salinity, and atmospheric moisture, cloud, and wind observations gathered from the R/V Altair during the North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME) are presented. The vessel was positioned at the mouth of the Gulf of California halfway between La Paz and Mazatlan (∼23.5°N, 108°W), from 7 July to 11 August 2004, with a break from 22 to 27 July. Experiment-mean findings include a net heat input from the atmosphere into the ocean of 70 W m−2. The dominant cooling was an experiment-mean latent heat flux of 108 W m−2, equivalent to an evaporation rate of 0.16 mm h−1. Total accumulated rainfall amounted to 42 mm. The oceanic mixed layer had a depth of approximately 20 m and both warmed and freshened during the experiment, despite a dominance of evaporation over local precipitation. The mean atmospheric boundary layer depth was approximately 410 m, deepening with time from an initial value of 350 m. The mean near-surface relative humidity was 66%, increasing to 73% at the top of the boundary layer. The rawinsondes documented an additional moist layer between 2- and 3-km altitude associated with a land–sea breeze, and a broad moist layer at 5–6 km associated with land-based convective outflow. The observational period included a strong gulf surge around 13 July associated with the onset of the summer monsoon in southern Arizona. During this surge, mean 1000–700-hPa winds reached 12 m s−1, net surface fluxes approached zero, and the atmosphere moistened significantly but little rainfall occurred. The experiment-mean wind diurnal cycle was dominated by mainland Mexico and consisted of a near-surface westerly sea breeze along with two easterly return flows, one at 2–3 km and another at 5–6 km. Each of these altitudes experienced nighttime cloudiness. The corresponding modulation of the radiative cloud forcing diurnal cycle provided a slight positive feedback upon the sea surface temperature. Two findings were notable. One was an advective warming of over 1°C in the oceanic mixed layer temperature associated with the 13 July surge. The second was the high nighttime cloud cover fraction at 5–6 km, dissipating during the day. These clouds appeared to be thin, stratiform, slightly supercooled liquid-phase clouds. The preference for the liquid phase increases the likelihood that the clouds can be advected farther from their source and thereby contribute to a higher-altitude horizontal moisture flux into the United States.
Annual and Warm Season Drought Intensity–Duration–Frequency Analysis for Sonora, Mexico
Authors: Hallack-Alegria Michelle , Watkins David W.
Published: May 2007

Located in northwestern Mexico, Sonora is a region affected by the North American monsoon (NAM). The region covers nearly 50% of the North American Sonoran Desert and is characterized by climatic conditions ranging from extremely arid to semiarid. The region has suffered from drought since 1995, and consequently, water supplies are threatened. The objectives of this work are to characterize the spatial and temporal variabilities of precipitation in Sonora and to conduct a meteorological drought intensity–duration–frequency analysis based on annual and warm season precipitation records. Monthly precipitation data are compiled from 76 meteorological stations located in Sonora, along with 19 stations in the neighboring American state of Arizona, for the period 1961–2004. For increased reliability, data are pooled within five plausible climatic regions. Among the results reported herein are summaries of precipitation variability, drought frequency estimates for annual and seasonal durations and return periods of 10–100 yr, and an estimate of the return period of the most recent multiyear drought.
Measuring Small-Group Environments
Authors: Salter Daniel W. , Junco Reynol
Published: May 2007

This concurrent validity study of Salter Environmental Type Assessment scores was conducted with the Group Environment Scale. A principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation of 191 college students' responses suggested two factors that accounted for 51% of the variance. The factor-analytic results and concurrent validity coefficients were consistent with previous research with both assessments and theoretical assumptions behind the two approaches to measuring group climate. Implications for the assessment of groups are discussed.
Development of a Theory-Based Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness
Authors: Loughry Misty L. , Ohland Matthew W. , DeWayne Moore D.
Published: May 2007

This article describes the development of the Comprehensive Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness. The authors used the teamwork literature to create potential items, which they tested using two surveys of college students ( Ns = 2,777 and 1,157). The authors used exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to help them select items for the final instrument. The full instrument has 87 items that measure 29 types of team member contributions with 3 items each. These fall into five categories (contributing to the team's work; interacting with teammates; keeping the team on track; expecting quality; and having relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities). A short version of the instrument has 33 items. Potential uses for the instrument and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Identifying Autocorrelation Generated by Various Error Processes in Interrupted Time-Series Regression Designs
Authors: Huitema Bradley E. , McKean Joseph W.
Published: May 2007

Regression models used in the analysis of interrupted time-series designs assume statistically independent errors. Four methods of evaluating this assumption are the Durbin-Watson (D-W), Huitema-McKean (H-M), Box-Pierce (B-P), and Ljung-Box (L-B) tests. These tests were compared with respect to Type I error and power under a wide variety of error models and sample sizes. Although the B-P and L-B tests are portmanteau methods that incorporate information from a large portion of the autocorrelation function, the more focused D-W and H-M first-order autoregressive tests are shown to be considerably more powerful. The popular L-B test has unacceptable Type I error and should not be used in the context of the intervention model applied in this study.
``Guessing'' Parameter Estimates for Multidimensional Item Response Theory Models
Authors: DeMars Christine E.
Published: May 2007

Two software packages commonly used for multidimensional item response theory (IRT) models require the user to input values for the lower asymptotes of the item response functions. One way of selecting these values is to estimate lower asymptotes with a one-dimensional IRT model and use those estimates as fixed values in the multidimensional model. This procedure was compared to simply setting the asymptotes to a reasonable value. For two-factor tests, the use of unidimensional asymptotes worked well, yielding results nearly comparable to setting the lower asymptotes to the true values. With four-factor tests, in contrast, the item parameter and item response surface estimates were less accurate when the lower asymptotes were estimated through a unidimensional model. The estimates of the lower asymptotes from the unidimensional model tended to be too high for the four-factor tests, which likely caused the decreased accuracy of this procedure.
Iterative Purification and Effect Size Use With Logistic Regression for Differential Item Functioning Detection
Authors: French Brian F. , Maller Susan J.
Published: May 2007

Two unresolved implementation issues with logistic regression (LR) for differential item functioning (DIF) detection include ability purification and effect size use. Purification is suggested to control inaccuracies in DIF detection as a result of DIF items in the ability estimate. Additionally, effect size use may be beneficial in controlling Type I error rates. The effectiveness of such controls, especially used in combination, requires evaluation. Detection errors were evaluated through simulation across iterative purification and no purification procedures with and without the use of an effect size criterion. Sample size, DIF magnitude and percentage, and ability differences were manipulated. Purification was beneficial under certain conditions, although overall power and Type I error rates did not substantially improve. The LR statistical test without purification performed as well as other classification criteria and may be the practical choice for many situations. Continued evaluation of the effect size guidelines and purification are discussed.
The Reliability and Validity of Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory Scores in Academically Talented Adolescents
Authors: Worrell Frank C. , Mello Zena R.
Published: May 2007

In this study, the authors examined the reliability, structural validity, and concurrent validity of Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI) scores in a group of 815 academically talented adolescents. Reliability estimates of the purported factors' scores were in the low to moderate range. Exploratory factor analysis supported a five-factor structure similar to the one proposed by Zimbardo and Boyd but also provided support for a six-factor structure that included an additional factor reflecting negative feelings about the future. ZTPI subscale intercorrelations were generally low, and intercorrelations between ZTPI subscale scores and other constructs were low, but in the expected directions. Results are discussed in light of the ZTPI's application to an adolescent-aged population.
Winding Roads to Big Science: Experimental Physics in Argentina and Brazil
Authors: DE Mendoza Diego Hurtado , Vara Ana María
Published: May 2007

As a historiographical category, ‘big science’ was elaborated from the point of view of advanced countries. However, some developing countries decided to invest a significant part of their rather modest science budgets in building many-million-dollar facilities. A comparative approach to the study of the first stages of the Argentine TANDAR heavy ion accelerator and the Brazilian National Laboratory Synchrotron Light (LNLS) projects may help understand specificities in patterns of organisation of big science in peripheral contexts. Oversimplification of the decision-making processes linked to authoritarian political contexts—which allowed to overcome the lack of consensus within the physics community as well as financial uncertainties—seem to have been a necessary condition for TANDAR and LNLS, which differentiated them from big science in developed countries. Additionally, the different ways in which the institutionalisation of the nuclear area took place in Argentina and Brazil seem to have been responsible for the different paths followed by experimental physics between the 1960s and 1980s: nuclear physics in Argentina and particle physics in Brazil.
The Public Perception of Science and Technology in a Periphery Society: A Critical Analysis from a Quantitative Perspective
Authors: Vaccarezza Leonardo Silvio
Published: May 2007

In this article a series of variables referred to the general public's valuations of science and technology are analysed. These valuations refer to different dimensions of science and technology—as a utility of scientific knowledge, their legitimacy, their bond with the cultural matrix of everyday life. The analysis is based on information from a survey carried out in a great urban conglomerate of a little scientific developing country, Argentina. We see that valuation variables discriminate the public according to their positive or negative responses about science, but that there is no evident association between them. We consider one variable in particular dividing the public into those who are ‘trustful’ and those who are ‘cautious’ regarding the advances of science, and we see how it is related to other significations of valuation. The pre-eminence of positions of ambivalence or contradiction in the population's perception regarding this topic is discussed. A factor analysis is presented that comprises these variables and that presents a set of ‘valuation orientations’ towards science as a result. Finally, it is interesting to see how education and the level of understanding of scientific knowledge affect the public's valuation, which questions the basic supposition of the tradition of public understanding studies.
Admittance Function of Active Piezoelectric Elements Bonded on a Curved Cracked Beam
Authors: Kuang You-Di , Li Guo-Qing , Chen Chuan-Yao
Published: May 2007

The electric admittance function of active piezoelectric patches bonded on a circular beam with an open crack is presented, for the purpose of evaluating the health conditions of the cracked beam. A segment of beam covered with piezoelectric actuators is regarded as a piezoelectric sandwich; the motion equation of the sandwich is given by considering its in-plane bending vibration. A 7 × 7 equivalent impedance matrix representing the dynamics of the sandwich is derived, its degenerative form is a 6 × 6 impedance matrix representing the dynamics of the elastic beam. Dividing the whole cracked beam into four segments from the locations of the two ends of the sandwich and the crack location, modeling the open crack as linear spring, and considering the continuum conditions among these segments and the mechanical-electric boundary conditions, the piezoelectric admittance function is lastly obtained by solving these linear impedance equations of the four segments. The modal frequency parameters of the cracked beam system can be extracted from the piezoelectric admittance function. In numerical examples, the effect of the depth and location of the crack on the admittance is examined by analyzing changes in the frequencies of the system. Comparison between the calculated frequency results and the FEM results shows that the piezoelectric admittance function is properly built. The limitation of the present model is also discussed.
Helmets for Skiers and Snowboarders: An Injury Prevention Program
Authors: Levy A. Stewart , Hawkes Allison P. , Rossie George V.
Published: May 2007

The authors' Level I trauma center has advocated the use of ski helmets for several years and in 1998, undertook a social-marketing campaign and a helmet loaner program to increase helmet use among skiers and snowboarders. The loaner program's effect on helmet acceptance was measured by comparing helmet acceptance in participating rental stores with acceptance in nonparticipating stores during 3 years. For the 1998-1999 season, 13.8% of renters in the participating stores accepted a helmet compared to 1.38% in the nonparticipating stores (p < .01); for 2000-2001, 33.5% to 3.93% (p < .01); and for 2001-2002, 30.3% to 4.48% (p < .01). The authors believe that efforts to increase helmet use—by increasing education and public awareness and decreasing barriers, such as through helmet loaner programs or routinely including helmets in rental packages—have significant potential to decrease the incidence and severity of brain injuries from skiing and/or snowboarding accidents in Colorado.