bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Contextual effects on historical memory: Soviet nostalgia among post-Soviet adolescents
Authors: Nikolayenko Olena
Published: April 2008

Using an original survey of adolescents in post-communist Russia and Ukraine, this study analyzes attitudes toward the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The results demonstrate how contextual factors – the republic's position within the former Soviet Union and prior history of colonization – affect the level of nostalgia among the young generation. Based upon semi-structured interviews with adolescents, the study identifies sources of positive and negative attitudes toward the Soviet demise. Furthermore, the research reveals cross-national differences in the relationship between Soviet nostalgia and national pride.
Origin, weathering, and geochemical composition of loess in southwestern Hungary
Authors: Újvári Gábor , Varga Andrea , Balogh-Brunstad Zsuzsanna
Published: April 2008

Loess geochemistry generally reflects paleo-weathering conditions and it can be used to determine the average composition of the upper continental crust (UCC). In this study, major and trace element concentrations were analyzed on loess samples from southwestern Hungary to determine the factors influencing their chemical compositions and to propose new average loess compositions. All studied loess samples had nearly uniform chemical composition, suggesting similar alteration history of these deposits. Chemical Index of Alteration values (58–69) suggested a weak to moderate degree of weathering in a felsic source area. Typical non-steady state weathering conditions were shown on the Al2O3–CaO+Na2O–K2O patterns, indicating active tectonism of the Alpine–Carpathian system during the Pleistocene. Whole-rock element budgets were controlled by heavy minerals derived from a felsic magmatic or reworked sedimentary provenance. Geochemical parameters indicated that dust particles must have been recycled and well homogenized during fluvial and eolian transport processes.
The paleoclimate of the eastern desert of Jordan during marine isotope stage 9
Authors: Abed Abdulkader M. , Yasin Suha , Sadaqa Rushdi , Al-Hawari Zayed
Published: April 2008

TwoCardiumhorizons from the topmost Azraq Formation in the eastern desert of Jordan were investigated and dated by U/Th at 330 ka; MIS 9. Fossil diversity and abundance, especially for Charophytes and gastropods with the absence of palygorskite, dolomite and evaporites, suggest the presence of a fresh water lake changing to a brackish environment at certain time intervals. A lake or possibly several smaller and shallower lakes occupied an area of about 50 km wide within the Azraq Basin. The present-day arid climate cannot support the presence of lakes in the eastern desert of Jordan, and thus MIS 9 in Jordan must have been much wetter. The source of humidity was most probably more intense Mediterranean cyclones associated with warmer than present MIS 9. However, the possibility of summer monsoon rain from the south cannot be fully excluded.
A late Pleistocene long pollen record from Lake Urmia, Nw Iran
Authors: Djamali Morteza , de Beaulieu Jacques-Louis , Shah-hosseini Madjid , Andrieu-Ponel Valérie , Ponel Philippe , Amini Abdolhossein , Akhani Hossein , Leroy Suzanne A.G. , Stevens Lora , Lahijani Hamid , Brewer Simon
Published: April 2008

A palynological study based on two 100-m long cores from Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran provides a vegetation record spanning 200 ka, the longest pollen record for the continental interior of the Near East. During both penultimate and last glaciations, a steppe ofArtemisiaand Poaceae dominated the upland vegetation with a high proportion of Chenopodiaceae in both upland and lowland saline ecosystems. WhileJuniperusand deciduousQuercustrees were extremely rare and restricted to some refugia,Hippophaë rhamnoidesconstituted an important phanerophyte, particularly during the late last glacial period. A pronounced expansion inEphedrashrub-steppe occurred at the end of the penultimate late-glacial period but was followed by extreme aridity that favoured anArtemisiasteppe. Very high lake levels, registered by both pollen and sedimentary markers, occurred during the middle of the last glaciation and late part of the penultimate glaciation. The late-glacial to early Holocene transition is represented by a succession ofHippophaë,Ephedra,Betula,Pistaciaand finallyJuniperusandQuercus. The last interglacial period (Eemian), slightly warmer and moister than the Holocene, was followed by two interstadial phases similar in pattern to those recorded in the marine isotope record and southern European pollen sequences.
On the non-local geometry of turbulence
Authors: BERMEJO-MORENO IVÁN , PULLIN D. I.
Published: April 2008

A multi-scale methodology for the study of the non-local geometry of eddy structures in turbulence is developed. Starting from a given three-dimensional field, this consists of three main steps: extraction, characterization and classification of structures. The extraction step is done in two stages. First, a multi-scale decomposition based on the curvelet transform is applied to the full three-dimensional field, resulting in a finite set of component three-dimensional fields, one per scale. Second, by iso-contouring each component field at one or more iso-contour levels, a set of closed iso-surfaces is obtained that represents the structures at that scale. The characterization stage is based on the joint probability density function (p.d.f.), in terms of area coverage on each individual iso-surface, of two differential-geometry properties, the shape index and curvedness, plus the stretching parameter, a dimensionless global invariant of the surface. Taken together, this defines the geometrical signature of the iso-surface. The classification step is based on the construction of a finite set of parameters, obtained from algebraic functions of moments of the joint p.d.f. of each structure, that specify its location as a point in a multi-dimensional ‘feature space’. At each scale the set of points in feature space represents all structures at that scale, for the specified iso-contour value. This then allows the application, to the set, of clustering techniques that search for groups of structures with a common geometry. Results are presented of a first application of this technique to a passive scalar field obtained from 5123direct numerical simulation of scalar mixing by forced, isotropic turbulence (Reλ= 265). These show transition, with decreasing scale, from blob-like structures in the larger scales to blob- and tube-like structures with small or moderate stretching in the inertial range of scales, and then toward tube and, predominantly, sheet-like structures with high level of stretching in the dissipation range of scales. Implications of these results for the dynamical behaviour of passive scalar stirring and mixing by turbulence are discussed.
Analytic study of developing flows in a tube laden with non-evaporating and evaporating drops via a modified linearization of the two-phase momentum equations
Authors: KHOSID S. , TAMBOUR Y.
Published: April 2008

A novel modification of the classical Langhaar linearization of the mutually coupled momentum equations for developing two-phase flows in circular ducts is presented. This modification enables us to treat: (i) flows developing from spatially periodic initial velocity distributions without the presence of droplets, and (ii) two-phase flows in which monosize, non-evaporating and evaporating droplets suspended in a developing gas flow of an initially uniform velocity distribution exchange momentum with the host-gas flow. New solutions are presented for the downstream evolution in the velocity profiles which develop from spatially periodic initial velocity distributions that eventually reach the fully developed Poiseuille velocity profile. These solutions are validated by employing known numerical procedures, providing strong support for the physical underpinnings of the present modified linearization. New solutions are also presented for the evolution in drop velocities and vapour spatial distributions for evaporating droplets suspended in an initially uniform velocity profile of the host gas. Asymptotic solutions are presented for the flow region which lies very close to the inlet of the tube, where the relative velocity between the droplets and the host gas is high, and thus the velocity fields of the two phases are mutually coupled. These solutions provide new explicit formulae for the droplet velocity field as a function of the initial conditions and droplet diameter (relative to the tube diameter) for non-evaporating drops, and also as a function of evaporation rate for evaporating drops.
Modelling film flows down a fibre
Authors: RUYER-QUIL C. , TREVELEYAN P. , GIORGIUTTI-DAUPHINÉ F. , DUPRAT C. , KALLIADASIS S.
Published: April 2008

Consider the gravity-driven flow of a thin liquid film down a vertical fibre. A model of two coupled evolution equations for the local film thickness h and the local flow rate q is formulated within the framework of the long-wave and boundary-layer approximations. The model accounts for inertia and streamwise viscous diffusion. Evolution equations obtained by previous authors are recovered in the appropriate limit. Comparisons to experimental results show good agreement in both linear and nonlinear regimes. Viscous diffusion effects are found to have a stabilizing dispersive effect on the linear waves. Time-dependent computations of the spatial evolution of the film reveal a strong influence of streamwise viscous diffusion on the dynamics of the flow and the wave selection process.
Mranma Pran: When context encounters notion
Authors: Aung-Thwin Michael
Published: April 2008

The geo-political and cultural-historical context, more than any other single factor, has shaped the notion of Mranma Pran in pre-colonial times. It is derived from a longstanding reality embodied in the term anya (‘upstream’), representing Upper Burma (hence, the term anyatha, ‘offspring of Upper Burma’). Although Lower Burma also has an equivalent in the term akriy (‘downstream’), it was Upper Burma more than any other region in the country that initially exemplified the term Mranma Pran, the ‘heartland’ of the country's culture and society for over a millennium. The meaning of the term Mranma Pran (or its colonial term, ‘Burma’), therefore, depends on the context in which and by whom it is viewed.
Antidepressant efficacy of high-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in double-blind sham-controlled designs: a meta-analysis
Authors: Schutter D. J. L. G.
Published: April 2008

Background

For more than a decade high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in search of an alternative treatment for depression. The aim of this study was to provide an update on its clinical efficacy by performing a meta-analysis involving double-blind sham-controlled studies.

Method

A literature search was conducted in the databases PubMed and Web of Science in the period between January 1980 and November 2007 with the search terms ‘depression’ and ‘transcranial magnetic stimulation’. Thirty double-blind sham-controlled parallel studies with 1164 patients comparing the percentage change in depression scores from baseline to endpoint of activeversussham treatment were included. A random effects meta-analysis was performed to investigate the clinical efficacy of fast-frequency rTMS over the left DLPFC in depression.

Results

The test for heterogeneity was not significant (QT=30.46,p=0.39). A significant overall weighted mean effect size,d=0.39 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.25–0.54], for active treatment was observed (z=6.52,p<0.0001). Medication resistance and intensity of rTMS did not play a role in the effect size.

Conclusions

These findings show that high-frequency rTMS over the left DLPFC is superior to sham in the treatment of depression. The effect size is robust and comparable to at least a subset of commercially available antidepressant drug agents. Current limitations and future prospects are discussed.
Social Psychology's Contribution to the Psychological Study of Peace
Authors: Vollhardt Johanna K. , Bilali Rezarta
Published: April 2008

Abstract. This article examines the overlap between social psychology and the psychological study of peace. We suggest that, within mainstream social psychology, a substantial body of research exists that can be referred to as “social psychological peace research” (SPPR). We present a framework that defines the subject matter and introduces conceptual and methodological criteria, characterizing core research in this area as (1) value-explicit, (2) contextualized, (3) including multiple levels of analysis, and (4) practically oriented. A content analysis of leading social psychology journals identifies the amount and nature of current SPPR. We suggest future directions for an integrated body of research to realize the field's potential to further the understanding and prevention of societal conflict as well as the promotion of positive intergroup relations.
Opinion-Based Group Membership as a Predictor of Collective Emotional Responses and Support for Pro- and Anti-War Action
Authors: Musgrove Luke , McGarty Craig
Published: April 2008

Abstract. Social identity theory, intergroup emotions theory (IET), and related approaches offer the potential to understand the social psychological aspects of collective behavior such as movements that protest against or argue for war. Social identification, however, tends to be a weak predictor of collective action intentions. We argue that in order to understand the fault lines of collective action it is useful to consider identification with opinion-based groups. We illustrate this in relation to support for and opposition to the war on terror (WoT) in Australia. Comparing predictions based on IET with those based on opinion-based group identification, we found limited support for the sets of connections hypothesized by IET. Alternatively, social identification with pro- and anti-WoT opinion-based groups was a strong predictor of different emotional reactions and associated action intentions. In particular, highly identified supporters of the WoT were angry at terrorists, and this anger in turn predicted offensive action tendencies against the terrorists. Stronger yet were the emotional reactions of anger at the government reported by highly identified opponents of the WoT, which strongly predicted anti-war protest action intentions. The results point to the utility of the opinion-based group concept for understanding the collective, yet contested, aspects of political support for war and peace in contemporary society.
Social Psychology and Peace
Authors: Cohrs J. Christopher , Boehnke Klaus
Published: April 2008

Abstract. This paper begins by giving an overview of why and in which ways social psychological research can be relevant to peace. Galtung's (1969) distinction between negative peace (the absence of direct violence) and positive peace (the absence of structural violence, or the presence of social justice) is crossed with a focus on factors that are detrimental (obstacles) to peace versus factors that are conducive to peace (catalysts), yielding a two-by-two classification of social psychological contributions to peace. Research falling into these four classes is cited in brief, with a particular focus on four exemplary topics: support for military interventions as an obstacle to negative peace; antiwar activism as a catalyst of negative peace; ideologies legitimizing social inequality as an obstacle to positive peace; and commitment to human rights as a catalyst of positive peace. Based on this conceptual framework, the remaining six articles of the special issue “Social Psychology and Peace” are briefly introduced.
Mortality Salience and Its Effects on Peace Processes
Authors: Niesta Daniela , Fritsche Immo , Jonas Eva
Published: April 2008

Abstract. The present paper offers a review of the relationship between existential individual threats and peace-hampering as well as peace-facilitating factors. An overwhelming bulk of literature on terror management theory (TMT) demonstrates negative effects of mortality salience such as derogation of outgroup members, prejudice, stereotyping, aggression, and racism. These negative reactions may be detrimental in peace-processes and critical in explaining intergroup conflicts, severe hostilities, and war. Complementary empirical insights derived from TMT, however, demonstrate positive effects of mortality salience (MS) that lead to prosocial reactions. The findings that are reviewed throughout this paper aim at reconciling the seemingly contradictory findings of antisocial and prosocial reactions to reminders of death. In concluding, a variety of conceivable interventions are discussed that may override genuinely detrimental consequences of MS and help to foster peace processes.
Simple Kindness Can Go a Long Way
Authors: Andersen Susan M. , Saribay S. Adil , Thorpe Jennifer S.
Published: April 2008

Abstract. This paper reviews literature on relationships and draws a link to social identity using an integrative model that has implications for cooperative behavior within and between groups, and for establishing cultures of peace. For example, the group-value model suggests that how communications are delivered (e.g., through conveying respect) matters for cooperation and acceptance of group decisions. Extending this, and based on research on relationships, our integrative model points to the importance of conveying interpersonal warmth and kindness for facilitating pursuit of shared aims among people from different groups/backgrounds. We consider the implications of this for peaceful resolution of conflict.
Oral and Written Language Development of Children Adopted From China
Authors: Scott Kathleen A. , Roberts Jenny A. , Krakow Rena
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The sharp increase in the number of international adoptions in the United States has prompted a heightened interest in the language development of internationally adopted children. Although recent studies have investigated the early language development of adoptees, little is known about the school-age language and literacy skills of internationally adopted children. The focus of this study was the oral and written language skills of school-age adoptees from China.

Method

The participants were 24 children between the ages of 7;0 (years;months) and 8;8. Oral and written language skills were assessed using standardized measures and a narrative retell task.

Results

As a group, the majority of children exhibited scores in the average to above average range for all oral and written standardized language measures. Narrative analysis indicated that an increase in the number of grammatical errors was moderately correlated with lower reading comprehension scores. Age at adoption was negatively correlated with several measures, including a narrative measure of grammatical errors per T-unit.

Conclusion

These findings provide an encouraging outlook on the oral and written language outcomes of internationally adopted children from China through the early elementary grades. Moreover, these findings support earlier research that speaks to the resiliency and robustness of language acquisition abilities in children.
Using Semantic Feature Analysis to Improve Contextual Discourse in Adults With Aphasia
Authors: Rider Jill Davis , Wright Heather Harris , Marshall Robert C. , Page Judith L.
Published: April 2008

Purpose

Semantic feature analysis (SFA) was used to determine whether training contextually related words would improve the discourse of individuals with nonfluent aphasia in preselected contexts.

Method

A modified multiple-probes-across-behaviors design was used to train target words using SFA in 3 adults with nonfluent aphasia. Pretreatment, posttreatment, and follow-up sessions obtained language samples for the preselected contexts. Contexts included 4 story retellings and 4 procedure explanations.

Results

All participants improved naming ability for treated words. No generalization to untrained items was found. Within discourse samples, participants increased number of target words produced from pretreatment to posttreatment sessions but did not increase lexical diversity across samples. Participants maintained performance on standardized measures from the beginning to the end of the study.

Conclusions

Results support and extend previous research by indicating that SFA improves confrontational naming ability and may benefit word retrieval in discourse production of closed-set contexts.
Microstructural evolution of strained heteroepitaxial multilayers
Authors: Ramanarayan H. , Medhekar N. V. , Shenoy V. B.
Published: April 2008

A nonlinear model using the phase-field approach is developed to study microstructural evolution during the growth of strained heteroepitaxial multilayers. The strain from the buried layers is observed to influence the nucleation of islands in subsequently deposited strained layers. The patterns obtained during the evolution of multilayers are determined by the interplay of strain relaxation and deposition flux leading to formation of coordinated, stacked islands in the low flux regime and planar growth in the high flux regime, in agreement with the experimental observations.
Genericity of black hole formation in the gravitational collapse of homogeneous self-interacting scalar fields
Authors: Giambò Roberto , Giannoni Fabio , Magli Giulio
Published: April 2008

The gravitational collapse of a wide class of self-interacting homogeneous scalar fields models is analyzed. The class is characterized by certain general conditions on the scalar field potential, which, in particular, include both asymptotically polynomial and exponential behaviors. Within this class, we show that the generic evolution is always divergent in a finite time, and then make use of this result to construct radiating star models of the Vaidya type. It turns out that blackholes are generically formed in such models.
Assembly mechanism of recombinant spider silk proteins
Authors: Rammensee S. , Slotta U. , Scheibel T. , Bausch A. R.
Published: April 2008

Spider silk threads are formed by the irreversible aggregation of silk proteins in a spinning duct with dimensions of only a few micrometers. Here, we present a microfluidic device in which engineered and recombinantly produced spider dragline silk proteins eADF3 (engineered
Araneus diadematus
fibroin) and eADF4 are assembled into fibers. Our approach allows the direct observation and identification of the essential parameters of dragline silk assembly. Changes in ionic conditions and pH result in aggregation of the two proteins. Assembly of eADF3 fibers was induced only in the presence of an elongational flow component. Strikingly, eADF4 formed fibers only in combination with eADF3. On the basis of these results, we propose a model for dragline silk aggregation and early steps of fiber assembly in the microscopic regime.
Histopathology Of Hemangiosarcomas in Mice and Hamsters and Liposarcomas/Fibrosarcomas in Rats Associated with PPAR Agonists
Authors: Hardisty Jerry F. , Elwell Michael R. , Ernst Heinrich , Greaves Peter , Kolenda-Roberts Holly , Malarkey David E. , Mann Peter C. , Tellier Pierre A.
Published: April 2008

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) are involved in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance, diabetes, and related complications. Consequently, the identification of PPAR subtypes and the potential for their activation provides promising therapeutic targets for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Available data from rodent carcinogenicity studies, however, demonstrate that PPAR agonists can be tumorigenic in one or more species of rodents at multiple sites. In 2005, the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) PPAR Agonist Project Committee was established by a group of pharmaceutical companies to advance research on and to understand the modes of action and human relevance of this emerging rodent tumor data for PPAR agonists. Since the most commonly observed tumor types reported in rodents are hemangiosarcomas, fibrosarcomas and liposarcomas, the PPAR Agonist Project Committee approved a Pathology Working Group (PWG) to develop consensus of morphologic criteria for tumor diagnoses and consistency of diagnoses across multiple studies for hemangiosarcomas in mice and hamsters and liposarcomas/fibrosarcomas in rats. Therefore, the focus of the PWG review was to establish consistent tumor diagnostic criteria, to assess evidence of potentially preneoplastic changes and to identify distinguishing morphologic differences which may exist between spontaneous changes present in control animals with similar changes from treated animals. Specific diagnostic criteria and nomenclature are recommended for the classification of proliferative vascular lesions which may be present in mice or hamsters and for proliferative mesenchymal changes in rats in studies that are conducted with PPAR agonists.
Pulmonary Lesions in Female Harlan Sprague-Dawley Rats Following Two-Year Oral Treatment with Dioxin-Like Compounds
Authors: Walker Nigel J. , Yoshizawa Katsuhiko , Miller Rodney A. , Brix Amy E. , Sells Donald M. , Jokinen Micheal P. , Wyde Michael E. , Easterling Michael , Nyska Abraham
Published: April 2008

Dioxin and dioxin-related compounds have been associated with high incidences of pulmonary dysfunctions and/or cancers in humans. To evaluate the relative potencies of effects of these compounds, the National Toxicology Program completed a series of two-year bioassays which were conducted using female Harlan Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were treated orally for up to 2 years with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p-dioxin (TCDD), 3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126), 2,3,4,7,8-pentachlorodibenzofuran (PeCDF), and a ternary mixture of TCDD, PCB126 and PeCDF. In addition to treatment-related effects reported in other organs, a variety of pulmonary lesions were observed that were related to exposure. Pulmonary CYP1A1-associated 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity was increased in all dosed groups. The most common non-neoplastic lesions, which occurred in all studies, were bronchiolar metaplasia and squamous metaplasia of the alveolar epithelium. Cystic keratinizing epithelioma was the most commonly observed neoplasm which occurred in all studies. A low incidence of squamous cell carcinoma was associated only with PCB126 treatment. Potential mechanisms leading to altered differentiation and/or proliferation of bronchiolar and alveolar epithelia may be through CYP1A1 induction or disruption of retinoid metabolism.
gpDB: a database of GPCRs, G-proteins, effectors and their interactions
Authors: Theodoropoulou Margarita C. , Bagos Pantelis G. , Spyropoulos Ioannis C. , Hamodrakas Stavros J.
Published: April 2008

Summary: gpDB is a publicly accessible, relational database, containing information about G-proteins, G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) and effectors, as well as information concerning known interactions between these molecules. The sequences are classified according to a hierarchy of different classes, families and subfamilies based on literature search. The main innovation besides the classification of G-proteins, GPCRs and effectors is the relational model of the database, describing the known coupling specificity of GPCRs to their respective alpha subunits of G-proteins, and also the specific interaction between G-proteins and their effectors, a unique feature not available in any other database.

Availability:  http://bioinformatics.biol.uoa.gr/gpDB

Contact:  shamodr@biol.uoa.gr

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Depth-dependent target strength of anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) measured in situ
Authors: Zhao Xianyong , Wang Yong , Dai Fangqun
Published: April 2008

Zhao, X., Wang, Y., and Dai, F. 2008. Depth-dependent target strength of anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) measured in situ. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 882–888. Three sets of target strength (TS) data were collected in the southern part of the Yellow Sea using a calibrated, 38 kHz, Simrad EK500 split-beam echosounder. Midwater trawl sampling showed that >97% of the catch by number was anchovy (Engraulis japonicus), with total lengths ranging from 6 to 15 cm, and that the arithmetic-mean length and root-mean-square length were 10.6 and 10.8 cm, respectively. The mean TS of anchovy in the 10–45-m layer was estimated to be –50.9 dB, with a 95% confidence interval of (–51.0, –50.8) dB. The TS data showed, however, a clear depth-dependence that was very close to and not significantly different from what might be expected according to Boyle’s law. The TS model was estimated to be TS = 20 log L − 71.6 for the conventional relationship between TS and length, but TS = 20 log L− (20/3) log (1+z/10) − 67.6 when the depth (z, m) effect was included according to Boyle’s law. These results may have a significant influence on abundance estimates of anchovy derived from acoustic surveys, both in the Yellow Sea and in other parts of the world.
Variations in echosounder–transducer performance with water temperature
Authors: Demer David A. , Renfree Josiah S.
Published: April 2008

Demer, D. A., and Renfree, J. S. 2008. Variations in echosounder–transducer performance with water temperature. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 1021–1035. Electro-acoustic transducers are central components of multifrequency echosounders used in remote-target identification and acoustic surveys for fish and zooplankton. Appreciable changes in echosounder system gains can result from shifts in transducer frequency responses with water temperature. Because it is standard practice to calibrate echosounder systems for fisheries surveys in one environment and apply the resulting gains to interpret data collected over the range of sea temperatures encountered during a survey, the results may be biased. Such biases may be different for estimates derived from each echosounder frequency. In moving to quantify and mitigate these effects, the performances have been measured for ten commonly used survey transducers in water temperatures ranging from ∼1°C to 18°C, using three techniques. Results show that the transducer impedances all change with temperature, potentially changing the signal-to-noise ratio from 5 to >20 dB. The resonance frequencies and quality factors also change with temperature, ranging from ∼0.2% to 2.8% and 2.5% to >130%, respectively. Corresponding directly to changes in the echosounder gains, the transmitting-current and receiver-voltage responses changed 1 dB or less with temperature, except for the Simrad ES120-7, which showed a 2 dB increase. Generally, the magnitudes of frequency-dependent biases in echosounder-system gains depend primarily on the temperature-dependent performances of the survey transducers, the range of temperatures encountered, and whether the operational frequencies are less or greater than the resonance frequency.
Linear comparison estimates for the effective resistivity of three-dimensional nonlinear polycrystals
Authors: Racherla V , Castañeda P. Ponte
Published: April 2008

Estimates for the effective resistivity of nonlinear polycrystals are obtained using the ‘linear comparison’ homogenization scheme of DeBotton and Ponte Castañeda (DeBotton & Ponte Castañeda 1995
Proc. R. Soc. A
448
, 121–142). Computing the effective properties of linear composites, with the same microstructure as the nonlinear composite, is an essential part of this scheme. The classical self-consistent method is employed for this purpose. An important characteristic of these estimates, for polycrystals with field thresholds, is that they satisfy the recent bound of Garroni and Kohn (Garroni & Kohn 2003
Proc. R. Soc. A
459
, 2613–2625), which dramatically improves upon the classical Taylor upper bound at large crystal anisotropy. In addition, the estimates also satisfy the Hashin–Shtrikman bounds, which are more restrictive than the Garroni–Kohn bound at small crystal anisotropy. Interestingly, the scaling exponents for the linear comparison estimates are found to be independent of the constitutive nonlinearity. This last observation provides an explanation for the relative weakness of an earlier linear comparison bound obtained by Garroni and Kohn.
The unrestrainable growth of a shear band in a prestressed material
Authors: Bigoni D , Dal Corso F
Published: April 2008

A weak line inclusion model in a nonlinear elastic solid is proposed to analytically quantify and investigate, for the first time, the stress state and growth conditions of a finite-length shear band in a ductile prestressed metallic material. The deformation is shown to become highly focused and aligned coaxial to the shear band—a finding that provides justification for the experimentally observed strong tendency towards rectilinear propagation—and the energy release rate to blow up to infinity, for incremental loading occurring when the prestress approaches the elliptic boundary. It is concluded that the propagation becomes ‘unrestrainable’, a result substantiating the experimental observation that shear bands are the preferential near-failure deformation modes.
Acoustic cloaking theory
Authors: Norris Andrew N
Published: April 2008

An acoustic cloak is a compact region enclosing an object, such that sound incident from all directions passes through and around the cloak as though the object was not present. A theory of acoustic cloaking is developed using the transformation or change-of-variables method for mapping the cloaked region to a point with vanishing scattering strength. We show that the acoustical parameters in the cloak must be anisotropic: either the mass density or the mechanical stiffness or both. If the stiffness is isotropic, corresponding to a fluid with a single bulk modulus, then the inertial density must be infinite at the inner surface of the cloak. This requires an infinitely massive cloak. We show that perfect cloaking can be achieved with finite mass through the use of anisotropic stiffness. The generic class of anisotropic material required is known as a pentamode material (PM). If the transformation deformation gradient is symmetric then the PM parameters are explicit, otherwise its properties depend on a stress-like tensor that satisfies a static equilibrium equation. For a given transformation mapping, the material composition of the cloak is not uniquely defined, but the phase speed and wave velocity of the pseudo-acoustic waves in the cloak are unique. Examples are given from two and three dimensions.
Sense of Coherence and Physical Health. A “Copenhagen Interpretation” of Antonovsky's SOC Concept
Authors: Endler P. Christian , Haug Thomas M. , Spranger Heinz
Published: April 2008

According to Antonovsky's (Aaron Antonovsky, 1923–1994) sense of coherence (SOC) model, persons with a high SOC have the ability to benefit from their general defense mechanisms in order to overcome stressful situations. In a health-disease continuum, this leads to the development towards health. However, Antonovsky's global hypothesis that the strength of the SOC may influence the physical health status of a person could not be proven.

Flensborg-Madsen et al. from Copenhagen were able to provide a new access regarding SOC and health. They investigated the mixture of emotional aspects and mental constructions as a possible cause for fairly low correlation between SOC and physical health. Thus, in an empirical way, they described “emotional coherence” in relation to physical health, while “mental coherence” was linked topsychologicalhealth. These authors introduced the idea of applying a shortened version of the original 29-item SOC questionnaire, but have not yet developed or tested the shortened questionnaire. Backed by their important findings, it appears to be promising to consider the use of the SOC questionnaire as standardized by Antonovsky, but cleared of the items regarding “predictability”, i.e., Flensborg-Madsen et al. suggested that the items on “predictability” be excluded from the SOC scale when a correlation to physical health is to be investigated. Further investigations in this area of research will be of high impact, not only for health sciences, but also for medical practice.
The Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway in Huntington's Disease
Authors: Mitra Siddhartha , Finkbeiner Steven
Published: April 2008

The accumulation of mutant protein is a common feature of neurodegenerative disease. In Huntington's disease, a polyglutamine expansion in the huntingtin protein triggers neuronal toxicity. Accompanying neuronal death, mutant huntingtin aggregates in large macromolecular structures called inclusion bodies. The function of the machinery for intracellular protein degradation is linked to huntingtin toxicity and components of this machinery colocalize with inclusion bodies. An increasing body of evidence implicates the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in the failure of cells to degrade mutant huntingtin. A number of potential mechanisms that link compromised ubiquitin-proteasome pathway function and neurodegeneration have been proposed and may offer opportunities for therapeutic intervention.
The Homeopathic Preparation Neurexan® vs. Valerian for the Treatment of Insomnia: An Observational Study
Authors: Waldschütz Rainer , Klein Peter
Published: April 2008

Insomnia is prevalent and complementary therapies are common, but data are lacking on the effectiveness and tolerability of preparations beyond valerian. Here we report on an open-label, prospective cohort study in 89 German centers offering both conventional and complementary therapies. Subjects received the homeopathic preparation Neurexan®or valerian for 28 days. Doses were at physicians' judgments. Sleep duration and latency were evaluated based on patients' sleep diaries over 14 days; sleep quality was evaluated at 28 ± 1 days. A total of 409 subjects were enrolled. The groups were balanced at baseline for age, sex, weight, and sleep disturbances. At day 14, both groups reported improved sleep latency and duration; latency was reduced from baseline by 37.3 ± 36.3 min with Neurexan and by 38.2 ± 38.5 min with valerian. The duration of sleep increased by 2.2 (±1.6) h in the Neurexan group and by 2.0 (±1.5) h in the valerian group. Differences between the groups in improvement on sleep duration were significantly in favor of Neurexan therapy at days 8, 12, and 14. At day 28, quality of sleep was improved in both groups with no significant differences between the treatments. Significantly more patients reported lack of daytime fatigue with Neurexan than with valerian therapies (49% vs. 32%;p< 0.05 for the comparison). For patients favorable towards a CAM-based therapy, Neurexan might be an effective and well-tolerated alternative to conventional valerian-based therapies for the treatment of mild to moderate insomnia.
Natural Honey and Cardiovascular Risk Factors; Effects on Blood Glucose, Cholesterol, Triacylglycerole, CRP, and Body Weight Compared with Sucrose
Authors: Yaghoobi N. , Al-Waili Noori , Ghayour-Mobarhan M. , Parizadeh S. M. R. , Abasalti Z. , Yaghoobi Z. , Yaghoobi F. , Esmaeili H. , Kazemi-Bajestani S. M. R. , Aghasizadeh R. , Saloom Khelod Y. , Ferns G. A. A.
Published: April 2008

It has been found that honey ameliorates cardiovascular risk factors in healthy individuals and in patients with elevated risk factors. The present study investigated the effect of natural honey on total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triacylglycerole, C-reactive protein (CRP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and body weight in overweight individuals. There were 55 patients, overweight or obese, who were randomly recruited into the study and assigned into two groups: control group (17 subjects) and experimental group (38 subjects). Patients in the control group received 70 g of sucrose daily for a maximum of 30 days and patients in the experimental group received 70 g of natural honey for the same period. In the control and experimental groups, body weight, body mass index, body fat weight, total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, triacylglycerole, FBG, and CRP were measured before treatment and at day 31 after the commencement of treatment. Results showed that honey caused a mild reduction in body weight (1.3%) and body fat (1.1%). Honey reduced total cholesterol (3%), LDL-C (5.8), triacylglycerole (11%), FBG (4.2%), and CRP (3.2%), and increased HDL-C (3.3%) in subjects with normal values, while in patients with elevated variables, honey caused reduction in total cholesterol by 3.3%, LDL-C by 4.3%, triacylglycerole by 19%, and CRP by 3.3% (p< 0.05). It is our conclusion that consumption of natural honey reduces cardiovascular risk factors, particularly in subjects with elevated risk factors, and it does not increase body weight in overweight or obese subjects.
A Case of a Large Seminal Vesicle Cyst Associated with Ipsilateral Renal Agenesis
Authors: Labanaris Apostolos P. , Zugor Vahudin , Meyer Bernd , Nützel Reinhold , Kühn Reinhard
Published: April 2008

The diagnosis of seminal vesicle cysts is often delayed or missed as a result of both their rarity and wide spectrum of potentially confusing clinical and imaging findings they can produce. Although rare, they should be considered in men, especially with a history of renal agenesis, who exhibit o inexplicable irritable voiding symptoms, perineal discomfort or other genitourinary complaint of unclear etiology. We introduce such a case, and discuss its symptoms, radiological findings and its therapeutic approach.
Advances in the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System: Relevance to Diabetic Nephropathy
Authors: Koitka Audrey , Tikellis Christos
Published: April 2008

Hypertension is now recognized as a key contributory factor to the development and progression of kidney disease in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The renin angiotensin system (RAS) and its effector molecule angiotensin II, in particular, have a range of hemodynamic and nonhemodynamic effects that contribute not only to the development of hypertension, but also to renal disease. As a result, therapeutic inhibition of the RAS with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and/or selective angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers has been proposed as a key strategy for reducing kidney damage beyond the expected effects one would observe with blood pressure reduction per se. Although the relationship between the RAS and the progression of diabetic renal disease has been known for many decades, recent advances have revealed a more complex paradigm with the discovery of a number of new components. Thus, further understanding of these new components of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS), such as the angiotensin type 2 receptor subtype, angiotensin converting enzyme 2, and the recently cloned renin receptor, is likely to have therapeutic implications for disorders such as diabetic nephropathy, where interruption of the RAAS is widely used.
Evidence for Abscisic Acid Biosynthesis in Cuscuta reflexa, a Parasitic Plant Lacking Neoxanthin
Authors: Qin Xiaoqiong , Yang Seung Hwan , Kepsel Andrea C. , Schwartz Steven H. , Zeevaart Jan A.D.
Published: April 2008

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a plant hormone found in all higher plants; it plays an important role in seed dormancy, embryo development, and adaptation to environmental stresses, most notably drought. The regulatory step in ABA synthesis is the cleavage reaction of a 9-cis-epoxy-carotenoid catalyzed by the 9-cis-epoxy-carotenoid dioxygenases (NCEDs). The parasitic angiosperm Cuscuta reflexa lacks neoxanthin, one of the common precursors of ABA in all higher plants. Thus, is C. reflexa capable of synthesizing ABA, or does it acquire ABA from its host plants? Stem tips of C. reflexa were cultured in vitro and found to accumulate ABA in the absence of host plants. This demonstrates that this parasitic plant is capable of synthesizing ABA. Dehydration of detached stem tips caused a big rise in ABA content. During dehydration, 18O was incorporated into ABA from 18O2, indicating that ABA was synthesized de novo in C. reflexa. Two NCED genes, CrNCED1 and CrNCED2, were cloned from C. reflexa. Expression of CrNCEDs was up-regulated significantly by dehydration. In vitro enzyme assays with recombinant CrNCED1 protein showed that the protein is able to cleave both 9-cis-violaxanthin and 9′-cis-neoxanthin to give xanthoxin. Thus, despite the absence of neoxanthin in C. reflexa, the biochemical activity of CrNCED1 is similar to that of NCEDs from other higher plants. These results provide evidence for conservation of the ABA biosynthesis pathway among members of the plant kingdom.
Functional Identification of Arabidopsis Stress Regulatory Genes Using the Controlled cDNA Overexpression System
Authors: Papdi Csaba , Ábrahám Edit , Joseph Mary Prathiba , Popescu Cristina , Koncz Csaba , Szabados László
Published: April 2008

Responses to environmental stresses in higher plants are controlled by a complex web of abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent and independent signaling pathways. To perform genetic screens for identification of novel Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) loci involved in the control of abiotic stress responses, a complementary DNA (cDNA) expression library was created in a Gateway version of estradiol-inducible XVE binary vector (controlled cDNA overexpression system [COS]). The COS system was tested in three genetic screens by selecting for ABA insensitivity, salt tolerance, and activation of a stress-responsive ADH1-LUC (alcohol dehydrogenase-luciferase) reporter gene. Twenty-seven cDNAs conferring dominant, estradiol-dependent stress tolerance phenotype, were identified by polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequence analysis. Several cDNAs were recloned into the XVE vector and transformed recurrently into Arabidopsis, to confirm that the observed conditional phenotypes were due to their estradiol-dependent expression. Characterization of a cDNA conferring insensitivity to ABA in germination assays has identified the coding region of heat shock protein HSP17.6A suggesting its implication in ABA signal transduction. Screening for enhanced salt tolerance in germination and seedling growth assays revealed that estradiol-controlled overexpression of a 2-alkenal reductase cDNA confers considerable level of salt insensitivity. Screening for transcriptional activation of stress- and ABA-inducible ADH1-LUC reporter gene has identified the ERF/AP2-type transcription factor RAP2.12, which sustained high-level ADH1-LUC bioluminescence, enhanced ADH1 transcription rate, and increased ADH enzyme activity in the presence of estradiol. These data illustrate that application of the COS cDNA expression library provides an efficient strategy for genetic identification and characterization of novel regulators of abiotic stress responses.