bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long‐term stability of autogenous bone grafts following combined application with guided bone regeneration
Authors: Donos Nikolaos , Kostopoulos Lambros , Tonetti Maurizio , Karring Thorkild
Published: March 2005

Abstract: The aim of the study was to compare the long‐term stability of membranous and endochondral autogenous bone grafts with or without combined application of guided bone regeneration (GBR). Twenty‐five, male, 6‐month old, albino rats were used in the study. The animals were divided into four groups (A5, A11, B5 and B11). Group A5 (control): The inferior border of the mandible was exposed in both sides. At one side of the jaw, a calvarial bone graft (baseline −3 × 4 × 0.64 mm) was placed at the inferior border of the mandible and was fixed with a standardized screw‐type titanium microimplant. At the contralateral side, an ischiac bone graft (baseline −3 × 4 × 0.87) was transplanted. The healing period was 5 months. Group A11 (control): The animals were treated in the same manner as in Group A5 with the difference that the healing period was 11 months. Group B5 (test): The animals were treated in the same manner as in Group A5 with the difference that an e‐PTFE membrane was adapted over the bone graft on each side of the jaw. Group B11 (test): The animals were treated in the same manner as in Group B5 with the difference that 5 months following transplantation the animals were subjected to a second operation and the membranes were removed. The healing period was 11 months. The animals were killed at 5 (Groups A5 and B5) or at 11 months (Groups A11 and B11) following mandibular augmentation and the jaws were defleshed. The width, the length and the thickness/height of the bone graft were evaluated by means of a stereomicroscope. At 5 months, both types of the membrane‐treated bone grafts presented increase in all dimensions compared with baseline. However at 11 months, both types of the membrane‐treated bone grafts exhibited a decrease in their dimensions which were similar to the baseline measurements. In the control groups, both types of bone graft presented significant resorption both at 5 and at 11 months with the ischiac bone grafts presenting more resorption in width and length than the calvarial bone grafts. It can be concluded that the long‐term volume stability of autogenous endochondral and membranous onlay bone grafts combined with GBR is superior to that of autogenous endochondral and membranous onlay bone grafts alone.
Transposon Mutagenesis of Mb0100 at theppe1-nrpLocus inMycobacterium bovisDisrupts Phthiocerol Dimycocerosate (PDIM) and Glycosylphenol-PDIM Biosynthesis, Producing an Avirulent Strain with Vaccine Properties At Least Equal to Those ofM. bovisBCG
Authors: Hotter Grant S. , Wards Barry J. , Mouat Pania , Besra Gurdyal S. , Gomes Jessica , Singh Monica , Bassett Shalome , Kawakami Pamela , Wheeler Paul R. , de Lisle Geoffrey W. , Collins Desmond M.
Published: March 2005

The unusual and complex cell wall of pathogenic mycobacteria plays a major role in pathogenesis, with specific complex lipids acting as defensive, offensive, or adaptive effectors of virulence. The phthiocerol and phthiodiolone dimycocerosate esters (PDIMs) comprise one such category of virulence-enhancing lipids. Recent work in several laboratories has established that theMycobacterium tuberculosis fadD26-mmpL7(Rv2930-Rv2942) locus plays a major role in PDIM biosynthesis and secretion and that PDIM is required for virulence. Here we describe two independent transposon mutants (WAg533 and WAg537) ofMycobacterium bovis, both of which carry an insertion in Mb0100 (=M. tuberculosisRv0097) to reveal a new locus involved in PDIM biosynthesis. The mutations have a polar effect on expression of the downstream genes Mb0101, Mb0102 (fadD10), Mb0103, and Mb0104 (nrp), and Mb0100 is shown to be in an operon comprising these genes and Mb0099. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis shows elevated transcription of genes in the operon upstream from the transposon insertion sites in both mutants. Both mutants have altered colony morphology and do not synthesize PDIMs or glycosylphenol-PDIM. Both mutants are avirulent in a guinea pig model of tuberculosis, and when tested as a vaccine, WAg533 conferred protective immunity againstM. bovisinfection at least equal to that afforded byM. bovisbacillus Calmette-Guérin.
PERFORMANCE OF AN AUTOMATIC BALL BALANCER WITH DRY FRICTION
Authors: VAN DE WOUW N. , VAN DEN HEUVEL M. N. , NIJMEIJER H. , VAN ROOIJ J. A.
Published: March 2005

In many industrial applications imbalance is a major cause for unwanted vibrations. One way to compensate for an unknown imbalance is the implementation of an automatic ball balancer. Oil-lubricated automatic ball balancers are applied in hand-held tools and washers. However, in applications such as optical drives fluid lubrication is highly undesirable since it may destroy the optical system upon leakage. Therefore, in this paper, the balancing performance of an automatic ball balancer without fluid lubrication is investigated. The absence of fluid lubrication gives rise to dry friction phenomena which cause the existence of equilibrium sets of the balls in the automatic ball balancer. A model of the system with dry friction, modeled by a set-valued force law, is built based on dedicated experiments. The resulting equilibrium sets and their dependency on system parameters are studied and the consequences for the balancing performance is assessed. Based on these results, it can be concluded that in parts of such equilibrium sets the balancing performance deteriorates when compared to the system without automatic ball balancer; in other words, the balancing performance is endangered by the presence of dry friction. This conclusion is supported by both numerical and experimental results.
CHAOTIFICATION OF DISCRETE-TIME DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS: AN EXTENSION OF THE CHEN–LAI ALGORITHM
Authors: LAI DEJIAN , CHEN GUANRONG
Published: March 2005

In this article, we propose and study an extension of the Chen–Lai algorithm for chaotification of discrete-time dynamical systems. The proposed method is a simple but mathematically rigorous feedback control design method that can gradually make all the Lyapunov exponents of the controlled system strictly positive for any given n-dimensional dynamical system that has a uniformly bounded Jacobian but otherwise could be originally nonchaotic or even asymptotically stable.
EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATION OF HIGH FREQUENCY PERFORMANCE OF FTFN-BASED SIMPLE CHAOTIC CIRCUIT
Authors: YILDIRIM FATMA , UZUNHİSARCIKLI ESMA , KILIÇ RECAI , ALÇI MUSTAFA
Published: March 2005

In this study, we aimed to improve the VOA-based simple chaotic circuit proposed by Sprott in the literature by using FTFN-based circuit topology. And also, by choosing one of the FTFN-based circuits whose chaotic dynamics are very similar to that of Chua's circuit as a reference model, we tested the performance of this model at different frequencies and its extended frequency performance has been verified by laboratory experiments and PSpice simulations.
HOMOCLINIC BIFURCATION AND CHAOS IN COUPLED SIMPLE PENDULUM AND HARMONIC OSCILLATOR UNDER BOUNDED NOISE EXCITATION
Authors: ZHU W. Q. , LIU Z. H.
Published: March 2005

The homoclinic bifurcation and chaos in a system of weakly coupled simple pendulum and harmonic oscillator subject to light dampings and weakly external and (or) parametric excitation of bounded noise is studied. The random Melnikov process is derived and mean-square criteria is used to determine the threshold amplitude of the bounded noise for the onset of chaos in the system. The threshold amplitude is also determined by vanishing the numerically calculated maximal Lyapunov exponent. The threshold amplitudes are further confirmed by using the Poincaré maps, which indicate the path from periodic motion to chaos or from random motion to random chaos in the system as the amplitude of bounded noise increases.
Korean and Caucasian overweight premenopausal women have different relationship of body mass index to percent body fat with age
Authors: Chung Sochung , Song Mi-Yeon , Shin Hyun-Dae , Kim Deog-Yoon , He Qing , Heshka Stan , Wang Jack , Thornton John , Laferrère Blandine , Pi-Sunyer F. Xavier , Gallagher Dympna
Published: March 2005

The aim of the study was to investigate in premenopausal women whether the relationship between percentage body fat (PBF) and body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) differs between Korean Asians (Ko-As) living in Seoul, South Korea, and Caucasians (Ca) living in New York City. Healthy premenopausal women (50 Ko-As; 38 Ca), ages 22–50 yr, were studied. Weight, height, and PBF by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were measured. Total body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry data were collected using GE-Lunar systems (Prodigy-Korea and DPXL-New York), and all scan analyses were performed by one technician in New York. Similar soft tissue phantoms were used for daily instrument calibrations at both sites. The relationship between PBF and BMI was assessed by multiple regression analysis with race, age, reciprocal of BMI (1/BMI), and a race-by-age interaction as the final independent variables. Race ( P = 0.003) and 1/BMI ( P < 0.001) were significantly related to PBF in this model. A significant race-by-age interaction ( P = 0.039) indicated that the slope of the lines for PBF vs. age differed between Ko-As and Ca. This study demonstrates in a Ko-As sample that the BMI-fat relationship differs significantly from that in a comparable group of Caucasian women. Investigators who use BMI as an index of fatness should be aware of the well documented differences in the relationship of BMI and fatness across race/ethnic groups.
Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of a Capsule Formulation of DRF‐1042, a Novel Camptothecin Analog, in Refractory Cancer Patients in a Bridging Phase I Study
Authors: Chatterjee Arani , Digumarti Raghunadharao , Katneni Kasiram , Upreti Vijay V. , Mamidi Rao N. V. S. , Mullangi Ramesh , Surath Anjna , Srinivas Maddali L. , Uppalapati Srihari , Jiwatani Sangeeta , Srinivas Nuggehally R.
Published: March 2005

The purpose of this bridging phase I study was to characterize the toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and antitumor effects of a capsule formulation of DRF‐1042, a novel camptothecin analog, in refractory solid tumor patients. DRF‐1042 was given daily for 5 consecutive days for 2 weeks, repeated every 3 weeks at 81 mg/m2. Adverse events were monitored following NCI‐CTC. Blood samples were processed for bioanalysis using a validated high‐performance liquid chromatography method. The pharmacokinetics of lactone and total (lactone + carboxylate) forms was determined on days 1 and 12 using a noncompartmental pharmacokinetic method. Pharmacokinetic data with the capsule formulation were compared with previously reported pharmacokinetic parameters with a suspension formulation. Efficacy was evaluated by applying World Health Organization criteria. Six patients received 10 courses of therapy. Thrombocytopenia and diarrhea were dose‐limiting toxicities. The upper limit of the area under the curve of DRF‐1042 (lactone and total) with the capsule formulation was higher than a suspension formulation at a similar dose on day 1 (lactone: capsule = 8.53 μM•h, suspension = 5.33 μM•h; total: capsule = 393 μM•h, suspension = 176 μM•h) and day 12 (lactone: capsule= 22.1 μM•h, suspension = 6.1 μM•h; total: capsule = 1302 μM•h, suspension = 309 μM•h). The upper limit of the area under the curve of DRF‐1042 (lactone and total) was higher under fed conditions (lactone = 15.9 μM•h, total = 605 μM•h) relative to fasted conditions (lactone = 8.53 μM•h, total = 393 μM•h) on day 1. One patient experienced stable disease. The toxicity and pharmacokinetics of the capsule correlated well with the suspension. The recommended phase II dose is 81 mg/m2.
Uroflowmetry nomogram in Iranian children aged 7 to 14 years
Authors: Kajbafzadeh Abdol-Mohammad , Yazdi Cyrus Ahmadi , Rouhi Omid , Tajik Parvin , Mohseni Parvin
Published: March 2005

Background

As the voiding habits of Iranian children differs from other children because of some cultural and religious considerations, we aimed to establish normal reference values of urinary flow rates in Iranian children between 7 to 14 years of age.

Methods

Eight hundred and two uroflowmetry studies were performed on children with no history of a renal, urological, psychological or neurological disorder, between the ages 7 and 14. Five hundred twenty five studies from 192 girls and 335 boys were considered in this study excluding the staccato/interrupted voiding pattern or voided volume less than 20 ml. The voiding volume, the maximum and average urinary flow rates were extensively analyzed.

Results

The maximal and average urine flow rate nomograms were plotted for both girls and boys. Mean maximum urine flow rate was 19.9 (ml/sec) for boys and 23.5 (ml/sec) for girls with a mean voided volume of 142 (ml) for boys and 147 (ml) for girls. Flow rates showed a close association with voiding volume in both sexes. The maximum and average flow rates were higher in girls than in boys, and they showed a significant increase in flow rates with increasing age, where boys did not. The mean maximum urine flow rates (19.9 ml/sec for boys and 23.5 ml/sec for girls) were found to be higher in this study than other studies.

Conclusion

Nomograms of maximal and average flow rates of girls and boys are presented in centile form, which can help the physician to evaluate the response to medical or surgical treatment and be useful for the screening of lower urinary tract disturbances in children, for a wide range of voided volumes.
Competition in health research: the experience of the John Curtin School of Medical Research
Authors: Whitworth Judith A
Published: March 2005

Background

In 2002 the Australian National Competitive Grants System was opened to the Institute of Advanced Studies at the Australian National University as part of a commitment to transparency, competitiveness, and collaboration in national research funding.

Results

The block grant to the John Curtin School of Medical Research had progressively eroded over many years. Access to the National Competitive Grants Schemes and associated infrastructure (through an agreed 'buy-in' price of 20% of block funding) has succeeded in its aims and in reversing this progressive effective decrease in funding.

Conclusion

Access to the National Competitive Grant Scheme has allowed the John Curtin School of Medical Research to contribute more broadly to Australia's health and medical research effort through increased collaboration, in a transparent and competitive funding environment.
Genetic interactions between Cdk1-CyclinB and the Separase complex inDrosophila
Authors: Ji Jun-Yuan , Crest Justin , Schubiger Gerold
Published: March 2005

Cdk1-CycB plays a key role in regulating many aspects of cell-cycle events,such as cytoskeletal dynamics and chromosome behavior during mitosis. To investigate how Cdk1-CycB controls the coordination of these events, we performed a dosage-sensitive genetic screen, which is based on the observations that increased maternal CycB (four extra gene copies) leads to higher Cdk1-CycB activity in early Drosophila embryos, delays anaphase onset, and generates a sensitized non-lethal phenotype at the blastoderm stage (defined as six cycB phenotype). Here, we report that mutations in the gene three rows (thr) enhance, while mutations in pimples (pim, encoding DrosophilaSecurin) or separase (Sse) suppress, the sensitized phenotype. In Drosophila, both Pim and Thr are known to regulate Sse activity, and activated Sse cleaves a Cohesin subunit to initiate anaphase. Compared with the six cycB embryos, reducing Thr in embryos with more CycB further delays the initiation of anaphase, whereas reducing either Pim or Sse has the opposite effect. Furthermore, nuclei move slower during cortical migration in embryos with higher Cdk1-CycB activity, whereas reducing either Pim or Sse suppresses this phenotype by causing a novel nuclear migration pattern. Therefore, our genetic screen has identified all three components of the complex that regulates sister chromatid separation, and our observations indicate that interactions between Cdk1-CycB and the Pim-Thr-Sse complex are dosage sensitive.
DjPum, a homologue ofDrosophila Pumilio,is essential to planarian stem cell maintenance
Authors: Salvetti Alessandra , Rossi Leonardo , Lena Annalisa , Batistoni Renata , Deri Paolo , Rainaldi Giuseppe , Locci Maria Teresa , Evangelista Monica , Gremigni Vittorio
Published: March 2005

As stem cells are rare and difficult to study in vivo in adults, the use of classical models of regeneration to address fundamental aspects of the stem cell biology is emerging. Planarian regeneration, which is based upon totipotent stem cells present in the adult – the so-called neoblasts– provides a unique opportunity to study in vivo the molecular program that defines a stem cell. The choice of a stem cell to self-renew or differentiate involves regulatory molecules that also operate as translational repressors, such as members of PUF proteins. In this study, we identified a homologue of the Drosophila PUF gene Pumilio(DjPum) in the planarian Dugesia japonica, with an expression pattern preferentially restricted to neoblasts. Through RNA interference (RNAi), we demonstrate that gene silencing of DjPumdramatically reduces the number of neoblasts, thus supporting the intriguing hypothesis that stem cell maintenance may be an ancestral function of PUF proteins.
Electron-Rich Radicals by Neutralization—Reionization Mass Spectrometry. Generation, Dissociations and Energetics of the Hydrogen Atom Adduct to Acetamide
Authors: Tam Francis , Syrstad Erik A. , Chen Xiaohong , Tureček Frantiček
Published: March 2005

Protonated acetamide exists as two planar conformers, the more stable anti-form (anti-1+) and the syn-form (syn-1+), Δ G0298(anti→ syn)=10.8 kJ mol−1. Collisional neutralization of 1+ produces 1-hydroxy-1-amino-1-ethyl radicals (anti-1 and syn-1) which, in part, survive for 3.7 μs. The major dissociation of 1 is loss of the hydroxyl hydrogen atom (∼95%) which is accompanied by loss of one of the methyl hydrogen atoms (∼3%) and loss of the methyl group (∼2%). The most favorable dissociation of the O–H bond is calculated to be only 34 kJ mol−1 endothermic but requires 88 kJ mol−1 in the transition state. Other dissociations of 1, for example, loss of one of the amide hydrogens, methyl hydrogens and loss of ammonia are calculated to proceed through higher energy transition states and are not kinetically competitive if proceeding from the ground doublet electronic state of 1. The unimolecular dissociation of 1, following collisional electron transfer, is promoted by large Franck–Condon effects that result in 80–90 kJ mol−1 vibrational excitation in the radicals. Radicals 1 are calculated to exoergically abstract hydrogen atoms from acetamide in water but not in the gas phase. The different reactivity is due to solvent effects that favor the products, •CH2CONH2 and CH3CH(OH)NH2, over the reactants.
Protonation Thermochemistry of α-Amino Acids Bearing a Basic Residue
Authors: Bouchoux Guy , Buisson David-Alexandre , Colas Cyril , Sablier Michel
Published: March 2005

The proton affinity ( PA) and protonation entropy, ΔpS°, of glycine (Gly), 1, aspartic acid (Asp), 2, asparagine (Asn), 3, histidine (His), 4, lysine (Lys), 5, glutamic acid (Glu), 6, and glutamine (Gln), 7, have been reinvestigated by the extended kinetic method, using the “isothermal point” method and the orthogonal distance regression technique. The proton affinity values of α-amino acids bearing a basic residue ( PA = 926.8, 965.2, 996.0, 993.9, 981.8 and 988.1 kJ mol−1 for 2–7, respectively) show significant deviation from the tabulated values. As expected from the effect of a strong intramolecular hydrogen bond in the protonated forms of these peculiar amino acids, negative protonation entropies are detected (ΔpS° = −36, −43, −37, −29, −95 and −55 J mol−1 K−1 for 2–7, respectively).
Fragmentation of Singly Charged Silver/ α,ω-Diaminoalkane Complexes: Competition between the Loss of H2 and AgH Molecules
Authors: Shi Tujin , Zhao Junfang , Shoeib Tamer , Siu K.W. Michael , Hopkinson Alan C.
Published: March 2005

Collision-induced dissociation of complexes, Ag+/NH2CH2(CH2) nCH2NH2, where n has values of 0, 1, 2 and 3, show loss of one H2 molecule at low energies. For the largest complex ( n = 3), a second H2 molecule is also lost. For complexes with n = 0 and 1, loss of AgH (the only pathway observed in the fragmentation of Ag+/monoamine complexes) also occurs at low collision energies and this becomes the dominant fragmentation pathway at centre-of-mass energies above 2 eV. For complexes with n = 2 and 3, negligible amounts of product ions resulting from loss of only AgH were formed. However, for these complexes, the major products at higher collision energies result from loss of either AgH plus NH3 or, more likely, H2 plus AgNH2; the product ions are postulated to be cyclic iminium ions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations (B3LYP with a DZVP basis set) on Ag+/NH2CH2(CH2)2CH2NH2 showed the loss of H2 followed by AgNH2 to have a slightly lower barrier than loss of AgH plus NH3. For complexes with n = 2 and 3, there are minor losses of various combinations of AgH, H2, 2H2 and NH3. Reaction profiles for the losses of H2 and AgH from all four Ag+/α,ω-diamine complexes have been examined computationally using DFT calculations. The second step on the reaction profile, loss of either H2 or AgH from the complex between Ag+ and α-amino-γ-imino-propane, Ag+/NH2CH2CH2CHNH, has also been calculated. The highest energy transition state on the profiles to loss of both H2 and AgH from the smallest complex ( n = 0) are identical; on all the other profiles, the barrier for H2 loss is lower than that for AgH loss (by 2.5 kJ mol−1 when n = 1, by 13.4 kJ mol−1 when n = 2 and by 33.0 kJ mol−1 when n = 3). Fragmentation of the ligand backbone occurs most extensively for ions derived from the Ag+/NH2CH2CH2CH2NH2. After loss of H2, the product ion, Ag+/NH2CH2CH2CH = NH fragments via a transition state in which the CH2–CH2 bond is breaking, while a 1,5-hydrogen shift from one nitrogen to the other is occurring. Cleavage of the carbon chain of NH2CH2CH2CH = NH2+ occurs at relatively low energy; DFT calculations provide a mechanism by which H2C = NH plus CH3CH = NH2+ are produced.
Prediction of the Charge States of Folded Proteins in Electrospray Ionization
Authors: Peschke Michael , Verkerk Udo H. , Kebarle Paul
Published: March 2005

Earlier work from this laboratory dealt with the observation that the charge states of non-denatured proteins can be decreased by use of buffer salts in which the gas-phase basicity of conjugate base B, GB(B), of the buffer cations is high. A theoretical model was developed and applied to several small proteins. The predictions of the charge states were found to be in good agreement with those observed experimentally. Because the computational model is based on the charge residue model (CRM), the observed agreement lends support for the CRM. In the present work, the same model is applied to recent data by Catalina et al. who showed that very large charge reductions are achieved with very high GB(B) proton sponges. Their data included lysozyme but also the very much larger proteins, p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase (PHBH), 90 kDa and glutamate synthase (GLTS), 166 kDA. The present work examines the performance of the model for the much stronger bases and the very much larger proteins. It is found that the predictions of the charge states agree well for the small protein lysozyme but somewhat less well with the experimental results for PHBH and GLTS. The causes for the lack of good agreement with the large proteins are examined.
Guided Ion Beam Study of Potential Energy Surfaces for Platinum Interactions with Nitrogen Oxides
Authors: Zhang Xiao-Guang , Armentrout P.B.
Published: March 2005

A guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometer is used to examine the kinetic energy dependence of reactions of Pt+ with NO, NO2 and N2O, and PtO+ with NO and NO2, as well as collision-induced decomposition (CID) of PtO+ with N2 and PtNO+ with Xe. Pt+ reacts with NO and NO2 most efficiently by charge transfer, although oxygen atom transfer is also prominent for NO2 and the dominant reaction with N2O. Charge transfer is also the most efficient process observed for PtO+ + NO, whereas this ion reacts with NO2 by inefficient oxygen atom transfer, and in the reaction of PtO+ with N2, only simple CID and ligand exchange are observed. Analysis of the kinetic energy dependences for endothermic reaction cross sections yields the 0 K bond dissociation energies ( BDEs) in eV (kJ mol−1) of D0(Pt+–N) = 3.35 ± 0.08 (323 ± 8), D0(Pt–N) = 3.84 ± 0.10 (371 ± 10), D0(Pt+–NO) = 3.13 ± 0.07 (302 ± 7) and D0(Pt+–O) = 3.26 ± 0.07 (315 ± 7). The bond energy of D0(Pt+–O) is consistent with our previous results and confirmed by results for nearly thermoneutral reactions here. Combining the BDEs of PtN+ and PtN measured here with literature data yields the ionization energy of PtN as 9.45 ± 0.13 eV.
CH4 Loss from (CH3)4N+ Revisited: How Does This High Energy Elimination Compete with •CH3 Loss?
Authors: Hudson Charles E. , Griffin Lawrence L. , McAdoo David J.
Published: March 2005

The rate of CH4 elimination from the tetramethylammonium ion increases faster than simple •CH3 loss with increasing internal energy at both high and low energies. Improved understanding of this highly unusual competition is sought by ab initio theory and RRKM calculations. Geometries and energies of stationary points and pathways as traced by intrinsic reaction coordinate calculations are given. A transition state at an energy much higher than those of both the reactant (414 kJ mol−1 above) and the products (361 kJ mol−1 above) was found for methane elimination from (CH3)4N+. More importantly, this transition state was also 14 kJ mol−1 above one found for methyl loss. However, according to results obtained and presented by RRKM theory, methane elimination through this transition state would be too slow to compete with methyl loss. This transition state may be for a concerted or a complex-mediated process. It is unlikely that CH4 is actually lost by a concerted elimination because only a small fraction of the reverse activation energy becomes translational energy, whereas concerted eliminations usually convert substantial fractions of their reverse activation energies into translational energy. Also, complex-mediated CH4 loss is unlikely because such eliminations are usually very quickly overwhelmed by simple dissociation of the partners just above threshold with increasing energy, opposite to the behavior of the system studied. Thus it is concluded that CH4 elimination from (CH3)4N+ occurs by loss of •CH3 followed by loss of H• at all energies, even though that is a higher energy process than methane elimination. Kinetic shifts and a reverse activation energy for •CH3 loss appear to raise the energy in the ions dissociating in the field free regions high enough to dissociate (CH3)4N+• + to (CH3)2N=CH2+• + •CH3 + H•.
Holoprosencephaly and limb reduction defects: A consideration of Steinfeld syndrome and related conditions
Authors: Siebert Joseph R. , Schoenecker Kelly A. , Resta Robert G. , Kapur Raj P.
Published: March 2005

Individuals with holoprosencephaly (HPE) and limb reduction defects have been ascribed historically to a variety of syndromes with overlapping phenotypic features. As such, these patients are challenges for clinicians and researchers alike. In an effort to better understand this association, we reviewed our autopsy records and identified five cases of HPE with reduction defects of the limbs and other anomalies. One case appears to be the third reported instance of Steinfeld syndrome, while others represent microgastria‐limb reduction sequence, VATER/VACTERL association, and an additional unique condition characterized by HPE, rhombencephalosynapsis, absent left radius, first metacarpal, and thumb, and congenital heart disease. The phenotypic heterogeneity inherent in these patients continues to complicate diagnosis, which will hopefully be simplified by continuing delineation at morphologic and especially genetic levels. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Doppler assessment after right hepatectomy confirms the need to fix the remnant left liver in the anatomical position
Authors: Ogata S , Kianmanesh R , Belghiti J
Published: March 2005

Background

The remnant left liver after right hepatectomy tends to rotate spontaneously into the right subphrenic space. This rotation might induce venous outflow impairment. The aim of this study was to assess immediate venous outflow in the left hepatic vein by intraoperative Doppler ultrasound (US) according to the position of the remnant liver.

Methods

From August 2003 to February 2004, assessment of left hepatic venous outflow was systematically performed in 44 consecutive right hepatic resections by Doppler US in spontaneous and anatomical positions. The anatomical position was defined as the position in which the falciform ligament was in its strict median position.

Results

The placement of the left liver from the spontaneous position to the anatomical position resulted in a significant increase in left hepatic venous outflow (20·1 ± 5·7 versus 8·5 ± 4·4 cm/s; P < 0·0001). In the spontaneous position, the decrease in left hepatic venous outflow persisted even without division of the left triangular ligament (10·2 ± 5·4 versus 21·7 ± 5·3 cm/s in the anatomical position) or removal of the middle hepatic vein (8·4 ± 3·4 versus 21·3 ± 5·8 cm/s).

Conclusion

Results of this study strongly suggest that after right hepatectomy the remnant left liver should always be fixed in the anatomical position.
DNA index, genome size, and electronic nuclear volume of vertebrates from the Miami Metro Zoo
Authors: Krishan Awtar , Dandekar Payal , Nathan Nirmal , Hamelik Ronald , Miller Christine , Shaw Jackie
Published: March 2005

Background

Flow cytometry is a rapid and reliable method for measuring nuclear DNA content and genome size. Fluorochrome binding characteristics, sample preparation and differences in DNA condensation, and availability of binding sites can cause variations in results obtained.

Methods

Blood samples from 82 vertebrate species were collected in 10% dimethyl sulfoxide and stained with propidium iodide/hypotonic citrate or 4,6‐diamidino‐2‐phenylindole dihydrochloride for analysis of DNA content and electronic nuclear volume (ENV). Trout red blood cells (TRBCs), human peripheral blood lymphocytes, and human buccal cavity cells were used as internal standards.

Results

Mean fluorescence channel (MFC) values of TRBC and buccal cavity cells used as internal standards were stable at 15 to 120 min of propidium iodide staining. TRBCs mixed with other cells especially human peripheral blood cells showed an increase in MFC. ENV and MCF values were less variable in different species of birds than in reptiles or mammals. Genome size based on use of buccal cavity cells as the internal standard showed a high degree of correlation with previous reports.

Conclusions

Proper selection and use of internal standards and sample preparation are essential for reliable determination of DNA content and genome size in vertebrates by flow cytometry. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cloning and developmental expression of Xenopus Enabled (Xena)
Authors: Xanthos Jennifer B. , Wanner Sarah J. , Miller Jeffrey R.
Published: March 2005

Regulation of actin dynamics, organization, and interaction with cell surface adhesion proteins is critical for tissue morphogenesis during development. The Ena/VASP family of actin‐binding proteins function in several cellular processes that involve dynamic regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, including axon guidance, platelet aggregation, cell migration, and cell adhesion. The vertebrate Ena/VASP family is composed of three genes: Ena (Enabled), VASP (Vasodilator Stimulated Phosphoprotein), and Evl (Ena/VASP‐Like). To better understand the role of Ena/VASP proteins during vertebrate development, we have cloned and characterized the developmental expression of Ena in Xenopus laevis. Analysis of the temporal expression of Xenopus Ena (Xena) demonstrates that multiple isoforms of Xena are detected throughout embryogenesis and that the presence of different isoforms is developmentally regulated. In situ hybridization analyses reveal that Xena is broadly expressed throughout development. During gastrulation and neurulation, Xena is detected in the neuroepithelium, notochord, and somites. In tadpoles, Xena expression is restricted to dorsal regions of the brain, whereas it is expressed at lower levels throughout the spinal cord. Xena expression is also detected in the notochord, myotome, heart, pronephros, and cranial placodes, including the olfactory and otic placodes. Analysis of the subcellular localization of Xena using a GFP fusion protein revealed that Xena localizes to adherens junctions and focal adhesions in Xenopus animal caps and NIH3T3 fibroblasts, respectively. These results define spatiotemporal windows in which Xena may function during early Xenopus development to modulate actin‐dependent processes such as cell adhesion and migration. Developmental Dynamics 233:631–637, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Expression of a dominant negative IFN‐γreceptor on mouse oligodendrocytes
Authors: González John M. , Bergmann Cornelia C. , Fuss Babette , Hinton David R. , Kangas Cindy , Macklin Wendy B. , Stohlman Stephen A.
Published: March 2005

The interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) receptor is expressed by all nucleated cells, and binding of its cognate ligand, IFN‐γ, induces a wide variety of biological functions. Transgenic mice expressing a dominant negative IFN‐γ receptor 1 (IFN‐γR1ΔIC) on oligodendrocytes under control of the myelin proteolipid protein promoter are described. The mRNA encoding the transgene was only detected in the nervous system and protein expression was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Transgenic receptor expression does not alter myelination and the mice exhibited no clinically apparent phenotype. Consistent with the restricted nervous system expression of the transgene, no alterations in peripheral immune responses were detected. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated constitutive expression of both the IFN‐γR1ΔIC transgene and the endogenous IFN‐γ receptor 2 at high levels on oligodendrocytes derived from the transgenic mice. These oligodendrocytes also exhibited decreased STAT1 phosphorylation in response to IFN‐γ, confirming dominant negative transgene function. Transgenic mice in which oligodendrocytes have a diminished ability to respond to IFN‐γ showed delayed virus clearance from oligodendroglia compared with wild‐type mice. This model will allow evaluation of oligodendrocyte responses to this critical cytokine during CNS inflammation.© 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
MLL: How complex does it get?
Authors: Popovic Relja , Zeleznik‐Le Nancy J.
Published: March 2005

The mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene encodes a very large nuclear protein homologous to Drosophila trithorax (trx). MLL is required for the proper maintenance of HOX gene expression during development and hematopoiesis. The exact regulatory mechanism of HOX gene expression by MLL is poorly understood, but it is believed that MLL functions at the level of chromatin organization. MLL was identified as a common target of chromosomal translocations associated with human acute leukemias. About 50 different MLL fusion partners have been isolated to date, and while similarities exist between groups of partners, there exists no unifying property shared by all the partners. MLL gene rearrangements are found in leukemias with both lymphoid and myeloid phenotypes and are often associated with infant and secondary leukemias. The immature phenotype of the leukemic blasts suggests an important role for MLL in the early stages of hematopoietic development. Mll homozygous mutant mice are embryonic lethal and exibit deficiencies in yolk sac hematopoiesis. Recently, two different MLL‐containing protein complexes have been isolated. These and other gain‐ and loss‐of‐function experiments have provided insight into normal MLL function and altered functions of MLL fusion proteins. This article reviews the progress made toward understanding the function of the wild‐type MLL protein. While many advances in understanding this multifaceted protein have been made since its discovery, many challenging questions remain to be answered. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Differential uptake of ferumoxtran‐10 and ferumoxytol, ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide contrast agents in rabbit: Critical determinants of atherosclerotic plaque labeling
Authors: Yancy April D. , Olzinski Alan R. , Hu Tom C‐C. , Lenhard Stephen C. , Aravindhan Karpagam , Gruver Susan M. , Jacobs Paula M. , Willette Robert N. , Jucker Beat M.
Published: March 2005

Purpose

To compare atherosclerotic plaque uptake of a first (ferumoxtran‐10) and second generation (ferumoxytol) ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) contrast agent with different pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic properties.

Materials and Methods

New Zealand White rabbits maintained on a high cholesterol/fat diet were subjected to balloon injury to the abdominal aorta. Ferumoxtran‐10 or ferumoxytol (500 μmol/kg) was administered at 2, 4, and 8 weeks following injury. In vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed immediately prior to, immediately after, and 6 days post‐contrast administration. Ex vivo MRI, histologic, and inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) iron analyses were performed on the excised vessels.

Results

The blood pool clearance of ferumoxytol (t½ ≤ 6 hours) was more rapid than that of ferumoxtran‐10 (t½ ≤ 48 hours). Decreased in vivo MRI signal intensity in the abdominal aorta was observed at 2, 4, and 8 weeks following injury with ferumoxtran‐10, but not with ferumoxytol. Consistent with these observations, ex vivo MRI signal intensity was decreased in the ferumoxtran‐10 vessels, and to a lesser degree in the ferumoxytol vs. control vessels (− contrast agent). In contrast, in vitro macrophage phagocytosis of USPIO was four to six fold greater with ferumoxytol than with ferumoxtran‐10. Additionally, the absolute iron content correlated with ex vivo MRI signal intensity in all vessels (r = −0.86, P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

These data suggest that the exposure period of atherosclerotic plaque to USPIO rather than the kinetics of the USPIO uptake by plaque alone is a critical criterion for experimental design of in vivo studies. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2005;21:432–442. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Adding another spectral dimension to 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy of hepatic encephalopathy
Authors: Binesh Nader , Huda Amir , Bugbee Mary , Gupta Rakesh , Rasgon Natalie , Kumar Anand , Green Michael , Han Steven , Thomas M. Albert
Published: March 2005

Purpose

To evaluate a localized two‐dimensional correlated magnetic resonance spectroscopic (L‐COSY) technique in patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and healthy subjects, and to correlate the cerebral metabolite changes with neuropsychological (NP) test scores.

Materials and Methods

Eighteen minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) patients and 21 healthy controls have been investigated. A GE 1.5‐T magnetic resonance (MR) scanner was used in combination with a body MR coil for transmission and a 3‐inch surface coil for reception. A 27‐mL voxel was localized by three slice‐selective radio frequency (RF) pulses (90°‐180°‐90°) in the anterior cingulate region. The total duration of each two‐dimensional L‐COSY spectrum was approximately 25 minutes. The NP battery included a total of 15 tests, which were grouped into six domains.

Results

MR spectroscopic results showed a statistically significant decrease in myo‐inositol (mI) and choline (Ch) and an increase in glutamate/glutamine (Glx) in patients when compared to healthy controls. There was also an increase in taurine (Tau) in patients. The NP results indicated a significant correlation between motor function assessed by NP tests and mI ratios recorded using two‐dimensional L‐COSY.

Conclusion

The study demonstrated the feasibility of evaluating the two‐dimensional L‐COSY sequence in a clinical environment. The results showed additional cerebral metabolites that can be measured with the technique in comparison to one‐dimensional study. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2005;21:398–405. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Gone Astray; or, What the Public Feared
Authors: Gedge Karin E.
Published: March 2005

The gender ideology of separate spheres that emerged in nineteenth-century America prescribed public roles for men and private roles for women while, at the same time, asking clergy and women to serve together as moral guardians of the republic. The cultural no-man’s land they occupied proved to be dangerous territory. Four highly publicized trials reveal nineteenth-century Americans’ fascination and horror with clerical sexual misconduct and crimes against women: the 1832 murder trial of New England Methodist minister Ephraim Avery; the 1844 presentment for moral “impurities” of the Episcopal Bishop of New York, Benjamin Onderdonk; the 1857 criminal adultery trial of Boston pastor Isaac Kalloch; and the 1875 church hearing and civil trial for adultery of the renowned preacher, Henry Ward Beecher. The verbal and graphic images generated in each of these trials tapped deep cultural anxieties, showing clergy and women regularly transgressing the too permeable boundaries of separate spheres and calling into question their roles as moral guardians and the utility of gender ideals in regulating social and sexual behavior.
Paradoxical Pastors; or, What the Novelist Imagined
Authors: Gedge Karin E.
Published: March 2005

Nineteenth-century American readers regularly encountered powerful and paradoxical images of clergy and women in many fictive genres, a reflection of the cultural tensions manifested in the contemporary pastoral relationship. Sensational novelists such as George Lippard exposed the monstrous incongruity of the “reverend rake.” Sentimental novelist Susan Warner constructed a romantic clerical hero who was both benevolent and despotic in his relationship with the female protagonist, while Harriet Beecher Stowe’s minister was impotent, dependent on the women who supported him. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s enduring Scarlet Letter portrayed the pastor as an unworthy saint and Hester Prynne as the worthy sinner. Even pious memoirs and parsonage novels acknowledged the intrusion of sexuality, “something peculiar and insidious” in Stowe’s words, which inevitably corrupted the spiritual relationship between pastors and women. Only transforming it into a marital relationship could, to some degree, resolve the inherent sexual tension.
The Unsteady Shepherd; or, What the Pastor Experienced
Authors: Gedge Karin E.
Published: March 2005

The journals and correspondence of young men entering the Protestant ministry reveal their anxieties about undertaking pastoral work in general and their discomfort and frustration in ministering to women in particular. Formal coursework in the seminary provided insufficient field experience and left the novice pastor deeply worried about his manner, manners, and efficacy. Encounters with women were exceptionally painful, especially when they resisted the clergyman’s exhortations, argued with his theology, or appeared too eager to entertain him. Questioning their own abilities or that of women, young men retreated and avoided women. Even the search for a suitable wife to whom he could delegate his ministry to women generated apprehension, since he was acutely aware that she could “make or mar” his career in the ministry. Whether novices or veteran pastors, many men experienced distance, rather than intimacy or an alliance with women.
Sheep without a Shepherd; or, What Women Experienced
Authors: Gedge Karin E.
Published: March 2005

The diaries and correspondence of two dozen northern Protestant women offer little evidence of a close bond with a pastor unless the pastoral relationship became a marital relationship. Despite expressions of admiration for an occasional “good sermon” or a “dear pastor,” women expressed disillusionment and disappointment when pastors failed to offer effective spiritual support from the pulpit or in person in times of need. Few reported any face-to-face religious conversations with pastors; those who did recorded responses ranging from surprise to embarrassment to frustration to outrage. Cultural constructions of gender difference imposed distance in the pastoral relationship, whether women expressed it as reverence for the minister as an “ambassador of Christ,” or inchoate resentment of masculine privileges and shortcomings, or a fear of rejection, or a troubling recognition of their own romantic desire or jealousy.
Epilogue
Authors: Gedge Karin E.
Published: March 2005

Gedge asks scholars to reject the “feminization” paradigm for understanding women’s role in the nineteenth-century American Protestant church. In its stead, she proposes a “great” or masculine tradition and a “little” or feminine tradition, modifying a conceptualization borrowed from sociologists of religion who propounded a “great” ecclesiastical tradition and a “little” popular tradition in the church. Protestant clergy, the church, and theology were not “feminized” during this period; these institutions were redefined as “masculine” to conform to new gender ideals. Women continued to be excluded from institutional church leadership, but began to articulate and act upon their discontent in creative ways. They discovered spiritual guidance in non-institutional ways, among families and friends, read and wrote tracts and novels, and participated in new anticlerical religious movements such as spiritualism, Mormonism, and Christian Science.
Conditioned Perceptions
Authors: Graziano Frank
Published: March 2005

Considers the ways in which sanctity is constructed in folklore, hagiography, iconography, and testimony taken during processes for canonization. Detailed analysis elucidates how an unrealized ideal constructed textually serves as the model for aspirants to sanctity, how this prototype becomes a palimpsest as over the centuries new textually constructed lives are embedded, how tautology contributes to perceptions of sanctity, and how true saints are distinguished from impostors. The case material includes saints Catherine of Siena, Mariana of Jesus, and Teresa of Avila, in addition to Rose of Lima.
Roots
Authors: Shea William M.
Published: March 2005

This chapter examines the roots of evangelical critique of Catholicism. The Roman church was viewed as the legion of the Antichrist, a false church, a heretical and apostate church. So evil was its “system”, and so corrupt its doctrine and practice that it can only be dealt with in the language of an apocalyptic invented to pierce through an opaque history to its roots in the infernal mind. The Reformation was thus, inextricably linked to Manichean rhetoric.
Hard Evangelicals and the Apostate Church
Authors: Shea William M.
Published: March 2005

The most important decision faced by American Evangelicals in the late 20th century was whether to regard the Catholic Church as either an apostate church or a heretical church. Those who hold the traditional judgment of apostasy are called “hard” evangelicals; those who have modified this judgment are called “soft” evangelicals. This chapter reviews some recent examples of the “hard” evangelical option.
Soft Evangelicals and the Heretical Church
Authors: Shea William M.
Published: March 2005

Reformation principles have made conservative evangelicals unable to view the Catholic Church as positively related to the Pauline gospel of free grace, as in some sense a Christian church. However, some evangelicals have managed it. This chapter examines the figures representative of the very Reformed tradition that has historically judged Rome to be an apostate church.
Introduction
Authors: Shevzov Vera
Published: March 2005

This introductory chapter begins with brief descriptions of historical events that marked the evolution of Orthodox Christianity in Russia. This is followed by a discussion on the approaches for studying Christianity. An overview of the chapters in this volume is then presented.