bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ag-induced large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in Mn/Ag/Fe(001)
Authors: Kim Dongyoo , Yang Jeonghwa , Hong Jisang
Published: November 2011

Using the full-potential, linearized, augmented plane wave method, we have investigated the magnetic properties of body-centered-cubic Mn(2 monolayers [ML])/Fe(001), Mn(2 ML)/Ag(1 ML)/Fe(001), and Mn(2 ML)/Ag(2 ML)/Fe(001). We find that the Mn overlayers have a layered antiferromagnetic ground state. However, the Ag spacer layer induces an oscillatory magnetic behavior in Mn film, because the relative direction of magnetization in Mn film is changed with increasing Ag layer thickness. In addition, we have realized that the optimized structure is a crucial factor to determine magnetic ground state of an ultrathin Mn/Fe(001) system. It is achieved that both Mn/Fe and Mn/Ag/Fe(001) systems manifest perpendicular magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA). Interestingly, the Ag spacer layer greatly enhances perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energy. The MCA energy in Mn(2 ML)/Fe(001) is about 137 μeV/cell, and it becomes 920 μeV in Mn(2 ML)/Ag(2 ML)/Fe(001). Therefore, we report that the large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy system can be materialized in the Mn/Ag/Fe(001) structure. In addition, we also present the calculated x ray absorption spectroscopy and x ray magnetic circular dichroism of Fe and Mn layers.
Efficiency enhancement of top-emitting organic light-emitting diodes using conversion dyes
Authors: Schwab Tobias , Thomschke Michael , Hofmann Simone , Furno Mauro , Leo Karl , Lüssem Björn
Published: November 2011

We report recent results on top-emitting organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) using color conversion layers (CCLs) embedded into the electron transport layer of the OLED structure. The method of color conversion provides the possibility to generate a color stable emission with operating lifetime. Due to a constant ratio between absorbed blue emission and converter emission, the spectral shape remains for all time. This guarantees constant color coordinates of the OLED, which is essential for lighting applications. It is shown that OLEDs using conversion layers reach external quantum efficiencies (EQE) which can be higher than the corresponding blue top-emitting OLED. The used conversion layer thickness is below 100 nm, reaching Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.23; 0.27) close to the Planckian locus at a maximum EQE of 3.16% using a blue fluorescent emitter system. Furthermore, we show that the excitation mechanism of the conversion layer is caused by absorption and no parasitic electrical excitation is taking place. Investigations on the emission color over the lifetime show color-stability over a period of up to 2200 h.
Magneto- and electro-resistance effects in phase separated Pr0.55(Ca0.65S0.35)0.45MnO3 films
Authors: Kumar Ashvani , Dho Joonghoe
Published: November 2011

Pr0.55(Ca0.65S0.35)0.45MnO3 films were deposited on (001) (La0.18Sr0.82)(Al0.59Ta0.41)O3 substrates using pulse laser deposition technique and annealed in oxygen environment at temperatures ranging from 900 to 1100 °C, respectively. X-ray diffraction data suggested that these epitaxial films show a little relaxation in lattice strain without structural change after post-annealing within this temperature range. The as-deposited film and the film annealed at 900 °C showed only insulating and weak magnetic behaviors, but the film annealed at 950 °C depicted a clear metal-insulator (M-I) transition with a strong ferromagnetic property while increased annealing temperature lead to a slight degradation in both electric and magnetic properties. Interestingly, the slightly degraded films above 950 °C showed larger magnetoresistance and electroresistance than the optimized film at 950 °C. The temperature dependence of resistance for the film annealed at 1000 °C was measured at various magnitudes of dc current, and its peak resistance was found to decrease exponentially with increasing current. From a comparison between magnetoresistance and electroresistance, we found that the resistance was suppressed equally by either the application of a 0.7 T magnetic field or a 6 mA current.
Investigation on thermal properties of heat storage composites containing carbon fibers
Authors: Wang Jifen , Xie Huaqing , Xin Zhong , Li Yang , Yin Chou
Published: November 2011

We prepared a series of thermal performance-enhanced heat storage composite phase change materials containing carbon fibers. It revealed that the composites have reduced both melting point and latent heat capacity with an increase in the mass fraction of the carbon fibers (CF) or mechano-chemical treated CF (M-CF). Composites have enhanced thermal conductivities compared to palmitic acid (PA), with the enhancement ratios increasing with the mass fraction of additives. M-CF/PA enhances more thermal conductivity than CF/PA does when they contain the same additives and are at the same temperature. Thermal conductivity enhancement of 0.5 wt. % M-CF/PA is 239.2% in liquid state, compared with PA.
Kinetic description of finite-wall catalysis for monatomic molecular recombination
Authors: Yano Ryosuke , Suzuki Kojiro
Published: November 2011

In our previous study on hypothetical diatomic molecular dissociation and monatomic molecular recombination, A2 + M ↔ A + A + M [Yano et al., Phys. Fluids 21, 127101 (2009)], the interaction between the wall and A2* intermediates was not formulated. In this paper, we consider the effect of finite-wall catalysis on recombination of a monatomic molecule A via the interaction between the wall and A2*. According to the proposed Boltzmann model equation, the catalytic recombination rate depends on two quantities; the vibrational temperature and the translational temperature of A2* intermediates that are emitted from the wall. In particular, the translational temperature of A2* is related to its lifetime. In this paper, we investigate the change in the catalytic recombination rate of A upon changing the vibrational temperature of A2* intermediates that are emitted from the wall. As an object of analysis, the rarefied hypersonic flow around a cylinder with a finite wall-catalysis is considered using the proposed Boltzmann model equation. Numerical results confirm that a decrease in the vibrational temperature of A2* intermediates that are emitted from the wall results in an increase in recombination of A near the wall.
Evaluating the use of electronegativity in band alignment models through the experimental slope parameter of lanthanum aluminate heterostructures
Authors: Liu Z. Q. , Chim W. K. , Chiam S. Y , Pan J. S. , Ng C. M.
Published: November 2011

In this work, photoelectron spectroscopy is used to characterize the band alignment of lanthanum aluminate heterostructures which possess a wide range of potential applications. It is found that our experimental slope parameter agrees with theory using the metal-induced gap states model while the interface induced gap states (IFIGS) model yields unsatisfactory results. We show that this discrepancy can be attributed to the correlation between the dielectric work function and the electronegativity in the IFIGS model. It is found that the original trend, as established largely by metals, may not be accurate for larger band gap materials. By using a new correlation, our experimental data shows good agreement of the slope parameter using the IFIGS model. This correlation, therefore, plays a crucial role in heterostructures involving wider bandgap materials for accurate band alignment prediction using the IFIGS model.
An apparent symmetry property of the mean velocity gradient in turbulent Poiseuille flows and its implications
Authors: Laadhari F.
Published: November 2011

A novel feature of the mean velocity gradient in turbulent parallel Poiseuille flows has been found using the results available in databases of direct numerical simulations at moderately high friction Reynolds number Rτ, up to 2000. The computed turbulence statistics show that the logarithm of the mean velocity gradient, normalized by its value at the quarter-channel height, is very close to symmetric with respect to this position. At this location, the ratio of the viscous transport term to the viscous stress is a minimum. The range of validity of this property increases with the Reynolds number and is between y/h = 0.1 and y/h = 0.9 for Rτ = 2000. This property is a convenient tool in channel flow analysis since the velocity profile in the wall region can be accurately predicted from values much further away. We explore in some detail the properties that follow from this discovery.
Different chromophore concentration dependence of photoinduced birefringence and second-order susceptibility in all-optical poling
Authors: Virkki Matti , Kauranen Martti , Priimagi Arri
Published: November 2011

We study photoinduced axial and polar ordering in Disperse Red 1 azobenzene–poly(4-vinylpyridine) polymer systems by monitoring both birefringence and second-harmonic generation during all-optical poling. The two responses are found to exhibit very distinct dependences on chromophore concentration: the photoinduced birefringence increasing up to 51 wt. % concentration and the second-order response reaching its peak already at 23 wt. %. The results show that the polar order required for second-order response is highly sensitive to chromophore-chromophore intermolecular interactions, whereas the birefringence is much more robust against such effects.
Shape transition and migration of TiSi2 nanostructures embedded in a Si matrix
Authors: Sunda-Meya Anderson , Smith David J. , Nemanich Robert J.
Published: November 2011

This study establishes that under conditions of epitaxial Si deposition, embedded Ti-silicide nanostructures undergo shape transitions and migrate upward to the surface during capping with a thin epitaxial Si layer. Many of these structures display a near-hemispherical shape which is attributed to minimization of their surface and interface energies. The density and size of the nanostructures are observed to be temperature-dependent. The buried islands induce inhomogeneous stress profiles on the capping layer surface. Atomic-force micrographs of the islands show square holes at the surface aligned along [110] directions which suggests that the sloping surfaces of the pits approximate to (111) surfaces, and the silicide interface is also facetted to match Si (111) planes. Cross-sectional electron micrographs reveal that many islands display faceting. The observed structural changes can be rationalized in terms of the interplay between thermodynamics and kinetics, solid-state capillarity, and the roughening transition.
Dielectric and nonlinear current–voltage characteristics of rare–earth doped CaCu3Ti4O12 ceramics
Authors: Liu Laijun , Fang Liang , Huang Yanmin , Li Yunhua , Shi Danping , Zheng Shaoying , Wu Shuangshuang , Hu Changzheng
Published: November 2011

CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) ceramics doped with rare earth (RE) oxides, including Y2O3, La2O3, Eu2O3, and Gd2O3, were prepared by the traditional solid–state reaction method in order to investigate the effect of RE oxide dopants on the electrical properties as a varistor. The phase identification and morphology of the ceramics were investigated by x–ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. A high voltage measuring unit and precision impedance analyzer were used to determine the nonohmic (J–E) behaviors and measure the dielectric properties and impedance spectroscopy of the ceramics, respectively. The results showed that RE oxides enhanced greatly the breakdown electric flied but reduced the nonlinear coefficient and the mean grain size of CCTO ceramics. There was a good linear relationship between ln J and E1/2, which demonstrated that the Schottky barrier should exist at the grain boundary. A double Schottky barrier model composed of a depletion layer and a negative charge sheet was proposed, analogous to the barrier model for ZnO varistors. The depletion layer width determined by diffusion distance of RE ions and the effective surface states played important roles on the electrical properties of the ceramics.
Enhanced mechanical properties of single walled carbon nanotube-borosilicate glass composite due to cushioning effect and localized plastic flow
Authors: Ghosh Sujan , Ghosh Arnab , Das Sukhen , Kar Tanusree , Das Probal K. , Banerjee Rajat
Published: November 2011

A borosilicate glass composite has been fabricated incorporating Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNT) in the glass matrix by melt-quench technique. Hardness and the fracture toughness of the composite, were found to increase moderately with respect to the base glass. Interestingly one can observe accumulation of SWCNT bundles around the crack zone though no such accumulation was observed in the crack free indentation zone. The enhanced hardness of the composite was discussed by correlating the cushioning as well as toughening behavior of the agglomerated SWCNT bundles. On the other hand enhanced plastic flow was proposed to be the prime reason for the accumulation of SWCNT bundles around the crack, which increases the toughness of the composite by reducing the crack length. Moreover to ascertain the enhanced plasticity of the composite than that of the glass we calculated the recovery resistance of glass and the composite where recovery resistance of composite was found to be higher than that of the glass.
Multiple magnetic transitions in SmCoAsO
Authors: Chen Yongliang , Cui Yajing , Cheng Cuihua , Zhao Yong
Published: November 2011

The magnetic properties of SmCoAsO have been investigated. Our results differ from early observations. Complicated magnetism consists of antiferromagnetic, ferromagnetic, ferrimagnetic and paramagnetic, even diamagnetism at low field has been observed. A metamagnetic transition was observed, resulting from a canting of the spins. The interaction between two Co sublattices with canted-structure might take responsibility for the multiple magnetic transitions. Electrical resistivity data indicate that SmCoAsO is metallic conductor with room temperature resistivity of 0.51669 mΩ-cm. Negative magnetoresistance effect suggests a significant suppression of spin-flip scattering by the applied magnetic field. The magnetic phase diagram has been established.
Printed ethyl cellulose/CuInSe2 composite light absorber layer and its photovoltaic effect
Authors: Chen Qinmiao , Dou Xiaoming , Li Zhenqing , Cheng Shuyi , Zhuang Songlin
Published: October 2011

A novel ethyl cellulose/CuInSe2 (CISe) composite light absorber layer and its photovoltaic effect are reported. The precursor absorber layer was deposited from screen printing paste containing ethyl cellulose and CISe powder, and was followed by rapid thermal annealing. Experimental results indicated that the ethyl cellulose remained in the annealed absorber layer, and the composite absorber layer may consist of ethyl cellulose/CISe composite shell/core structure. The structural, optical and electronic properties of the composite absorber layer were fully investigated. The composite absorber layer shows photovoltaic efficiency of 0.65% under standard test condition.
Dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibition improves cardiorenal function in overpacing‐induced heart failure
Authors: Gomez Nelson , Touihri Karim , Matheeussen Veerle , Da Costa Agnès Mendes , Mahmoudabady Maryam , Mathieu Myrielle , Baerts Lesley , Peace Aaron , Lybaert Pascale , Scharpé Simon , De Meester Ingrid , Bartunek Jozef , Vanderheyden Marc , McEntee Kathleen
Published: November 2011

Aims

Recent studies indicate that brain natriuretic peptide (BNP1–32) may be truncated into BNP3–32 by dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP4) and that BNP3–32 has reduced biological activities compared with BNP1–32. We investigated if DPP4 contributes to the cardiorenal alterations and to the attenuated response to BNP seen in heart failure.

Methods and results

Haemodynamic and renal assessment was performed in 12 pigs at baseline, 4 weeks after pacing‐induced heart failure, and during BNP infusion. They were randomized to either placebo or treatment with a DPP4 inhibitor, sitagliptin. After 4 weeks of pacing, heart rate was reduced compared with baseline in the sitagliptin group (60 ± 2 vs. 95 ± 16 b.p.m., P < 0.01), and an increase in stroke volume was observed in the sitagliptin group compared with placebo (+24 ± 6% vs. –17 ± 7%, P < 0.01). Glomerular filtration rate declined at week 4 compared with baseline in the placebo group (1.3 ± 0.4 vs. 2.3 ± 0.3 mL/kg/min, P < 0.01) but remained preserved in the sitagliptin group [1.8 ± 0.2 vs. 2.0 ± 0.3 mL/kg/min, P = NS (non‐significant)]. In the sitagliptin group, BNP infusion improved end‐systolic elastance (68 ± 5 vs. 31 ± 4 mmHg/kg/mL, P < 0.05), ventricular–arterial coupling, and mechanical efficiency. Compared with controls (n = 6), myocardial gene expression of BNP, interleukin‐6, Na+–Ca2+ exchanger, and calmodulin was up‐regulated in the placebo group, but not in the sitagliptin group.

Conclusion

In pacing‐induced heart failure, DPP4 inhibition preserves the glomerular filtration rate, modulates stroke volume and heart rate, and potentiates the positive inotropic effect of exogenous BNP at no energy expense.
Keeping up appearances: male fiddler crabs wave faster in a crowd
Authors: Milner Richard N. C. , Jennions Michael D. , Backwell Patricia R. Y.
Published: October 2011

Courtship displays are often energetically and temporally costly as well as highly conspicuous to predators. Selection should therefore favour signalling tactics that minimize courtship costs while maintaining or increasing signal attractiveness. In fiddler crabs, males court females by waving their one greatly enlarged claw in a highly conspicuous and costly display. Here, we investigate whether courting males adjust their wave rate, and therefore the cost of courtship, to the current level of competition. We show that display rate increases as competition increases and that when competition is removed, males reduce their display rate by 30 per cent. These results suggest that male fiddler crabs actively reduce the cost of courtship by adjusting their wave rate in response to the immediate level of competition.
Force transformation in spider strain sensors: white light interferometry
Authors: Schaber Clemens F. , Gorb Stanislav N. , Barth Friedrich G.
Published: October 2011

Scanning white light interferometry and micro-force measurements were applied to analyse stimulus transformation in strain sensors in the spider exoskeleton. Two compound or ‘lyriform’ organs consisting of arrays of closely neighbouring, roughly parallel sensory slits of different lengths were examined. Forces applied to the exoskeleton entail strains in the cuticle, which compress and thereby stimulate the individual slits of the lyriform organs. (i) For the proprioreceptive lyriform organ HS-8 close to the distal joint of the tibia, the compression of the slits at the sensory threshold was as small as 1.4 nm and hardly more than 30 nm, depending on the slit in the array. The corresponding stimulus forces were as small as 0.01 mN. The linearity of the loading curve seems reasonable considering the sensor's relatively narrow biological intensity range of operation. The slits' mechanical sensitivity (slit compression/force) ranged from 106 down to 13 nm mN
−1
, and gradually decreased with decreasing slit length. (ii) Remarkably, in the vibration-sensitive lyriform organ HS-10 on the metatarsus, the loading curve was exponential. The organ is thus adapted to the detection of a wide range of vibration amplitudes, as they are found under natural conditions. The mechanical sensitivities of the two slits examined in this organ in detail differed roughly threefold (522 and 195 nm mN
−1
) in the biologically most relevant range, again reflecting stimulus range fractionation among the slits composing the array.
Health‐related quality of life in patients with atopic dermatitis
Authors: MAKSIMOVIĆ Nataša , JANKOVIĆ Slavenka , MARINKOVIĆ Jelena , SEKULOVIĆ Lidija K. , ŽIVKOVIĆ Zorica , SPIRIĆ Vesna T.
Published: November 2011

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing condition that can have considerable effects on the patients’ quality of life (QOL). The aim of this study was to measure the health‐related QOL in patients with AD, using generic and specific instruments, to compare the scores obtained by different instruments and to verify the relationship between them. We conducted a cross‐sectional study of 132 outpatients with AD. To assess the QOL, Short Form 36 (SF‐36), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Children’s Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) were administered. In order to assess the disease severity of AD, we used the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) and physician assessment of disease severity. Stressful life events during the last 12 months were assessed with Paykel’s Interview for Recent Life Events. Patients with AD had inferior social functioning and mental health scores compared with the general population. The correlations between the DLQI and SF‐36 were found for the mental components of the QOL. Increasing disease severity was associated with greater impairment in QOL in both, children and adults. Our study found the influence of the stressful life events on the role emotional of AD patients. These results demonstrate that AD influences health‐related QOL, especially in children. This study supports the decision to use both generic and skin‐specific instruments to assess the impact of AD on QOL.
Isolation of human mAbs that directly modulate FMS‐related tyrosine kinase 3 signaling
Authors: Yamamoto Yukiya , Tsuzuki Sachiko , Akahori Yasushi , Ukai Yoshinori , Sumitomo Mariko , Murayama Yuko , Yamamoto Kiyoko , Inaguma Youko , Tokuda Masutaka , Abe Akihiro , Akatsuka Yoshiki , Emi Nobuhiko , Kurosawa Yoshikazu
Published: November 2011

FMS‐related tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) is a class III receptor tyrosine kinase that plays important roles in hematopoiesis, including early progenitors and dendritic cell development. FLT3 is expressed at high levels in 70–100% of cases of AML and in virtually all cases of B‐lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia. FLT3 is regarded as a molecular target in the development of novel therapies for acute leukemia patients. Currently, many small‐molecule FLT3 inhibitors have been developed, but clinical trials have resulted in limited antileukemia effects because of off‐target toxicities and drug resistance. The development of anti‐FLT3 Abs might overcome these difficulties and enhance the antileukemia efficacy of FLT3 inhibitors. In the present study, we demonstrate the isolation of novel human mAbs against FLT3 with antagonistic or agonistic activities. An antagonistic Ab, designated A2, continuously inhibits FLT3 ligand (FL)‐induced phosphorylation of FLT3 and MAPK. A2 cooperatively induces apoptosis with daunorubicin, even in the presence of FL. An agonistic Ab, designated 3E6, surprisingly induces the phosphorylation of FLT3 and MAPK, and supports the growth of a factor‐dependent cell line independently of FL addition. In addition, A2 showed complement‐dependent cytotoxicity activity, but was devoid of Ab‐dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity. Finally, we evaluated Ab internalization in a cell line. Immunofluorescence and flow cytometry analyses revealed that A2 is efficiently internalized. Collectively, these data demonstrate that A2 is a potent human Ab that might be capable of delivering cytotoxic reagents and that has antagonistic effects on FLT3 signaling. In addition, 3E6 might be a potential scaffold for novel dendritic cell‐based immunotherapies. (Cancer Sci 2012; 103: 350–359)
Unexpected frequent hepatotoxicity of a prescription drug, flupirtine, marketed for about 30 years
Authors: Michel Martin C. , Radziszewski Piotr , Falconer Christian , Marschall‐Kehrel Daniela , Blot Koenraad
Published: November 2011

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT

• Flupirtine has been on the market for about 30 years in several European countries as an analgesic. This use has not resulted in regulatory action concerning hepatotoxicity.

WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS

• When used in a novel indication, hepatotoxicity was frequent with flupirtine, questioning the general assumption that the safety profile in one indication can be extrapolated to other indications.

AIMS

To determine efficacy of the analgesic flupirtine in the treatment of overactive bladder syndrome in a proof‐of‐concept study.

METHODS

Double‐blind, double‐dummy, three‐armed comparison of flupirtine extended release (400 mg/day, titrated to 600 mg/day), tolterodine extended release (4 mg/day) and placebo for 12 weeks.

RESULTS

When major elevations of liver enzymes (more than three times the upper normal limit) were detected in several flupirtine‐exposed patients, the study was prematurely discontinued. Based on study‐end data, hepatotoxicity was detected in 31% of patients receiving flupirtine for ≥6 weeks.

CONCLUSIONS

Unexpected frequent and relevant toxicity can occur when testing an established drug for a new indication.
Typology of landowners in Norwegian salmon angling: attitudes towards river owner organisations and management actions
Authors: STENSLAND S.
Published: November 2011

Abstract Atlantic salmon,Salmo salarL., recreational fisheries in Norway are facing shorter seasons and harvest restrictions because of low adult migration runs. Private fishing‐right holders (landowners) are important stakeholders, being co‐managers of the stocks, owners of salmon habitat and suppliers of angling. Landowners saw measures addressing salmon farming andGyrodactylus salaris(Malmberg) as the most important management actions to strengthen stocks and downplayed actions restricting their own activity or gain. The results showed a need to build knowledge and improve communication between landowners and river owner organisations about the effects of stocking, catch and release, and other management actions. Four distinct landowner types were identified, based on their objectives for the fishing right. The diversity in the landowner group suggests managing angling tourism will be challenging, and cooperation is required to manage salmon stocks. Policy instruments to facilitate cooperation are discussed for each landowner type.
Modelling mortality causes in longitudinal data in the presence of tag loss: application to raptor poisoning and electrocution
Authors: Tavecchia Giacomo , Adrover Jaume , Navarro Antoni Muñoz , Pradel Roger
Published: November 2011

1. A first step for the effective management of vulnerable populations is to identify population threats and measure their relative impact on population fluctuations. The relative importance of proximate causes of mortality can be calculated from longitudinal data using capture–mark–recapture models. If marks are lost or cease to function, survival is underestimated.

2. We provide an analytical framework based on conditional probabilities to obtain a robust estimate of the contribution of multiple sources of mortality while accounting for tag loss and imperfect detection.

3. We applied this approach to radiotracking and wing tags‐resighting data of red kites Milvus milvus to estimate the impact of illegal poisoning and the mortality by electrocution on power lines in the island of Mallorca (Spain).

4. Illegal poisoning was responsible for 53% of the total mortality and electrocution on power lines for 12%. Results indicated that poisoning‐related mortality was higher in immature birds, probably due to their more wide‐ranging prospective behaviour.

5. Assuming the two human‐related mortalities are additive, the survival probability of kites would increase by 17% (from 0·76 to 0·91) if both threats were removed.

6. Synthesis and applications. We present a new approach to estimate the contribution of different sources of mortality accounting for tag loss, state uncertainty and detection failures in wildlife populations. Our results will allow the demographic consequences of human‐related mortality in threatened populations to be refined. The approach is suitable for the study of multiplicative latent processes in a vast range of applied conservation studies such as, for example, wildlife epidemiology.
Practical aspects of a visual aid to decision making
Authors: Fisher Z. , Bailey R. , Willner P.
Published: November 2011

Background Previous research has demonstrated that people with mild intellectual disabilities (ID) have difficulty in ‘weighing up’ information, defined as integrating disparate items of information in order to reach a decision. However, this problem could be overcome by the use of a visual aid to decision making. In an earlier study, participants were taught to translate information about the pros and cons of different choices into a single evaluative dimension, by manipulating green (good) and red (bad) bars of varying lengths (corresponding to the value ascribed). Use of the visual calculator increased the consistency of performance (and decreased impulsive responding) in a temporal discounting task, and increased the amount of information that participants provided to justify their decisions in scenario‐based financial decision‐making tasks.

Methods The present study examined some practical aspects of visual calculator training, using a pen‐and‐paper version of two temporal discounting tasks. Participants with mild ID were tested, individually and in a group setting, before and after training in the group setting, and 2 months later.

Results (i) The visual aid improved temporal discounting performance using pen‐and‐paper presentation in a group setting as effectively as previously demonstrated using computer‐based individual presentation. (ii) Following withdrawal of the aid, improvements in temporal discounting performance were maintained at 1 day post training, but lost following a 2‐month hiatus; however, participants showed perfect retention, over 2 months, of how to use the aid. (iii) In addition to decreasing impulsivity in a hypothetical task, as previously demonstrated, use of the visual calculator also increased the ability of impulsive participants to wait in real time.

Conclusion The results suggest that the visual calculator has practical applicability to support decision making by people with mild ID in community settings.
The forgotten whale: a bibliometric analysis and literature review of the North Atlantic sei whale Balaenoptera borealis
Authors: PRIETO Rui , JANIGER David , SILVA Mónica A. , WARING Gordon T. , GONÇALVES João M.
Published: October 2011

A bibliometric analysis of the literature on the sei whale Balaenoptera borealis is presented. Research output on the species is quantified and compared with research on four other whale species. The results show a significant increase in research for all species except the sei whale. Research output is characterized chronologically and by oceanic basin.

The species' distribution, movements, stock structure, feeding, reproduction, abundance, acoustics, mortality and threats are reviewed for the North Atlantic, and the review is complemented with previously unpublished data.

Knowledge on the distribution and movements of the sei whale in the North Atlantic is still mainly derived from whaling records. Movement patterns and winter distribution are not clear. Surveys in some known summering areas show that the species has changed its distribution in parts of its previously known range.

With the present information, it is impossible to determine whether or not the North Atlantic sei whale population is subdivided into biological units. Abundance estimates are fragmentary and cover a restricted part of the summering habitat.

In the North Atlantic, sei whales seem to be stenophagous, feeding almost exclusively on calanoid copepods and euphausiids. On feeding grounds, they are associated with oceanic frontal systems, but how they find and explore these structures has not been fully investigated.

The available data on vital rates are based on whaling‐derived studies and are 25 years old or older. Despite increasing human and environmentally induced pressures, there are no current estimates for mortality and population trends.

Current research needs include the clear definition of stock units, reliable abundance estimates, studies of distribution and migration that incorporate the identification of wintering areas, acquisition of up‐to‐date data on reproduction and mortality, and investigations into the consequences of environmental changes for the species.
Sortase enzymes in Gram‐positive bacteria
Authors: Spirig Thomas , Weiner Ethan M. , Clubb Robert T.
Published: October 2011

In Gram‐positive bacteria proteins are displayed on the cell surface using sortase enzymes. These cysteine transpeptidases join proteins bearing an appropriate sorting signal to strategically positioned amino groups on the cell surface. Working alone, or in concert with other enzymes, sortases either attach proteins to the cross‐bridge peptide of the cell wall or they link proteins together to form pili. Because surface proteins play a fundamental role in microbial physiology and are frequently virulence factors, sortase enzymes have been intensely studied since their discovery a little more than a decade ago. Based on their primary sequences and functions sortases can be partitioned into distinct families called class A to F enzymes. Most bacteria elaborate their surfaces using more than one type of sortase that function non‐redundantly by recognizing unique sorting signals within their protein substrates. Here we review what is known about the functions of these enzymes and the molecular basis of catalysis. Particular emphasis is placed on ‘pilin’ specific class C sortases that construct structurally complex pili. Exciting new data have revealed that these enzymes are amazingly promiscuous in the substrates that they can employ and that there is a startling degree of diversity in their mechanism of action. We also review recent data that suggest that sortases are targeted to specific sites on the cell surface where they work with other sortases and accessory factors to properly function.
55.1, a gene of unknown function of phage T4, impacts on Escherichia coli folate metabolism and blocks DNA repair by the NER
Authors: Mattenberger Yves , Mattson Shawn , Métrailler Johann , Silva Filo , Belin Dominique
Published: October 2011

Phage T4, the archetype of lytic bacterial viruses, needs only 62 genes to propagate under standard laboratory conditions. Interestingly, the T4 genome contains more than 100 putative genes of unknown function, with few detectable homologues in cellular genomes. To characterize this uncharted territory of genetic information, we have identified several T4 genes that prevent bacterial growth when expressed from plasmids under inducible conditions. Here, we report on the various phenotypes and molecular characterization of 55.1, one of the genes of unknown function. High‐level expression from the arabinose‐inducible PBAD promoter is toxic to the bacteria and delays the intracellular accumulation of phage without affecting the final burst size. Low‐level expression from T4 promoter(s) renders bacteria highly sensitive to UV irradiation and hypersensitive to trimethoprim, an inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase. The delay in intracellular phage accumulation requires UvsW, a T4 helicase that is also a suppressor of 55.1‐induced toxicity and UV sensitivity. Genetic and biochemical experiments demonstrate that gp55.1 binds to FolD, a key enzyme of the folate metabolism and suppressor of 55.1. Finally, we show that gp55.1 prevents the repair of UV‐induced DNA photoproducts by the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway through interaction with the UvrA and UvrB proteins.
A case of Borrelia‐associated cutaneous pseudolymphoma in a horse
Authors: Sears Kelly P. , Divers Thomas J. , Neff Robert T. , Miller Jr William H. , McDonough Sean P.
Published: October 2011

This case report describes a 10‐year‐old horse that developed multiple dermal papules over the right masseter area following removal of a tick from the same site 3 months earlier. Histological examination of a biopsy from a papule was suggestive of either a T‐cell‐rich B‐cell lymphoma or cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia, a form of pseudolymphoma sometimes associated with a tick bite. Positive serological testing and PCR of the biopsy sample for Borrelia in conjunction with immunohistochemical testing of the skin biopsy, the clinical history and response to treatment with doxycycline strongly supported the diagnosis of Borrelia‐associated cutaneous pseudolymphoma.
Gesture in the developing brain
Authors: Dick Anthony Steven , Goldin‐Meadow Susan , Solodkin Ana , Small Steven L.
Published: November 2011

Speakers convey meaning not only through words, but also through gestures. Although children are exposed to co‐speech gestures from birth, we do not know how the developing brain comes to connect meaning conveyed in gesture with speech. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to address this question and scanned 8‐ to 11‐year‐old children and adults listening to stories accompanied by hand movements, either meaningful co‐speech gestures or meaningless self‐adaptors. When listening to stories accompanied by both types of hand movement, both children and adults recruited inferior frontal, inferior parietal, and posterior temporal brain regions known to be involved in processing language not accompanied by hand movements. There were, however, age‐related differences in activity in posterior superior temporal sulcus (STSp), inferior frontal gyrus, pars triangularis (IFGTr), and posterior middle temporal gyrus (MTGp) regions previously implicated in processing gesture. Both children and adults showed sensitivity to the meaning of hand movements in IFGTr and MTGp, but in different ways. Finally, we found that hand movement meaning modulates interactions between STSp and other posterior temporal and inferior parietal regions for adults, but not for children. These results shed light on the developing neural substrate for understanding meaning contributed by co‐speech gesture.
Visually guided step descent in children with Williams syndrome
Authors: Cowie Dorothy , Braddick Oliver , Atkinson Janette
Published: November 2011

Individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) have impairments in visuospatial tasks and in manual visuomotor control, consistent with parietal and cerebellar abnormalities. Here we examined whether individuals with WS also have difficulties in visually controlling whole‐body movements. We investigated visual control of stepping down at a change of level in children with WS (5–16‐year‐olds), who descended a single step while their movement was kinematically recorded. On each trial step height was set unpredictably, so that visual information was necessary to perceive the step depth and position the legs appropriately before landing. Kinematic measures established that children with WS did not use visual information to slow the leg at an appropriate point during the step. This pattern contrasts with that observed in typically developing 3‐ and 4‐year‐old children, implying severe impairment in whole‐body visuomotor control in WS. For children with WS, performance was not significantly predicted by low‐level visual or balance problems, but improved significantly with verbal age. The results suggest some plasticity and development in WS whole‐body control. These data clearly show that visuospatial and visuomotor deficits in WS extend to the locomotor domain. Taken together with evidence for parietal and cerebellar abnormalities in WS, these results also provide new evidence for the role of these circuits in the visual control of whole‐body movement.
INTENTIONAL ACTION AND THE UNINTENTIONAL FALLACY
Authors: WASSERMAN RYAN
Published: November 2011

Much of the recent work in action theory can be organized around a set of objections facing the Simple View and other intention‐based accounts of intentional action. In this paper, I review three of the most popular objections to the Simple View and argue that all three objections commit a common fallacy. I then draw some more general conclusions about the relationship between intentional action and moral responsibility.
Investigation of mechanism of drug‐induced cardiac injury and torsades de pointes in cynomolgus monkeys
Authors: Misner DL , Frantz C , Guo L , Gralinski MR , Senese PB , Ly J , Albassam M , Kolaja KL
Published: October 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Drug candidates must be thoroughly investigated for their potential cardiac side effects. During the course of routine toxicological assessment, the compound RO5657, a CCR5 antagonist, was discovered to have the rare liability of inducing torsades de pointes (polymorphic ventricular arrhythmia) in normal, healthy animals. Studies were conducted to determine the molecular mechanism of this arrhythmia.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Toxicological effects of repeat dosing were assessed in naïve monkeys. Cardiovascular effects were determined in conscious telemetry‐implanted monkeys (repeat dosing) and anaesthetized instrumented dogs (single doses). Mechanistic studies were performed in guinea‐pig isolated hearts and in cells recombinantly expressing human cardiac channels.

KEY RESULTS In cynomolgus monkeys, RO5657 caused a low incidence of myocardial degeneration and a greater incidence of ECG abnormalities including prolonged QT/QTc intervals, QRS complex widening and supraventricular tachycardia. In telemetry‐implanted monkeys, RO5657 induced arrhythmias, including torsades de pointes and in one instance, degeneration to fatal ventricular fibrillation. RO5657 also depressed both heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP), with no histological evidence of myocardial degeneration. In the anaesthetized dog and guinea‐pig isolated heart studies, RO5657 induced similar cardiovascular effects. RO5657 also inhibited Kv11.1 and sodium channel currents.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS The molecular mechanism of RO5657 is hypothesized to be due to inhibition of cardiac sodium and Kv11.1 potassium channels. These results indicate that RO5657 is arrhythymogenic due to decreased haemodynamic function (HR/BP), decreased conduction and inhibition of multiple cardiac channels, which precede and are probably the causative factors in the observed myocardial degeneration.
Environmental reconstructions of Eemian Stage interglacial marine records in the Lower Vistula area, southern Baltic Sea
Authors: Knudsen Karen Luise , Jiang Hui , Gibbard Philip L. , Kristensen Peter , Seidenkrantz Marit‐Solveig , Janczyk‐Kopikowa Zofia , Marks Leszek
Published: November 2011

A multiproxy study of Eemian Stage sediments in two core records, Licze and Obrzynowo, in the Gulf of Gdańsk area of northern Poland, shows that the brackish‐marine interglacial conditions were determined partly by regional environmental changes and partly by local changes of the river outflow from the Vistula into the southern Baltic Sea. Correlation of the sediments with the Eemian is based on pollen analysis of the Obrzynowo record, showing the presence of regional pollen zones (RPAZ) E2–E6, combined with previously published pollen analyses from Licze (RPAZ E1–E7). A floating chronology is established on the basis of correlation with the annually laminated Bispingen sequence. Diatoms, foraminifera and ostracods are used as marine environmental proxies at both sites. An indication of marine conditions as early as pollen zone E1 or E2 at Licze and close to the E2–E3 boundary at Obrzynowo reflects the rapid relative sea‐level rise in the area, which proceeded through ∼3000 years. A major salinity increase c. 1100 years after the beginning of the Eemian (early pollen zone E4) at both sites may be related to the opening of the Danish Straits. The Obrzynowo site became isolated from the sea at c. 3500 years (early pollen zone E5), whereas marine conditions continued at Licze until c. 7000 years, that is, throughout pollen zone E5. Gradually shallower water after c. 5000 years presumably resulted from progradation of the rivers combined with isostatic rebound of the area before final isolation from the sea at c. 7000 years.
Assessment of Mitral Annulus (P3 Segment) Asymmetric Deformity in Myocardial Infarction with Ischemic Regurgitation by Real Time Three‐Dimensional Echocardiography
Authors: Bin Jiang , Zhibin Cong , Weidong Ren , Baosheng Guo , Chunyan Ma , Kexin Jiang , Yangjie Xiao , Xiaojie Jiang , Fan Xiang , Xiaomeng Guan
Published: November 2011

Objective: The three‐dimensional (3D) saddle shape of the mitral annulus (MA) is well characterized in humans, but segmental MA deformity and regurgitation suffered after the ischemic damage of myocardial infarction (MI) is poorly understood. In this study, such changes were assessed in patients with ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) post‐MI, using our computerized 3D echo technique. Methods: A patient cohort (n = 72) with IMR due to inferior or anterior MI and normal controls (n = 20) were enrolled for 3D MA echo studies. Sequential coordinates of MA were manually measured from each of 18 radial planes, cropped in midsystole, to generate 3D MA images. In addition, six segmental (A1, A2, A3, P1, P2, P3) parameters of MA and global features, such as circumference, area, and height, were calculated. Results: All six segments of MA were significantly dilated in the IMR group compared with corresponding segments of normal controls. Although there were no significant intragroup differences in A1, A2, and A3 segments, a greater degree of P3 segmental MA deformity was observed only in patients following inferior MI. Conclusion: The MA dilatation observed in patients with IMR after MI was more pronounced in patients with anterior versus inferior MI. However, P3 segmental dilatation of MA was significantly greater in patients after inferior IM with significant IMR, corresponding with more severe asymmetric MA deformity. (Echocardiography 2012;29:42‐50)
Real Time Three‐Dimensional Transthoracic Echocardiography in Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: Hage Fadi G. , Raslan Saleem , Dean Phillip , Nanda Navin C.
Published: November 2011

Diagnosing congenital heart disease (CHD) depends heavily on imaging. Traditionally, two‐dimensional (2D) echocardiography has been the most widely used but since this imaging modality utilizes a 2D technique to evaluate three‐dimensional (3D) structures it suffers from inherent limitations. The more recently developed 3D echocardiography is poised to be superior in providing comprehensive evaluation prior to intervention on such complex conditions. In this review, we summarize the applications of 3D echocardiography in evaluating patients with CHD. (Echocardiography 2012;29:220‐231)
Spatial scaling of species abundance distributions
Authors: Borda‐de‐Água Luís , Borges Paulo A. V. , Hubbell Stephen P. , Pereira Henrique M.
Published: November 2011

Species abundance distributions are an essential tool in describing the biodiversity of ecological communities. We now know that their shape changes as a function of the size of area sampled. Here we analyze the scaling properties of species abundance distributions by using the moments of the logarithmically transformed number of individuals. We find that the moments as a function of area size are well fitted by power laws and we use this pattern to estimate the species abundance distribution for areas larger than those sampled. To reconstruct the species abundance distribution from its moments, we use discrete Tchebichef polynomials. We exemplify the method with data on tree and shrub species from a 50 ha plot of tropical rain forest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. We test the method within the 50 ha plot, and then we extrapolate the species abundance distribution for areas up to 5 km2. Our results project that for areas above 50 ha the species abundance distributions have a bimodal shape with a local maximum occurring for the singleton classes and that this maximum increases with sampled area size.