bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exorcizing the Past: The Slave Narrative as Historical Fantasy
Authors: Wood Sarah
Published: March 2007

Octavia Butler's 1979 novel Kindred is a hybrid text: part historical novel, part science fiction/fantasy and part slave narrative. The story transports a contemporary black heroine into 19th–century Maryland in order to explore, recreate and connect with African American narratives of identity. Providing two narrative strands, one in 19th–century Maryland and the other in 20th–century California, the text is able to juxtapose the realities of slavery with its legacy. Conflating these time–periods, Kindred aims to interrogate the marginalization of African American history, but specifically the role black women played in that history, in America's bicentennial year. While Butler adapts what has been regarded as the quintessential African American literary mode of the slave narrative, her fiction consciously draws upon a literary heritage that foregrounds narratives written by black women. Consequently, Kindred highlights the issues and concerns that directly affect the construction of black femininity and its role in the community of slaves as well as examining the historical pressure brought to bear on the configuration of contemporary African American womanhood. In doing so, Butler's fiction articulates the right of black women to intervene in their own construction and to inscribe the existence of black women in stories of originary identity. What this article seeks to explore is how Butler's fiction develops and extends the traditional slave narrative, how this is utilized in order to interrogate the ‘realities’ of both slavery and contemporary US society, and how effective the text is in challenging stereotypical representation of white and black femininity.
Interview with Sarah Waters (CWWN conference, University of Wales, Bangor, 22nd April 2006)
Authors: Armitt Lucie
Published: March 2007

Sarah Waters was born in Pembrokeshire in South Wales in 1966. She is the author of four novels, Tipping the Velvet (1998), Affinity (1999), Fingersmith (2003) and The Night Watch (2006). Among her many awards and nominations one can include the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year (2000), Author of the Year at the British Book Awards (2003), and the South Bank Award for Literature (2003). Most recently, The Night Watch has been short–listed for the Orange Prize. It was my great pleasure to have the opportunity to interview her at the inaugural conference of the Contemporary Women's Writing Network (CWWN), ‘For Love or Money? Contemporary Women's Writing in the Marketplace’, which was held at the University of Wales, Bangor, in April 2006.
Jahn-Teller and related effects in the silver trimer. II: Vibrational analysis of the ÃE″2-X̃E′2 electronic transition
Authors: Sioutis Ilias , Stakhursky Vadim L. , Pitzer Russell M. , Miller Terry A.
Published: March 2007

The laser-excited, jet-cooled ÃE″2-X̃E′2 electronic spectrum of the silver trimer yields detailed information about its Ã- and X̃-state vibronic structure. Following extensive parameter fitting, the absorption and emission spectra are simulated and the bands are assigned. The Jahn-Teller analysis includes both linear and quadratic coupling terms, considered simultaneously with spin-orbit coupling. The spin-orbit splitting is shown to be largely quenched in both the Ã and X̃ electronic states. The Jahn-Teller analysis of the Ã and X̃ vibronic structures reveals the distortion of their corresponding potential energy surfaces.
Building transition probabilities for any condition using reduced cumulative energy transfer functions in H2O–H2O collisions
Authors: Bustos-Marún Raúl A. , Coronado Eduardo A. , Ferrero Juan C.
Published: March 2007

The energy transfer process between highly vibrationally excited H2O in thermal equilibrium with a gas bath of H2O at different internal energies and temperatures has been studied by classical trajectory calculations. The results were analyzed using a cumulative probability distribution Q(ΔE) of the amount of energy transferred, obtained by direct count of the number of trajectories that transfer an amount of energy equal to or greater than a certain value ΔE. Scaling Q(ΔE) in terms of the mean down and up energies transferred for each group of trajectories results in a unique distribution. This fact and the use of detailed balance constrains were used to propose a methodology that make it possible to build the whole P(E′,E) for any condition by knowing ⟨ΔE⟩ and a series of parameters that depend only on the system under study.
Inhomogeneity effects on the structure and dynamics of water at the surface of a membrane: A computer simulation study
Authors: Garberoglio G. , Sega M. , Vallauri R.
Published: March 2007

The authors report the structural and dynamical properties of water interacting with the surface of a lipid bilayer. Three regions have been identified, which show different dynamical regimes of water: a region of strong water-solute interaction, a transition region, and the bulk water region. The dynamics of the strong-interacting water is dominated by caging effects, as shown by the analysis of the self-intermediate scattering function, and by the disrupture of water’s hydrogen bond network, while the smooth transition to bulk water is traced back to the roughness of the bilayer surface.
Effect of nitrogen content in HfxTayN metal gate on work function and thermal stability of advanced metal-oxide-semiconductor devices
Authors: Tsai Ping-Hung , Chang-Liao Kuei-Shu , Wang Tzu-Cheng , Wang Tien-Ko , Tsai Chuen-Horng , Cheng Chin-Lung
Published: March 2007

The effects of nitrogen composition in HfxTayN metal-gate electrodes and postmetal annealing (PMA) treatment on the electrical properties of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices were investigated in this work. The work function of HfxTayN gate electrodes can be adjusted by incorporating various nitrogen contents. It is found that the HfxTayN metal gate with higher nitrogen content can achieve better electrical characteristics in terms of leakage current and reliability while with only a slight increase in equivalent-oxide-thickness value. The face that only slight variation on electrical characteristics of MOS device with HfxTayN gate electrodes is observed after various PMA temperatures designates the excellent thermal stability of HfxTayN gate electrodes. The present study indicates that HfxTayN is a promising metal-gate-electrode material for advanced MOS devices.
Annealing kinetics of nanoindentation-induced polycrystalline high pressure phases in crystalline silicon
Authors: Ruffell S. , Bradby J. E. , Williams J. S.
Published: March 2007

Transformation kinetics of nanoindented zones in silicon containing high pressure crystalline phases (Si III and Si XII) during annealing (100°C<T<450°C) have been studied using Raman microspectroscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. Signature peaks associated with Si III/XII in the Raman spectra were monitored to track the annealing of these phases to polycrystalline Si I as a function of annealing time and temperature. An overall activation energy for this transformation was found to be 0.67eV. During annealing, Si XII disappeared faster than Si III, suggesting either that Si XII first converts to Si III or that Si XII transforms to polycrystalline Si I faster than Si III.
Er:Yb-doped oxyfluoride silicate glass waveguide amplifier fabricated using femtosecond laser inscription
Authors: Psaila N. D. , Thomson R. R. , Bookey H. T. , Kar A. K. , Chiodo N. , Osellame R. , Cerullo G. , Jha A. , Shen S.
Published: March 2007

The authors report net gain from a channel waveguide fabricated in an Er:Yb-doped oxyfluoride silicate glass substrate using femtosecond laser waveguide inscription. To fabricate waveguides exhibiting low propagation and coupling losses, they used the recently demonstrated multiscan technique that allows the waveguide cross section and refractive index contrast to be controlled independently of each other. By doing so, the best waveguide exhibited a total background insertion loss, excluding absorption, of only 1.2dB at 1537nm. As a result, a fiber-fiber net gain of 0.72dB at 1537nm was measured for a 10mm long waveguide.
Band gap and Schottky barrier heights of multiferroic BiFeO3
Authors: Clark S. J. , Robertson J.
Published: March 2007

Bi Fe O 3 is an interesting multiferroic oxide and a potentially important Pb-free ferroelectric. However, its applications can be limited by large leakage currents. Its band gap is calculated by the density-functional based screened exchange method to be 2.8eV, similar to experiment. The Schottky barrier height on Pt or SrRuO3 is calculated in the metal induced gap state model to be over 0.9eV. Thus, its leakage is not intrinsic.
Stuck at the Front Door: Gender, Fear of Crime and the Challenge of Creating Safer Space
Authors: Whitzman Carolyn
Published: March 2007

This paper is in respectful challenge to two streams in urban social geography and planning literatures: the question of how gendered geographies of fear help constitute identities spatially, and the related question of how gendered urban space can be made and remade to be more egalitarian. I argue that the first of these bodies of literature is often trapped in an unhelpful public–private divide, which reflects the inability of mainstream crime prevention to include violence committed within families and households as a central focus of concern. I further argue that the question of how urban space can become more egalitarian needs to be concerned with violence and fear in the private realm as well as the public realm. Although the paper is primarily a review of recent academic and policy-oriented literature, my arguments are illustrated by a research project on how grassroots organizations serving new-arrival women in the outer suburbs of Melbourne and Toronto, as well as their funders, are redefining violence and safer space.
Neurotrophin‐3, but not nerve growth factor, promotes survival of human intestinal mast cells
Authors: Lorentz A. , Hoppe J. , Worthmann H. , Gebhardt T. , Hesse U. , Bienenstock J. , Bischoff S. C.
Published: March 2007

Abstract  Neurotrophins are potent regulators of neuronal cell survival and function. Nerve growth factor (NGF) was shown to reduce apoptosis in cord blood‐derived mast cells. Here, we examined the effect of the neurotrophins NGF and neurotrophin (NT)‐3 on survival and mediator release of human intestinal mast cells. Mast cells isolated from normal intestinal tissue were cultured in the presence of NGF, NT‐3, or stem cell factor (SCF) alone or in the presence of SCF together with each neurotrophin. NGF or NT‐3 alone did not promote mast cell survival. In contrast, mast cell recovery was increased twofold when mast cells were cultured with NT‐3 in addition to SCF for 14 days compared with control. Mast cell recovery was further increased following a combined addition of NT‐3, SCF and IL‐4. NT‐3 mediated mast cell growth was dependent on the primary receptor for NT‐3 TrkC. NGF in combination with SCF or with SCF and IL‐4 showed no effect on mast cell survival. Histamine release and histamine content per mast cell remained unchanged, whereas leukotriene C4 release decreased if mast cells were cultured with NGF or NT‐3 in addition to SCF. In summary, NT‐3 affects mature human mast cells by promoting mast cell survival, whereas NGF does not.
Mechanically evoked 5‐hydroxytryptamine release is mediated by caveolin‐associated cholesterol rich membrane domains
Authors: Kim M. , Christofi F. L. , Xue J. , Robinson J. M. , Cooke H. J.
Published: March 2007

Abstract  5‐Hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) from enterochromaffin cells activates neural reflexes that govern intestinal motility and secretion. Mechanical stimulation of human enterochromaffin cell‐derived BON cells activates a Gαq‐signalling pathway coupled to 5‐HT release. Molecular mechanisms identifying elements of mechanosensory transduction are unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the role of caveolin and caveolin‐associated cholesterol rich microdomains in mechanically stimulated 5‐HT release from BON cells. Caveolin‐1 transcripts and immunofluorescence were found in BON cells. In the static state, caveolins‐1 and ‐2 co‐precipitated with Gαq in cholesterol rich cell fractions, but not with Gαs, Gαi/o and Gβ. Mechanical stimulation transiently uncoupled Gαq from caveolin‐1 and increased 5‐HT release. Disassembly of caveolin‐associated membrane microdomains by filipin or by cholesterol depletion with methyl‐β‐cyclodextrin decreased mechanically evoked 5‐HT release. These results suggest that caveolin and caveolin‐associated cholesterol rich membrane microdomains are key regulators in mechanically evoked 5‐HT release from enterochromaffin cells.
Treatment with anti‐TNFα does not induce reactivation of latent Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium infection in C3H/HeN mice
Authors: Van Diepen A. , Martina C. A. E. , Flierman R. , Janssen R. , Van Dissel J. T.
Published: March 2007

Therapy with tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNFα)‐blocking agents is successful in treating inflammatory disorders, but carries an increased risk of manifest and reactivating infection with intracellular bacteria. In a mouse model of latent Salmonella typhimurium infection, neutralization of TNFα did not result in reactivation of infection, suggesting only a minor role for TNFα during latency of persistent Salmonella infection.
Life satisfaction in older people
Authors: Kudo Hisashi , Izumo Yuji , Kodama Hiroko , Watanabe Makoto , Hatakeyama Reiko , Fukuoka Yumiko , Kudo Hideaki , Yaegashi Yukoh , Sasaki Hidetada
Published: March 2007

Objective:  Factors influencing life satisfaction were studied in a cohort study.

Methods:  Life satisfaction was measured using the Philadelphia Geriatric Center (PGC) morale scale. Two thousand one hundred and fifty‐one older people, approximately 99% of all older people (2165 subjects) in a rural town, Tashiro, Akita prefecture responded to the questionnaire and, after eliminating 455 for incomplete answers, 1710 subjects (79% of all older people) were entered into the present study. Approximately 10% were self‐care dependent older people.

Results:  Female self‐care independent older people showed lower morale scores than men. Morale scores in self‐care independent older people decreased with age in both women and men. Morale scores of self‐care independent men were higher when they were healthy, had an occupation and took part in social activities in the community; morale scores of self‐care independent women were higher when they were healthy and had hobbies. Family composition, self‐care dependency, income and habits for health promotion were also factors of morale scores, while education was not.

Conclusions:  Healthy older persons with some gender specific lifestyles had the higher morale scores. With advanced age, lifestyles do not determine the morale scores.
Change in the Concentration of Employment in Computer Services: Spatial Estimation at the U.S. Metro County Level
Authors: GRIMES DONALD , PRIME PENELOPE B. , WALKER MARY BETH
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACT  This article models the concentration of computer services activity across the U.S. with factors that incorporate spatial relationships. Specifically, we enhance the standard home‐area study with an analysis that allows conditions in neighboring counties to affect the concentration of employment in the home county. We use county‐level data for metropolitan areas between 1990 and 1997. To measure change in employment concentration, we use the change in location quotients for SIC 737, which captures employment concentration changes caused by both the number of firms and the scale of their activity relative to the national average. After controlling for local demand for computer services, our results support the importance of the presence of a qualified labor supply, interindustry linkages, proximity to a major airport, and spatial processes in explaining changes in computer services employment concentration, finding little support for the influence of cost factors. Our enhanced model reveals interjurisdictional relationships among these metro counties that could not be captured with standard estimates by state, metropolitan statistical area (MSA), or county. Using counties within MSAs, therefore, provides more general results than case studies but still allows measurement of local interactions.
Characterization of eight polymorphic microsatellite markers in the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois)
Authors: PERERA O. P. , SNODGRASS G. L. , SCHEFFLER B. E. , GORE J. , ABEL C. A.
Published: March 2007

A partial genomic library of the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris, enriched for microsatellite sequences was screened to identify marker loci. Eight polymorphic loci suitable for population genetic studies were identified by screening 192 field‐collected insects. The observed number of alleles ranged from four to 21 with an average of 12.25 (SE ± 1.94) while the effective number of alleles ranged from 1.23 to 11.05 with an average of 4.49 (SE ± 1.15). No linkage disequilibria or significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg expectations were detected at any of the loci. Seven of the eight L. lineolaris microsatellite loci were transferable to Lygus hesperus.
Isolation and characterization of 150 novel microsatellite markers for Zhikong scallop (Chlamys farreri)
Authors: ZHAN AIBIN , BAO ZHENMIN , HU XIAOLI , HUI MIN , WANG MINGLING , PENG WEI , ZHAO HAIBO , HU JINGJIE
Published: March 2007

We isolated and characterized 150 novel microsatellite markers of Zhikong scallop (Chlamys farreri) from three simple sequence repeat‐enriched libraries constructed with (GA)15 and (CA)15. The polymorphism was assessed with 48 individuals, and the result showed the number of allele ranged from two to 30, with an average of 8.4 alleles/locus. The values of observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.0791 to 0.9878 and from 0 to 1.0000, respectively. Sixty‐five loci showed significant departure from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, and 14 locus pairs displayed linkage disequilibrium. These markers are therefore potentially useful for conservation studies, population structure assessment, ecological analyses and linkage map construction.
Duration of Postictal Psychotic Episodes
Authors: Adachi Naoto , Ito Masumi , Kanemoto Kousuke , Akanuma Nozomi , Okazaki Mitsutoshi , Ishida Shiro , Sekimoto Masanori , Kato Masaaki , Kawasaki Jun , Tadokoro Yukari , Oshima Tomonori , Onuma Teiichi
Published: March 2007

Summary:  Purpose: To clarify duration of postictal psychosis (PIP) episodes and identify factors that influence its duration.

Methods: Fifty‐eight patients with epilepsy exhibited 151 PIP episodes during a mean follow‐up period of 12.8 years. Distribution of the duration of these episodes was determined, and factors potentially affecting were analyzed. Factors analyzed included PIP‐related variables (i.e., antecedent seizures and the lucid interval) and patient characteristics (i.e., type of epilepsy, lateralization of EEG abnormalities, and intellectual functioning).

Results: The mean duration of the 58 first PIP episodes was 10.5 days, and that of all 151 PIP episodes (including multiple episodes) was 9.2 days. Approximately 95% of the PIP episodes resolved within 1 month. Most PIP‐related variables, except for antipsychotic drugs administered, were not associated with duration of the episodes. Several patient characteristics, i.e., history of interictal psychosis, family history of psychosis, and intellectual functioning, were associated with duration of the PIP episodes.

Conclusions: This study showed that most PIP episodes last less than 1 month. PIP episodes appear to be prolonged when individuals have an underlying vulnerability to psychosis. Clinical phenomena that can trigger PIP may not determine the course of the PIP episode.
Gender Differences in Neurocognitive Functioning Among Alcohol‐Dependent Russian Patients
Authors: Flannery Barbara , Fishbein Diana , Krupitsky Evgeny , Langevin Doris , Verbitskaya Elena , Bland Cynthia , Bolla Karen , Egorova Valentina , Bushara Natali , Tsoy Marina , Zvartau Edwin
Published: March 2007

Background:There are a limited number of studies that have examined gender differences in the neurocognitive test performances of alcohol‐dependent individuals. Those that have been conducted reported that compared with men, women's visuospatial skills, psychomotor speed, and working memory are more profoundly affected by chronic alcohol abuse despite a shorter duration of drinking and a lesser quantity of alcohol consumed.

Methods:The performances of Russian male and female alcoholic and nonalcoholic control subjects were compared on a series of neurocognitive tasks that assess motor speed, visuoperceptual processing, visuospatial processing, decision making, and cognitive flexibility.

Results:Group and gender differences emerged on specific components of each task administered. Female compared with male alcoholic subjects exhibited poorer performances on tests of visual working memory, spatial planning and problem solving, and cognitive flexibility.

Conclusion:The data support and extend prior research demonstrating a more deleterious impact of alcohol dependence on female alcoholic subjects' cognitive functioning compared with male alcoholic subjects. Several theories are offered to account for gender differences in neurocognitive performance.
Assessment of a Novel Angiographic Image Stabilization System for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Authors: BOYLE ANDREW J. , CHAN MICHAEL Y. , DIB JOUD , KAPUR NAVIN K. , KRAFT SANDRA , VAILLANT REGIS , WHITING JAMES S. , RESAR JON R.
Published: March 2007

Background: Optimization of coronary images for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains difficult due to cardiac motion throughout the respiratory and cardiac cycles. We tested a novel system to stabilize angiographic images at the region of interest in order to assist during PCI.

Methods: Patients undergoing PCI to the right coronary artery (RCA) (group 1, n = 22) or complex PCI (group 2, n = 16) were prospectively enrolled and the angiographic image sequences of patients who died suddenly of confirmed or presumed stent thrombosis following PCI (group 3, n = 16) were retrospectively reviewed. All image sequences were analyzed off‐line by three cardiologists before and after image stabilization for accuracy of stent placement, presence of residual edge dissection, and adequacy of procedural outcome.

Results: Image stabilization was successful in 100% of cases in a mean time of 95 ± 71 seconds and was considered to be helpful in 13.6% of group 1, in 18.3% of group 2, and in 10% of group 3 cases. There was good correlation between observers with a kappa statistic of 0.85 to 1.0 for all observations. However, there was no difference in the reviewers' opinions of stent placement, presence of edge dissection, or adequacy of procedural result when comparing the standard angiographic views and the stabilized images. In particular, no previously unrecognized edge dissections were apparent in group 3 with stabilized display.

Conclusion: Image stabilization centered on the region of interest was considered helpful in a small subset of patients, particularly the complex PCI patients. However, no differences in objective parameters could be demonstrated.
Drug‐Eluting Stents Versus Bare Metal Stents Following Rotational Atherectomy for Heavily Calcified Coronary Lesions: Late Angiographic and Clinical Follow‐Up Results
Authors: KHATTAB AHMED A. , OTTO ANDREAS , HOCHADEL MATTHIAS , TOELG RALPH , GEIST VOLKER , RICHARDT GERT
Published: March 2007

Objectives: To study the effectiveness of drug‐eluting stents following rotablation of severely calcified lesions.

Background: Drug‐eluting stents are increasingly showing promising results in complex lesions and high‐risk patients. Heavily calcified stenoses have not been adequately studied, and form a challenge both for the immediate and late outcomes.

Methods: Single‐center prospective study among 27 patients treated by rotablation followed by a drug‐eluting stent implantation for angiographically heavily calcified lesions, compared with a historical control of 34 patients treated by rotablation followed by bare stent implantation for the same indication. The primary endpoint was the late lumen loss at 9 months; secondary endpoints were binary restenosis and major adverse cardiac events at 9 months. A 2‐year follow‐up directed to death and myocardial infarction was added.

Results: Both groups were comparable regarding baseline and procedural characteristics. Angiographic success was 100% for both groups. At 9 months, there was a significant difference in the late lumen loss (0.11 ± 0.7 mm in the DES group and 1.11 ± 0.9 mm in the BMS group, P = 0.001). This difference was manifest in the clinical event rates at late follow‐up (combined incidence of death due to any cause, MI, and TLR was 7.4% in the DES group and 38.2% in the BMS group; P = 0.004). At 2 years, there were 5 deaths in each group (P = 0.5) and 2 infarctions in the BMS group versus none in the DES group (P = 1.0).

Conclusion: The combination of rotablation and drug‐eluting stent implantation (Rota‐DES) has a favorable effect on clinical and angiographic outcomes at 9 months when treating heavily calcified lesions compared to rotablation followed by bare metal stent implantation. No safety concerns are observed at 2 years.
Mechanism of Luminal Gain with Plaque Excision in Atherosclerotic Coronary and Peripheral Arteries: Assessment by Histology and Intravascular Ultrasound
Authors: IKENO FUMIAKI , BRADEN GREGORY A. , KANEDA HIDEAKI , HONGO YOICHIRO , HINOHARA TOMOAKI , YEUNG ALAN C. , SIMPSON JOHN B. , KANDZARI DAVID E.
Published: March 2007

Objectives: Using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and histology, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of arterial wall overstretch and Dotter effect following revascularization with a plaque excision (PE) catheter compared with balloon angioplasty.

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated the safety and feasibility of plaque excision for the treatment of de novo coronary and peripheral atherosclerotic disease. However, whether mechanical vessel dilatation related to catheter insertion contributes to gains in the final luminal diameter is uncertain.

Methods: Treatment with PE was assessed in both a porcine model (6 lesions treated with balloon angioplasty or PE) using histology and in humans with IVUS. In the latter part of the study, IVUS study was performed before and immediately following PE in 21 patients with either coronary artery disease (N = 13) or femoral artery disease (N = 8). Ultrasound measures in the femoral artery group were then compared with a control group of atherosclerotic lesions treated with conventional angioplasty that was matched according to lesion location and vessel diameter.

Results: Among individuals with coronary and peripheral arterial lesions treated with PE, the relative increases in luminal area secondary to reductions in plaque volume were 89% and 83%, respectively, with minimal increase in vessel diameter. In contrast, balloon angioplasty was associated with significantly greater vessel expansion and less plaque volume reduction. Vessel dissection also tended to occur less frequently and to a lesser extent with PE.

Conclusions: Improvement in luminal dimensions using PE is principally due to a reduction in plaque volume rather than mechanical vessel expansion. The potential to increase luminal area while minimizing arterial dissection and barotrauma merits further clinical study with this method of revascularization.
The Role of Cargo Proteins in GGA Recruitment
Authors: Hirst Jennifer , Seaman Matthew N. J. , Buschow Sonja I. , Robinson Margaret S.
Published: March 2007

Coat proteins are recruited onto membranes to form vesicles that transport cargo from one compartment to another, but the extent to which the cargo helps to recruit the coat proteins is still unclear. Here we have examined the role of cargo in the recruitment of Golgi‐localized, γ‐ear‐containing, ADP ribosylation factor (ARF)‐binding proteins (GGAs) onto membranes in HeLa cells. Moderate overexpression of CD8 chimeras with cytoplasmic tails containing DXXLL‐sorting signals, which bind to GGAs, increased the localization of all three GGAs to perinuclear membranes, as observed by immunofluorescence. GGA2 was also expressed at approximately twofold higher levels in these cells because it was degraded more slowly. However, this difference only partially accounted for the increase in membrane localization because there was a approximately fivefold increase in GGA2 associated with crude membranes and a ∼12‐fold increase in GGA2 associated with clathrin‐coated vesicles (CCVs) in cells expressing CD8‐DXXLL chimeras. The effect of cargo proteins on GGA recruitment was reconstituted in vitro using permeabilized control and CD8‐DXXLL‐expressing cells incubated with cytosol containing recombinant GGA2 constructs. Together, these results demonstrate that cargo proteins contribute to the recruitment of GGAs onto membranes and to the formation of GGA‐positive CCVs.
The captive breeding and educational display of the Medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis (Linnaeus 1758) at Bristol Zoo Gardens
Authors: SPENCER W. , JONES G.
Published: March 2007

This paper provides information on the culture of the Medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis, including housing and environmental requirements, husbandry protocols and captive breeding. The conservation status of the Medicinal leech and issues surrounding its preservation, and also uses for this species in medicine and as an educational‐display subject, are discussed. This species has been maintained at Bristol Zoo Gardens, UK, from May 1996 to the present and has been bred successfully since 2001. The Medicinal leeches that are used in both the husbandry trials and educational display at Bristol Zoo Gardens originated from Turkish stock and were obtained from Biopharm UK Ltd, Dyfed, UK.
An analysis of country, socio‐economic and time factors on worldwide zoo attendance during a 40 year period
Authors: DAVEY G.
Published: March 2007

Attendance figures are an indicator of the popularity of zoos in society, and also reveal the levels of funding available because entrance fees and other revenues generated during visits are the main sources of funding for British zoos. However, the literature provides conflicting information on zoo attendance, and existing reports are also limited by their research designs and lack of international perspective. Therefore, it is difficult to judge how popular zoos really are, and hence there is a need for a detailed analysis of zoo attendance. To deal with this, the present article reports an analysis of worldwide zoo‐attendance patterns using a large data set provided by the International Zoo Yearbook. The data show that attendance has generally declined in most world regions during the 40 year period, and was particularly marked during the 1960s and 1970s. There have been recent increases at North American and British zoos since the 1980s. More people visit zoos in Japan and the United States, and attendance patterns during the past 40 years have followed different paths in different world regions and countries. Attendance figures for zoos around the world were compared with several socio‐economic variables, and the analysis revealed a positive significant relationship between a country's population size, country income and zoo‐attendance figures.
MICROSTRUCTURE AND MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF GRANULAR CoPtCr-SiO2 FILMS ON Ru SEED LAYER
Authors: XIAO CHUN-TAO , INABA YUKI , SHIMATSU TAKEHITO , MURAOKA HIROAKI
Published: March 2007

Granular-type [( Co 90 Cr 10)85 Pt 15]89.8-[ SiO 2]10.2 films were prepared by using co-sputtering methods, with Ru as a seed layer. Influences of Ru thickness on the micro-structure and magnetic properties of the CoPtCr-SiO 2 magnetic layer were investigated. It was found that the seed layer obviously effected the grain isolation, c-axis distribution and magnetic parameters. The Ru seed layer with a suitable thickness is very helpful for achievement of high anisotropy, proper coercivity and high squareness. The anisotropy energy of the magnetic layer can be as high as 5×106 erg/cm 3 or more, even with a thin Ru layer, promising good thermal stability. It was noted that the Ru layer markedly enhanced the isolation of CoPtCr grains, corresponding to the increase of coercivity and the decrease of loop slope. Moreover, it was also revealed that the addition of SiO 2 to CoPtCr effectively isolated the CoPtCr grains without disturbing the epitaxial growth of CoPtCr grains on the Ru seed layer.
GENERATION AND CONTROL OF SPHERICAL AND CIRCULAR ATTRACTORS USING SWITCHING SCHEMES
Authors: CHEN QINGFEI , ZHONG QIUHAI , HONG YIGUANG , CHEN GUANRONG
Published: March 2007

Construction of special (chaotic) attractors for various design demands has drawn much attention recently. This paper studies the generation of a family of spherical and circular quasi-periodic/chaotic attractors from simple switched nonlinear systems. Controllers are designed for manipulating the sizes or shapes of islands and bridges in such circular attractors. The underlying mechanism of generating these attractors from the switched systems is investigated.
SUDDEN OCCURRENCE OF CHAOS IN NONSMOOTH MAPS
Authors: TIAN LIXIN , XU GANG
Published: March 2007

This paper introduces a type of one-dimensional nonsmooth nonlinear discrete dynamic system. We find a direct route to chaos from stable period-two point, and this is called Sudden Occurrence of Chaos. It is completely different from the three routes from regular motion to chaos — period-doubling bifurcation chaos, intermittency and quasi-periodicity chaos. Furthermore, we present some examples of sudden occurrence of chaos from m-period directly to chaos.
GENERATING PROPERTIES FOR RUNTIME MONITORING FROM SOFTWARE SPECIFICATION PATTERNS
Authors: MONDRAGON OSCAR A. , GATES ANN Q. , ROACH STEVE , MENDOZA HUMBERTO , SOKOLSKY OLEG
Published: March 2007

This paper presents an approach to support run-time verification of software systems that combines two existing tools, Prospec and Java-MaC, into a single framework. Prospec can be used to clarify natural language specifications for sequential, concurrent, and nondeterministic behavior. In addition, Prospec assists the user in reading, writing, and understanding formal specifications through the use of property patterns and visual abstractions. Prospec automatically generates specifications written in Future Interval Logic (FIL). Java-MaC monitors Java programs at runtime to ensure adherence to a set of formally specified properties. Safety properties of a program are specified in the formal language Meta-Event Definition Language (MEDL). Java-MaC generates runtime components from specifications. The components are used to instrument the target program and determine whether the execution of the program violates any of the safety properties. This paper describes an algorithm for translating FIL formulas into MEDL formulas. It provides the transformation rules used by this algorithm, and it demonstrates the general correctness of the translation.
DETECTING FAULT MODULES USING BIOINFORMATICS TECHNIQUES
Authors: STIGLIC GREGOR , MERTIK MATEJ , KOKOL PETER , PIGHIN MAURIZIO
Published: March 2007

Many software reliability studies attempt to develop a model for predicting the faults of a software module because the application of good prediction models provides important information on significant metrics that should be observed in the early stages of implementation during software development. In this article we propose a new method inspired by a multi-agent based system that was initially used for classification and attribute selection in microarray analysis. Best classifying gene subset selection is a common problem in the field of bioinformatics. If we regard the software metrics measurement values of a software module as a genome of that module, and the real world dynamic characteristic of that module as its phenotype (i.e. failures as disease symptoms) we can borrow the established bioinformatics methods in the manner first to predict the module behavior and second to data mine the relations between metrics and failures.
Treatment of Dementia in Parkinsonian Syndromes with Cholinesterase Inhibitors
Authors: Liepelt Inga , Maetzler Walter , Blaicher Hans-Peter , Gasser Thomas , Berg Daniela
Published: March 2007

In Parkinsonian syndromes behavioural symptoms and dementia can be even more debilitating than motor symptoms and are an important predictor for nursing home placement and mortality. Neuropathologically, dementia seems to be primarily related to cortical changes rather than to subcortical alterations. Concerning neurotransmitter systems, the cholinergic system has been proposed to play a key role in cognitive disturbances. Based on studies with patients with Alzheimer disease, the application of cholinesterase inhibitors is vividly discussed also for dementia associated with parkinsonian syndromes. This review focuses on the specific symptoms of dementia in different parkinsonian syndromes and critically questions the effect of cholinergic treatment on cognitive functions in patients with extrapyramidal syndromes and dementia. There is evidence that medication with some cholinesterase inhibitors can enhance cognition as well as activities of daily living in dementia with Parkinson’s disease and seems to reduce behavioural disturbances in both dementia with Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. The effect of treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors in progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration warrants carefully designed studies including a sufficient number of patients and symptom-adopted dementia scales.
Information Flow in Ensemble Weather Predictions
Authors: Kleeman Richard
Published: March 2007

In a weather prediction, information flows from the initial conditions to a later prediction. The uncertainty in the initial conditions implies that such a flow should be quantified with tools from probability theory. Using several recent developments in information theory, this flow is explored using a moderate-resolution primitive equation atmospheric model with simplified physics. Consistent with operational experience and other methodologies explored in the literature, such as singular vectors, it is found that the midlatitude flow is mainly in an easterly direction. At upper levels, the flow is primarily steered by advection of the jet stream; however, at low levels there is clear evidence that synoptic dynamics are important and this makes the direction of flow more complex. Horizontal rather than vertical flow is generally found to be more important, although there was evidence for propagation from the mid- to upper troposphere of zonal velocity.

As expected, as the length of the prediction increases, more remote areas become important to local predictions. To obtain reliable/stable results, rather large ensembles are used; however, it is found that the basic qualitative results can be obtained with ensembles within present practical reach. The present method has the advantage that it makes no assumptions concerning linearity or ensemble Gaussianicity.
Synoptic Responses to Mountain Gravity Waves Encountering Directional Critical Levels
Authors: Martin Armel , Lott François
Published: March 2007

A heuristic model is used to study the synoptic response to mountain gravity waves (GWs) absorbed at directional critical levels. The model is a semigeostrophic version of the Eady model for baroclinic instability adapted by Smith to study lee cyclogenesis. The GWs exert a force on the large-scale flow where they encounter directional critical levels. This force is taken into account in the model herein and produces potential vorticity (PV) anomalies in the midtroposphere.

First, the authors consider the case of an idealized mountain range such that the orographic variance is well separated between small- and large-scale contributions. In the absence of tropopause, the PV produced by the GW force has a surface impact that is significant compared to the surface response due to the large scales. For a cold front, the GW force produces a trough over the mountain and a larger-amplitude ridge immediately downstream. It opposes somehow to the response due to the large scales of the mountain range, which is anticyclonic aloft and cyclonic downstream. For a warm front, the GW force produces a ridge over the mountain and a trough downstream; hence it reinforces the response due to the large scales.

Second, the robustness of the previous results is verified by a series of sensitivity tests. The authors change the specifications of the mountain range and of the background flow. They also repeat some experiments by including baroclinic instabilities, or by using the quasigeostrophic approximation. Finally, they consider the case of a small-scale orographic spectrum representative of the Alps.

The significance of the results is discussed in the context of GW parameterization in the general circulation models. The results may also help to interpret the complex PV structures occurring when mountain gravity waves break in a baroclinic environment.
Genetic-based dosing in orthopedic patients beginning warfarin therapy
Authors: Millican Eric A. , Lenzini Petra A. , Milligan Paul E. , Grosso Leonard , Eby Charles , Deych Elena , Grice Gloria , Clohisy John C. , Barrack Robert L. , Burnett R. Stephen J. , Voora Deepak , Gatchel Susan , Tiemeier Amy , Gage Brian F.
Published: March 2007

High variability in drug response and a narrow therapeutic index complicate warfarin therapy initiation. No existing algorithm provides recommendations on refining the initial warfarin dose based on genetic variables, clinical data, and international normalized ratio (INR) values. Our goal was to develop such an algorithm. We studied 92 patients undergoing primary or revision total hip or knee replacement. From each patient we collected a blood sample, clinical variables, current medications, and preoperative and postoperative laboratory values. We genotyped for polymorphisms in the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C9 and vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKORC1) genes. Using stepwise regression, we developed a model for refining the warfarin dose after the third warfarin dose. The algorithm explained four fifths of the variability in therapeutic dose (R2adj of 79%). Significant (P > .05) predictors were INR value after 3 doses (47% reduction per 0.25-unit rise), first warfarin dose (+7% per 1 mg), CYP2C9*3 and CYP2C9*2 genotype (−38% and −17% per allele), estimated blood loss (interacting with INR3), smoking status (+20% in current smokers), and VKORC1 (−11% per copy of haplotype A). If validated, this model should provide a safer, more effective process for initiating warfarin therapy.
A General Internal Potential Including Molecular Volume. Internal Energy and Equation of State of Fluids in Gas and Liquid Phases and under Critical Conditions: Study over a Wide Range of Temperature and Pressure
Authors: Bonnet Pierre
Published: March 2007

The energy of molecular interaction for all fluids is represented by means of a single relation which takes into account both the excluded volume V
τ and the free volume (V − V
τ).

From this expression, we obtain a single equation of state which is in very close agreement with the representation of experimental results for all fluids both in the liquid and gaseous phase and over wide ranges of temperature and pressure.

The generalisation of the study on different fluids allows following the variation of the excluded volume V
τ as function of molar volume and temperature. This variation, which we write as (∂V
τ/∂V)
T
, becomes pronounced in the neighbourhood of critical conditions. It must be taken into consideration in the explanation of observed anomalies of the pressure and C

v
near critical conditions.
Serum CXCL10 levels and occurrence of thyroid dysfunction in patients treated with interferon-α therapy for hepatitis C virus-related hepatitis
Authors: Rotondi Mario , Minelli Roberta , Magri Flavia , Leporati Paola , Romagnani Paola , Baroni Maria Cristina , Delsignore Roberto , Serio Mario , Chiovato Luca
Published: March 2007

Objective: Thyroid autoimmunity is a common side effect of interferon-α (IFN-α) treatment for chronic hepatitis C. There are currently no reliable parameters to predict the occurrence of thyroid dysfunctions in patients undergoing IFN-α therapy. CXC chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) is a chemokine known to play a role in both thyroid autoimmune disease and hepatitis C virus (HCV) hepatitis.

Design: The aim of this study was to evaluate serum CXCL10 levels in HCV patients treated with IFN-α in relation to the occurrence of thyroid dysfunctions. Serum CXCL10 levels were assayed in 25 HCV patients (proven to be negative for serum thyroid antibodies) before and during IFN-α therapy (2, 4 and 6 months) and in 50 healthy controls. HCV patients were retrospectively selected according to the occurrence of IFN-α-induced thyroid dysfunction and were assigned to two groups. Group I included 15 patients who did not develop thyroid antibody positivity or dysfunction; group II included ten patients who showed the appearance of serum thyroid antibodies, followed by clinically overt thyroid dysfunction.

Results: Patients with HCV, regardless of the development of thyroid dysfunctions, had significantly higher serum CXCL10 than controls (261.6±123.4 vs 80.4±33.6 pg/ml; P<0.00001). Pretreatment mean serum CXCL10 levels were significantly higher in Group I versus Group II (308.6±130.7 vs 191.1±69.4 pg/ml; P<0.05). Groups I and II showed different rates of favourable response to IFN-α treatment (33 and 90% respectively).

Conclusion: Our results suggest that measuring serum CXCL10 before IFN-α treatment may be helpful for identifying those patients with higher risk to develop thyroid dysfunction, and require a careful thyroid surveillance throughout the treatment.
Kynesiological examination in AIS
Authors: Viola Sándor , Szőke György , Kocsis László , Körmendi Zoltán , Zsidai Attila
Published: March 2007

Cél:
A szerzők CMS rendszerrel meghatározzák a scoliotikus gerinc tartását scoliosisban (AIS), tanulmányozzák a mozgáspálya változását egészségeséhez képest, valamint terhelés hatását az AIS-ben szenvedők gerincére (tartás tekintetében). Céljuk, hogy magyarázatot találjanak a mozgáspálya-változás és gerincferdülés kialakulása, progressziója tekintetében. Analizálják a terhelés hatását a görbület progressziójára.
Anyag és módszer:
25 AIS-ben szenvedő leány [scoliosis típusa King 1–2–3, Cobb fok átlag dorsalisan 27 fok (min. 15, max. 42), lumbálisan 25 fok (min. 14, max. 43)] került a prospektív vizsgálatba. Egészségesként illesztett kontrollt alkalmaztak.
Eredmények:
Vizsgálataik alapján az extenzió szignifikáns növekedése összefügg – ok-okozati kérdés eldöntése nélkül – a scoliotikus gerinc lordoscoliosis voltával. A jobb oldali rotáció szignifikáns emelkedése AIS-ben kifejezi, hogy sokszor első jel a háti szakaszon a torzió fokozódása, mely nagyobb mértékű, mint maga a jobbra ívelő görbület. Ugyanakkor a mindkét irányú oldalhajlás AIS-ben észlelt szignifikáns csökkenése nem mutat pozitív korrelációt a scoliosis ívének mértékével. Cobb 30 fokig a pp szög és Cobb fok jól korrelál, 30 Cobb fok feletti scoliosisban a korreláció gyenge.
Következtetések:
A klinikai vizsgálat során tulajdonképpen a „pp szöget” látjuk és nem magát a Cobb fokot, így – sajnos – a radiológiai elemzést CMS rendszerrel sem sikerül teljes mértékben még a betegkövetésben sem elkerülni. A terhelés mind a gibbus mértékére, mind a háti görbület nagyságára jelentős befolyást gyakorol.