bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Was Hinduism Invented?
Authors: Pennington Brian K.
Published: April 2005

Is “Hinduism” a legitimate term for the widely varying religious practices of India that are commonly called by that name? The appearance of “religion” as a category comprising a set of practices and beliefs allegedly found in every culture dates from the modern period, emerging as Europe expanded trade abroad and established its first colonial relations in the 17th and 18th centuries. Hinduism emerged in the encounter between modernity’s greatest colonial power, Great Britain, and the jewel of her imperial crown, India. Around the turn of the 19th century, officials of the British colonial state and Christian missionaries helped cement the idea that regional and sectarian traditions in India possessed a sufficient coherence to be construed as a single, systematic religion. This encounter was deeply shaded by the articulation and development of the concept of “religion”, and it produced the now common idea that Hinduism is a unified religion. The Bengal Presidency, home of Calcutta — capital of colonial India and center of economic gravity in the eastern hemisphere — emerged as the locus of ongoing and direct contact between Indians and colonial officials, journalists, and missionaries. Drawing on a large body of previously untapped literature, including documents from the Church Missionary Society and Bengali newspapers, this book presents a portrait of the process by which “Hinduism” came into being. It argues against the common idea that the modern construction of religion in colonial India was simply a fabrication of Western Orientalism and missionaries. Rather, it involved the active agency and engagement of Indian authors who interacted, argued, and responded to British authors over key religious issues such as image-worship, satī, tolerance, and conversion. This book retells the story of Christians’ and Hindus’ reception of each other in the early 19th century in a way that takes seriously the power of their religious worldviews to shape the encounter itself and help produce the very religions that colonialism thought it “discovered”. While post-colonial theory can illuminate issues of power and domination, the history of religions reminds us of the continuing importance of the sacred and spiritual dimensions of the peoples under colonial rule.
Introduction
Authors: Pennington Brian K.
Published: April 2005

Between 1789 and 1832, Great Britain created a comprehensive portrait of Hinduism that exhibited it as a coherent system of beliefs and practices operating by means of clear, regular, and often sinister principles. Hindus responded in print beginning in the second decade of the 19th century. This important period of rapidly expanding inter-religious and intercultural encounter is set in the midst of a century of radical transformation in the manner in which Britain conceived and conducted colonialism. Post-colonial theory and the work of Subaltern studies have tended to render the role of religion in these encounters as a mask for other motives. In contrast, a history of religions approach to these critical years of Britain’s attempts to comprehend Indian religious traditions presents a different picture. Focusing on religion highlights Hindu contributions to the modern idea of Hinduism and displays a continuity with prior Hindu identities that is erased by the idea that Britain “invented” Hinduism.
The Other Without and the Other Within
Authors: Pennington Brian K.
Published: April 2005

This chapter examines the genesis of the missionary movement in Great Britain and the strategies for proselytization adopted by upper class, evangelical Christianity. Situated at the center of colonial power, such figures as William Wilberforce and Hannah More helped launch a comprehensive evangelization of Britain and India alike that employed the benighted pagan and vulgar factory laborer as reflections of one another, particularly in Sunday school literature. Such an approach clearly illustrates how modern forms of colonial encounter took place not along avenues of diffusion between metropole and colony, but under an umbrella of power relations and signs shared by those in Britain and India who would be mutually transformed by the experience. Missionaries for such groups as the Church Missionary Society viewed the working classes of Britain not only as sources of income and energy, but also as targets of the very proselytization they were preparing for India. The Church of England’s own struggle to address and accommodate the working poor marginalized by industrialization and high-church polity accounts for much of the style and scope of its missionary societies.
“Scarcely Less Bloody than Lascivious”
Authors: Pennington Brian K.
Published: April 2005

Nineteenth-century British missionaries to India such as William Carey and William Ward of Serampore, and army chaplain Claudius Buchanan helped construct the idea of a conceptual and ritual core to an array of Hindu communities and deities. Although strenuously opposed by French scholar Abbé J. A. Dubois, a strain of Christian iconoclasm then being nurtured by a rampant anti-Catholicism in Britain fashioned a system of Hindu theology and ritual for British evangelical Christians that focused squarely on image worship and cast Hindu ritual as an infantile version of the idolatry condemned in the Christian Old and New Testaments. Idol worship and satī (widow immolation) were used to create the impression of an overarching logic in Hinduism that was then offered to the working-class audiences of the Church Missionary Society’s popular newspapers as a systematized, coherent, pan-Indian Hinduism.
Genome-Wide Analysis of Gene Expression Profiles Associated with Cell Cycle Transitions in Growing Organs of Arabidopsis
Authors: Beemster Gerrit T.S. , De Veylder Lieven , Vercruysse Steven , West Gerrit , Rombaut Debbie , Van Hummelen Paul , Galichet Arnaud , Gruissem Wilhelm , Inzé Dirk , Vuylsteke Marnik
Published: April 2005

Organ growth results from the progression of component cells through subsequent phases of proliferation and expansion before reaching maturity. We combined kinematic analysis, flowcytometry, and microarray analysis to characterize cell cycle regulation during the growth process of leaves 1 and 2 of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Kinematic analysis showed that the epidermis proliferates until day 12; thereafter, cells expand until day 19 when leaves reach maturity. Flowcytometry revealed that endoreduplication occurs from the time cell division rates decline until the end of cell expansion. Analysis of 10 time points with a 6k-cDNA microarray showed that transitions between the growth stages were closely reflected in the mRNA expression data. Subsequent genome-wide microarray analysis on the three main stages allowed us to categorize known cell cycle genes into three major classes: constitutively expressed, proliferative, and inhibitory. Comparison with published expression data obtained from root zones corresponding to similar developmental stages and from synchronized cell cultures supported this categorization and enabled us to identify a high confidence set of 131 proliferation genes. Most of those had an M phase-dependent expression pattern and, in addition to many known cell cycle-related genes, there were at least 90 that were unknown or previously not associated with proliferation.
Increased Sedoheptulose-1,7-Bisphosphatase Activity in Transgenic Tobacco Plants Stimulates Photosynthesis and Growth from an Early Stage in Development
Authors: Lefebvre Stephane , Lawson Tracy , Fryer Mike , Zakhleniuk Oksana V. , Lloyd Julie C. , Raines Christine A.
Published: April 2005

Activity of the Calvin cycle enzyme sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase (SBPase) was increased by overexpression of an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) cDNA in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants. In plants with increased SBPase activity, photosynthetic rates were increased, higher levels of Suc and starch accumulated during the photoperiod, and an increase in leaf area and biomass of up to 30% was also evident. Light saturated photosynthesis increased with increasing SBPase activity and analysis of CO2 response curves revealed that this increase in photosynthesis could be attributed to an increase in ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate regenerative capacity. Seedlings with increased SBPase activity had an increased leaf area at the 4 to 5 leaf stage when compared to wild-type plants, and chlorophyll fluorescence imaging of these young plants revealed a higher photosynthetic capacity at the whole plant level. Measurements of photosynthesis, made under growth conditions integrated over the day, showed that mature plants with increased SBPase activity fixed 6% to 12% more carbon than equivalent wild-type leaves, with the young leaves having the highest rates. In this paper, we have shown that photosynthetic capacity per unit area and plant yield can be increased by overexpressing a single native plant enzyme, SBPase, and that this gives an advantage to the growth of these plants from an early phase of vegetative growth. This work has also shown that it is not necessary to bypass the normal regulatory control of SBPase, exerted by conditions in the stroma, to achieve improvements in carbon fixation.
Immobilization of Aluminum with Phosphorus in Roots Is Associated with High Aluminum Resistance in Buckwheat
Authors: Zheng Shao Jian , Yang Jian Li , He Yun Feng , Yu Xue Hui , Zhang Lei , You Jiang Feng , Shen Ren Fang , Matsumoto Hideaki
Published: April 2005

Oxalic acid secretion from roots is considered to be an important mechanism for aluminum (Al) resistance in buckwheat (Fygopyrum esculentum Moench). Nonetheless, only a single Al-resistant buckwheat cultivar was used to investigate the significance of oxalic acid in detoxifying Al. In this study, we investigated two buckwheat cultivars, Jiangxi (Al resistant) and Shanxi (Al sensitive), which showed significant variation in their resistance to Al stress. In the presence of 0 to 100 μ  m Al, the inhibition of root elongation was greater in Shanxi than that in Jiangxi, and the Al content of root apices (0–10 mm) was much lower in Jiangxi. However, the dependence of oxalic acid secretion on external Al concentration and the time course for secretion were similar in both cultivars. Furthermore, the variation in Al-induced oxalic acid efflux along the root was similar, showing a 10-fold greater efflux from the apical 0- to 5-mm region than from the 5- to 10-mm region. These results suggest that both Shanxi and Jiangxi possess an equal capacity for Al-dependent oxalic acid secretion. Another two potential Al resistance mechanisms, i.e. Al-induced alkalinization of rhizosphere pH and root inorganic phosphate release, were also not involved in their differential Al resistance. However, after longer treatments in Al (10 d), the concentrations of phosphorus and Al in the roots of the Al-resistant cultivar Jiangxi were significantly higher than those in Shanxi. Furthermore, more Al was localized in the cell walls of the resistant cultivar. All these results suggest that while Al-dependent oxalic acid secretion might contribute to the overall high resistance to Al stress of buckwheat, this response cannot explain the variation in tolerance between these two cultivars. We present evidence suggesting the greater Al resistance in buckwheat is further related to the immobilization and detoxification of Al by phosphorus in the root tissues.
Destination-Selective Long-Distance Movement of Phloem Proteins
Authors: Aoki Koh , Suzui Nobuo , Fujimaki Shu , Dohmae Naoshi , Yonekura-Sakakibara Keiko , Fujiwara Toru , Hayashi Hiroaki , Yamaya Tomoyuki , Sakakibara Hitoshi
Published: April 2005

The phloem macromolecular transport system plays a pivotal role in plant growth and development. However, little information is available regarding whether the long-distance trafficking of macromolecules is a controlled process or passive movement. Here, we demonstrate the destination-selective long-distance trafficking of phloem proteins. Direct introduction, into rice (Oryza sativa), of phloem proteins from pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) was used to screen for the capacity of specific proteins to move long distance in rice sieve tubes. In our system, shoot-ward translocation appeared to be passively carried by bulk flow. By contrast, root-ward movement of the phloem RNA binding proteins 16-kD C. maxima phloem protein 1 (CmPP16-1) and CmPP16-2 was selectively controlled. When CmPP16 proteins were purified, the root-ward movement of CmPP16-1 became inefficient, suggesting the presence of pumpkin phloem factors that are responsible for determining protein destination. Gel-filtration chromatography and immunoprecipitation showed that CmPP16-1 formed a complex with other phloem sap proteins. These interacting proteins positively regulated the root-ward movement of CmPP16-1. The same proteins interacted with CmPP16-2 as well and did not positively regulate its root-ward movement. Our data demonstrate that, in addition to passive bulk flow transport, a destination-selective process is involved in long-distance movement control, and the selective movement is regulated by protein–protein interaction in the phloem sap.
A Tiling Microarray Expression Analysis of Rice Chromosome 4 Suggests a Chromosome-Level Regulation of Transcription
Authors: Jiao Yuling , Jia Peixin , Wang Xiangfeng , Su Ning , Yu Shuliang , Zhang Dongfen , Ma Ligeng , Feng Qi , Jin Zhaoqing , Li Lei , Xue Yongbiao , Cheng Zhukuan , Zhao Hongyu , Han Bin , Deng Xing Wang
Published: April 2005

The complete genome sequence of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) provides an unprecedented opportunity to understand the biology of this model cereal. An essential and necessary step in this effort is the determination of the coding information and expression patterns of each sequenced chromosome. Here, we report an analysis of the transcriptional activity of rice chromosome 4 using a tiling path microarray based on PCR-generated genomic DNA fragments. Six representative rice organ types were examined using this microarray to catalog the transcribed regions of rice chromosome 4 and to reveal organ- and developmental stage–specific transcription patterns. This analysis provided expression support for 82% of the gene models in the chromosome. Transcriptional activities in 1643 nonannotated regions were also detected. Comparison with cytologically defined chromatin features indicated that in juvenile-stage rice the euchromatic region is more actively transcribed than is the transposon-rich heterochromatic portion of the chromosome. Interestingly, increased transcription of transposon-related gene models in certain heterochromatic regions was observed in mature-stage rice organs and in suspension-cultured cells. These results suggest a close correlation between transcriptional activity and chromosome organization and the developmental regulation of transcription activity at the chromosome level.
Microtubule Dynamics in Living Root Hairs: Transient Slowing by Lipochitin Oligosaccharide Nodulation Signals
Authors: Vassileva Valya N. , Kouchi Hiroshi , Ridge Robert W.
Published: April 2005

The incorporation of a fusion of green fluorescent protein and tubulin-α 6 from Arabidopsis thaliana in root hairs of Lotus japonicus has allowed us to visualize and quantify the dynamic parameters of the cortical microtubules in living root hairs. Analysis of individual microtubule turnover in real time showed that only plus polymer ends contributed to overall microtubule dynamicity, exhibiting dynamic instability as the main type of microtubule behavior in Lotus root hairs. Comparison of the four standard parameters of in vivo dynamic instability—the growth rate, the disassembly rate, and the frequency of transitions from disassembly to growth (rescue) and from growth to disassembly (catastrophe)—revealed that microtubules in young root hairs were more dynamic than those in mature root hairs. Either inoculation with Mesorhizobium loti or purified M. loti lipochitin oligosaccharide signal molecules (Nod factors) significantly affected the growth rate and transition frequencies in emerging and growing root hairs, making microtubules less dynamic at a specific window after symbiotic inoculation. This response of root hair cells to rhizobial Nod factors is discussed in terms of the possible biological significance of microtubule dynamics in the early signaling events leading to the establishment and progression of the globally important Rhizobium/legume symbiosis.
KATAMARI1/MURUS3 Is a Novel Golgi Membrane Protein That Is Required for Endomembrane Organization in Arabidopsis
Authors: Tamura Kentaro , Shimada Tomoo , Kondo Maki , Nishimura Mikio , Hara-Nishimura Ikuko
Published: April 2005

In plant cells, unlike animal and yeast cells, endomembrane dynamics appear to depend more on actin filaments than on microtubules. However, the molecular mechanisms of endomembrane–actin filament interactions are unknown. In this study, we isolated and characterized an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant, katamari1 (kam1), which has a defect in the organization of endomembranes and actin filaments. The kam1 plants form abnormally large aggregates that consist of endoplasmic reticulum with actin filaments in the perinuclear region within the cells and are defective in normal cell elongation. Map-based cloning revealed that the KAM1 gene is allelic to the MUR3 gene. We demonstrate that the KAM1/MUR3 protein is a type II membrane protein composed of a short cytosolic N-terminal domain and a transmembrane domain followed by a large lumenal domain and is localized specifically on Golgi membranes. We further show that actin filaments interact with Golgi stacks via KAM1/MUR3 to maintain the proper organization of endomembranes. Our results provide functional evidence that KAM1/MUR3 is a novel component of the Golgi-mediated organization of actin functioning in proper endomembrane organization and cell elongation.
Key Factors of Joint‐Liability Loan Contracts: An Empirical Analysis
Authors: Kritikos Alexander S. , Vigenina Denitsa
Published: April 2005

This paper provides an empirical analysis of joint‐liability micro‐lending contracts. Using our data set, we examine the efficacy of various incentives set by this contract such as joint‐liability between groups of borrowers or group access to future and to larger loans. As proposed by theory, we find that joint liability induces a group formation of low risk borrowers. After the loan disbursement, the incentive system leads to peer monitoring, peer support and peer pressure between the borrowers, thus helping the lending institution to address the moral hazard and enforcement problem. This paper also demonstrates that the mechanism realizes repayment rates of nearly 100% if the loan officers fulfill their complementary duties in the screening and enforcement process. Finally, we make clear that dynamic incentives, in contrast to theory, have to be restricted if the two long‐term problems of the joint‐liability approach, i.e. its mismatching problem and the domino effect, are to be tackled notably.
In vitro susceptibility of yeasts isolated from patients in intensive care units to fluconazole and amphotericin B during a 3‐year period
Authors: KUCUKATES EMINE , ERTURAN ZAYRE , SUSEVER SERDAR , YEGENOGLU YILDIZ
Published: April 2005

Fungal infections have increased dramatically in recent years and candidemia is a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality in intensive care units (ICUs). Candidemia has been considered to be a nosocomial infection that is strongly associated with neutropenia, recent surgery or presence of intravascular lines, and previous colonization is an independent risk factor. We evaluated the in vitro efficacy of fluconazole and amphotericin B against yeasts isolated from various clinical specimens of colonized or infected patients treated in the ICUs of the Institute of Cardiology, Istanbul University. A total of 1397 ICU patients were treated at the Institute of Cardiology between January 2000 and December 2002. A total of 117 yeasts isolated from 97 patients were included in this study. These ICU patients were hospitalized for a mean of 29 days. All yeasts were identified by conventional methods and using the API (20C AUX, ID 32C) system (Bio Meriéux, France). Susceptibility to fluconazole and amphotericin B was evaluated using the E‐test (AB Biodisk, Solna, Sweden). The most commonly isolated yeast was Candida albicans (72.6%), followed by Candida tropicalis (16.2%), Candida kefyr, Candida krusei, Candida parapsilosis, Trichosporon mucoides and Geotrichum spp. Fluconazole and amphotericin B MIC90 values were 0.75 μg/ml; 0.19 μg/ml and 1 μg/ml; 0.38 μg/ml for C. albicans and C. tropicalis, respectively. All Geotrichum spp. were found to be susceptible‐dose dependent (SDD) (MIC=16–32 μg/ml) to fluconazole. Two C. albicans, two C. tropicalis, one C. krusei and one Geotrichum spp. had a MIC value of ≥0.38 μg/ml for amphotericin B. The rate of colonization was 3.36% (47/1397). Only 10 (0.71%) patients out of a total of 1397 developed candidemia during the period of the investigation. Of these, 7 (70%) were caused by non‐albicans Candida spp.
SPIN LIQUID STATE AND THE TIME-REVERSAL SYMMETRY BREAKING EFFECT OBSERVED IN Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ
Authors: GUO WEI , DUAN LISONG , HAN RUSHAN
Published: April 2005

The unusual properties of a doped high-Tc oxide can be attributed to its unique electronic structure, here we put emphasis on importance of the O2p band for the origin of magnetism and superconductivity. Antiferromagnetism of a charge transfer type insulator should be described by the Kramers-Anderson theory, the superexchange between localized Cu3d spins is mediated by O2p electrons. A doped hole resided in the O2p orbital in a Cu - O - Cu bond effectively suppresses the superexchange between Cu3d spins creating a local moment or a "Kondo impurity" in the magnetically ordered CuO 2 layer. The interaction between a local moment and O2p electrons yields an effective spin coupling between O2p electrons and pairing. Accordingly, itinerant O2p spins may condense into a paired state or a spin liquid state via local exchange interactions. On the contrary, Cu3d spins merely provide a magnetic background, the existing local field breaks the time-reversal symmetry in a photoemission process. We use a semiclassical approach to estimate the difference between the intensities of photocurrents generated by the left and the right circularly polarized photons observed in Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ by Kaminski et al.
HEAT TRANSPORT IN HOLE-DOPED TWO-LEG LADDER ANTIFERROMAGNET
Authors: QIN JIHONG , FENG SHIPING , YUAN FENG , CHEN WEI YEU
Published: April 2005

The single-rung t-J ladder is investigated based on the charge-spin separation fermion-spin theory. It is shown that the thermal conductivity increases monotonously with increasing temperature at low temperature, then saturates at moderate temperature, and decreases at high temperature, in qualitative agreement with experiments.
LOCAL ELECTRIC FIELD EFFECTS AND TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE OF RESISTIVITY AND HALL COEFFICIENT IN HIGH–Tc METAL OXIDES
Authors: GOLOVASHKIN A. I. , KARUZSKII A. L. , MURZIN V. N. , PERESTORONIN A. V.
Published: April 2005

For high–Tc superconductor metal oxides (HTSC) it is shown that the dc resistivity and Hall effect temperature behaviour can be explained by the model of the paraelectric material close to the point of the Mott-Hubbard instability, in the ground state of which the current is carried by a liquid of boson-like pairs of carriers in upper and lower Hubbard bands. The Mott-Hubbard instability corresponds to the order-of-lattice-constant length of the mean free path and results in the temperature insensitivity of Drude conductivity. Nearly linear on T resistivity results from the Curie law via the local (acting) electric field. Fermion-like carriers, temperature excited over the energy of boson-like pair dissociation (pseudo gap), explain the temperature behaviour of Hall effect. Available data are compared with the model.
EPITAXIAL GROWTH OF SrTiO3 THIN FILMS BY SOL-GEL SYNTHESIS ON LaAlO3 AND Ni SUBSTRATES
Authors: CHEN S. , HAN Z. , LIU Q. , WANG S. S. , SUN Z. Y. , SHI K. , YI H. P.
Published: April 2005

A solution process was used to grow SrTiO 3 ( STO ) buffer layers on LaAlO 3 ( LAO ) and biaxially textured Ni substrates by spin coating technique. The epitaxial STO film obtained has strong cube texture and uniform microstructure. A metal organic decomposition process using trifluoroacetate precursors was applied to deposit YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ ( YBCO ) thin films on these buffer layers. The YBCO / STO / LAO was biaxially textured and the T Conset and Δ T C is 90.1K and 2.7K, respectively.
THE GROWTH TRACE OF SINGLE-DOMAIN YBCO BULK SUPERCONDUCTORS WITH C-AXIS NORMAL TO THE TOP SURFACE
Authors: YANG W. M. , CHAO X. X. , BIN B. X. , ZHOU L. , YONG F. , ZHANG P. X. , XU Q. M.
Published: April 2005

The grown cross traces on the top surface of single-domain YBCO bulk sample with c-axis normal to the top surface has been clearly revealed. It is found that there are many fish-scale like YBCO layers, which are well connected each other. The c-axis is normal to the top surface of the sample, which indicates that YBCO crystal starts to grow from the center to the edge along a(or b) axis in all the four regions divided by across traces, and forms a 90° angle when the four regions meet each other, The clear traces observed is just because of the slightly difference in height between adjacent regions. A simple model has been afforded to explain the growth mechanism of single-domain YBCO bulks with c-axis normal to the top surface.
A DISCUSSION ON SPIN-POLARIZED QUASIPARTICLES INJECTION
Authors: CAO C. H. , YANG M. , YANG S. Z.
Published: April 2005

The spin-polarized quasiparticles injection in YBCO film has been studied by means of current injection into NdSrMnO / SrTiO / YBaCuO heterostructures. Six injection junction windows are all 56μm wide, but 80μm, 40μm, 20μm, 10μm, 5μm, and 2μm long, respectively. Under I inj=0.5 Ma , injection efficiency η increases gradually with the decrease of injection junction length L, but η hardly varies when L is less than 20ηm. ηmax is more than 6. These experiment results are related with the spin diffusion length of spin-polarized quasiparticles in a-b plane of YBCO film. "Current-adding principle" would be used carefully to explain the experiment phenomena.
YBa2Cu3O7-δ/La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 BILAYERS: STRUCTURAL AND TRANSPORT PROPERTIES
Authors: DE SANTIS A. , BOBBA F. , SALVATO M. , CUCOLO A. M. , VECCHIONE A.
Published: April 2005

We report on the preparation and the structural characterization of both YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ/ La 0.7 Ca 0.3 MnO 3 and La 0.7 Ca 0.3 MnO 3/ YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ bilayers grown onto (100) SrTiO3 substrates. The samples have been realized by sequential dc sputtering processes in high oxygen pressure starting from stoichiometric targets. The X-ray diffractograms and ϕ-scan reveal a high degree of epitaxiality of the heterostructures. In the case of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ topmost layer, we have found a superconducting transition temperature T c of about 84 K while this is highly depressed when La 0.7 Ca 0.3 MnO 3 is deposited as outer layer. These last structures recover a higher T c when a long annealing is carried out at T =560° C .
COMPARISON OF THE MAGNETIZATION BEHAVIORS IN PEROVSKITE COMPOUNDS La0.7-xLnxPb0.3MnO3 (Ln=Pr AND Sm)
Authors: YOUNG S. L. , CHEN H. Z. , HORNG LANCE , HO Y. W. , KAO H.-C. I.
Published: April 2005

The magnetization behaviors of two manganite oxide systems, La 0.7-x Ln x Pb 0.3 MnO 3 ( Ln = Pr and Sm ), have been synthesized. The replacement of La ions by Pr or Sm results in a considerable decrease in the ferromagnetic ordering temperature T C and clearly irreversible behavior in the zero-field-cooling-field-cooling curve at a low applied field, showing a short-range spin order phase. These facts are in agreement with the smaller ionic radii of Pr (0.130 nm) and Sm (0.124 nm) ions in contrast to La ion (0.136 nm), and the corresponding larger distortion of perovskite structures. The saturation magnetization M S decreases as Sm content increases relative to the increase of M S as Pr content increases. This can be interpreted in terms of the competition between suppression of ferromagnetism due to structure tuning induced by the small ionic radius of the interpolated cations into the La -site and the increase of ferromagnetically interacting spins due to the introduction of magnetic Pr or Sm ions with f-shell electrons.
RESEARCH OF THE NANOMETER HELICOIDAL LAYUP OF RUFESCENS SHELL
Authors: CHEN BIN , PENG XIANG-HE , FAN JING-HONG , WANG WAN-LU
Published: April 2005

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation on a Rufescens shell shows that the shell is a bio-ceramic composite consisting of aragonite sheets with nanometer scale and organic matrix. These nano-aragonite sheets are arranged in the shell in the form of helicoidal layup. The reason of the excellent fracture toughness of the shell is analyzed based on the maximal pullout force of the helicoidal layup of the aragonite sheets in the shell.
ELECTRICAL AND MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF NANOCYSTALLINE DIAMOND FILMS
Authors: LIAO K. J. , WANG W. L. , SUN X. L. , LU J. W. , KONG C. Y.
Published: April 2005

The magneto resistive effect in nanocystalline diamond films was investigated at room temperature. The nanocystalline diamond films on silicon were deposited by hot filament chemical vapor deposition. The experimental results showed that a striking magneto resistive effect in p-type doped nanocystalline diamond films was observed. The relative changes in the resistivity of the films were about 0.3 at room temperature under the magnetic field of 5T, and increased with decreasing the geometrical size of the devices. It was found that the magneto resistive effect in the nanocystalline diamond films was less than that of epitaxial diamond films. This was ascribed to a large number of grain boundaries. The results are discussed in detail.
KNOWLEDGE EXCESS DUALITY AND VIOLATION OF BELL INEQUALITIES: THEORY AND EXPERIMENT
Authors: GAVENDA M. , ČERNOCH A. , SOUBUSTA J. , DUŠEK M. , FILIP R.
Published: April 2005

We analyze correlations between two parties sharing a general mixed two-qubit state ρSM in order to predict measurement outcomes. It is an interesting question as to what can be predicted about the results of two complementary projective measurements on one qubit from the measurement results on the other qubit. To quantify these predictions the complementary knowledge excessesΔK(ΠM→ΠS) and ΔK(Π′M→Π′S) are used, where ΠS, Π′S resp. ΠM, Π′M represent projective measurements on the qubit S resp. M. We derive an inequality ΔK2(ΠM→ΠS) + ΔK2(Π′M→Π′S)≤(B max /2)2, where B max is the maximum violation of Bell inequalities. This inequality restricts our capability to enhance the complementary predictions for any state ρSM and for arbitrary ΠS, Π′S and ΠM, Π′M. This result is experimentally verified on two-photon Werner states prepared by means of spontaneous parametric down-conversion.
AN EFFICIENT METHOD OF DETERMINING SUPERCONDUCTING TRANSITION TEMPERATURE Tc
Authors: LIN DEHUA , ZHONG CHAORONG , LI ZHIFENG , HU BINGQUAN , WU XINGANG , LI SONGLIN , YANG DEZHI
Published: April 2005

In this paper, by using simple technique we introduce an efficient method of determining superconducting transition temperatures in experiment, we have also figured out the main influencing factors on the accuracy of Tc measurement. We present a useful relationship and the calculating formulae. This method is suited to determine superconducting transition temperatures in superconductors at temperatures of liquid He as well.
CHARACTERIZATIONS OF DISSIPATION FACTORS IN PIEZOELECTRIC CERAMIC DISCS UNDER STRESS AND TEMPERATURE
Authors: CHEN YU , WEN YUMEI , LI PING
Published: April 2005

Losses in piezoelectrics are considered in general consisting of three different parts: Dielectric, elastic and piezoelectric losses. A method to analyze losses in piezoelectrics uses three dissipation factors to represent the corresponding losses by introducing complex coefficients into Mason's equivalent electric circuit. We establish a model of a piezoelectric ceramic disc utilizing the method mentioned above, and then the relationships between the complex coefficients and the equivalent circuit parameters are obtained. Derived from the piezoelectric equations with complex coefficients, the dissipation factors are related to the equivalent circuit parameters. The experiments give the effects of the temperature and the stress applied on the piezoelectric ceramic disc separately. It is shown that three dissipation factors exhibit different responses to the stress and temperature. Based on the theory of lattice phase and the theory that losses are considered to consist of four portions: Domain wall motion; fundamental lattice portion; microstructure portion and conductivity portion, the phenomenology of losses variations with the temperature and stress is explained.
APPLICATION OF ANN-INVERSION SOFT-SENSING METHOD IN BIOCHEMICAL FERMENTATION
Authors: DAI XIANZHONG , YU DONGCHUAN , DING YUHAN , WANG WANCHENG
Published: April 2005

Based on Artificial Neural Network inversion (ANN-inversion), a novel soft-sensing method is presented to estimate some direct-unmeasurable biochemical variables, such as mycelia concentration, sugar concentration and chemical potency from other direct-measurable variables such as dissolved oxygen concentration, pH, and volume in erythromycin fermentation. The proposed ANN-inversion soft-sensor is composed of a static ANN and several differentiators. Experimental results show that the soft-sensing values are almost identical with the actual ones, or the designed ANN-inversion soft-sensor possesses good approximate ability to the direct-unmeasurable variables.
Effects of elastin haploinsufficiency on the mechanical behavior of mouse arteries
Authors: Wagenseil Jessica E. , Nerurkar Nandan L. , Knutsen Russell H. , Okamoto Ruth J. , Li Dean Y. , Mecham Robert P.
Published: April 2005

Supravalvular aortic stenosis (SVAS) is associated with decreased elastin and altered arterial mechanics. Mice with a single deletion in the elastin gene (ELN+/−) are models for SVAS. Previous studies have shown that elastin haploinsufficiency in these mice causes hypertension, decreased arterial compliance, and changes in arterial wall structure. Despite these differences, ELN+/− mice have a normal life span, suggesting that the arteries remodel and adapt to the decreased amount of elastin. To test this hypothesis, we performed in vitro mechanical tests on abdominal aorta, ascending aorta, and left common carotid artery from ELN+/− and wild-type (C57BL/6J) mice. We compared the circumferential and longitudinal stress-stretch relationships and residual strains. The circumferential stress-stretch relationship is similar between genotypes and changes <3% with longitudinal stretch at lengths within 10% of the in vivo value. At mean arterial pressure, the circumferential stress in the ascending aorta is higher in ELN+/− than in wild type. Although arterial pressures are higher, the increased number of elastic lamellae in ELN+/− arteries results in similar tension/lamellae compared with wild type. The longitudinal stress-stretch relationship is similar between genotypes for most arteries. Compared with wild type, the in vivo longitudinal stretch is lower in ELN+/− abdominal and carotid arteries and the circumferential residual strain is higher in ELN+/− ascending aorta. The increased circumferential residual strain brings the transmural strain distribution in ELN+/− ascending aorta close to wild-type values. The mechanical behavior of ELN+/− arteries is likely due to the reduced elastin content combined with adaptive remodeling during vascular development.
Chronic xanthine oxidase inhibition prevents myofibrillar protein oxidation and preserves cardiac function in a transgenic mouse model of cardiomyopathy
Authors: Duncan Jennifer G. , Ravi Rajashree , Stull Linda B. , Murphy Anne M.
Published: April 2005

Heart failure is a clinical syndrome associated with elevated levels of oxygen-derived free radicals. Xanthine oxidase activity is believed to be one source of reactive oxygen species in the failing heart. Interventions designed to reduce oxidative stress are believed to have significant therapeutic potential in heart failure. This study tested the hypothesis that xanthine oxidase activity would be elevated in a mouse model of dilated cardiomyopathy and evaluated the effect of chronic oral allopurinol, an inhibitor of xanthine oxidase, on contractility and progressive ventricular dilation in these mice. Nontransgenic and transgenic mice containing a troponin I truncation were treated with oral allopurinol from 2–4 mo of age. Myocardial xanthine oxidase activity was threefold higher in untreated transgenic mice compared with nontransgenic mice. Analyses of myofilament proteins for modification of carbonyl groups demonstrated myofibrillar protein damage in untreated transgenic mice. Treatment with allopurinol for 2 mo suppressed xanthine oxidase activity and myofibrillar protein oxidation. Allopurinol treatment also alleviated ventricular dilation and preserved shortening fraction in the transgenic animals. In addition, cardiac muscle twitch tension was preserved to 70% of nontransgenic levels in allopurinol-treated transgenic mice, a significant improvement over untreated transgenic mice. These findings indicate that chronic inhibition of xanthine oxidase can alter the progression of heart failure in dilated cardiomyopathy.
Vasoactive prostanoids are generated from arachidonic acid by COX-1 and COX-2 in the mouse
Authors: Baber Syed R. , Deng Weiwen , Rodriguez Jorge , Master Ryan G. , Bivalacqua Trinity J. , Hyman Albert L. , Kadowitz Philip J.
Published: April 2005

Generation of vasoactive prostanoids from arachidonic acid by cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2 was investigated in anesthetized mice. Intravenous injections of the prostanoid precursor arachidonic acid increased pulmonary arterial pressure and decreased systemic arterial pressure. Pulmonary pressor and systemic depressor responses were attenuated by SC-560 and nimesulide, inhibitors of COX-1 and COX-2, in doses that did not alter responses to injected prostanoids. Pulmonary pressor responses to arachidonic acid were blocked and a depressor response was unmasked, whereas systemic depressor responses were not altered, by a thromboxane receptor antagonist. Pulmonary and systemic pressor responses to angiotensin II injections and systemic pressor responses to angiotensin II infusion were not modified by COX-1 or COX-2 inhibitors but were attenuated by losartan. Systemic depressor responses to arachidonic acid were smaller in COX-1 and COX-2 knockout mice, whereas responses to angiotensin II, norepinephrine, U-46619, endothelin-1, and PGE1were not different in COX-1 and COX-2 knockout and wild-type control mice. These results suggest that vasoactive prostanoids with pulmonary pressor and systemic vasodepressor activity are formed by COX-1 and COX-2 and are consistent with Western blot analysis and immunostaining showing the presence of COX-1 and COX-2. These data suggest that thromboxane A2(TxA2) is formed from the precursor by COX-1 and COX-2 in the lung and are in agreement with immunofluorescence studies showing thromboxane synthase. The present data suggest that COX-1- or COX-2-derived prostanoids do not modulate responses to angiotensin II or other vasoactive agents and that prostanoid responses are similar in CD-1 and C57BL/6 and in male and female mice.
Myogenic contraction in rat skeletal muscle arterioles: smooth muscle membrane potential and Ca2+signaling
Authors: Kotecha Neela , Hill Michael A.
Published: April 2005

The present studies examined relationships between intraluminal pressure, membrane potential ( Em), and myogenic tone in skeletal muscle arterioles. Using pharmacological interventions targeting Ca2+entry/release mechanisms, these studies also determined the role of Ca2+pathways and Emin determining steady-state myogenic constriction. Studies were conducted in isolated and cannulated arterioles under zero flow. Increasing intraluminal pressure (0–150 mmHg) resulted in progressive membrane depolarization (−55.3 ± 4.1 to −29.4 ± 0.7 mV) that exhibited a sigmoidal relationship between extent of myogenic constriction and Em. Thus, despite further depolarization, at pressures >70 mmHg, little additional vasoconstriction occurred. This was not due to an inability of voltage-operated Ca2+channels to be activated as KCl (75 mM) evoked depolarization and vasoconstriction at 120 mmHg. Nifedipine (1 μM) and cyclopiazonic acid (30 μM) significantly attenuated established myogenic tone, whereas inhibition of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-mediated Ca2+release/entry by 2-aminoethoxydiphenylborate (50 μM) had little effect. Combinations of the Ca2+entry blockers with the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) inhibitor caused a total loss of tone, suggesting that while depolarization-mediated Ca2+entry makes a significant contribution to myogenic tone, an interaction between Ca2+entry and SR Ca2+release is necessary for maintenance of myogenic constriction. In contrast, none of the agents, in combination or alone, altered Em, demonstrating the downstream role of Ca2+mobilization relative to changes in Em. Large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+channels modulated Emto exert a small effect on myogenic tone, and consistent with this, skeletal muscle arterioles appeared to show an inherently steep relationship between Emand extent of myogenic tone. Collectively, skeletal muscle arterioles exhibit complex relationships between Em, Ca2+availability, and myogenic constriction that impact on the tissue's physiological function.
Arachidonic acid metabolites, hydrogen peroxide, and EDHF in cerebral arteries
Authors: You Junping , Golding Elke M. , Bryan Robert M.
Published: April 2005

We tested the hypotheses that EDHF in rat middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) involves 1) metabolism of arachidonic acid through the epoxygenase pathway, 2) metabolism of arachidonic acid through the lipoxygenase pathway, or 3) reactive oxygen species. EDHF-mediated dilations were elicited in isolated and pressurized rat MCAs by activation of endothelial P2Y2receptors with either UTP or ATP. All studies were conducted after the inhibition of nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase with Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (10 μM) and indomethacin (10 μM), respectively. The inhibition of epoxygenase with miconazole (30 μM) did not alter EDHF dilations to UTP, whereas the structurally different epoxygenase inhibitor N-methylsulfonyl-6-(2-propargyloxyphenyl)hexanoic acid (20 or 40 μM) only modestly inhibited EDHF at the highest concentration of UTP. An antagonist of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids, 14,15-epoxyeicosa-5( Z)-enoic acid, had no effect on EDHF dilations to UTP. Chronic inhibition of epoxygenase in the rat with 1-aminobenzotriazol (50 mg/kg twice daily for 5 days) did not alter EDHF dilations. The inhibition of the lipoxygenase pathway with either 10 μM baicalein or 10 μM nordihydroguaiaretic acid produced no major inhibitory effects on EDHF dilations. The combination of superoxide dismutase (200 U/ml) and catalase (140 U/ml) had no effect on EDHF dilations. Neither tiron (10 mM), a cell-permeable scavenger of reactive oxygen species, nor deferoxamine (1 or 10 mM), an iron chelator that blocks the formation of hydroxyl radicals, altered EDHF dilations in rat MCAs. We conclude that EDHF dilations in the rat MCA do not involve the epoxygenase pathway, lipoxygenase pathway, or reactive oxygen species including H2O2.
Multiple ryanodine receptor subtypes and heterogeneous ryanodine receptor-gated Ca2+stores in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells
Authors: Yang Xiao-Ru , Lin Mo-Jun , Yip Kay-Pong , Jeyakumar Loice H. , Fleischer Sidney , Leung George P. H. , Sham James S. K.
Published: April 2005

Ryanodine receptors (RyRs) of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) play important roles in major physiological processes such as hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and perinatal pulmonary vasodilatation. Recent studies show that three subtypes of RyRs are coexpressed and RyR-gated Ca2+stores are distributed heterogeneously in systemic vascular myocytes. However, the molecular identity and subcellular distribution of RyRs have not been examined in PASMCs. In this study we detected mRNA and proteins of all three subtypes in rat intralobar PASMCs using RT-PCR and Western blot. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR showed that RyR2 mRNA was most abundant, ∼15–20 times more than the other two subtypes. Confocal fluorescence microscopy revealed that RyRs labeled with BODIPY TR-X ryanodine were localized in the peripheral and perinuclear regions and were colocalized with sarcoplasmic reticulum labeled with Fluo-5N. Immunostaining showed that the subsarcolemmal regions exhibited clear signals of RyR1 and RyR2, whereas the perinuclear compartments contained mainly RyR1 and RyR3. Ca2+sparks were recorded in both regions, and their activities were enhanced by a subthreshold concentration of caffeine or by endothelin-1, indicating functional RyR-gated Ca2+stores. Moreover, 18% of the perinuclear sparks were prolonged [full duration/half-maximum (FDHM) = 193.3 ± 22.6 ms] with noninactivating kinetics, in sharp contrast to the typical fast inactivating Ca2+sparks (FDHM = 44.6 ± 3.2 ms) recorded in the same PASMCs. In conclusion, multiple RyR subtypes are expressed differentially in peripheral and perinuclear RyR-gated Ca2+stores; the molecular complexity and spatial heterogeneity of RyRs may facilitate specific Ca2+regulation of cellular functions in PASMCs.
Event-Related Potential Correlates of Long-Term Memory for Briefly Presented Faces
Authors: Joyce Carrie A. , Kutas Marta
Published: April 2005

Electrophysiological studies have investigated the nature of face recognition in a variety of paradigms; some have contrasted famous and novel faces in explicit memory paradigms, others have repeated faces to examine implicit memory/ priming. If the general finding that implicit memory can last for up to several months also holds for novel faces, a reliable measure of it could have practical application for eyewitness testimony, given that explicit measures of eyewitness memory have at times proven fallible. The current study aimed to determine whether indirect behavioral and electrophysiological measures might yield reliable estimates of face memory over longer intervals than have typically been obtained with priming manipulations. Participants were shown 192 faces and then tested for recognition at four test delays ranging from immediately up to 1 week later. Three event-related brain potential components (e.g., N250r, N400f, and LPC) varied with memory measures although only the N250r varied regardless of explicit recognition, that is, with both repetition and recognition.
Cross-Country Empirical Studies of Systemic Bank Distress: A Survey
Authors: Demirgüç-Kunt Asli , Detragiache Enrica
Published: April 2005

A rapidly growing empirical literature is studying the causes and consequences of bank fragility in contemporary economies. The paper reviews the two basic methodologies adopted in cross-country empirical studies, the signals approach and the multivariate probability model, and their application to study the determinants of banking crises. The use of these models to provide early warnings for crises is also reviewed, as are studies of the economic effects of banking crises and of the policies to forestall them. The paper concludes by identifying directions for future research.
Assessing Financial Stability: Exploring the Boundaries of Analysis
Authors: Fell John , Schinasi Garry
Published: April 2005

Within the context of a practical framework for safeguarding financial stability — entailing both prevention and resolution — this paper discusses the practical boundaries and challenges of assessing financial stability. The paper characterises the financial stability challenge, discusses concepts and definitions essential for safeguarding stability, and puts forward a practical process (but not a blueprint) for assessments. The paper proposes guidelines for disciplining an assessment process, examines measurement and modelling ambiguities, and identifies areas where significant further progress is necessary.