bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The influence of culture on accountants’ application of financial reporting rules
Authors: Tsakumis George T.
Published: February 2007

The objective of this study is to examine the influence of national culture on accountants’ application of accounting rules. Based on a refinement of Gray's (1988) framework, this study hypothesizes Greek accountants will be more likely (less likely) to recognize contingent liabilities (assets) than U.S. accountants (H1). It also hypothesizes that Greek accountants will be less likely to disclose the existence of both contingent assets and liabilities than U.S. accountants (H2). The results do not support H1. No significant differences are found between Greek and U.S. accountants’ recognition decisions involving both contingent assets and liabilities. However, supplemental analyses show that U.S. accountants consistently exhibited more conservatism than Greek accountants. In line with expectations, Greek accountants are less likely to disclose information (i.e., were more secretive) than U.S. accountants, providing strong support for H2. Implications for both research and practice also are discussed.
Reporting entity concept: a case study of the failure of principles‐based regulation
Authors: Walker R. G.
Published: February 2007

Since 1990 a key element of Australia's regulatory arrangements has been reliance on a ‘principles‐based’ rule to the effect that all ‘reporting entities’ should prepare general purpose financial reports (GPFRs) that comply with accounting standards. The concept of reporting entity was defined in terms of whether it was ‘reasonable to expect the existence of users’ who were dependent on GPFRs for information which will be useful to them when making and evaluating decisions about resource allocation. Australia's differential reporting arrangements are reviewed so as to highlight the extent to which reliance is placed on practitioners to apply the ‘reporting entity’ rule for entities other than publicly listed corporations or borrowing corporations. Illustrations are provided of how this ‘principles‐based’ rule has been ignored. This experience suggests that there is little reason to expect full observance of a principles‐based rule, if reliance is placed upon practitioners to ensure compliance.
Feminism, Gender, and Women's Peace Activism
Authors: El‐Bushra Judy
Published: February 2007

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on ‘Women, peace and security’, passed in 2000, reflects a recent growth in women's peace activism. Women's resistance to violence is widely believed to be a mobilizing factor in both local and international peace movements. This provokes questions around essentialism and violence of concern to feminists: are men inherently territorial and aggressive, and women naturally nurturing and peaceable? Or is the behaviour of both conditioned by particular local configurations of social relations of power? This contribution reviews these questions in the light of the experiences of women's peace organizations. It concludes that essentializing women's roles as wives, mothers and nurses discourages their inclusion as active decision makers in political arenas, as well as overshadowing the needs of other disadvantaged groups. Rather than seeing war as the violation of women by men, we should recognize that men and women are each differently violated by war.
Asian social psychology: Achievements, threats, and opportunities
Authors: Leung Kwok
Published: February 2007

A scan of citation impact suggests that Asian social psychologists have made significant contributions in three areas: indigenous research, culture and social behaviour, and in several topics in social psychology. An analysis of the most cited articles published in Asian Journal of Social Psychology (AJSP) in 1998–2002 in March 2005 reveals that most papers are concerned with culture, with a focus on either popular topics in the West or indigenous concepts. Asian social psychology seems to be closely associated with cultural issues, but it still lacks unique theoretical contributions, and the number of internationally visible scholars is limited and is mostly confined to East Asia. However, Asian cultures provide a fertile ground for identifying new constructs. Many Asian universities are now under pressure to internationalize, which will motivate more academics to participate in Asian conferences and publish in AJSP. To develop Asian social psychology, effort should be focused on nurturing the next generation of Asian social psychologists, who not only need an international perspective, but also ambition and creativity.
BOUNDS ON THE BIAS OF WINSORIZED MEANS
Authors: Raqab Mohammad Z.
Published: February 2007

This paper provides sharp upper bounds on the bias of the Winsorized mean as an estimator of the population mean in a nonparametric setting. The resulting bounds are numerically evaluated. Further, the probability distributions attaining the bounds are determined.
Product Market Integration and Union Collusion
Authors: Strozzi Chiara
Published: February 2007

This paper investigates the effects of product market integration on the incentives and scope for union collusion across borders. In the absence of binding agreements, the impact of this process on the unions’ willingness to collude depends both on the degree of product market integration and on the degree of substitutability among traded goods. Where trade barriers across countries are relatively low, implicit cross‐border collusion among unions is more difficult the more integrated are product markets and the less substitutable are traded goods.
Foreign Direct Investment Outflows and Business‐cycle Fluctuations*
Authors: Wang Miao , Wong M. C. Sunny
Published: February 2007

This paper investigates business‐cycle effects for a country’s foreign direct investment (FDI) outflows. Ordinary least squares and panel regressions show that volatility in economic growth has a negative and significant impact on FDI outflows. Furthermore, we find different types of shocks have asymmetric impacts on FDI outflows. In other words, fluctuations of the same magnitude in a boom and a recession have different effects on FDI outflows. This relationship is more evident in OECD countries. We also include exchange rate volatility, lagged business‐cycle measure, and control for potential endogeneity problems as robustness checks. Our findings are robust across different specifications.
Trade, Wage Gaps, and Specific Human Capital Accumulation*
Authors: Van Long Ngo , Riezman Raymond , Soubeyran Antoine
Published: February 2007

We develop a new framework for the analysis of the impact of trade liberalization on the wage structure and on welfare. Our model focuses on the decision of workers to accumulate firm‐specific skills, by “on‐the‐job” training, knowing that this means their future wages will have to be negotiated, and that the outcome of negotiation will depend on the profitability prospect of firms operating in a new trading environment. We show that trade liberalization may reduce the welfare of a developing country because of its adverse effect on skill accumulation. We also explore the effects of trade liberalization on the wage gap between skilled and unskilled workers.
Modifying the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation measure for use with people who have a learning disability
Authors: Marshall Keith , Willoughby‐Booth Simon
Published: February 2007

Accessible summary

This article looks at a simplified version of a widely used assessment tool called Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation – Outcome Measure (CORE‐OM).

 The main reason for carrying out this piece of research was to help people with a learning disability understand a simplified version of CORE‐OM, and help them tell people how distressed they were feeling.

 People with learning disabilities helped us test out the measure in different ways to see if it worked properly.

 We found one particular way worked really well, but we will have to check this out with more people to make sure.

 The people we tested found the simplified CORE‐OM very helpful; they also made some suggestions on how to make it better. We are enthusiastic about developing this, so other people with a learning disability can use the measure in the future.

There are few reliable self‐report measures suitable for people with a learning disability in reporting psychological distress. This study examines the modification of the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation – Outcome Measure (CORE‐OM), exploring its reliability, using two different presentation styles. One style included a sequencing task then use of a visual histogram scale to facilitate rating; the other prompted participants to indicate presence or absence of symptoms before using the histogram. The study was conducted on a small sample of people with mental health problems who have a mild learning disability. The modified CORE‐OM was found to have an excellent test–retest correlation with the group who completed the sequencing task, then the histogram scale, but the other group produced less favourable results. The preliminary results are encouraging, highlighting the need to conduct a larger study after further modifications of the measure.
Diana, Callisto and Arcas: a matrimonial panel from the Springfield Museum of Fine Arts
Authors: Simonneau Karinne
Published: February 2007

A Florentine wedding chest (conserved in the Springfield Museum of Fine Arts) painted with scenes from Ovid's Metamorphoses is used to explain why this iconography is extremely unusual for the first part of the fifteenth century. This painting is placed in its matrimonial, ritual and folkloric contexts. The story of Diana and Callisto is also compared with vernacular texts of the twelfth to fifteenth centuries, where the legend of Diana, Arcas and Callisto is described. This method opens up new areas of investigation, revealing an iconological reading that explains this choice of a tragic legend to decorate a wedding gift.
Clues to Cardiovascular Risk: An Office‐Based Approach
Authors: DeFilippis Andrew P. , Larned Joshua M. , Cole Jason H. , Nell‐Dybdahl Christine , Miller III Joseph I. , Sperling Laurence S.
Published: February 2007

Current tools for predicting coronary heart disease risk in the asymptomatic patient fall into 2 major categories: traditional population‐based models and noninvasive imaging techniques. Population‐based models that estimate cardiovascular risk are powerful clinical tools but do not utilize a large volume of patient‐specific data that are readily available to the clinician and may help to identify at‐risk patients. The use of high‐technology noninvasive imaging has not been consistently validated and clinicians or patients often lack the resources for such testing. This paper reviews several commonly encountered historical, physical, radiologic, laboratory, and electrocardiographic markers of increased cardiovascular risk that may enhance clinicians' ability to identify individual patients at increased risk for coronary heart disease.
Optimal Treatment of Dyslipidemia in High‐Risk Patients: Intensive Statin Treatment or Combination Therapy?
Authors: Miller Michael
Published: February 2007

A recent update to the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines suggests low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) goals of <70 mg/dL in very‐high‐ risk patients and <100 mg/dL in high‐risk patients. Currently available 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methyl‐glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) are not equal in their ability to lower LDL‐C, and it is unlikely that the substantial LDL‐C reductions that are often needed in high‐risk persons can be achieved with starting doses of some of the older statins. Possible alternatives in such cases include the use of high‐dose statin therapy, a more efficacious statin, or combination therapy. Recent clinical data have demonstrated a greater likelihood of coronary heart disease event reduction with aggressive statin therapy that lowers LDL‐C in a robust fashion (>30%–40%) than with moderate therapy. Until data from ongoing trials of combination therapy are available, however, monotherapy with a potent statin should be initiated to lower LDL‐C. Nonetheless, for residual elevation in triglycerides and/or reduced high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, adding a second agent (eg, fenofibrate, niacin) is a reasonable option.
A 59‐Year‐Old Man With “Racial Characteristics”
Authors: Wright Jackson T. , Brundage W. Fitzhugh , Mackowiak Philip A.
Published: February 2007

This case discussion was presented originally in an open forum on May 5, 2006, in Baltimore, MD, sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs Maryland Health Care System and the University of Maryland School of Medicine as part of an ongoing series of historical clinicopathological conferences.
Improving Blood Pressure Control Rates: Is There More We Can Do?
Authors: Bakris George L. , Weir Matthew R. , Black Henry R.
Published: February 2007

A panel discussion was convened on November 10, 2006, to discuss methods of improving blood pressure control rates and future study focus. The expert panel was moderated by George L. Bakris, MD, Director, Hypertension Center, Endocrine Division, the University of Chicago School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, and included Matthew R. Weir, MD, Division of Nephrology, the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, and Henry R. Black, MD, Roberts Professor of Preventive Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma In Situ: A Historical Note
Authors: Steffen Charles
Published: February 2007

Awarded First Prize in the Samuel J. Zakon Prize in the History of Dermatology, February 2, 2007, at the 34th Annual Meeting of the History of Dermatology Society, Washington, DC
Responses of mosquitoes and German cockroaches to ultrasound emitted from a random ultrasonic generating device
Authors: Ahmad Aqeel , Subramanyam Bhadriraju , Zurek Ludek
Published: February 2007

The repellency of ultrasound to females of two species of mosquitoes, Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say and Anopheles gambiae Giles (Diptera: Culicidae), and male and female German cockroaches, Blattella germanica (L.) (Blattodea: Blattellidae), was evaluated under laboratory conditions using a random ultrasonic device developed at Kansas State University. This device produces ultrasound in the 20–100 kHz frequency range and random sound patterns at any frequency range. Under the particular settings described in the paper, this ultrasonic device produced sound pressure levels from 91 to 101, 91 to 102, and 90 to 100 dB at the top, bottom, and side panels of the test chamber, respectively (0 dB = 20 micropascals). Sound pressure levels recorded at the center of the top, bottom, and side panels were higher than those recorded at the panel edges. Ultrasound from the random ultrasonic device failed to repel mosquitoes and German cockroaches at the different frequency ranges evaluated. Our results confirm previous findings with commercial devices producing constant sound patterns that ultrasound in general is not a promising tool for repelling mosquitoes and cockroaches.
Self/non‐self discrimination by human γδ T cells: simple solutions for a complex issue?
Authors: Thedrez Aurélie , Sabourin Caroline , Gertner Julie , Devilder Marie‐Claire , Allain‐Maillet Sophie , Fournié Jean‐Jacques , Scotet Emmanuel , Bonneville Marc
Published: February 2007

Summary:  Although γδ T cells express clonally distributed T‐cell receptors (TCRs), a hallmark of adaptive immunity, they are classically considered as innate‐like effectors, owing to the high frequency of preactivated γδ T cells, with restricted antigen recognition repertoire in particular tissue locations. Actually, such features are shared only by a fraction of γδ T‐cell subsets located in the skin and reproductive organ mucosa in rodents or in peripheral blood in humans. By contrast, other γδ subsets, e.g. those found in rodent and human spleen, show diverse antigenic reactivity patterns and mixed naive/memory phenotypes. Thus, γδ T cells are made of both ‘primitive’ subsets endowed with innate‐like properties and ‘evolved’ subsets able to mount anamnestic responses like conventional major histocompatibility complex‐restricted αβ T cells. In this article, we show that human γδ T cells, although heterogeneous, do share recurrent innate features that distinguish them from mainstream αβ T cells. In particular, most of them are activated on TCR‐ or natural killer receptor‐mediated recognition of a restricted set of conserved yet poorly defined endogenous stress determinants. This rather simple recognition mechanism allows human γδ T cells to discriminate healthy cells from altered cells and to exert a variety of immunostimulatory or regulatory functions. The recent availability of synthetic γδ T‐cell agonists mimicking these natural stress‐induced ligands have fostered development of immunotherapeutic strategies, with broad indications against infectious and tumor diseases, which are briefly reviewed here.
The purification and characterization of biological 6‐sulphatoxymelatonin and comparison with synthetic 6‐sulphatoxymelatonin
Authors: Street C. A. , Di W. L. , Peniston‐Bird J. F. , Patel S. , Sadler P. , Silman R.E.
Published: February 2007

Abstract: We have purified the major metabolite of melatonin, 6‐sulphatoxymelatonin, from urine and compared it to its synthetic counterpart. For preparation of the biological material, oral melatonin was administered to human volunteers and their urine extracted onto Amberlite XAD‐2 resin to remove urea; the glucuronide metabolites of melatonin were removed by silica chromatography; and 6‐sulphatoxymelatonin was separated from N‐acetyl serotonin sulphate, the other sulphate metabolite of melatonin, by preparative thin‐layer chromatography. Synthetic 6‐sulphatoxymelatonin was produced by reacting 6‐hydroxymelatonin with chlorosulphonic acid in dimethylformamide; the reaction mixture was purified on Florisil and preparative thin‐layer chromatography was used to remove indolic by‐products of the reaction. Elemental and X‐ray microanalysis of the biological and synthetic products showed that classical methods used for their purification introduced inorganic impurities, such as silicon‐ and chlorine‐ containing compounds, which were not detectable by thin‐layer chromatography, infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, or gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. We introduced further purification steps to remove these inorganic impurities, monitoring the process using elemental and X‐ray microanalysis. Extensive characterization of the resulting purified products showed that the biological and synthetic compounds were identical.
Tails of the unexpected: palatal medial edge epithelium is no more specialized than other embryonic epithelium
Authors: Brown NL , Sandy JR
Published: February 2007

Structured Abstract

Authors –  Brown NL, Sandy JR

Objective –  To determine whether palatal medial edge epithelium (MEE) is specialized in its ability to disappear compared with other embryonic, non‐palatal, epithelium.

Subjects –  Embryonic tissues harvested from CD1 mice.

Methods –  Organs were cultured in 2 ml of DMEM/F12 supplemented with 300 μg/ml l‐glutamine and 1% penicillin/streptomycin. Organs were cultured under various conditions including opposing other organs and opposing an inert material for a period of 6 days. Tissues were then processed for histological examination.

Results –  MEE of shelves opposing nothing persisted, whereas MEE of shelves contacting another shelf disappeared. When a tail was placed against a palatal shelf the MEE disappeared, as did the epithelium from the tail, resulting in fusion between the shelf and tail. Furthermore, when palatal shelves were placed against an inert material the MEE disappeared, suggesting pressure alone is a sufficient stimulus to initiate disappearance of the MEE, and that the interaction between the two palatal shelves is not a prerequisite for the disappearance of MEE. Moreover, when two embryonic tails were cultured in close apposition they fused, as did paired limbs. Non‐palatal epithelia also disappeared after contact with inert materials. Epithelial disappearance began within 24 h of contact, but there was an age limit.

Conclusion –  These findings suggest that embryonic epithelium from non‐specific sites around the body has the ability to disappear with mechanical contact resulting in fusion of tissues. MEE may not be as specialized as once thought.
Patch testing in children – recommendations of the German Contact Dermatitis Research Group (DKG)
Authors: Worm Margitta , Aberer Werner , Agathos Monika , Becker Detlef , Brasch Jochen , Fuchs Thomas , Hillen Uwe , Höger Peter , Mahler Vera , Schnuch Axel , Szliska Christiane
Published: February 2007

Allergic contact dermatitis occurs frequently in children. Patch testing is needed to identify the responsible allergens and should be performed in children. We recommend a panel of 12 contact allergens as a standard series in children from 6–12 years. Four additional contact allergens should be tested in case of a positive history or suggestive clinical picture. For patch testing in children, the allergens should be applied for 24 hours and the readings should be performed at 48 and 72 hours. Standardized patch testing makes it possible to systematically investigate allergic contact dermatitis and identify relevant allergens in children.
Perceptual Changes in the Anterior Maxilla after Placement of Endosseous Implants
Authors: Jacobs Reinhilde , Wu Chen‐Han , Goossens Kitty , Van Loven Karen , van Steenberghe Daniel
Published: February 2007

Background: The innervation of skin and oral mucosa plays a major physiologic role in exteroception. It is also of interest clinically, as illustrated by sensory changes after neurosurgical procedures.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to assess the perception of mechanical stimuli applied to the anterior maxilla in denture wearers and subjects rehabilitated with osseointegrated implants compared with that in subjects with a natural dentition.

Materials and Methods: Five groups of subjects were selected and tested in the maxillary region only. Test groups included patients with a complete denture, an implant‐supported fixed prosthesis (full or partial), or a single‐tooth replacement. Light‐touch sensation and two‐point discrimination were performed on the buccal side of the alveolar mucosa and vibrotactile function was determined for natural teeth, full dentures, or implant‐supported prostheses.

Results: For light‐touch sensation, no significant differences could be found between the groups. For two‐point discrimination, full‐denture patients showed higher threshold levels than the other groups. The threshold levels for vibrotactile function were higher in both full dentures and implant‐supported prostheses compared with natural dentitions.

Conclusion: Natural dentitions offer superior vibrotactile function compared to any other dental status. Full dentures often show a stronger deterioration of the (vibro)tactile function compared with implant‐supported prostheses.
Biologic and Mechanical Stability of Single‐Tooth Implants:4‐ to 7‐Year Follow‐up
Authors: Norton Michael R.
Published: February 2007

Background: Single‐tooth implants have been reported to achieve a high level of surgical and prosthetic success. However, close inspection of the literature reveals a paucity of data on the follow‐up of single‐tooth implants in function for 5 years or more. Since unsplinted implants may be considered to be subject to greater functional stresses, there is a need to report on the long‐term biologic and mechanical integrity of such implant‐supported restorations.

Purpose: To report on the long‐term follow‐up of single‐tooth implants, restored and in function for 4 to 7 years.

Materials and Methods: Twenty‐seven Astra Tech single‐tooth implants were subject to a clinical audit to evaluate implant and prosthetic success as well as response of both hard and soft tissues over a 1‐ to 4‐year follow‐up. This current report presents data on the biologic and mechanical integrity of 23 of these single‐tooth implants, which have been in function for up to 7 years (mean, 63 mo). Data are provided with respect to implant survival, maintenance of marginal bone levels, soft‐tissue health, and the recording of any adverse events, including prosthetic complications.

Results: Only 14 implants in 13 patients were available for review, with no failures for this group of implants. One patient from the original group, who was lost to follow‐up, was known to have suffered an implant failure. Furthermore, in accordance with established criteria, the remaining 13 implants that are not included in this report must at this time also be considered as potential failures. As such, the best‐case scenario would be a 95.6% success rate for the 23 implants included in this review and the worst‐case scenario would be a 60.8% success rate. Mean marginal bone loss measured 0.49 mm mesially and 0.76 mm distally, with a frequency of bone loss of 50%. Soft tissues were clinically healthy. There were few adverse events, with only one case of abutment screw loosening, detected at the 6‐year review. In addition, crown decementation was recorded three times in two patients.

Conclusions: It can be concluded that the Astra Tech single‐tooth implant can achieve long‐term biologic and mechanical stability when used to restore single missing teeth, over the long‐term.
Biochemical characterization of TASSELSEED 2, an essential plant short‐chain dehydrogenase/reductase with broad spectrum activities
Authors: Wu Xiaoqiu , Knapp Stefan , Stamp Anna , Stammers David K. , Jörnvall Hans , Dellaporta Stephen L. , Oppermann Udo
Published: February 2007

The development of unisexual flowers in maize and other plants proceeds through selective elimination of floral organs in an initially bisexual floral meristem. The essential character of the tasselseed 2 gene (TS2) in this cell‐death pathway has been established previously. Molecular cloning of TS2 reveals membership to the evolutionarily conserved superfamily of short‐chain dehydrogenases/reductases, but its substrate specificity remained unknown. Recombinant TS2 protein was produced in Escherichia coli, and purified to apparent homogeneity. Analytical ultracentrifugation and gel filtration experiments show that TS2 is a tetrameric enzyme. Thermal denaturation followed by circular dichroism spectroscopy reveals that TS2 binds NAD(H) and NAD(P)(H). Substrate screening demonstrates that TS2 converts steroids with specificities found at positions 3 and 17, and several dicarbonyl and quinone compounds, thus establishing TS2 as a plant 3β/17β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and carbonyl/quinone reductase. Taken together, the genetic data and the substrate specificities determined suggest that TS2 converts specific plant compounds and acts as a prereceptor control mechanism, in a manner similar to that of mammalian hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases.
Activity of matrix metalloproteinase‐9 against native collagen types I and III
Authors: Bigg Heather F. , Rowan Andrew D. , Barker Michael D. , Cawston Tim E.
Published: February 2007

Interstitial collagen types I, II and III are highly resistant to proteolytic attack, due to their triple helical structure, but can be cleaved by matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) collagenases at a specific site, approximately three‐quarters of the length from the N‐terminus of each chain. MMP‐2 and ‐9 are closely related at the structural level, but MMP‐2, and not MMP‐9, has been previously described as a collagenase. This report investigates the ability of purified recombinant human MMP‐9 produced in insect cells to degrade native collagen types I and III. Purified MMP‐9 was able to cleave the soluble, monomeric forms of native collagen types I and III at 37 °C and 25 °C, respectively. Activity against collagens I and III was abolished by metalloproteinase inhibitors and was not present in the concentrated crude medium of mock‐transfected cells, demonstrating that it was MMP‐9‐derived. Mutated, collagenase‐resistant type I collagen was not digested by MMP‐9, indicating that the three‐quarters/one‐quarter locus was the site of initial attack. Digestion of type III collagen generated a three‐quarter fragment, as shown by comparison with MMP‐1‐mediated cleavage. These data demonstrate that MMP‐9, like MMP‐2, is able to cleave collagens I and III in their native form and in a manner that is characteristic of the unique collagenolytic activity of MMP collagenases.
Common mode of DNA binding to cold shock domains
Authors: Max Klaas E. A. , Zeeb Markus , Bienert Ralf , Balbach Jochen , Heinemann Udo
Published: February 2007

Bacterial cold shock proteins (CSPs) regulate cellular adaptation to cold stress. Functions ascribed to CSP include roles as RNA chaperones and in transcription antitermination. We present the crystal structure of the Bacillus caldolyticus CSP (Bc‐Csp) in complex with hexathymidine (dT6) at a resolution of 1.29 Å. Bound to dT6, crystalline Bc‐Csp forms a domain‐swapped dimer in which β strands 1–3 associate with strands 4 and 5 from the other subunit to form a closed β barrel and vice versa. The globular units of dimeric Bc‐Csp closely resemble the well‐known structure of monomeric CSP. Structural reorganization from the monomer to the domain‐swapped dimer involves a strictly localized change in the peptide bond linking Glu36 and Gly37 of Bc‐Csp. Similar structural reorganizations have not been found in any other CSP or oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide‐binding fold structures. Each dT6 ligand is bound to one globular unit of Bc‐Csp via an amphipathic protein surface. Individual binding subsites interact with the DNA bases through stacking and hydrogen bonding. The sugar–phosphate backbone remains solvent exposed. Based on crystallographic and biochemical studies of deoxyoligonucleotide binding to CSP, we suggest a common mode of binding of single‐stranded heptanucleotide motifs to proteins containing cold shock domains, including the eukaryotic Y‐box factors.
MODIFICATION OF FOOD CHARACTERISTICS WITH CELLULOSE HYDROCOLLOIDS I: Rheological Characterization of an Organoleptic Property (Unctuousness) *
Authors: ELLIOTT J. H. , GANZ A. J.
Published: February 2007

Abstract. A number of common foodstuffs and cosmetics including butter, margarine, cheese spreads, toothpaste and an ointment have been examined in steady and oscillatory shear using the Weissenberg Rheogoniometer in order to investigate the rheological parameters giving rise to the textural property of unctuousness. Products judged organoleptically to be unctuous exhibit the characteristic rheological behavior of a modified Bingham body. It is shown that certain types of sodium carboxymethyl‐cellulose (CMC) form gels which are unctuous and which enhance the unctuousness of food materials. Rheological characteristics of unctuousness are discussed in detail and the development of this property by certain CMC gels is interpreted in terms of molecular and super‐molecular properties of the polymer.
Molecular ConceptorTM for Training in Medicinal Chemistry, Drug Design, and Cheminformatics
Authors: Cohen Claude , Fischel Ouri , Cohen Elie
Published: February 2007

Current emphasis on structure‐based design and other computational methods have encouraged medicinal chemists to learn traditionally ‘expert’ techniques of molecular modeling, computer‐aided drug design, and cheminformatics. Molecular ConceptorTM (Synergix Ltd) is a multimedia software for teaching three‐dimensional drug design principles. It present techniques and strategies used in drug design and cheminformatics with general guidelines for their successful application. Discovery of lead compounds and concepts are illustrated with manipulatable views of molecules, pharmacophores, and protein–ligand complexes. It is a unique teaching and learning aid for medicinal chemists, instructors, students, and others who need in‐depth knowledge of these important techniques, as well as a valuable refresher course for professional modelers.
Living outside the system? The (im)morality of urban squatting after the Land Registration Act 2002
Authors: Cobb Neil , Fox Lorna
Published: February 2007

The Land Registration Act 2002 (LRA 2002) has effectively curtailed the law permitting the acquisition of title through adverse possession in relation to most types of adverse possessor, including the paradigmatic urban squatter. While the traditional principles for the acquisition of title through adverse possession enabled a squatter to secure rights in land ‘automatically’ after 12 years, under the LRA 2002 an urban squatter seeking to defend their possession of land in this way must now apply to the Land Registry, who will serve a notice on the registered proprietor alerting them to his or her presence. This procedure provides the landowner with an opportunity to recover possession of the property before the squatter’s occupation has given rise to any claim on the title to the land. On the whole, these reforms have been presented as, and accepted as being, wholly justified in the context of a modern regime of ‘title by registration’. This paper argues, however, that the reform of adverse possession also implements a contentious moral agenda in relation to advertent squatters and to absent landowners. While these provisions of the LRA 2002 will have important practical and philosophical consequences, the Law Commission has attempted to close off any prospect of further debate on the subject, without explicit consideration of current social and housing issues associated with urban squatting, or of the matrix of moral issues at stake in such cases.
Pathogenic point mutations in a transmembrane domain of the ε subunit increase the Ca2+ permeability of the human endplate ACh receptor
Authors: Castro Amalia Di , Martinello Katiuscia , Grassi Francesca , Eusebi Fabrizio , Engel Andrew G.
Published: February 2007

The ε subunit of the human endplate ACh receptor (AChR) is a key determinant of the large fraction of the ACh‐evoked current carried by Ca2+ ions (Pf). Consequently, missense mutations in the ε subunit are potential targets for altering the Pf of human AChR. In this paper we investigate the effects of two pathogenic point mutations in the M2 transmembrane segment AChR ε subunit, εT264P and εV259F, that cause slow‐channel syndromes (SCS). When expressed in GH4C1 cells, the mutant receptors subunits raise Ca2+ permeability of the receptors ∼1.5 and ∼2‐fold above that of wild‐type, to attain Pf values of 11.8% (εT264P) and 15.4% (εV259F). The latter value exceeds most Pf values reported to date for ligand‐gated ion channels. Consistent with these findings, the biionic Ca2+ permeability ratio (PCa/PCs) of the mutant AChRs is also increased. Upon repetitive stimulation with ACh, the mutant receptors show an enhanced current run‐down compared with wild‐type, leading to a strong reduction of their function. We propose that the enhanced Ca2+ permeability of the mutant receptors overrides the protective effect of desensitization and, together with the prolonged opening events of the AChR channel, is an important determinant of the excitotoxic endplate damage in the SCS.
Fatigue Crack Modeling and Simulation Based on Continuum Damage Mechanics
Authors: Takagaki Masakazu , Nakamura Toshiya
Published: February 2007

Numerical simulation of fatigue crack propagation based on fracture mechanics and the conventional finite element method requires a huge amount of computational resources when the cracked structure shows a complicated condition such as the multiple site damage or thermal fatigue. The objective of the present study is to develop a simulation technique for fatigue crack propagation that can be applied to complex situations by employing the continuum damage mechanics (CDM). An anisotropic damage tensor is defined to model a macroscopic fatigue crack. The validity of the present theory is examined by comparing the elastic stress distributions around the crack tip with those obtained by a conventional method. Combined with a nonlinear elasto-plastic constitutive equation, numerical simulations are conducted for low cycle fatigue crack propagation in a plate with one or two cracks. The results show good agreement with the experiments. Finally, propagations of multiply distributed cracks under low cycle fatigue loading are simulated to demonstrate the potential application of the present method.
High Pressure Hydrogen Storage Tank: A Parametric Design Study
Authors: Cumalioglu I. , Ma Y. , Ertas A. , Maxwell T.
Published: February 2007

Low hydrogen density of high pressure vessels is the primary concern in compressed hydrogen storage techniques. To increase densities, a new tank design is proposed in this paper with simulative design approaches. A novel design feature of this tank is a multilayered wall, which is composed of a “dynamic wall” capable of absorbing hydrogen while supporting the tank and preventing hydrogen permeation and embrittlement. Such a proposed tank is modeled with finite element method to determine required properties towards achieving the Department of Energy (DOE) targets of 2010 and 2015. Parameters and relations for this engineering design are obtained.
Review and Consideration of Unsettled Problems on Evaluation of Fatigue Damage in LWR Water
Authors: Higuchi Makoto , Sakaguchi Katsumi
Published: February 2007

Reduction in the fatigue life of structural materials of nuclear components in Light Water Reactor (LWR) water was initially detected and examined by the authors in the 1980s, who subsequently directed considerable effort to the development of a method for evaluating this reduction quantitatively. Since the first proposal of equations to calculate environmental fatigue life reduction for carbon and low-alloy steels was published in 1985 by Higuchi and Sakamoto (J. Iron Steel Inst. Jpn. 71, pp. 101–107), many revisions were made based on a lot of additional fatigue data in various environmental and mechanical test conditions. The latest models for evaluation using Fen of the environmental fatigue life correction factor were proposed for carbon and low alloy steels in the year 2000 and for austenitic stainless steel, in 2002. Fen depends on some essential variables such as material, strain rate, temperature, dissolved oxygen and sulfur concentration in steel. The equation for determining Fen is given by each parameter for each material. These models, having been developed three to five years ago, should be properly revised based on new test results. This paper reviews and discusses five major topics pertinent to such revision.
On the Use of the Squire-Long Equation to Estimate Radial Velocities in Swirling Flows
Authors: Cervantes Michel J. , Gustavsson L. Håkan
Published: February 2007

A method to estimate the radial velocity in swirling flows from experimental values of the axial and tangential velocities is presented. The study is motivated by the experimental difficulties to obtain this component in a draft tube model as evidenced in the Turbine-99 IAHR∕ERCOFTAC Workshop. The method uses a two-dimensional nonviscous description of the flow. Such a flow is described by the Squire-Long equation for the stream function, which depends on the boundary conditions. Experimental values of the axial velocities at the inlet and outlet of the domain are used to obtain the boundary conditions on the bounded domain. The method consists of obtaining the equation related to the domain with an iterative process. The radial velocity profile is then obtained. The method may be applied to flows with a swirl number up to about Sw=0.25. The critical value of the swirl number depends on the velocity profiles and the geometry of the domain. The applicability of the methodology is first performed on a swirling flow in a diffuser with a half angle of 3deg at various swirl numbers, where three-dimensional (3D) laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV) velocity measurements are available. The method is then applied to the Turbine-99 test case, which consists in a model draft tube flow where the radial inlet velocity was undetermined. The swirl number is equal to Sw=0.21. The stability and the convergence of the approach is investigated in this case. The results of the pressure recovery are then compared to the experiments for validation.
Shorter Field Life in Power Cycling for Organic Packages
Authors: Park S. B. , Ahmed Izhar Z.
Published: February 2007

The importance of power cycling as a mean of reliability assessment was revisited for flip chip plastic ball grid array (FC-PBGA) packages. Conventionally, reliability was addressed empirically through accelerated thermal cycling (ATC) because of its simplicity and conservative nature of life prediction. It was well accepted and served its role effectively for ceramic packages. In reality, an assembly is subjected to a power cycling, i.e., nonuniform temperature distribution with a chip as the only heat source and other components as heat dissipaters. This non-uniform temperature distribution and different coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of each component make the package deform differently than the case of uniform temperature in ATC. Higher substrate CTE in a plastic package generates double curvature in the package deformation and transfers higher stresses to the solder interconnects at the end of die. This mechanism makes the solder interconnects near the end of die edge fail earlier than those of the highest distance to neutral point. This phenomenon makes the interconnect fail earlier in power cycling than ATC. Apparently, we do not see this effect (the die shadow effect) in ceramic packages. In this work, a proper power cycling analysis procedure was proposed and conducted to predict solder fatigue life. An effort was made for FC-PBGA to show the possibility of shorter fatigue life in power cycling than the one of ATC. The procedure involves computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element analyses (FEA). CFD analysis was used to extract transient heat transfer coefficients while subsequent FEA–thermal and FEA–structural analyses were used to calculate temperature distribution and strain energy density, respectively.
Multidisciplinary Placement Optimization of Heat Generating Electronic Components on Printed Circuit Boards
Authors: Suwa Tohru , Hadim Hamid
Published: February 2007

A multidisciplinary placement optimization methodology for heat generating electronic components on printed circuit boards (PCBs) is presented. The methodology includes thermal, electrical, and placement criteria involving junction temperature, wiring density, line length for high frequency signals, and critical component location which are optimized simultaneously using the genetic algorithm. A board-level thermal performance prediction methodology which is based on a combination of a superposition method and artificial neural networks is developed for this study. Two genetic algorithms with different thermal prediction modules are used in a cascade in the optimization process. The first genetic algorithm uses simplified thermal network modeling and it is mainly aimed at finding component locations that avoid any overlap. Compact thermal models are used in the second genetic algorithm leading to more accurate thermal prediction which improves the placement optimization obtained using the first algorithm. Using this optimization methodology, large calculation time reduction is achieved without losing accuracy. To demonstrate its capabilities, the present methodology is applied to a test case involving placement optimization of several heat generating electronics components on a PCB.
Ultrafast Bond Softening in Bismuth: Mapping a Solid's Interatomic Potential with X-rays
Authors: Fritz D. M. , Reis D. A. , Adams B. , Akre R. A. , Arthur J. , Blome C. , Bucksbaum P. H. , Cavalieri A. L. , Engemann S. , Fahy S. , Falcone R. W. , Fuoss P. H. , Gaffney K. J. , George M. J. , Hajdu J. , Hertlein M. P. , Hillyard P. B. , Horn-von Hoegen M. , Kammler M. , Kaspar J. , Kienberger R. , Krejcik P. , Lee S. H. , Lindenberg A. M. , McFarland B. , Meyer D. , Montagne T. , Murray EÌ. D. , Nelson A. J. , Nicoul M. , Pahl R. , Rudati J. , Schlarb H. , Siddons D. P. , Sokolowski-Tinten K. , Tschentscher Th. , von der Linde D. , Hastings J. B.
Published: February 2007

Intense femtosecond laser excitation can produce transient states of matter that would otherwise be inaccessible to laboratory investigation. At high excitation densities, the interatomic forces that bind solids and determine many of their properties can be substantially altered. Here, we present the detailed mapping of the carrier densityâdependent interatomic potential of bismuth approaching a solid-solid phase transition. Our experiments combine stroboscopic techniques that use a high-brightness linear electron acceleratorâbased x-ray source with pulse-by-pulse timing reconstruction for femtosecond resolution, allowing quantitative characterization of the interatomic potential energy surface of the highly excited solid.
Comment on "Rapid Advance of Spring Arrival Dates in Long-Distance Migratory Birds"
Authors: Both Christiaan
Published: February 2007

Jonzén
et al
. (Reports, 30 June 2006, p. 1959) proposed that the rapid advance of spring migration dates of long-distance migrants throughout Europe reflects an evolutionary response to climate change. However, most migrants should not advance their migration time because the phenology of their breeding grounds has not changed. It is more likely that migration speed has changed in response to improved environmental circumstances.
Shift from Acetoclastic to H
2
-Dependent Methanogenesis in a West Siberian Peat Bog at Low pH Values and Isolation of an Acidophilic
Methanobacterium
Strain
Authors: Kotsyurbenko O. R. , Friedrich M. W. , Simankova M. V. , Nozhevnikova A. N. , Golyshin P. N. , Timmis K. N. , Conrad R.
Published: February 2007

Methane production and archaeal community composition were studied in samples from an acidic peat bog incubated at different temperatures and pH values. H
2
-dependent methanogenesis increased strongly at the lowest pH, 3.8, and
Methanobacteriaceae
became important except for
Methanomicrobiaceae
and
Methanosarcinaceae
. An acidophilic and psychrotolerant
Methanobacterium
sp. was isolated using H
2
-plus-CO
2
-supplemented medium at pH 4.5.
Time-Resolved Determination of the CcpA Regulon of
Lactococcus lactis
subsp.
cremoris
MG1363
Authors: Zomer Aldert L. , Buist Girbe , Larsen Rasmus , Kok Jan , Kuipers Oscar P.
Published: February 2007

Carbon catabolite control protein A (CcpA) is the main regulator involved in carbon catabolite repression in gram-positive bacteria. Time series gene expression analyses of
Lactococcus lactis
MG1363 and
L. lactis
MG1363Δ
ccpA
using DNA microarrays were used to define the CcpA regulon of
L. lactis
. Based on a comparison of the transcriptome data with putative CcpA binding motifs (
cre
sites) in promoter sequences in the genome of
L. lactis
, 82 direct targets of CcpA were predicted. The main differences in time-dependent expression of CcpA-regulated genes were differences between the exponential and transition growth phases. Large effects were observed for carbon and nitrogen metabolic genes in the exponential growth phase. Effects on nucleotide metabolism genes were observed primarily in the transition phase. Analysis of the positions of putative
cre
sites revealed that there is a link between either repression or activation and the location of the
cre
site within the promoter region. Activation was observed when putative
cre
sites were located upstream of the hexameric −35 sequence at an average position of −56.5 or further upstream with decrements of 10.5 bp. Repression was observed when the
cre
site was located in or downstream of putative −35 and −10 sequences. The highest level of repression was observed when the
cre
site was present at a defined side of the DNA helix relative to the canonical −10 sequence. Gel retardation experiments, Northern blotting, and enzyme assays showed that CcpA represses its own expression and activates the expression of the divergently oriented prolidase-encoding
pepQ
gene, which constitutes a link between regulation of carbon metabolism and regulation of nitrogen metabolism.