bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
V.—Note on Footprints from the Carboniferous of Nova Scotia, in the Collection of the Geological Survey of Canada
Authors: Dawson J. W.
Published: May 2009

The principal specimens are several large slabs of brownish sandstone, bearing series of footprints in relief. Of the largest and most distinct series 40 to 50 footprints have been preserved, and are arranged in two rows, about inches apart. I may confine my attention in the first place to this series, as the most important of the whole.
IV. Microzoa of the Valley-Deposits of the Nar, Norfolk
Authors: T. R. J.
Published: May 2009

In the GeologicalMagazine, No. VII., Mr. C. B. Rose described the Brick-earth of the Nar Valley. To the list of Fossils which he gave at pp. 11 and 12, we can now add some minute but interesting forms, namely, four Bivalve Entomostraca and three Foraminifera. The former (all new species), determined by Mr. G. S. Brady, of Sunderland, are—
VI.—On a Carboniferous Genus of Echinoderms with Overlapping Plates
Authors: Young John
Published: May 2009

After reading the review of Prof. Wyville Thomson's “Depths of the Sea,” in the May Number of the Geol. Mag., in which, a figure and short description are given of a new living Echinoderm, which Prof. Thomson has named Calveria hystrix, one of whose peculiar features lies in its possessing overlapping plates, it may be interesting to readers of the Magazine to know that besides the other species with overlapping plates noticed in the above-mentioned review, there were Echinoderms having their plates arranged on the same plan as long ago as the Lower Carboniferous Limestone period. Those to which I specially refer belong to the genus Archœocidaris.
III.—Contributions to Carboniferous Palæontology
Authors: Etheridge R.
Published: May 2009

In the July Number of the GeologicalMagazine, I described certain new species of bivalve Mollusca from the Carboniferous series of Scotland. These will now be found on Plate XII., accompanied by three other well-marked forms from the same formation, and which appear to me to be undescribed. In Messrs. Young and Armstrong's Catalogue of the Carboniferous Fossils of the West of Scotland is recorded a new species of Pteronites, under the specific name of P. fluctuosus (Etheridge, MS.), a shell so named by my father, but never yet described. P. fluctuosus is specifically remarkable for its small size, and the absence of ribs on the anterior side.
IV.—The Palæontology of the Post-glacial Drifts of Ireland
Authors: Bell Alfred
Published: May 2009

I had hoped that ere this some one better acquainted than myself with Irish post-Tertiary Geology would have collected into one memoir the details scattered throughout the various scientific journals, thus enabling English geologists to compare the later deposits of Britain with those of the sister-kingdom. Since no one has done so, I venture to put some notes of my own upon the subject before the readers of the GeologicalMagazine, especially as, in some recent discussions upon the Irish drift, “Palæontological succession” has not received the consideration it may fairly claim.
V.—The Brookwood Deep-Well Section
Authors: Irving A.
Published: May 2009

This section, which was completed last year, appears of such value and interest to students of the Tertiary strata of the London Basin, that I have thought it worth while to offer a description of it to the readers of the Geological Magazine. Through the courtesy of Dr. Barton, the Governor of the Asylum, I have had free access to the specimens preserved of the various strata passed through, and very careful use of them has been made in the preparation of the tabulated statement which follows; much of the information having been kindly furnished from the engineers who were employed. The Asylum is situated at Knap Hill, about a mile and a quarter from Brookwood Station on the South-Western Eailway, and is on the Upper Bagshot Sands. The mouth of the well is in the valley just below, about 140 feet above O. D., and about the same level as that at which the Middle Bagshot Beds occur in the famous Goldsworthy section, which furnished Prof. Prestwich, some forty years ago, with the clue to the succession of the beds of the Bagshot Formation. It is about a mile and a half distant therefrom. The evidence as to the horizon in the Bagshot Series, at which the well commences, is very clear to those who are familiar with the stratigraphy. The widely-extended pebble-bed at the base of the Upper Bagshot Sands occurs here very near the top of the well, and I saw it exposed again at about the same level in an excavation made by the side of the high road which runs along the western side of the Asylum Estate. The same greenish loamy sand was intermingled with the pebbles in both cases. In the ploughed field a stiff yellow loam, such as so commonly occurs above this pebble-bed in the Bagshot area, crops out in the valley where the well is situated. The ‘brown sandy bed’ which occurs at the top of the section is probably a portion of this, re-constructed by later drift action, and mingled with more sandy materials washed down from the sandy strata situated at higher levels on the slopes of the valley.
I.—On a new species of Rostellaria from the Gray Chalk, Folkestone
Authors: Woodward Henry
Published: May 2009

There is perhaps no better collecting-ground in England for Lower Cretaceous Fossils than Folkestone, nor any which has been more industriously explored. The last fossil from this locality recorded in our Journal was in 1867 (Geol. Mag., Vol. IV., p. 65, PI. V.), when Prof. Huxley described the remains of a new reptile from the Chalk-marl east of Copt Point, Folkestone, under the name of Acanihopholis horridus. In the same Journal will be found (at p. 67) an interesting notice by Mr. Robert Etheridge, F.E.S., Patæontologist to the Geological Survey of Great Britain, of the stratigraphical position of the Cretaceous series at this locality, from whence Mr. Griffiths, the intelligent collector, obtained these and the many other fossils with which the cabinets of the Rev. Thomas Wiltshire, M.A., F.G.S., Mr. J. Starkie Gardner, F.G.S., and those of so many other private collectors as well as of our public Museums are stored.
II.—On the Method of Formation of the Permian Beds of South Yorkshire
Authors: Green A. H.
Published: May 2009

Professor Ramsay in a recent paper put forward the notion that the Magnesian Limestone and its associated beds of the north-east of England were formed, in part at least, by chemical precipitation in an inland sea. Given such a sea, without outlet, and with streams flowing into it holding in solution the necessary salts (bicarbonate of lime and sulphate of magnesia would answer the purpose), it is clear that by continued evaporation a state of saturation would at length be brought about, and precipitation would take place, and Dr. Sterry Hunt has shown that dolomite and gypsum would be the probable products.
V.—On Changes of Climate during the Glacial Epoch
Authors: Geikie James
Published: May 2009

The older valley-gravels and cave-deposits of England contain, as every geologist knows, a remarkable intermingling of northern and southern forms of animal life. To account for this anomaly various theories have been advanced. There are few who do not admit, to begin with, that species such as the hippopotamus and the musk-sheep could not have lived side by side throughout the year in the same country. The conditions necessary for the support of the one would be fatal to the other. Some writers, therefore, have inferred that the occurrence of the remains of both these creatures in our superficial deposits points to former fluctuations of climate during the accumulation of these beds; while others hold that it only indicates a period of strongly contrasted summers and winters.
I.—On Orithopsis Bonneyi, a new Fossil Crustacean
Authors: Carter James
Published: May 2009

In a paper, “On the Geology of the South Coast of England,” published in the Transactions of the Geological Society, vol. i., 2nd ser., pl. iii., fig. 2, p. 42, Sir H. de la Beche has figured a crustacean from the Greensand of Lyme Regis, to which he has not applied any name, or given any other description than that it is “the back of a singular fossil crab.” The specimen is, imperfect, and not very accurately drawn; but Prof. Bell, in his monograph, published by the Palæontographical Society (1862), expresses his opinion that it is an “unmistakeable figure” of Necrocarcinus tricarinatus.
IV.—On the Microscopic Structure of the Pitchstones and Felsites of Arran
Authors: Allport S.
Published: May 2009

In my last communication. I gave some account of all the varieties of Arran pitchstones then known to me, and referring to other closely allied rocks, intimated an intention of describing them on another occasion.
V.—On the Jurassic Foraminifera of Switzerland: being a Critical Examination of the Species Described and Figured by MM. Zwingli and Kübler
Authors: Jones T. Rupert
Published: May 2009

These Foraminifera were obtained from fifteen zones of the Jurassic strata, between Solothurn, in Switzerland, and the Eichberg, in Baden: three Liassic zones (Black or Lower Jura); six in the Brown or Middle Jura; and six in the White or Upper Jura; beginning with the Turneri-zone of the Lower Lias, and ending with the Pteraspis-zone of Schaffhausen. The Numismalis marl, Amalthei-clay, Murchisonæ-bed, Discoidei-marl, Crenularis-bed, the Coral-limestone, and the Virgulian stage yielded few or no traces of Foraminifera.
I.—On the Origin of the Estuary of the Fleet in Dorsetshire
Authors: Fisher O.
Published: May 2009

Mr. Mansel-Pleydell's Memoir on the Geology of Dorset, contained in the last two Numbers of this Journal (pp. 402 and 438), refers to a theory of the formation of the Fleet proposed by Messrs. Bristow and Whitaker in 1869 (Geol. Mag. Vol. VI. p. 433).
II.—Notes upon the Occurrence of the Post-Pliocene Drift of Charnwood Forest
Authors: Lucy W. C.
Published: May 2009

During the investigations I made on the “Post-Pliocene Gravels of the Severn, Avon, and Evenlode, and their extension over the Cotteswold Hills,” the result of which I embodied in a paper read before the members of the Cotteswold Club in the early part of 1869, and is now published in their “Proceedings,” many of the boulders found by me, on examination by R. Etheridge, Esq., of Jermyn Street, were determined to be syenite and granite from Charnwood.
II.—On some New and Remarkable Echinoderms from the British Palæozoic Rocks
Authors: de Koninck
Published: May 2009

During one of my last visits to England I had the opportunity of visiting a great number of palsæontological collections. Amongst those which afforded me the greatest pleasure, I would specially mention the collections of Mr. Edward Wood, F.G.S., at Richmond, in Yorkshire, and of Mr. John Gray, at Hagley, near Stourbridge.
I.—On the Theory of Seasonal Migrations during the Pleistocene Period
Authors: Geikie James
Published: May 2009

In a paper recently read before the Geological Society, Mr. Dawkins has re-stated his views concerning the climate of the Pleistocene period, and has replied to certain objections to his theory brought forward by myself in former numbers of this Magazine. After carefully reading the paper referred to, I find no reason io alter or modify what I have written upon this question. Mr. Dawkins has unfortunately missed the point of my objections; and my argument, as it seems to me, remains unanswered. But as that gentleman has introduced some new matter into his own argument, I shall endeavour as briefly as may be to review his position.
VI.—The Microscopic Characters of a Silo-carbacid Rock from Ceylon; and their Bearing on the Methylotic Origin of The Laurentian “Limestones.”
Authors: King William
Published: May 2009

The rocks usually called metamorphic may be conveniently divided into two great groups—Silacids and Silo-carbacids, depending on the nature of their respective acid constituent. The first comprises syenites, gneisses, and ordinary crystalline schists— all essentially composed of mineral silicates. The second includes ophites, urkalks, and some others, which, in addition to siliceous minerals, contain more or less mineral carbonates.
I. On a new Genus (Miolophus) of Mammal from the London Clay
Authors: Owen
Published: May 2009

I have been favoured by Mr. G. E. Roberts with the inspection of a fossil from the London Clay of Sheppey, which indicates a genus of mammals distinct from Pliolophus and Hytacotherium, to both of which it is nearly allied. It consists of so much of the upper jaw (Plate X., fig. 1 ) as includes the six sockets of the molar series of each side, with the intervening bony palate and the anterior piers of the zygomatic arches: the upper part of this portion of skull has been crushed and filled up with compact septarian stone. The last, m 3, and penultimate, m 2, molars of both sides, and the last right premolar, p 4, remain in their sockets. In point of size they differ from those teeth in Hyracotherium leporinum in about the same degree as do those of Hyracotherium cuniculus, but exhibit a modification of generic value.
Motion planning and trajectory tracking for three-dimensional Poiseuille flow
Authors: COCHRAN JENNIE , KRSTIC MIROSLAV
Published: May 2009

We present the first solution to a boundary motion planning problem for the Navier–Stokes equations, linearized around the parabolic equilibrium in a three-dimensional channel flow. The pressure and skin friction at one wall are chosen as the reference outputs as they are the most readily measurable ‘wall-restricted’ quantities in experimental fluid dynamics and also because they play a special role as performance metrics in aerodynamics. The reference velocity input is applied at the opposite wall. We find the exact (method independent) solution to the motion planning problem using the PDE (partial differential equation) backstepping theory. The motion planning solution results in open-loop controls, which produce the reference output trajectories only under special initial conditions for the flow velocity field. To achieve convergence to the reference trajectory from other (nearby) initial conditions, we design a feedback controller. We also present a detailed examination of the closed-form solutions for gains and the behaviour of the motion planning solution as the wavenumbers grow or the Reynolds number grows. Numerical results are shown for the motion planning problem.
Modal description of internal optimal streaks
Authors: HIGUERA MARÍA , VEGA JOSÉ M.
Published: May 2009

This paper deals with the definition and description of optimal streaky (S) perturbations in a Blasius boundary layer. First, the asymptotic behaviours of S-perturbations near the free stream and the leading edge are studied to conclude that the former is slaved to the solution inside the boundary layer. Based on these results, a quite precise numerical scheme is constructed that allows concluding that S-perturbations produced inside the boundary layer, near the leading edge, can be defined in terms of just one streamwise-evolving solution of the linearized equations, associated with the first eigenmode of an eigenvalue problem first formulated by Luchini (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 327, 1996, p. 101). Such solution may be seen as an internal unstable streaky mode of the boundary layer, similar to eigenmodes of linearized stability problems. The remaining modes decay streamwise. Thus, the definition of streaks in terms of an optimization problem that is used nowadays is not necessary.
Smyth the anarchist: fin-de-siècle radicalism in The Wreckers
Authors: ROBINSON SUZANNE
Published: May 2009

This essay explores the roots of Ethel Smyth's opera The Wreckers (1903–04), composed to a libretto by H. B. Brewster, in fin-de-siècle debates on the legal and religious regulation of morality. Taking into account Smyth's jaundiced use of Cornish history, the contribution of Brewster's professed individual anarchism and sexual libertarianism, and Smyth's willingness to parody and manipulate musical conventions in order to reinforce radical ideals, it views the work both as a reflection of its authors' engagement with modernism and as a herald of Smyth's subsequent contribution to militant feminism.
Assessing individual dietary intake from common-plate meals: a new tool for an enduring practice
Authors: Abu-Saad Kathleen , Shahar Danit R , Abu-Shareb Heiger , Vardi Hillel , Bilenko Natalya , Fraser Drora
Published: May 2009

Objective

The purposes of the present study were to estimate individual intake from common-plate meals among Bedouin Arabs using a modified 24 h recall questionnaire, and to evaluate reported energy intake (EI) by comparison with estimated energy requirement (EER).

Design

Weighed records were used to develop a method of quantifying intake from common plates. Reported EI and nutrient intakes were obtained from administration of the modified 24 h recall. The relative standard error (RSE) was used to evaluate the reliability of reported nutrient intakes. The FAO/WHO/United Nations University and Oxford equations and reported physical activity levels were used to compute ratios of reported EI to BMR and EER.

Setting

Population centres of traditionally semi-nomadic Bedouin Arabs undergoing sedentarization/urbanization in southern Israel.

Subjects

A convenience sample of 451 adults (aged 19–82 years).

Results

Mean (se) energy intake was 9648 (276) kJ/d (2306 (66) kcal/d) for men and 8230 (172) kJ/d (1967 (41) kcal/d) for women, of which carbohydrates accounted for 63–64 %. The nutrient intakes evaluated had RSE ratios of less than 25 %. EI:EER ratios ranged from 0·86 to 0·89, and from 0·87 to 0·93 among non-dieters who ate the usual amount on the recall day.

Conclusions

The modified 24 h recall produced plausible estimates of energy and nutrient intakes, comparable to those obtained with the 24 h recall in other populations. The modified questionnaire makes an important contribution to facilitating large-scale nutritional surveillance in the Bedouin population, and may serve as a model for modifying dietary instruments to quantify individual intake in other populations that practise common-plate eating.
Development and characterization of Triticum aestivum– Aegilops kotschyi amphiploids with high grain iron and zinc contents
Authors: Rawat Nidhi , Tiwari Vijay K. , Neelam Kumari , Randhawa Gursharn S. , Chhuneja Parveen , Singh Kuldeep , Dhaliwal Harcharan S.
Published: May 2009

Synthetic amphiploids betweenTriticum aestivum(AABBDD) landrace Chinese Spring (PhI) and cultivar WL711 with different accessions ofAegilops kotschyi(UUSlSl) were developed through colchicine treatment of sterile hybrids. TheF1hybrids and amphiploid plants were intermediate between the parents for plant morphology and spike characteristics. Meiotic metaphase chromosome analysis of theF1hybrids (ABDUSl) showed the expected chromosome number (35) and very little but variable homoeologous chromosome pairing. The amphiploids (AABBDDUUSlSl), however, had variable frequency of univalents at meiotic metaphase-I. The SDS–PAGE of high molecular weight glutenin subunits of amphiploids along with the parents showed the presence and expression of all the parental genomes in the amphiploids. The amphiploids with seeds as large as that of wheat cultivars had higher grain, flag leaf and grain ash iron and zinc concentrations than the wheat parents and comparable with those of theirAe. kotschyiparents suggest thatAe. kotschyipossesses a distinctive genetic system for the micronutrient uptake, translocation and sequestration than the wheat cultivars. This could, however, be demonstrated unequivocally only with comprehensive data on biomass, grain yield and harvest index of theAegilopsdonors and the synthetic amphiploids, which is not feasible due to their shattering and hard threshing. The use of amphiploids for the transfer of high iron and zinc concentrations and development of alien addition and substitution lines in wheat is in progress.
Diagnose von Strategiewissen beim Textverstehen
Authors: Artelt Cordula , Beinicke Andrea , Schlagmüller Matthias , Schneider Wolfgang
Published: May 2009

Zusammenfassung. Der vorliegende Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Optimierung und Validierung eines neu konstruierten Maßes deklarativer Metakognition. Gemessen wird das Wissen von Schülerinnen und Schülern über die Nützlichkeit und Adäquatheit von Strategien in Bezug auf konkrete Lese- und Verstehensanforderungen. In Teilstudie I geht es um die Frage der Inhaltsvalidität des Strategie-Wissensindikators. Hierzu wird analysiert, ob die theoretisch abgeleiteten Kriterien für die Diagnose des Strategiewissens beim Textverstehen von Leseexperten aus verschiedenen Ländern als gültig angesehen werden. Insgesamt wurden 68 Expertinnen und Experten aus 46 Ländern befragt. Die Studie verdeutlicht, dass für einen Großteil der Vergleiche einzelner Strategien hohe Übereinstimmung besteht und ein auf Basis hoher Übereinstimmung gebildetes und effizientes, d.h., in fünf Minuten erfassbares, Maß einen validen und hinreichend reliablen Indikator für textverstehensbezogenes Strategiewissen von Fünfzehnjährigen darstellt. In Teilstudie II wird geprüft, ob dieser Wissensindikator erwartungsgemäß hoch mit der Lesekompetenz von Schülerinnen und Schülern korreliert und zudem die erwarteten Unterschiede in Abhängigkeit von Kompetenzniveau (Schulform) und Geschlecht zeigt. Die Ergebnisse einer Stichprobe von 174 Schülerinnen und Schüler neunter Klassen (Hauptschulen und Gymnasien) bestätigen diese Annahmen. Die Ergebnisse werden vor dem Hintergrund der Literatur zur Entwicklung und Messung von Lernstrategien diskutiert.
Kinder psychisch kranker Eltern: Zusammenhänge zwischen subjektiver elterlicher Beeinträchtigung und psychischer Auffälligkeit der Kinder aus Elternsicht
Authors: Wiegand-Grefe Silke , Geers Peggy , Plaß Angela , Petermann Franz , Riedesser Peter
Published: April 2009

Die Kinder psychisch kranker Eltern sind als Hochrisikogruppe für die Entwicklung psychischer Störungen bekannt, wobei die Zahlen betroffener Kinder in verschiedenen Studien schwanken. Bei der Frage, ob die Kinder später selbst erkranken, spielen Risiko- und Schutzfaktoren eine entscheidende Rolle. Im Rahmen einer Elternbefragung wurden psychopathologische Auffälligkeiten von Kindern psychisch kranker Eltern untersucht (n = 62). Kinder psychisch kranker Eltern weisen drei- bis zu siebenfach erhöhte Auffälligkeitsraten gegenüber der Allgemeinbevölkerung auf. Die Auffälligkeiten der Kinder stehen im Zusammenhang mit der subjektiv erlebten elterlichen Beeinträchtigung durch die Erkrankung. Die Ergebnisse geben deutliche Hinweise darauf, dass die Entwicklung geeigneter präventiver Maßnahmen sinnvoll und notwendig erscheint.
Klinische Psychologie und Psychiatrie des Kindes- und Jugendalters – Dialog in Forschung und Veröffentlichungspraxis
Authors: Petermann Franz , Warnke Andreas , Lehmkuhl Gerd
Published: April 2009

Die Beachtung einer wissenschaftlichen Disziplin und ihre nationalen und internationalen Aktivitäten werden entscheidend von ihrer Sichtbarkeit und vielfach von den Impact-Faktoren ihrer führenden Publikationsorgane bestimmt. Hierfür entscheidend sind vor allem die Innovationskraft und die Interdisziplinarität einer Disziplin. Es wird zukünftig für die Klinische Kinderpsychologie eine interdisziplinär orientierte und optimierte Publikationsstrategie empfohlen.
Befunde zum menschlichen Spiegelneuronensystem bei Autismus: Eine kritische Übersicht funktioneller Bildgebungsstudien
Authors: Greimel Ellen , Herpertz-Dahlmann Beate , Konrad Kerstin
Published: April 2009

Es mehren sich Hinweise, dass Menschen über ein Spiegelneuronensystem verfügen, das für das Verständnis von Handlungen, für Imitation und für Empathie von großer Bedeutung sein könnte. Autistische Störungen gehen mit Beeinträchtigungen in der Imitation und Empathie einher. Die Annahme, dass diesen Beeinträchtigungen defizitäre Spiegelneuronenmechanismen zugrunde liegen könnten, hat eine Reihe von Untersuchungen angeregt, die mittels bildgebender Methoden die Funktion des Spiegelneuronensystems bei Personen mit Autismus überprüft haben. Basierend auf Annahmen und Erkenntnissen zu Spiegelneuronenmechanismen bei gesunden Kindern und Erwachsenen werden in der vorliegenden Arbeit die Ergebnisse dieser Studien zusammengefasst und kritisch diskutiert. Zudem werden mögliche klinische Implikationen der Befunde dargestellt.
An agent‐based model for domestic water management in Valladolid metropolitan area
Authors: Galán José M. , López‐Paredes Adolfo , del Olmo Ricardo
Published: May 2009

In this work we demonstrate that the combination of agent‐based modeling and simulation constitutes a useful methodological approach to dealing with the complexity derived from multiple factors with influence in the domestic water management in emergent metropolitan areas. In particular, we adapt and integrate different social submodels, models of urban dynamics, water consumption, and technological and opinion diffusion, in an agent‐based model that is, in turn, linked with a geographic information system. The result is a computational environment that enables simulating and comparing various water demand scenarios. We have parameterized our general model for the metropolitan area of Valladolid (Spain).The model shows the influence of urban dynamics (e.g., intrapopulation movements, residence typology, and changes in the territorial model) and other socio‐geographic effects (technological and opinion dynamics) in domestic water demand. The conclusions drawn in this way would have been difficult to obtain using other approaches, such as conventional forecasting methods, given the need to integrate different socioeconomic and geographic aspects in one single model. We illustrate that the described methodology can complement conventional approaches, providing descriptive and formal additional insights into domestic water demand management problems.
Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice: Development of a Standardized Clinical Protocol
Authors: Kempster Gail B. , Gerratt Bruce R. , Verdolini Abbott Katherine , Barkmeier-Kraemer Julie , Hillman Robert E.
Published: May 2009

Purpose

This article presents the development of the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) following a consensus conference on perceptual voice quality measurement sponsored by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Special Interest Division 3, Voice and Voice Disorders. The CAPE-V protocol and recording form were designed to promote a standardized approach to evaluating and documenting auditory-perceptual judgments of vocal quality.

Method

A summary of the consensus conference proceedings and the factors considered by the authors in developing this instrument are included.

Conclusion

The CAPE-V form and instructions, included as appendices to this article, enable clinicians to document perceived voice quality deviations following a standard (i.e., consistent and specified) protocol.
Anthropogenic osmium in rain and snow reveals global-scale atmospheric contamination
Authors: Chen Cynthia , Sedwick Peter N. , Sharma Mukul
Published: April 2009

Osmium is one of the rarer elements in seawater, with typical concentration of ≈10 × 10−15g g−1(5.3 × 10−14mol kg−1). The osmium isotope composition (187Os/188Os ratio) of deep oceans is 1.05, reflecting a balance between inputs from continental crust (≈1.3) and mantle/cosmic dust (≈0.13). Here, we show that the187Os/188Os ratios measured in rain and snow collected around the world range from 0.16 to 0.48, much lower than expected (>1), but similar to the isotope composition of ores (≈0.2) that are processed to extract platinum and other metals to be used primarily in automobile catalytic converters. Present-day surface seawater has a lower187Os/188Os ratio (≈0.95) than deep waters, suggesting that human activities have altered the isotope composition of the world's oceans and impacted the global geochemical cycle of osmium. The contamination of the surface ocean is particularly remarkable given that osmium has few industrial uses. The pollution may increase with growing demand for platinum-based catalysts.
Prostaglandin F2αelevates blood pressure and promotes atherosclerosis
Authors: Yu Ying , Lucitt Margaret B. , Stubbe Jane , Cheng Yan , Friis Ulla G. , Hansen Pernille B. , Jensen Boye L. , Smyth Emer M. , FitzGerald Garret A.
Published: April 2009

Little is known about prostaglandin F2αin cardiovascular homeostasis. Prostaglandin F2αdose-dependently elevates blood pressure in WT mice via activation of the F prostanoid (FP) receptor. The FP is expressed in preglomerular arterioles, renal collecting ducts, and the hypothalamus. Deletion of the FP reduces blood pressure, coincident with a reduction in plasma renin concentration, angiotensin, and aldosterone, despite a compensatory up-regulation of AT1 receptors and an augmented hypertensive response to infused angiotensin II. Plasma and urinary osmolality are decreased in FP KOs that exhibit mild polyuria and polydipsia. Atherogenesis is retarded by deletion of the FP, despite the absence of detectable receptor expression in aorta or in atherosclerotic lesions in Ldlr KOs. Although vascular TNFα, inducible nitric oxide enzyme and TGFβare reduced and lesional macrophages are depleted in the FP/Ldlr double KOs, this result reflects the reduction in lesion burden, as the FP is not expressed on macrophages and its deletion does not alter macrophage cytokine generation. Blockade of the FP offers an approach to the treatment of hypertension and its attendant systemic vascular disease.
PKR
, a
p53
target gene, plays a crucial role in the tumor-suppressor function of
p53
Authors: Yoon Cheol-Hee , Lee Eun-Soo , Lim Dae-Seog , Bae Yong-Soo
Published: April 2009

Type I IFN-induced expression of dsRNA-activated protein kinase (
PKR
) during viral infection is a well-established antiviral mechanism. However, little is known about the expression of
PKR
in the context of
p53
and about
PKR
involvement in p53-mediated tumor suppression. Here, we report that
PKR
is a
p53
target gene and plays an important role in the tumor-suppressor function of
p53
. Activation of
p53
by genotoxic stress induces a significant level of
PKR
expression by acting on the newly identified
cis
-acting element (ISRE), which is separated from the IFN-stimulated responsive element on the
PKR
promoter, resulting in translational inhibition and cell apoptosis. The genotoxin-mediated inhibition of translation is associated with the
p53/PKR/elF2a
(eukaryotic initiation factor-2α) pathway. To some extent,
p53
activation induced by DNA damage facilitates cell apoptosis by activating
PKR. PKR
-knockdown human colon cancer cells grew rapidly in nude mice and proved resistant to anti-cancer drugs. These data indicate that
p53
-mediated tumor suppression can be attributed at least in part to the biological functions of
PKR
induced by
p53
in genotoxic conditions.
Cognitive skills affect economic preferences, strategic behavior, and job attachment
Authors: Burks Stephen V. , Carpenter Jeffrey P. , Goette Lorenz , Rustichini Aldo
Published: April 2009

Economic analysis has so far said little about how an individual's cognitive skills (CS) are related to the individual's economic preferences in different choice domains, such as risk taking or saving, and how preferences in different domains are related to each other. Using a sample of 1,000 trainee truckers we report three findings. First, there is a strong and significant relationship between an individual's CS and preferences. Individuals with better CS are more patient, in both short- and long-run. Better CS are also associated with a greater willingness to take calculated risks. Second, CS predict social awareness and choices in a sequential Prisoner's Dilemma game. Subjects with better CS more accurately forecast others' behavior and differentiate their behavior as a second mover more strongly depending on the first-mover's choice. Third, CS, and in particular, the ability to plan, strongly predict perseverance on the job in a setting with a substantial financial penalty for early exit. Consistent with CS being a common factor in all of these preferences and behaviors, we find a strong pattern of correlation among them. These results, taken together with the theoretical explanation we offer for the relationships we find, suggest that higher CS systematically affect preferences and choices in ways that favor economic success.
The controversial “Cambrian” fossils of the Vindhyan are real but more than a billion years older
Authors: Bengtson Stefan , Belivanova Veneta , Rasmussen Birger , Whitehouse Martin
Published: April 2009

The age of the Vindhyan sedimentary basin in central India is controversial, because geochronology indicating early Proterozoic ages clashes with reports of Cambrian fossils. We present here an integrated paleontologic–geochronologic investigation to resolve this conundrum. New sampling of Lower Vindhyan phosphoritic stromatolitic dolomites from the northern flank of the Vindhyans confirms the presence of fossils most closely resembling those found elsewhere in Cambrian deposits: annulated tubes, embryo-like globules with polygonal surface pattern, and filamentous and coccoidal microbial fabrics similar toGirvanellaandRenalcis. None of the fossils, however, can be ascribed to uniquely Cambrian or Ediacaran taxa. Indeed, the embryo-like globules are not interpreted as fossils at all but as former gas bubbles trapped in mucus-rich cyanobacterial mats. Direct dating of the same fossiliferous phosphorite yielded a Pb–Pb isochron of 1,650 ± 89 (2σ) million years ago, confirming the Paleoproterozoic age of the fossils. New U–Pb geochronology of zircons from tuffaceous mudrocks in the Lower Vindhyan Porcellanite Formation on the southern flank of the Vindhyans give comparable ages. The Vindhyan phosphorites provide a window of 3-dimensionally preserved Paleoproterozoic fossils resembling filamentous and coccoidal cyanobacteria and filamentous eukaryotic algae, as well as problematic forms. Like Neoproterozoic phosphorites a billion years later, the Vindhyan deposits offer important new insights into the nature and diversity of life, and in particular, the early evolution of multicellular eukaryotes.
Mechanism of sequence-specific pausing of bacterial RNA polymerase
Authors: Kireeva Maria L. , Kashlev Mikhail
Published: April 2009

Sequence-specific pausing of multisubunit RNA polymerases (RNAPs) represents a rate-limiting step during transcription elongation. Pausing occurs on average every 100 bases of DNA. Several models have been proposed to explain pausing, including backtracking of the ternary elongation complex, delay of translocation of the enzyme along DNA, or a conformational change in the active site preventing formation of the phosphodiester bond. Here, we performed biochemical characterization of previously-reported pauses of
Escherichia coli
RNAP and found that they are not associated with backtracking or a translocation delay. Instead, the paused complex contains the 3′ end of the transcript in the active center and is capable of binding the next cognate NTP. However, bond formation occurs much slower in the paused complex compared with its fully-active counterpart. The pausing is dramatically decreased by a substitution of the base encoding the next incoming NTP and the base encoding the 3′ end of the nascent RNA, suggesting that (mis)-alignment of the 3′ end of the RNA and the incoming NTP in the active site is crucial for pausing. These pause sites are conserved between
E. coli
and
Thermus thermophilus
RNAPs, but are not recognized by
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
RNAP II, indicating that prokaryotic RNAPs might be more sensitive to the changes in the alignment of the nascent transcript and the substrate NTP in the active site.
Structure and function of primase RepB′ encoded by broad-host-range plasmid RSF1010 that replicates exclusively in leading-strand mode
Authors: Geibel Sebastian , Banchenko Sofia , Engel Michael , Lanka Erich , Saenger Wolfram
Published: April 2009

For the initiation of DNA replication, dsDNA is unwound by helicases. Primases then recognize specific sequences on the template DNA strands and synthesize complementary oligonucleotide primers that are elongated by DNA polymerases in leading- and lagging-strand mode. The bacterial plasmid RSF1010 provides a model for the initiation of DNA replication, because it encodes the smallest known primase RepB′ (35.9 kDa), features only 1 single-stranded primase initiation site on each strand (
ssiA
and
ssiB
, each 40 nt long with 5′- and 3′-terminal 6 and 13 single-stranded nucleotides, respectively, and nucleotides 7–27 forming a hairpin), and is replicated exclusively in leading strand mode. We present the crystal structure of full-length dumbbell-shaped RepB′ consisting of an N-terminal catalytic domain separated by a long α-helix and tether from the C-terminal helix-bundle domain and the structure of the catalytic domain in a specific complex with the 6 5′-terminal single-stranded nucleotides and the C7–G27 base pair of
ssiA
, its single-stranded 3′-terminus being deleted. The catalytic domains of RepB′ and the archaeal/eukaryotic family of Pri-type primases share a common fold with conserved catalytic amino acids, but RepB′ lacks the zinc-binding motif typical of the Pri-type primases. According to complementation studies the catalytic domain shows primase activity only in the presence of the helix-bundle domain. Primases that are highly homologous to RepB′ are encoded by broad-host-range IncQ and IncQ-like plasmids that share primase initiation sites
ssiA
and
ssiB
and high sequence identity with RSF1010.
Haplotype structure strongly affects recombination in a maize genetic interval polymorphic for
Helitron
and retrotransposon insertions
Authors: He Limei , Dooner Hugo K.
Published: April 2009

We have asked here how the remarkable variation in maize haplotype structure affects recombination. We compared recombination across a genetic interval of
9S
in 2 highly dissimilar heterozygotes that shared 1 parent. The genetic interval in the common haplotype is ≈100 kb long and contains 6 genes interspersed with gene-fragment-bearing
Helitrons
and retrotransposons that, together, comprise 70% of its length. In one heterozygote, most intergenic insertions are homozygous, although polymorphic, enabling us to determine whether any recombination junctions fall within them. In the other, most intergenic insertions are hemizygous and, thus, incapable of homologous recombination. Our analysis of the frequency and distribution of recombination in the interval revealed that: (
i
) Most junctions were circumscribed to the gene space, where they showed a highly nonuniform distribution. In both heterozygotes, more than half of the junctions fell in the
stc1
gene, making it a clear recombination hotspot in the region. However, the genetic size of
stc1
was 2-fold lower when flanked by a hemizygous 25-kb retrotransposon cluster. (
ii
) No junctions fell in the
hypro1
gene in either heterozygote, making it a genic recombination coldspot. (
iii
) No recombination occurred within the gene fragments borne on
Helitrons
nor within retrotransposons, so neither insertion class contributes to the interval's genetic length. (
iv
) Unexpectedly, several junctions fell in an intergenic region not shared by all 3 haplotypes. (
v
) In general, the ability of a sequence to recombine correlated inversely with its methylation status. Our results show that haplotypic structural variability strongly affects the frequency and distribution of recombination events in maize.
Plasma vasopressin, oxytocin, estradiol, and progesterone related to water and sodium excretion in normal pregnancy and gestational hypertension
Authors: RISBERG ANITHA , OLSSON KERSTIN , LYRENÄS SVEN , SJÖQUIST MATS
Published: May 2009

Objective. To investigate associations between plasma oxytocin and vasopressin concentrations and renal water and sodium excretion during normal pregnancy in comparison with gestational hypertension. Design. A prospective open trial conducted in the 12th, 24th, and 36th weeks of gestation. Settings. Seven antenatal clinics in Sweden. Participants. Thirty‐seven normotensive women, 15 women with gestational hypertension, and five women with mild preeclampsia. Main outcome measures. Hormones were analyzed with radioimmunoassay. Albumin, osmolality, sodium, and urea were analyzed by routine methods. Results. Blood pressure was elevated in the hypertensive women and body mass index in mild preeclampsia from week 12. Renal sodium excretion did not differ between groups or weeks and mean renal free water clearance was negative. In normotensive women, the vasopressin concentration was 1.1±0.2 (week 12) and 0.7±0.1 pmol/L (week 36: p = 0.053). In hypertensive women, vasopressin concentration was 1.7±1.0 pmol/L, week 12, and 0.7±0.1 pmol/L in week 36 (ns). In normotensive women, oxytocin concentration increased from 23±1 pmol/L in week 12 to 48±3 pmol/L in week 36 (p<0.001). Corresponding values in hypertensive women were 36±11 (week 12) and 55±5 pmol/L (week 36: ns). In all groups, plasma estradiol concentration increased. Plasma progesterone increased until week 24 in normotensive and hypertensive women with further increase in normotensive women. Conclusions. The low plasma vasopressin and increasing plasma oxytocin concentrations with unchanged water and sodium excretion indicate that oxytocin assists vasopressin in concentrating urine during pregnancy.
Finite-key analysis for practical implementations of quantum key distribution
Authors: Cai Raymond Y Q , Scarani Valerio
Published: May 2009

The lists of bits processed in quantum key distribution are necessarily of finite length. The need for finite-key unconditional security bounds was recognized long ago, but the theoretical tools have become available only very recently. We provide finite-key unconditional security bounds for two practical implementations of the Bennett–Brassard 1984 coding: prepare-and-measure implementations without decoy states and entanglement-based implementations. A finite-key bound for prepare-and-measure implementations with decoy states is also derived under a simplified treatment of the statistical fluctuations. The presentation is tailored to allow direct application of the bounds in experiments. Finally, the bounds are also evaluated ona priorireasonable expected values of the observed parameters.
The Neuroprotective Effect of Methanol Extract of Gagamjungjihwan and Fructus Euodiae on Ischemia‐Induced Neuronal and Cognitive Impairment in the Rat
Authors: Lee Bombi , Choi Eu-Jung , Lee Eun-Jung , Han Seung-Moo , Hahm Dae-Hyun , Lee Hye-Jung , Shim Insop
Published: April 2009

Gagamjungjihwan (GJ), a decoction consisting of five herbs including ginseng, Acori Graminei Rhizoma, Uncariae Ramulus et Uncus, Polygalae Radic and Frustus Euodiae (FE), has been widely used as herbal treatment for ischemia. In order to investigate the neuroprotective action of this novel prescription, we examined the influence of GJ and FE on learning and memory using the Morris water maze and studied their affects on the central cholinergic system in the hippocampus with neuronal and cognitive impairment. After middle cerebral artery occlusion was applied for 2 h, rats were administered GJ (200 mg kg−1, p.o.) or FE (200 mg kg−1, p.o.) daily for 2 weeks, followed by training and performance of the Morris water maze tasks. Rats with ischemic insults showed impaired learning and memory of the tasks. Pre‐treatment with GJ and FE produced improvement in the escape latency to find the platform. Pre‐treatments with GJ and FE also reduced the loss of cholinergic immunoreactivity in the hippocampus. The results demonstrated that GJ and FE have a protective effect against ischemia‐induced neuronal and cognitive impairment. Our results suggest that GJ and FE might be useful in the treatment of vascular dementia.
Stimulation of the lateral geniculate, superior colliculus, or visual cortex is sufficient for eyeblink conditioning in rats
Authors: Halverson Hunter E. , Hubbard Erin M. , Freeman John H.
Published: April 2009

The role of the cerebellum in eyeblink conditioning is well established. Less work has been done to identify the necessary conditioned stimulus (CS) pathways that project sensory information to the cerebellum. A possible visual CS pathway has been hypothesized that consists of parallel inputs to the pontine nuclei from the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), superior colliculus (SC), pretectal nuclei, and visual cortex (VCTX) as reported by Koutalidis and colleagues in an earlier paper. The following experiments examined whether electrical stimulation of neural structures in the putative visual CS pathway can serve as a sufficient CS for eyeblink conditioning in rats. Unilateral stimulation of the ventral LGN (Experiment 1), SC (Experiment 2), or VCTX (Experiment 3) was used as a CS paired with a periorbital shock unconditioned stimulus. Stimulation was delivered to the hemisphere contralateral to the conditioned eye. Rats in all experiments were given five 100-trial sessions of paired or unpaired eyeblink conditioning with the stimulation CS followed by three paired sessions with a light CS. Stimulation of each visual area when paired with the unconditioned stimulus supported acquisition of eyeblink conditioned responses (CRs) and substantial savings when switched to a light CS. The results provide evidence for a unilateral parallel visual CS pathway for eyeblink conditioning that includes the LGN, SC, and VCTX inputs to the pontine nuclei.
Culture and Propagation of Laboratory Populations of the African Butterfly Bicyclus anynana
Authors: Brakefield Paul M. , Beldade Patrícia , Zwaan Bas J.
Published: May 2009

INTRODUCTION

This protocol describes methods required for the culture of the African butterfly Bicyclus anynana. The larvae are typically fed and maintained on pot-grown maize plants (Zea mays) that are ~50 cm high. Males and females can be separated as pupae or adults. Adults are fed on moist banana and will readily mate in the laboratory. Females lay eggs on available grass plants. We use a standard temperature of 27°C (because an approximate rule is that developmental time is twice as long at 20°C), a high relative humidity of ~60%-70% (the exact level is not critical), and a 12:12 photoperiod similar to the climate experienced in the wet season near the equator. Both larval and pupal molts are gated by photoperiod and can be readily timed (e.g., by use of time-exposure filming). To set up cohorts of standard developmental stages, an appropriate timing for this photoperiod is chosen: Pupation usually occurs shortly after lights out, and larval molts also occur during the night. At ~27°C, egg development takes 4 d, and the total generation time is 5-6 wk, yielding about eight generations a year in selection experiments.
Surgical Manipulations on Pupal Wings from the African Butterfly Bicyclus anynana: Grafts
Authors: Brakefield Paul M. , Beldade Patrícia , Zwaan Bas J.
Published: May 2009

INTRODUCTION

This protocol describes a procedure for transplanting tissue of the eyespot organizer in early pupae of the African butterfly Bicyclus anynana. In very young pupae, before apolysis, the pupal wing case is attached to the sheet of cells that will form the dorsal surface of the adult forewing. Therefore, if a piece of pupal cuticle is removed and transplanted to a novel site on the developing wing (where a corresponding patch has been removed), the underlying cells of the dorsal forewing are transferred together with it. The pattern determination effects of the transplanted wing tissue on the surrounding cells can be examined by comparing the experimental and control wings of the adult butterfly. Square grafts can be turned 180° (or 90°) before implantation to distinguish donor and host tissue, because the orientation of the scale cells is determined before grafting.
Immunohistochemistry Staining of Embryos from the African Butterfly Bicyclus anynana
Authors: Brakefield Paul M. , Beldade Patrícia , Zwaan Bas J.
Published: May 2009

INTRODUCTION

This protocol describes an immunohistochemical method for the detection of proteins in developing embryos of the African butterfly Bicyclus anynana. The embryos are stained with a primary antibody against a protein of interest, followed by a fluorescently labeled secondary antibody.