bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Migration, fertility, and aging in stable populations
Authors: Alho Juha M.
Published: August 2008

Fertility is below replacement level in all European countries, and population growth is expected to decline in the coming decades. Increasing life expectancy will accentuate concomitant aging of the population. Migration has been seen as a possible means to decelerate aging. In this article, I introduce a stable, open-population model in which cohort net migration is proportional to births. In this case, the migration-fertility trade-off can be studied with particular ease. I show that although migration can increase the growth rate, which tends to make the age distribution younger, it also has an opposite effect because of its typical age pattern. I capture the effect of the age pattern of net migration in a migration-survivor function. The effect of net migration on growth is quantified with data from 17 European countries. I show that some countries already have a level of migration that will lead to stationarity. For other countries with asymptotically declining population, migration still provides opportunities for slowing down aging of the population as a whole.
Reexamining the moving to opportunity study and its contribution to changing the distribution of poverty and ethnic concentration
Authors: Clark William A. V.
Published: August 2008

For the past decade and a half, a concerted effort has been undertaken to determine whether policy interventions in residential location can solve the problems of inner-city poverty and racial concentration. Studies based on data from the Gautreaux litigation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)—sponsored Moving to Opportunity (MTO) program have provided an overall optimistic interpretation of the possibilities of improving inner-city lives via mobility vouchers and counseling. A reanalysis of the data from the MTO program, focusing specifically on African American households, suggests greater caution in the interpretation of the findings from either Gautreaux or the MTO program. No statistically significant difference exists between the percentage of poor or the percentage of African Americans in the current neighborhoods between MTO and Section 8 experimental groups. In some cases, there is no statistically significant difference between those who move with a voucher and those who move without any assistance at all. Although there is some evidence that MTO programs have brought specific gains for individual families, claims for the MTO program as a whole need to be treated with a great deal more caution than they have been to date.
Intergenerational fertility among hispanic women: New evidence of immigrant assimilation
Authors: Parrado Emilio A. , Morgan S. Philip
Published: August 2008

In recent decades, rapid growth of the U.S. Hispanic population has raised concerns about immigrant adaptation, including fertility. Empirical research suggests that Hispanics, especially Mexicans, might not be following the historical European pattern of rapid intergenerational fertility decline (and convergence toward native levels). If confirmed, continued high Hispanic fertility could indicate a broader lack of assimilation into mainstream American society. In this paper, we reexamine the issue of Hispanic and Mexican fertility using an approach that combines biological and immigrant generations to more closely approximate a comparison of immigrant women with those of their daughters’ and granddaughters’ generation. Contrary to cross-sectional results, our new analyses show that Hispanic and Mexican fertility is converging with that of whites, and that it is similarly responsive to period conditions and to women’s level of education. In addition, we employ a mathematical simulation to illustrate the conditions under which cross-sectional analyses can produce misleading results. Finally, we discuss the import of the fertility convergence we document for debates about immigrant assimilation.
Child poverty and changes in child poverty
Authors: Chen Wen-Hao , Corak Miles
Published: August 2008

This article offers a cross-country overview of child poverty, changes in child poverty, and the impact of public policy in North America and Europe. Levels and changes in child poverty rates in 12 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries during the 1990s are documented using data from the Luxembourg Income Study project, and a decomposition analysis is used to uncover the relative role of demographic factors, labor markets, and income transfers from the state in determining the magnitude and direction of the changes. Child poverty rates fell noticeably in only three countries and rose in three others. In no country were demographic factors a force for higher child poverty rates, but these factors were also limited in their ability to cushion children from adverse shocks originating in the labor market or the government sector. Increases in the labor market engagement of mothers consistently lowered child poverty rates, while decreases in the employment rates and earnings of fathers were a force for higher rates. Finally, there is no single road to lower child poverty rates. Reforms to income transfers intended to increase labor supply may or may not end up lowering the child poverty rate.
“One Day It’ll All Make Sense”: Hip-Hop and Rap Resources for Music Librarians
Authors: Leach Andrew
Published: August 2008

This bibliographical essay describes a wide array of resources relating to hip-hop culture and rap music, including definitions and overviews, bibliographies, discographies, encyclopedias, historical and biographical information, articles and databases, sound and video recordings, lyrics, information about rap songs, hip-hop terminology and slang, photographs, Web sites, and research collections. The final section is devoted to collecting hip-hop and rap materials for libraries. While the essay is primarily intended to serve as a guide for music librarians who provide reference service and library instruction, and to those with collection development responsibilities, it may also prove useful to educators, students, and those beginning to conduct research on hip-hop or rap.
Not Just a Policies and Procedures Manual Anymore: The University of Houston Music Library Manual Wiki
Authors: Ravas Tammy
Published: August 2008

The University of Houston Music Library implemented an internal wiki in 2006 to improve its policies and procedures manual as well as to assist in supervising student assistants. This article gives a brief overview of wiki use in libraries through a literature review; describes how the UH Music Library has used wikis as a policies and procedures manual; how it branched into other uses such as student assistant supervision; and evaluates the success of the wiki over the course of the one-year study according to a sample of usage statistics and experiences. A conclusion of this study is that users frequently consulted the wiki despite a decline in contributions after its introduction.
Cooperative Sanitation: Managing Streets and Gutters in Late Medieval England and Scandinavia
Authors: Jørgensen Dolly
Published: August 2008

This article investigates the workings of sanitation technologies in late medieval English and Scandinavian cities through both written and archeological evidence. It defines the roles of city corporations and individuals in the areas of street maintenance and waste management between the years 1350 and 1550. It argues that although the urban environment was managed through seemingly simple technologies, such as latrines and guttered cobblestone streets, the technologies required a conjunction of city-provided services and individual behavior management to make them work as intended. The late medieval city governments under investigation therefore crafted social relations to create functional sanitation systems. Because responsibility for sanitation was allocated both to individuals and to the city government, the waste-handling and sanitation strategies of the late medieval city were possibly not as ineffective as they appear on the surface.
Seeing Like an Engineer: Water Projects and the Mediation of the Incommensurable
Authors: Reuss Martin
Published: August 2008

The essays in this “water issue” of

Technology and Culture

illuminate the role of negotiation in public works. The story goes back centuries, but during the last two centuries negotiations have grown more complicated. Clashing views over planned projects are rarely confined to questions of technique, but extend to questions regarding whether those who benefit are also those who pay and what the costs, both tangible and intangible, actually are. In assessing competing visions, opposing political desires, conflicting science, and often intangible cultural benefits and costs, public works engineers attempt to mediate the incommensurable. Their scale weighs cultural preferences, economic requirements, environmental protection, and other issues. It often requires that the quantitative give way to the qualitative, and the purported objective to the subjective. Over time and in locations near and remote, negotiations have changed the very nature of public works engineering and of what people expect of engineers.
Telling Otherwise: A Historical Anthropology of Tank Irrigation Technology in South India
Authors: Shah Esha
Published: August 2008

A significant number of influential critiques of modernity, the modern state, or modern science and technology are premised on the assertion that the pre-modern was environmentally non-intrusive and harmoniously embedded within a culture. The way these critiques pose the substantive distinction between the modern and the pre-modern through the reading of technology and knowledge systems insufficiently engages, this essay argues, with the history of pre-modern technology and knowledge creation. This paper draws an alternative picture of the social shaping of tanks (irrigation reservoirs) in south India in pre-modern times by using folk literature as primary source. The essay ultimately challenges any fundamental ontological contrast between a pre-modern and a modern technology and demonstrates instead that values emerge from historically situated actors and not solely from the artifacts or knowledge systems themselves.
Turning Water into Power: Debates over the Development of Tanzania’s Rufiji River Basin, 1945–1985
Authors: Hoag Heather J. , Öhman May-Britt
Published: August 2008

This historical analysis examines the forces that shaped the collection and use of geographical data in Tanzania’s Rufiji Basin. Hoping to develop irrigated agriculture, colonial engineers surveyed the basin’s social and environmental landscapes and weighed the costs of damming. Following World War II, international experts interested in hydropower development conducted more geographical studies. While their studies offered limited information on stream flow, political and economic pressures led to their acceptance over those of colonial engineers. By illustrating how international institutions select what is accepted as knowledge and how such knowledge is used, the case highlights the politics of hydropower development in Africa. Based on archival work and fieldwork conducted in Tanzania and Sweden, this article argues that the shifting of the setting of knowledge construction from the basin to distant planning offices did not lead to projects based on better scientific knowledge, but set the stage for Tanzania’s current electricity problems.
Museums of Science and Technology in Lisbon
Authors: Diogo Maria Paula
Published: August 2008

Portuguese scientific and technological museums are not usually considered to be top museums. However, we believe they provide valuable perspectives on Portuguese scientific, technological, and industrial history. From the 1980's onwards a new generation of historians of science and technology, together with researchers in museology, have been working to preserve scientific and technical instruments, machines, natural collections, archives (including drawing and photographic archives), and industrial sites. Although they face serious funding issues, these museums and collections remain important tools for establishing public awareness of the importance of Portugal’s scientific, technical, and industrial heritage. This year the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) celebrates its 50th anniversary in Lisbon, providing SHOT members with a wonderful opportunity to come to Portugal and learn about our scientific and technological heritage through our museums.
The Bridge at Mackinac Straits: Another Fiftieth Anniversary
Authors: Post Robert C.
Published: August 2008

The year 2008 marks the fiftieth anniversary not only of the Society for the History of Technology, but also of the five-mile suspension bridge across the straits between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan which provides highway access to Michigan’s upper peninsula. The two anniversaries are linked because the designer of the bridge, David B. Steinman, became the new society’s second president, hand-picked by its founder Melvin Kranzberg. As with his predecessor as president William F. Ogburn and his successor Lynn White jr., Steinman’s notoriety extended beyond his own professional precincts and Kranzberg believed that he would be in a position to enhance the society’s visibility. With SHOT itself, Steinman was only a figurehead. But there is much about his career that resonates with classic themes in SHOT’s literature—notably his role in establishing the National Society of Professional Engineers as a power center rivaling the ASCE and the other “founder societies.”
From Colonial to Postcolonial Irrigation Technology: Technological Romanticism and the Revival of Colonial Water Tanks in Java, Indonesia
Authors: Van Oosterhout Dianne
Published: August 2008

Linking up with current discussions on the complex relationship between science, technology, and the civilizing missions in the former colonies, the author describes how technological romanticism shaped the development of a colonial irrigation technology in the Netherlands East Indies. Based on assumptions of the moral role of engineers in community development and the supposed greater fairness of local irrigation systems, engineers developed numerous hybrid irrigation technologies to support local rice production. The example of the development and almost instant failure of colonial

waduk

(water tanks) shows just how much engineers relied on the civilizing role of technology to solve differences in access to irrigation water. Currently, Indonesian farmers employ a similar kind of technological romanticism by imagining a fair and just colonial technological tradition that in fact failed—and that was also never introduced in this area. The

waduk

is now eagerly accepted as a fair way, based on colonial tradition, to solve differences in access to irrigation water. These imagined traditions appear as a legitimation for attempting to decentralize the power of the state and to counter nepotism, represented by local bureaucrats and vested interests.
Writing the Global Water Crisis
Authors: Jackson Steven J.
Published: August 2008

This review essay reviews five recent additions to the literature on global water politics and management: Peter Annin,

The Great Lakes Water Wars

(Island Press, 2006); Fred Pearce,

When the Rivers Run Dry: Water—the Defining Crisis of the Twenty-First Century

(Beacon Press, 2006); Steven Erie,

Beyond Chinatown: The Metropolitan Water District, Growth, and the Environment in Southern California

(Stanford University Press, 2006); the United Nations World Water Assessment Programme,

Water: A Shared Responsibility

(UNESCO, 2006); and Peter Gleick,

The World’s Water 2006–2007: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources

(Island Press, 2006).
Reluctant Modernization: The Cultural Dynamics of Water Supply in Istanbul, 1885–1950
Authors: Dinçkal Noyan
Published: August 2008

This article considers the cultural and social dynamics surrounding the water supply in Istanbul. It focuses on the period from the last two decades of the nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth, roughly the period between the introduction of the central waterworks and the closure of the Ottoman mains and public fountains. This article considers the interaction of these two systems and indicates that the supply of water by centralized waterworks and via fountains existed side-by-side for more than six decades, making this dual system a characteristic feature of Istanbul’s water supply for many years. The conflict between various technological solutions was especially pronounced, and during the period under consideration the story of water supply is to a large extent one of competition between fountains and taps. Within this framework, this article examines how previously free water became a priced commodity, and how the centralized supply reinforced structures of social inequality.
Image and Audience: Contractual Representation and London’s Main Drainage System
Authors: Dobraszczyk Paul
Published: August 2008

This article considers the role of technical representations in the building of one of the most significant civil engineering projects of the mid-nineteenth century, London’s main drainage system, designed and overseen by the engineer Joseph Bazalgette. It explores the ways in which the contract—composed of engineering drawings and an accompanying specification—mediated the relationship between Bazalgette and his most important ally, the contractor. The article also pays close attention to the variety of audiences beyond the contractor to which these documents were directed: including those who authorized and funded the project, those parties directly affected by construction, and the wider public. The result is a fuller picture of the social context in which the main drainage project was constructed and of the crucial role played by the contract in mediating social relations of many kinds, a perspective that is absent in the existing literature on the subject.
Engineering Innovation at Bonneville Dam
Authors: Liel Abbie B. , Billington David P.
Published: August 2008

The United States Army Corps of Engineers constructed Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River in the 1930s to improve river navigation and provide hydroelectric power to the Pacific Northwest. This paper demonstrates how the Corps’ approach to the planning and design of the dam’s structures, machines, materials, and processes fostered engineering innovations. These innovations included a new kind of concrete, a portland-pozzolan cement mix that reduced temperature-induced cracking in the massive structure; a new spillway design incorporating energy dissipating structural features; and a new kind of water turbine that enabled efficient power production under widely variable hydraulic flow conditions, adjustable-blade Kaplan turbines. The Corps’ success in the development of innovative engineering designs at Bonneville Dam illustrates the central role of civil engineers in the process of planning, designing, and building major public works.
Breaking from the Colonial Mold: Water Engineering and the Failure of Nation-Building in the Plain of Reeds, Vietnam
Authors: Biggs David
Published: August 2008

While many studies have examined American nation-building or modernization campaigns from diplomatic or strategic perspectives during the Second Indochina War, few have yet to consider how pre-existing social, technological, and environmental relationships often determined a given project’s chances of success or failure. This essay examines American nation-building projects—especially reclamation and settlement programs—in the Plain of Reeds, a vast wetland area about fifty kilometers southwest of Ho Chi Minh City that since the French conquest of Vietnam in the 1860s had been a site for rebel movements and an important target for reclamation. When American advisors arrived in 1954, they encountered not only a deeply embedded insurgency with major bases in the area but also war-damaged infrastructure and engineering agencies and private contractors still deeply influenced by colonial arrangements. This colonial mold on social and environmental relationships constrained successive American programs and played a key role in the success or failure of specific efforts on the ground.
Characterization of a Novel Alu-Alu Recombination-Mediated Genomic Deletion in the TCIRG1 Gene in Five Osteopetrotic Patients
Authors: Pangrazio Alessandra , Caldana Maria Elena , Sobacchi Cristina , Panaroni Cristina , Susani Lucia , Mihci Ercan , Cavaliere Maria Luigia , Giliani Silvia , Villa Anna , Frattini Annalisa
Published: August 2008

Human malignant autosomal recessive osteopetrosis (ARO) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder caused by reduced bone resorption by osteoclasts. Biallelic mutations in the TCIRG1 gene, encoding the a3 subunit of the vacuolar proton pump, are responsible for more than one half of ARO patients. However, a few patients with monoallelic mutations have been described, raising the possibility of a dominant-like TCIRG1-dependent osteopetrosis, of a digenic disease, or of peculiar mutations difficult to detect with standard methods. We describe here a novel genomic deletion in the TCIRG1 gene explaining why, in some patients, mutations in only one allele have previously been found. The analysis of a proband from a consanguineous Turkish family allowed us to define the deletion boundaries encompassing introns 10 and 13 and occurring within AluSx repeat sequences, suggesting Alu-mediated homologous recombination as a mechanism. An identical genomic deletion at the heterozygous level was found in four unrelated Italian families in whom only a single mutated allele has previously been found. TCIRG1 haplotype analysis in these five families suggests a possible common ancestral origin for this large deletion. In summary, we describe the identification of a novel genomic deletion in the TCIRG1 gene that is of clinical relevance, especially in prenatal diagnosis.
Art, Science and Curiosity: Research and Research Methodologies in Australian Family Therapy 1979–2000
Authors: McDonald Emily
Published: August 2008

This article presents an historical analysis of the development of research and research methodologies in an Australian context. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy was chosen as the site of the analysis. The first section of data consists of the articles that represent themselves as ‘research’ in the period from 1979 (the journal's inception) to 2000. These texts have been analysed using bibliometric analysis. The second section of data consists of commentary articles about research in family therapy. This data has been analysed using discourse analysis. Overall, I have been interested in how family therapists have defined ‘research’; how family therapists have chosen to inquire; representations of the researcher in Australian family therapy; associations between theoretical or clinical developments and the methodologies that have been chosen for inquiries. Findings from the study reveal very limited representations of research in the journal for the period under review, and an apparent struggle for family therapists to undertake a discussion about what research actually is. Questions are raised around how this has occurred, and some ideas are presented as to how research knowledges can be included in debates around theory diversity in family therapy.
Gamma-Band Activity in Human Posterior Parietal Cortex Encodes the Motor Goal during Delayed Prosaccades and Antisaccades
Authors: Van Der Werf Jurrian , Jensen Ole , Fries Pascal , Medendorp W. Pieter
Published: August 2008

Although it is well established that parietal cortex is important in processing sensorimotor transformations, less is known about the neuronal dynamics of this process in humans. Using magnetoencephalography, we investigated the dynamics of parietal oscillatory activity during saccade planning in terms of sensory and motor goal processing. In the experiments, a peripheral stimulus was flashed in either the left or right hemifield, followed by a 1.5 s delay period, after which the subject executed a saccade toward (prosaccade) or away from (antisaccade) the stimulus. In response to stimulus presentation, we observed an initial increase in gamma-band power (40–120 Hz) in a region in the posterior parietal cortex contralateral to the direction of the stimulus. This lateralized power enhancement, which was sustained in a more narrow frequency band (85–105 Hz) during the delay period of prosaccades, mapped to the hemisphere contralateral to the direction of the saccade goal during the delay period of antisaccades. These results suggest that neuronal gamma-band synchronization in parietal cortex represents the planned direction of the saccade, not the memorized stimulus location. In the lower-frequency bands, we observed sustained contralateral alpha (7–13 Hz) power suppression after stimulus presentation in parieto-occipital regions. The dynamics of the alpha band was strongly related to the processing of the stimulus and showed only modest selectivity for the goal of the saccade. We conclude that parietal gamma-band synchronization reflects a mechanism to encode the motor goals in the visuomotor processing for saccades.
Motor Neuron Regeneration in Adult Zebrafish
Authors: Reimer Michell M. , Sörensen Inga , Kuscha Veronika , Frank Rebecca E. , Liu Chong , Becker Catherina G. , Becker Thomas
Published: August 2008

The mammalian spinal cord does not regenerate motor neurons that are lost as a result of injury or disease. Here we demonstrate that adult zebrafish, which show functional spinal cord regeneration, are capable of motor neuron regeneration. After a spinal lesion, the ventricular zone shows a widespread increase in proliferation, including slowly proliferating olig2-positive (olig2+) ependymo-radial glial progenitor cells. Lineage tracing in olig2:green fluorescent protein transgenic fish indicates that these cells switch from a gliogenic phenotype to motor neuron production. Numbers of undifferentiated small HB9+and islet-1+motor neurons, which are double labeled with the proliferation marker 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU), are transiently strongly increased in the lesioned spinal cord. Large differentiated motor neurons, which are lost after a lesion, reappear at 6–8 weeks after lesion, and we detected ChAT+/BrdU+motor neurons that were covered by contacts immunopositive for the synaptic marker SV2. These observations suggest that, after a lesion, plasticity of olig2+progenitor cells may allow them to generate motor neurons, some of which exhibit markers for terminal differentiation and integration into the existing adult spinal circuitry.
Dopaminergic D1and D2Receptors Are Essential for the Arousal Effect of Modafinil
Authors: Qu Wei-Min , Huang Zhi-Li , Xu Xin-Hong , Matsumoto Naomi , Urade Yoshihiro
Published: August 2008

Modafinil is a wake-promoting compound with low abuse potential used in the treatment of narcolepsy. Although the compound is reported to affect multiple neurotransmitter systems such as catecholamines, serotonin, glutamate, GABA, orexin, and histamine, however, the molecular mechanism by which modafinil increases wakefulness is debated. Herein we used dopamine (DA) D2receptor (D2R)-deficient mice combined with D1R- and D2R-specific antagonists to clarify the role of DA receptors in the arousal effects of modafinil. In wild-type mice, intraperitoneal modafinil induced wakefulness in a dose-dependent manner. Pretreatment with either D1R antagonist SCH23390 [R-(+)-7-chloro-8-hydroxy-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine] at 30 μg/kg or D2R antagonist raclopride at 2 mg/kg blocked the arousal effects of low-dose modafinil at 22.5 and 45 mg/kg. When modafinil was given at 90 and 180 mg/kg, pretreatment of D1R antagonist did not affect the wakefulness at all, whereas D2R antagonist significantly attenuated the wakefulness to the half level compared with vehicle control. Similarly, D2R knock-out (KO) mice exhibited attenuated modafinil-induced wakefulness. However, pretreatment of D2R KO mice with D1R antagonist completely abolished arousal effects of modafinil. These findings strongly indicate that dopaminergic D1R and D2R are essential for the wakefulness induced by modafinil.
cGMP Produced by NO-Sensitive Guanylyl Cyclase Essentially Contributes to Inflammatory and Neuropathic Pain by Using Targets Different from cGMP-Dependent Protein Kinase I
Authors: Schmidtko Achim , Gao Wei , König Peter , Heine Sandra , Motterlini Roberto , Ruth Peter , Schlossmann Jens , Koesling Doris , Niederberger Ellen , Tegeder Irmgard , Friebe Andreas , Geisslinger Gerd
Published: August 2008

A large body of evidence indicates that the release of nitric oxide (NO) is crucial for the central sensitization of pain pathways during both inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Here, we investigated the distribution of NO-sensitive guanylyl cyclase (NO-GC) in the spinal cord and in dorsal root ganglia, and we characterized the nociceptive behavior of mice deficient in NO-GC (GC-KO mice). We show that NO-GC is distinctly expressed in neurons of the mouse dorsal horn, whereas its distribution in dorsal root ganglia is restricted to non-neuronal cells. GC-KO mice exhibited a considerably reduced nociceptive behavior in models of inflammatory or neuropathic pain, but their responses to acute pain were not impaired. Moreover, GC-KO mice failed to develop pain sensitization induced by intrathecal administration of drugs releasing NO or carbon monoxide. Surprisingly, during spinal nociceptive processing, cGMP produced by NO-GC may activate signaling pathways different from cGMP-dependent protein kinase I (cGKI), whereas cGKI can be activated by natriuretic peptide receptor-B dependent cGMP production. Together, our results provide evidence that NO-GC is crucially involved in the central sensitization of pain pathways during inflammatory and neuropathic pain.
The Relationship between Subthreshold and Suprathreshold Ocular Dominance in Cat Primary Visual Cortex
Authors: Priebe Nicholas J.
Published: August 2008

Primary visual cortex (V1) is the site at which right and left eye pathways are first integrated, leading to a representation of the visual world in depth. The ocular dominance (OD) of individual cortical neurons varies and may be changed by altering visual experience during the developmental critical period. Estimates of OD, commonly used to quantify the right and left eye synaptic inputs, have previously been based on spike rate. Membrane potential (Vm), however, is more closely related to the synaptic inputs onto neurons and should therefore more closely reflect the degree of input from the two eyes. To determine the relationship between OD based on membrane potential and on spike rate, intracellular recordings were made from visual cortical neurons. OD based on spike rate was systematically more monocular than OD based on membrane potential. The discrepancy between membrane-potential OD and spike-rate OD may be accounted for by a simple model ofVm-to-spike-rate transformation.
Specificity of Afferent Synapses onto Plane-Polarized Hair Cells in the Posterior Lateral Line of the Zebrafish
Authors: Nagiel Aaron , Andor-Ardó Daniel , Hudspeth A. J.
Published: August 2008

The proper wiring of the vertebrate brain represents an extraordinary developmental challenge, requiring billions of neurons to select their appropriate synaptic targets. In view of this complexity, simple vertebrate systems provide necessary models for understanding how synaptic specificity arises. The posterior lateral-line organ of larval zebrafish consists of polarized hair cells organized in discrete clusters known as neuromasts. Here we show that each afferent neuron of the posterior lateral line establishes specific contacts with hair cells of the same hair-bundle polarity. We quantify this specificity by modeling the neuron as a biased selector of hair-cell polarity and find evidence for bias from as early as 2.5 d after fertilization. More than half of the neurons form contacts on multiple neuromasts, but the innervated organs are spatially consecutive and the polarity preference is consistent. Using a novel reagent for correlative electron microscopy, HRP-mCherry, we show that these contacts are indeed afferent synapses bearing vesicle-loaded synaptic ribbons. Moreover, afferent neurons reassume their biased innervation pattern after hair-cell ablation and regeneration. By documenting specificity in the pattern of neuronal connectivity during development and in the context of organ regeneration, these results establish the posterior lateral-line organ as a vertebrate system for thein vivostudy of synaptic target selection.
Modell-prädiktive Trajektoriengenerierung für flachheitsbasierte Folgeregelungen am Beispiel eines Hafenmobilkrans (Model-predictive Trajectory Generation for Flatness-based Nonlinear Tracking Control with Application to Boom Cranes)
Authors: Arnold Eckhard , Neupert Jörg , Sawodny Oliver , Schneider Klaus
Published: August 2008

Wesentliche Ziele der Kranautomatisierung sind die Erhöhung der Effektivität und der Sicherheit bei Verladeprozessen. Hierzu werden modellbasierte Methoden zur Lastpendeldämpfung, Trajektoriengenerierung und Trajektorienfolgeregelung entwickelt. Der Beitrag stellt eine Kombination einer nichtlinearen, flachheitsbasierten Folgeregelung mit einer modell-prädiktiven Trajektoriengenerierung für die radiale Lastbewegung eines Drehkrans vor. Die Ergebnisse werden anhand von Experimenten an einem Hafenmobilkran der Firma LIEBHERR bewertet.
Structural changes within and between the two isotypic series ABiO2 (A = Na, K, Rb, Cs) and ASbO2 (A = K, Rb, Cs)
Authors: Keller Egbert , Röhr Caroline
Published: August 2008

Structural changes within the isotypic series ABiO2 (A = Na, K, Rb, Cs) and ASbO2 (A = K, Rb, Cs) and between corresponding members of the two series are analyzed after re-determination of the structure of NaBiO2. Despite the low valence of A—O bonds as compared to E—O bonds (E = Sb, Bi), the A atoms of different sizes are largely able to satisfy their individual spatial requirements. Small deviations between expected and experimentally determined Na/K size differences in the ABiO2 series are explained by a change in the bonding scheme in the transition from NaBiO2 to KBiO2. The results of DFT calculations show that the unexpected increase of the lattice parameters b in the three transitions ABiO2 → ASbO2 is not caused – as assumed before – by the different stereochemical activities of the Sb and Bi lone electron pairs. Instead, this increase is caused by cation-cation repulsions owing to the observed decrease in c.
Monoclinic FeO at high pressures
Authors: Kantor Innokenty , Kurnosov Alexander , McCammon Catherine , Dubrovinsky Leonid
Published: August 2008

A high-pressure quasi-single crystal X-ray diffraction study of a synthetic iron oxide Fe0.95O sample was performed up to 80 GPa using the diamond anvil cell technique. At a pressure of about 75 GPa after laser annealing we observed a new high-pressure monoclinic modification of FeO with P21/m space group. The structure is closely related to that of cubic sodium chloride as a distortion of the lattice. The sequence of transitions cubic-trigonal-monoclinic for FeO follows group-subgroup relations.
Cognitive Styles of Music Listening
Authors: Kreutz Gunter , Schubert Emery , Mitchell Laura A.
Published: August 2008

BARON-COHEN'S EMPATHIZER-SYSTEMIZER-THEORY (E-S theory, Baron-Cohen, Knickmeyer, & Belmonte, 2005) distinguishes two general cognitive styles. Empathizing is characterized as the capacity to respond to feeling states of other individuals, whereas systemizing is characterized as the capacity to respond to regularities of objects and events. To investigate these traits within the music domain, a questionnaire study (N = 442) was conducted. Construct validity and reliability of the measurement instrument were assessed by factor analysis procedures. A simplified unit weighting (SUW) scale was used to determine individual differences in music empathizing (ME) and music systemizing (MS). Significant effects of sex and of music performance experience were observed. A highly similar pattern of results emerged from a replicating survey (N = 155) using a short-version of the questionnaire. These results suggest that the ME and MS traits corroborate and extend the general E-S theory.
Thyroid papillary microcarcinoma: a descriptive and meta-analysis study
Authors: Roti Elio , degli Uberti Ettore C , Bondanelli Marta , Braverman Lewis E
Published: August 2008

The authors review anatomical, clinical characteristics and prevalence of thyroid microcarcinoma. Diagnostic procedures and risk factors of aggressiveness at diagnosis and during follow-up are also covered. The possible clinical, pathologic and therapeutic risk factors are analyzed by meta-analysis study. Treatment procedures by different authors and guidelines suggested by societies are reported.
GH replacement in hypopituitarism improves lipid profile and quality of life independently of changes in obesity variables
Authors: Abrams Pascale , Boquete Hugo , Fideleff Hugo , Feldt-Rasmussen Ulla , Jönsson Peter J , Koltowska-Häggström Maria , Wilton Patrick , Abs Roger
Published: August 2008

Objective

GH deficiency (GHD) in adults is characterized by elevated body mass index (BMI), increased waist girth (WG) and increased fat mass (FM). Information about how these indicators of obesity affect the lipid profile and quality of life (QoL) of GHD subjects is scarce. It is also unclear how changes in these indicators brought about by GH replacement influence lipids and QoL.

Design and methods

Adult GHD subjects from the Pfizer International Metabolic Database were grouped according to BMI (n=291 with BMI <25 kg/m2, n=372 with BMI 25–30 kg/m2, n=279 with BMI >30 kg/m2), WG (n=508 with normal WG, n=434 with increased WG) and FM (n=357) and according to changes in these variables after 1 year of GH replacement. Serum IGF-I concentrations, lipid concentrations and QoL using the QoL Assessment of GHD in Adults questionnaire were assessed at baseline and after 1 year of treatment.

Results

At baseline, total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were similarly elevated in the BMI and WG groups, but high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol decreased and triglycerides increased with increasing BMI and WG. QoL was progressively poorer with increasing BMI and WG. After 1 year of GH replacement, total and LDL cholesterol and QoL improved in all BMI, WG and FM groups.

Conclusions

Variables of obesity adversely affect the already unfavourable lipid profile in GHD subjects by decreasing HDL cholesterol, but do not counteract the positive effect of GH replacement on LDL cholesterol. Similarly, QoL is influenced by obesity, but responds equally well to GH treatment independent of BMI, WG and FM.
Antioxidant enzymes in germinating wheat seeds as affected by dehydration stress, ABA and hydrogen peroxide
Authors: Sabeva S. , Nedeva D.
Published: August 2008

The response of the antioxidant enzymes peroxidase [EC 1.11.1.11], superoxide dismutase (SOD) [EC 1.15.1.1] and catalase [EC 1.11.1.6] to dehydration stress caused by low and high temperature, salinity (0.2 M NaCl) and hyperosmoticum (0.5 M sucrose), as well as to exogenous ABA and H2O2, was examined in germinating wheat seeds. The data presented here confirm and complete previous results for other stages of wheat seedling development (Bakalova et al., 2004; 2007). Catalase was the most susceptible antioxidant enzyme under the chronic stress conditions applied. Its activity correlated closely to the decrease in the growth rate of wheat seedlings. Low temperature had the strongest effect of all the stress factors applied. There was a significant decrease in anionic peroxidase activity, accompanied by catalase inhibition, after low temperature treatment. An analysis of all the data obtained revealed that the treatments had mostly non-specific effects on gene expression, protein and enzyme profiles. Catalase and peroxidase activity were suppressed not only by low temperature, but by hyperosmoticum (0.5 M sucrose) as well. This result confirmed findings that a significant number of genes induced by one particular stress are also upregulated by other stresses (Kreps et al., 2002; Munns, 2002; Rabbani et al., 2003).
Genetic variability and correlation studies in ‘egusi’ melon [ Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai]
Authors: Kehinde O. , Idehen E.
Published: August 2008

Genetic variability and correlation analysis were studied in 20 accessions of ‘egusi’ melon during two growing seasons. The genotypic correlation coefficients with seed yield were partitioned into direct and indirect effect causes. Heritability in the broad sense ranged from 17% for fruit circumference to 90% for days to germination and flowering in the early season, while in the late season, heritability ranged from 7% for seed weight per fruit to 88% for days to germination. High phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation were recorded for seed yield while days to maturity had the lowest in both seasons. Fruit circumference and fruit weight had significant genotypic and phenotypic correlation with seed yield in the early season, while number of branches per plant, vine length per plant, number of fruits per plant and fruit circumference per plant showed significant genotypic and phenotypic correlation with seed yield in the late season. Environmental correlation coefficients were significant between seed yield and vine length per plant, number of fruits per plant and fruit size per plant. Vine length per plant and fruit circumference per plant had the largest positive direct effect on seed yield. Knowledge of the relationship of these characters with seed yield will aid in the selection of genotypes that have high seed yield, which will also be specific to the two major seasons in the year.
Physiological status of cultivated plants characterised by multi-wavelength fluorescence imaging
Authors: Szigeti Z.
Published: August 2008

The fluorescence imaging technique was elaborated primarily for the detection of the fluorescence traits accompanying changes in the physiological status of stressed plants. The paper summarises the conditions and technical background required for the use of multi-wavelength fluorescence imaging. Images of leaves were recorded at wavelengths of 440, 520, 690 and 740 nm. Possible applications are illustrated by studies on the leaves of stressed plants. An evaluation of the images is presented, including the necessary corrections and fluorescence ratios, examples of comparisons between imaging and functional activity measurements, and an evaluation of the diagnostic importance and reliability of imaging in detecting the effects of stressors in plants. The results demonstrate that the multi-wavelength fluorescence imaging of leaves is a useful method for detecting the presence of stress in plants and for determining the extent of the stress.
Effects of long-term salicylic acid pre-treatment on tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. L.) salt stress tolerance: Changes in glutathione S-transferase activities and anthocyanin contents
Authors: Szepesi Á. , Csiszár J. , Gallé Á. , Gémes K. , Poór P. , Tari I.
Published: August 2008

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of salicylic acid (SA) pre-treatment on the salt stress acclimation of tomato plants (
Lycopersicon esculentum
Mill. L. cv. Rio Fuego). The antioxidant defence and detoxifying capacity of the tissues were analysed by measuring the accumulation of soluble, non-enzymatic antioxidants (anthocyanins) and the activities of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) at low (10
−7
M) and high (10
−4
M) SA concentrations in plants exposed to 100 mM NaCl. GSTs are a diverse group of enzymes that catalyse the detoxification of xenobiotics and other toxic organic compounds, and anthocyanins are among the few endogenous substrates that bind to GSTs and are sequestered to the vacuole. It was found that 10
−4
M SA pre-treatment improved the acclimation of tomato to high salinity. SA pre-treatments increased the accumulation of anthocyanins both in the presence and absence of 100 mM NaCl. The extractable GST activity of tissues increased under salt stress in young leaves and roots of the control and in plants pre-treated with 10
−4
M SA, while the extractable GST activity in these organs was reduced by 10
−7
M SA. It is suggested that elevated GST activity is a prerequisite for successful acclimation to high salinity in tomato plants pre-treated with SA, but it may also be a symptom of tissue senescence.
Characterization of salinity tolerance in rice ( Oryza sativa L.) genotypes at the germination and seedling stages
Authors: Maiti R. , Vidyasagar P. , Banerjee P.
Published: August 2008

The present work was conducted to study the genotypic variability of rice genotypes at the germination and seedling stages at different levels of salinity (0 M, 0.15 M, 0.2 M and 0.25 M NaCl). The results showed that increasing salinity decreased germination and seedling growth. Significant genotypic variability exists in the germination and seedling stages in response to different NaCl concentrations. Most of the genotypes showed more than 90% germination in the control, indicating good seed vigour. Two genotypes, VBR 638 (93%) and VBR 644 (84%), were selected as being tolerant to salinity at 0.2 M NaCl at the germination stage. Therefore, these could be used as source materials for genetic improvement for salinity tolerance at the germination stage. A considerable amount of genotypic variability was also found under control and saline conditions at the seedling stage with respect to the variables shoot height, root length, shoot and root dry weight. The high heritability observed for these variables offers good scope for genetic improvement for salinity tolerance both at the germination and seedling stages. The genotypes VBR 616, VBR 628, VBR 645, VBR 640, VBR 611, VBR 620, VBR 612, VBR 618, VBR 644, VBR 629, VBR 625 and VBR 630 were selected as being tolerant to salinity at the seedling stage.
Influence of biofertilizers and organic amendments on nitrogenase activity and phototrophic biomass of soil under wheat
Authors: Prasanna R. , Jaiswal P. , Singh Y. , Singh P.
Published: August 2008

The role of blue green algal (BGA) biofertilizers has been limited to its relevance and utilization in rice crops, and scanty information is available on their use in conjunction with organic amendments and their influence on wheat
(Triticum aestivum)
. An experiment was conducted from November 2003 to April 2004 in the fields of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, India to evaluate the effect of vermicompost, farmyard manure and biofertilizers (BGA and
Azotobacter
) in different combinations with chemical fertilizers (N
40
P
30
K
30
) in wheat (var. HD 2687). Selected soil biological parameters (cyanobacterial diversity/abundance, nitrogenase activity and the phototrophic biomass of soil cores) were measured. The application of vermicompost in combination with BGA biofertilizer (B+V+N
40
P
30
K
30
) brought about a significant increase in nitrogenase activity (from 0.1 in N
80
P
30
K
30
to 2.0 nmoles mg chl
−1
h
−1
), while
Azotobacter
+ BGA (+N
40
P
30
K
30
) treatment gave the highest values of chlorophyll (1.19 μg g
−1
soil). The addition of vermicompost and farmyard manure (+N
40
P
30
K
30
) enhanced cyanobacterial abundance, and cyanobacterial genera such as
Nostoc, Anabaena, Calothrix, Oscillatoria
and
Phormidium
were the dominant forms observed under the wheat crop. The synergistic effect of organic amendments, biofertilizers and chemical fertilizers, especially BGA inoculants, advocates their utilization in wheat crops to improve soil fertility.