bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structure elucidation and complete NMR spectral assignments of two new dammarane‐type tetraglycosides from Panax quinquefolium
Authors: Jiang Hai‐Ping , Qiu Ying‐Kun , Cheng Da‐Ren , Kang Ting‐Guo , Dou De‐Qiang
Published: May 2008

Two new saponins were isolated from leaves of Panax quinquefolium and their structures were elucidated as 3β, 12β, 20S‐trihydroxy‐25‐methoxydammar‐23‐ene 3‐O‐{[β‐D‐glucopyranosyl(1→2)‐β‐D‐glucopyranosyl]‐20‐O‐[α‐L‐arabinopyranosyl(1→6)]‐β‐D‐glucopyranoside (1) and 3β, 20S‐dihydroxy‐12β, 23R‐epoxydammar‐24‐ene 3‐O‐{[β‐D‐glucopyranosyl(1→2)‐β‐D‐glucopyranosyl]‐20‐O‐[β‐D‐xylopyanosyl(1→6)]‐β‐D‐glucopyranoside (2) on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR (including 1H, 13C‐NMR, 1H1H COSY, HSQC, TOCSY, HMBC, and NOESY), ESI‐MS spectrometry and chemical methods. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Home healthcare practice environment: Predictors of RN satisfaction
Authors: Tullai‐McGuinness Susan
Published: May 2008

Since 2000, Medicare‐certified home healthcare agencies have undergone significant regulatory changes that directly affect registered nurses. The satisfaction of 201 nurses from 19 home healthcare agencies was examined. Home healthcare nurses reported slightly lower satisfaction than hospital nurses and were approximately 50% less satisfied than they were in 2000. Satisfaction had a negative relationship with years worked as a home healthcare nurse (r = −.25, p < .01). Controlling for years of home healthcare experience, control over practice decisions and practice setting decisions were significant predictors of satisfaction. With the demand for home healthcare nurses expected to increase 109% by 2020, development of a National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators for home healthcare that includes satisfaction as a nurse‐sensitive outcome might be helpful. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 31:252–260, 2008
Gravitons, induced geometry and expectation value formalism at finite temperature
Authors: Manoukian E.B. , Sukkhasena S.
Published: May 2008

After establishing the positivity constraint and spin content of the theory for gravitons interacting with a necessarily, and a priori, non‐conserved external energy‐momentum tensor, the expectation value formalism of the theory is developed at finite temperature in the functional differential treatment of quantum field theory. The necessity of having, a priori, a non‐conserved external energy‐momentum tensor is an obvious technical requirement so that its respective ten components may be varied independently in order to generate expectation values and non‐linearities in the theory. The covariance of the induced Riemann curvature tensor, in the initial vacuum, is established even for the quantization in a gauge corresponding only to two physical states of the gravitons as established above. As an application, the induced correction to the metric and the underlying geometry is investigated due to a closed string arising from the Nambu action as a solution of a circularly oscillating string as, perhaps, the simplest generalization of a limiting point‐like object. Finally it is discussed on why the geometry of spacetime may, in general, depend on temperature due to radiative corrections and its physical significance is emphasized.
Expression and sub‐cellular localization of the CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α in relation to postnatal development and malignancy of the prostate
Authors: Zhang Juan , Wilkinson John Erby , Gonit Mesfin , Keck Rick , Selman Steven , Ratnam Manohar
Published: May 2008

Background

C/EBPα is a critical mediator of terminal differentiation and a tumor suppressor through its strong antiproliferative actions on cell cycle regulatory proteins. C/EBPα also appears to regulate androgen receptor (AR) AR signaling. There, is a paucity of information on the expression and sub‐cellular localization of C/EBPα in normal mouse and human prostate and in prostate cancer.

Methods

Immunohistochemistry of tissues including tissue arrays, quantitative polymerase chain reaction and mRNA expression database mining.

Results

In the mouse prostate epithelium, C/EBPα was present at 1 week postnatal localized in the cytosol, began to show nuclear localization at 8 weeks and continued to show prominent nuclear expression at 10 weeks and beyond; C/EBPα mRNA was expressed at all ages. In humans, C/EBPα showed prominent nuclear localization from peripubescence up to middle age but was sequestered in the cytosol in older individuals; the mRNA level for C/EBPα remained essentially unchanged. Most prostate adenocarcinomas expressed a range of levels of C/EBPα mRNA and protein that were relatively high in metastatic tumors in a manner that correlated with AR expression; however, most cells showed C/EBPα sequestered in the cytosol.

Conclusions

Temporal changes in sub‐cellular localization of C/EBPα are consistent with a role in prostate differentiation and as a prostate tumor suppressor; the cytoplasmic sequestration of C/EBPα, unique to older human prostates, is arguably a permissive condition for the greater frequency of proliferative disorders of the prostate. In malignant prostate C/EBPα may be available to regulate AR signaling through transient changes in its sub‐cellular localization. Prostate 68: 1206–1214, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Study of photodynamic and sonodynamic effect on A549 cell line by AFM and measurement of ROS production
Authors: Tomankova K. , Kolarova H. , Bajgar R.
Published: May 2008

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has been used to image the morphology of developing tumour cells and their processes. It is frequently reported that prior fixation is required for reliable imaging of cells with lower adhesive properties. In our work we used a dry scanner in non‐contact mode to image cell line A549 (human lung cancer cells). Scanning of this object is limited by construction of AFM, therefore we replenished the apparatus with an inverse optical microscope. We imaged the cancer cells before and after photodynamic effect (PDE) and sonodynamic effect (SDE) of photosensitizer ClAlPcS2. PDE was induced by an efficient light emitting diode (LED) source with total light dose of 15 J cm–2. The treatment of the cells with the photosensitizer leads to the loss of surface rigidity and eventually to dramatic changes of the cell shape. Moreover, PDE increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) at higher concentration of the sensitizer, and ultrasound exposition enhances that ROS production. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Plasmon dispersion in quantum wires at finite temperature
Authors: Vazifehshenas T.
Published: May 2008

We have investigated the effect of temperature on plasmon dispersion in a GaAs‐based quasi one‐dimensional electron gas (Q1DEG) by finding the roots of the temperature‐dependent dielectric function of the system in which the local field correction has been included through a generalized definition of the Hubbard approximation at low temperatures. We have compared temperature‐dependent plasmon frequencies with zero‐temperature Hubbard results and obtained an increase in plasmon energy with increasing temperature. For comparison, we have also considered the plasmon dispersion previously obtained from random phase approximation (RPA) calculations at both zero and finite temperatures. Our results show that the RPA plasma oscillations have higher energy than Hubbard approximation plasmons, not only at zero temperature but also at finite temperature. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Time‐dependent density functional calculation of the energy loss of antiprotons colliding with metallic nanoshells
Authors: Quijada M. , Borisov A. G. , Muiño R. Díez
Published: May 2008

Time‐dependent density functional theory is used to study the interaction between antiprotons and metallic nanoshells. The ground state electronic properties of the nanoshell are obtained in the jellium approximation. The energy lost by the antiproton during the collision is calculated and compared to that suffered by antiprotons traveling in metal clusters. The resulting energy loss per unit path length of material in thin nanoshells is larger than the corresponding quantity for clusters. It is shown that the collision process can be interpreted as the antiproton crossing of two nearly bi‐dimensional independent metallic systems. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The influence of radiation on ice crystal spectrum in the upper troposphere
Authors: Zeng Xiping
Published: May 2008

This theoretical study is carried out to investigate the effect of radiation on ice crystal spectrum in the upper troposphere. First, an explicit expression is obtained for the ice crystal growth rate that takes account of radiative and kinetic effects. Second, the expression is used to quantitatively analyse how radiation broadens the ice crystal spectrum and then to reveal a new precipitation mechanism in the upper troposphere and the stratosphere. Third, the radiative effect is used to explain the subvisual clouds near the tropopause. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society
Some dynamical aspects of tropical cyclone concentric eyewalls
Authors: Rozoff Christopher M. , Schubert Wayne H. , Kossin James P.
Published: May 2008

The intensification of tropical cyclones is often interrupted by an eyewall replacement cycle, a process in which an outer eyewall forms, contracts, and replaces an inner eyewall. The radial distributions of inertial stability and diabatic heating change during such events, impacting the transverse circulation. To examine the effects of such changes, an analytical solution of the transverse circulation equation associated with a balanced vortex model is derived using a parameterization that distinguishes five radial regions subdividing the domain by each region's values of inertial stability and diabatic heating. These regions define the eye, inner eyewall, moat, outer eyewall, and far‐field. In mature concentric eyewall situations, the solutions do not support the hypothesis that the inner eyewall collapses as a direct result of subsidence from the outer eyewall. However, the results suggest subsidence and warming temperatures in the moat are governed by enhanced inertial stability associated with a strengthening outer eyewall. The model solutions also illustrate how the diabatic heating in the inner eyewall, imbedded in a region of high inertial stability, induces larger temperature tendencies than the diabatic heating in the outer eyewall, which borders the far‐field region of low inertial stability. Thus, as the inner eyewall dies, the storm temporarily loses its ability to produce an intense, localized warm region. This ability is restored during the contraction and intensification of the outer eyewall. These results provide a partial dynamical explanation of how an eyewall replacement cycle can act as a temporary brake on tropical cyclone intensification. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society
Analysis of convectively‐generated gravity waves in mesoscale model simulations and wind‐profiler observations
Authors: Chagnon Jeffrey M. , Gray Suzanne L.
Published: May 2008

The characteristics of convectively‐generated gravity waves during an episode of deep convection near the coast of Wales are examined, in high‐resolution mesoscale simulations with the Met Office Unified Model and in observations from a mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere wind‐profiling Doppler radar. In this episode, deep convection reached the tropopause and generated vertically‐propagating high‐frequency waves in the lower stratosphere that produced vertical‐velocity perturbations of order of 1 ms−1. Wavelet analysis is applied in order to determine the characteristic periods and wavelengths of the waves. Both in the simulations and in the observations, the wavelet spectra contain several distinct preferred scales, indicated by multiple spectral peaks. The peaks are most pronounced in the horizontal spectra at several wavelengths less than 50 km. Although these peaks are most clear, and of largest amplitude, in the highest‐resolution simulations (with 1 km horizontal grid length), they are also evident in coarser simulations (with 4 km horizontal grid length). Peaks also exist in the vertical and temporal spectra (at approximately 2.5–4.5 km and 10–30 min respectively), with good agreement between simulation and observation. Two‐dimensional (wave‐number–frequency) spectra demonstrate that each of the selected horizontal scales contains peaks at each of the preferred temporal scales revealed by the one‐dimensional spectra alone. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society
A critique of Emanuel's hurricane model and potential intensity theory
Authors: Smith Roger K. , Montgomery Michael T. , Vogl Stefanie
Published: May 2008

We present a critique of Emanuel's steady‐state hurricane model, which is a precursor to his theory for hurricane potential intensity (PI). We show that a major deficiency of the theory is the tacit assumption of gradient wind balance in the boundary layer, a layer that owes its existence to gradient wind imbalance in the radial momentum equation. If a more complete boundary‐layer formulation is included using the gradient wind profiles obtained from Emanuel's theory, the tangential wind speed in the boundary layer becomes supergradient, invalidating the assumption of gradient wind balance. We show that the degree to which the tangential wind is supergradient depends on the assumed boundary‐layer depth. The full boundary‐layer solutions require a knowledge of the tangential wind profile above the boundary layer in the outer region where there is subsidence into the layer and they depend on the breadth of this profile. This effect is not considered in Emanuel's theory. We argue that a more complete theory for the steady‐state hurricane would require the radial pressure gradient above the boundary layer to be prescribed or determined independently of the boundary layer.

The issues raised herein highlight a fundamental problem with Emanuel's theory for PI, since that theory makes the same assumptions as in the steady‐state hurricane model. Our current findings together with recent studies examining intense hurricanes suggest a way forward towards a more consistent theory for hurricane PI. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society
Fair inter‐TAP routing and backhaul assignment for wireless mesh networks
Authors: Lin Frank Y. S. , Wen Y. F.
Published: May 2008

Although limiting the number of backhauls, specifically chosen transit access points (TAPs) that forward traffic from other TAPs, reduces the overall costs of a wireless mesh network (WMN), an egress bottleneck is induced, which aggregates traffic and limits the bandwidth. To avoid such problems while working to minimize budgetary expenses, we balanced traffic flow on ‘to‐be‐determined’ backhauls and adjacent links, a mixed nonlinear‐and integer‐programming problem that minimizes the aggregated flow subject to budget, backhaul assignment, top‐level load‐balanced routing, and link capacity constraints. Two algorithms are proposed, weighted backhaul assignment (WBA) and greedy load‐balanced routing (GLBR), that operate in conjunction with Lagrangean relaxation (LR), used for constructing LR‐based heuristics and also as a means of quantification and evaluation of the proposed algorithms. Experiment results show that the proposed algorithms achieve near‐optimization, outperforming related solutions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reference‐free x‐ray fluorescence analysis of an ancient Chinese ceramic
Authors: Beckhoff B. , Kolbe M. , Hahn O. , Karydas A. G. , Zarkadas Ch. , Sokaras D. , Mantler M.
Published: May 2008

The investigation of an ancient Chinese ceramic served to further develop and validate fundamental parameter‐based quantitation procedures in reference‐free x‐ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. The XRF measurements of this sample were performed at the four‐crystal monochromator beamline of the Physikalisch‐Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) at the BESSY II synchrotron radiation facility employing different excitation energies. The parallel processing of the XRF spectra recorded at different excitation energies provides a means to simultaneously evaluate relevant fundamental parameters and secondary enhancement processes such as those induced by photoelectrons. Employing well‐characterized and absolutely calibrated instrumentation, all experimental parameters involved in XRF are known for small relative uncertainties allowing for a completely reference‐free quantitation. Apart from traces of rare earth elements, the analytical results of the Chinese ceramic achieved by reference‐free XRF are in line with target values given within a proficiency test of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) involving atomic and nuclear methods. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tongue twisters: feeding enrichment to reduce oral stereotypy in giraffe
Authors: Fernandez Loraine Tarou , Bashaw Meredith J. , Sartor Richard L. , Bouwens Nichole R. , Maki Todd S.
Published: May 2008

Stereotypic behavior has been well‐studied and documented in a variety of animals including primates, carnivores, and domesticated ungulates. However, very little information is known about stereotypic behavior of captive exotic ungulates. Giraffe have been found to perform a wide range of stereotypic behaviors. According to a survey of zoological institutions, oral stereotypies, specifically the licking of nonfood objects are the most prevalent stereotypic behaviors observed in giraffe. Their performance appears to be related to feeding and rumination and may be a result of the inability of a highly motivated feeding behavior pattern, tongue manipulation, to be successfully completed. To test this hypothesis, the indoor and outdoor feeders for three giraffe housed at Zoo Atlanta were modified to require the giraffe to perform more naturalistic and complex foraging behaviors. Data were collected using instantaneous scan sampling in both exhibit and holding areas. Our results showed that, for the giraffe that engaged in the highest rates of oral stereotypic behavior in the baseline, more complex feeders that required tongue use to access grain or alfalfa had the greatest effect on behavior. For the giraffe that performed low baseline rates of oral stereotypic behavior, adding slatted tops to the alfalfa feeders indoors virtually eliminated the behavior. Although some changes in ruminating and feeding behavior were observed, the decreases in stereotypic behavior were not associated with the changes in ruminating or feeding behavior. These results provide evidence for the hypothesis that oral stereotypy in herbivores can be reduced by encouraging giraffe to engage in more naturalistic foraging behavior. Zoo Biol 27:200–212, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Physical and chemical properties of alumina bleached cottonseed oil
Authors: Kuck J. C. , Pons W. A. , Frampton V. L.
Published: May 2008

No detectable amount of polymerization or triene conjugation occurred on bleaching refined cottonseed oil with either activated alumina or with sulfurous acid‐treated alumina, although insignificant amounts of diene conjugation andtrans‐ isomerization occurred. AOM stability, tocopherol content, and fatty acid composition, as determined by gas‐liquid chromatography (GLC), were comparable with values obtained with oil bleached with natural earth. Hydrogenation of the oils proceeded normally. Taste panel evaluations of the deodorized oils revealed their flavor stability to be equal to that of the same oil bleached with AOCS official earth.
The analytical separation of surface active agents
Authors: Blank E. W. , Kelley R. M.
Published: May 2008

Methods for the separation of typical mixtures of surfactants are described. These procedures facilitate the separation and subsequent determination of individual surface active agents present in many commercial products.
Long Chain Fatty Acid Uptake In Vivo: Comparison of [125I]‐BMIPP and [3H]‐Bromopalmitate
Authors: Shearer Jane , Coenen Kimberly R. , Pencek R. Richard , Swift Larry L. , Wasserman David H. , Rottman Jeffrey N.
Published: May 2008

Insulin resistance is characterized by increased metabolic uptake of fatty acids. Accordingly, techniques to examine in vivo shifts in fatty acid metabolism are of value in both clinical and experimental settings. Partially metabolizable long chain fatty acid (LCFA) tracers have been recently developed and employed for this purpose: [9,10‐3H]‐(R)‐2‐bromopalmitate ([3H]‐BROMO) and [125I]‐15‐(ρ‐iodophenyl)‐3‐R,S‐methylpentadecanoic acid ([125I]‐BMIPP). These analogues are taken up like native fatty acids, but once inside the cell do not directly enter β‐oxidation. Rather, they become trapped in the slower processes of ω and α‐oxidation. Study aims were to (1) simultaneously assess and compare [3H]‐BROMO and [125I]‐BMIPP and (2) determine if tracer breakdown is affected by elevated metabolic demands. Catheters were implanted in a carotid artery and jugular vein of Sprague–Dawley rats. Following 5 days recovery, fasted animals (5 h) underwent a rest (n = 8) or exercise (n = 8) (0.6 mi/h) protocol. An instantaneous bolus containing both [3H]‐BROMO and [125I]‐BMIPP was administered to determine LCFA uptake. No significant difference between [125I]‐BMIPP and [3H]‐BROMO uptake was found in cardiac or skeletal muscle during rest or exercise. In liver, rates of uptake were more than doubled with [3H]‐BROMO compared to [125I]‐BMIPP. Analysis of tracer conversion by TLC demonstrated no difference at rest. Exercise resulted in greater metabolism and excretion of tracers with ∼37% and ∼53% of [125I]‐BMIPP and [3H]‐BROMO present in conversion products at 40 min. In conclusion, [3H]‐BROMO and [125I]‐BMIPP are indistinguishable for the determination of tissue kinetics at rest in skeletal and cardiac muscle. Exercise preferentially exacerbates the breakdown of [3H]‐BROMO, making [125I]‐BMIPP the analogue of choice for prolonged (>30 min) experimental protocols with elevated metabolic demands.
Uniqueness of Moore's higher reciprocity law at the prime 2 for real number fields
Authors: Guo Xuejun , Qin Hourong
Published: May 2008

Let F be a real number field with r1 real embeddings. In this paper, we prove that the sequence

is a complex, where are the Tate cohomology groups. Moreover if i ≡ 0, 1, or 2 (mod 4), then it is exact; if i ≡ 3 (mod 4), then the homology group at the second term of this complex is isomorphic to .
WARPED PRODUCT SEMI-SLANT SUBMANIFOLDS IN LOCALLY RIEMANNIAN PRODUCT MANIFOLDS
Authors: ATÇEKEN MEHMET
Published: May 2008

In this paper, we prove that there are no warped product proper semi-slant submanifolds such that the spheric submanifold of a warped product is a proper slant. But we show by means of examples the existence of warped product semi-slant submanifolds such that the totally geodesic submanifold of a warped product is a proper slant submanifold in locally Riemannian product manifolds.
MULTIDIMENSIONAL HARDY-TYPE INEQUALITIES VIA CONVEXITY
Authors: OGUNTUASE JAMES A. , PERSSON LARS-ERIK , ČIŽMEŠIJA ALEKSANDRA
Published: May 2008

Let an almost everywhere positive function Φ be convex forp>1 andp<0, concave forp∈(0,1), and such thatAxp≤Φ(x)≤Bxpholds on$\mathbb {R}_{+}$for some positive constantsA≤B. In this paper we derive a class of general integral multidimensional Hardy-type inequalities with power weights, whose left-hand sides involve$\Phi ( \int _0^{x_1} \cdots \int _0^{x_n} f(\t )\,d\t )$instead of$[ \int _0^{x_1} \cdots \int _0^{x_n} f(\t ) \, d\t ]^p$, while the corresponding right-hand sides remain as in the classical Hardy’s inequality and have explicit constants in front of integrals. We also prove the related dual inequalities. The relations obtained are new even for the one-dimensional case and they unify and extend several inequalities of Hardy type known in the literature.
India and the Great Divergence: Assessing the Efficiency of Grain Markets in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century India
Authors: STUDER ROMAN
Published: May 2008

By analyzing a newly compiled data base of grain prices, this article finds that prior to the nineteenth century the grain trade in India was essentially local, while more distant markets remained fragmented. It was only in the second half of the nineteenth century that these premodern structures were transformed, and a national grain market had emerged. In theGreat Divergencedebate, theCalifornia School'sclaim that early modern “Asia” reached a similar stage of economic development as early modern Europe is therefore rejected for India.
Relaxation of a dewetting contact line. Part 2. Experiments
Authors: DELON GILES , FERMIGIER MARC , SNOEIJER JACCO H. , ANDREOTTI BRUNO
Published: May 2008

The dynamics of receding contact lines is investigated experimentally through controlled perturbations of a meniscus in a dip-coating experiment. We first describe stationary menisci and their breakdown at the coating transition. Above this transition where liquid is deposited, it is found that the dynamics of the interface can be interpreted as a quasi-steady succession of stationary states. This provides the first experimental access to the entire bifurcation diagram of dynamical wetting, confirming the hydrodynamic theory developed in Part 1. In contrast to quasi-static theories based on a dynamic contact angle, we demonstrate that the transition strongly depends on the large-scale flow geometry. We then establish the dispersion relation for large wavenumbers, for which we find a decay rate σ proportional to wavenumber |q|. The speed dependence of σ is described well by hydrodynamic theory, in particular the absence of diverging time scales at the critical point. Finally, we highlight some open problems related to contact angle hysteresis that lead beyond the current description.
Boundary-layer transition by interaction of discrete and continuous modes
Authors: LIU YANG , ZAKI TAMER A. , DURBIN PAUL A.
Published: May 2008

The natural and bypass routes to boundary-layer turbulence have traditionally been studied independently. In certain flow regimes, both transition mechanisms might coexist, and, if so, can interact. A nonlinear interaction of discrete and continuous Orr-Sommerfeld modes, which are at the origin of orderly and bypass transition, respectively, is found. It causes breakdown to turbulence, even though neither mode alone is sufficient. Direct numerical simulations of the interaction shows that breakdown occurs through a pattern of Λ-structures, similar to the secondary instability of Tollmien–Schlichting waves. However, the streaks produced by the Orr-Sommerfeld continuous mode set the spanwise length scale, which is much smaller than that of the secondary instability of Tollmien–Schlichting waves. Floquet analysis explains some of the features seen in the simulations as a competition between destabilizing and stabilizing interactions between finite-amplitude distortions.
Digestion of invertebrate neuropeptides by preparations from the free-living nematodePanagrellus redivivus
Authors: Masler E.P.
Published: May 2008

Proteases in the soluble fraction of homogenates prepared from the free-living nematodePanagrellus redivivushydrolysed the amidated invertebrate neuropeptides FMRFa and FLRFa, and nematode FMRFa-like peptides (FLPs) KPNFLRFa (FLP-1-H), APKPKFIRFa (FLP-5-A), KNEFIRFa (FLP-8), KPSFVRFa (FLP-9), RNKFEFIRFa (FLP-12) and KHEYLRFa (FLP-14)in vitro. Results were assessed by analysing reaction components with RP-HPLC, UV detection at 210 nm and peak integration. Based upon substrate peak size, more than 90% of most of the peptide substrates was consumed after 1 h at 27°C, but digestion was not complete even with a crude protease mixture. Two peptides, FLP-12 and FLP-14, were significantly less susceptible to digestion than the others. FLP-12 was the least susceptible of all sequences (71% loss;P < 0.0001), while FLP-14 was digested less (84% loss;P < 0.0004) than all but FLP-12. Product peak digestion patterns of FLP-12, a second nonapeptide (FLP-5-A), and FMRFa, incubated with aminopeptidase (amastatin) and serine endoprotease (AEBSF) inhibitors, demonstrated highly specific behaviours of each sequence to protease cleavage. Amastatin significantly (P < 0.03) reduced digestion of FLP-12 (54% loss) and FMRFa (61% loss;P < 0.0005), but had no effect on FLP-5-A. AEBSF had no protective effect on FMRFa but significantly decreased hydrolysis of FLP-5-A (77% loss;P < 0.0001) and FLP-12 (59% loss;P < 0.03). The combination of both inhibitors had additive effects only for FMRFa (34% loss;P < 0.0005). Further analysis of FMRFa digestion using peptides withd-amino acid substitutions demonstrated nearly complete protection of FdMRFa (2% loss;P < 0.0001) from all proteolytic digestion, whereas digestion of FMRdFa was complete. Results suggest that in addition to aminopeptidase and serine proteases, both deamidase and aminopeptidase P participate in neuropeptide metabolism inP. redivivus.
The dialectic of police reform in Nigeria
Authors: Hills Alice
Published: May 2008

Despite decades of police assistance and the recent introduction of reform plans, Nigeria's public police remain notoriously brutal and corrupt. This raises the question of whether even flawed reforms in a relatively democratic environment can make a significant difference to policing standards and practices. Based on developments in the Nigeria Police since 2005, this article suggests that reform can make a normative and organisational difference, but that in the absence of fundamental socio-political change, its effects tend to be superficial, localised and temporary. Reform's dynamic is better understood as a classic dialectic than a serial succession of movements.
Relative growth and morphological sexual maturity ofUca cumulanta(Crustacea: Decapoda: Ocypodidae) from a tropical Brazilian mangrove population
Authors: Pralon Bruno Gabriel Nunes , Negreiros-Fransozo Maria Lucia
Published: May 2008

The relative growth of the fiddler crabUca cumulantawas studied, primarily to determine the size at the onset of sexual maturity for a mangrove population in the estuary of the Patitiba River, Paraty, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. The evaluation of the morphological sexual maturity ofU. cumulantawas performed using the allometric technique. The relationships that most precisely indicated the size at onset of sexual maturity were carapace length (CL) vs propodus length for males and CL vs abdomen width for females. Males and females are mature at 5.25 and 4.75 mm CL, respectively. The remarkable ontogenetic changes observed in the allometric growth of the male major cheliped and the female abdomen, indicate that growth of these structures is closely connected to the timing of sexual maturity. The relative size at onset maturity obtained for this species was 0.68 and this index was compared to that seen in other species in the genus.
Early development and larval survival ofPsammechinus miliarisunder deep-sea temperature and pressure conditions
Authors: Aquino-Souza R. , Hawkins S.J. , Tyler P.A.
Published: May 2008

The aim of this study was to analyse the tolerance of the planktonic stages ofPsammechinus miliaristo hydrostatic pressure and temperature. Embryos ofPsammechinus miliariswere subjected to different combinations of pressure and temperature for 3, 6 and 12 h. The percentage of embryos at each stage and the percentage of embryos developing abnormally were measured. Larvae at the gastrula and prism stages were subjected to pressure and temperature combinations for 24 h and the larval survival was calculated measuring the percentage of swimming larvae. Both embryos and larvae could survive at greater pressures than the known adult depth limits. Larvae showed a much greater potential than embryos for surviving deeper, with approximately 100% of both gastrulae and prisms surviving up to 200 atm at 5°C. These results are similar to other shallow-water species of Echinoida. Thus larval tolerance of high pressure and low temperature may have been important for the success of this group in colonizing the deep-sea.
Comparative intelligence and intelligent comparisons
Authors: Gardner R. Allen
Published: May 2008

Sound comparative psychology and modern evolutionary and developmental biology emphasize powerful effects of developmental conditions on the expression of genetic endowment. Both demand that evolutionary theorists recognize these effects. Sound comparative psychology also demands experimental procedures that prevent experimenters from shaping the responses of human and nonhuman beings to conform to theoretical expectations.
Relational language supports relational cognition in humans and apes
Authors: Gentner Dedre , Christie Stella
Published: May 2008

We agree with Penn et al. that our human cognitive superiority derives from our exceptional relational ability. We far exceed other species in our ability to grasp analogies and to combine relations into higher-order structures (Gentner 2003). However, we argue here that possession of an elaborated symbol system – such as human language – is necessary to make our relational capacity operational.
Putting Descartes before the horse (again!)
Authors: McGonigle Brendan , Chalmers Margaret
Published: May 2008

The “rational bubble” stance espoused in the target article confounds cultural symbolic achievements with individual cognitive competences. With no explicit role for learning, the core rationale for claiming a major functional discontinuity between humans and other species rests on a hybrid formal model LISA (Learning and Inference with Schemas and Analogies) now overtaken by new models of cognitive growth and new empirical studies within an embodied systems stance.
Shifting attention to the flash-lag effect
Authors: Baldo Marcus Vinícius C. , Klein Stanley A.
Published: May 2008

An attention shift from a stationary to a changing object has to occur in feature – rather than physical – space, in order to bind these stimuli into a unitary percept. This time-consuming shift leads to the perception of a changing stimulus further ahead along its trajectory. This attentional framework is able to accommodate the flash-lag effect in its multiple empirical manifestations.
Flash-lag: Prediction or emergent property of directional selectivity mechanisms?
Authors: Berzhanskaya Julia
Published: May 2008

3D FORMOTION, a unified cortical model of motion integration and segmentation, explains how brain mechanisms of form and motion processing interact to generate coherent percepts of object motion from spatially distributed and ambiguous visual information. The same cortical circuits reproduce motion-induced distortion of position maps, including both flash-lag and flash-drag effects.
Neuronal adaptation: Delay compensation at the level of single neurons?
Authors: Mayo J. Patrick , Sommer Marc A.
Published: May 2008

Saccades divide visual input into rapid, discontinuous periods of stimulation on the retina. The response of single neurons to such sequential stimuli is neuronal adaptation; a robust first response followed by an interval-dependent diminished second response. Adaptation is pervasive in both early and late stages of visual processing. Given its inherent coding of brief time intervals, neuronal adaptation may play a fundamental role in compensating for visual delays.
Phase-alignment of delayed sensory signals by adaptive filters
Authors: McFarland Dennis J.
Published: May 2008

Correction of sensory transmission delays is an intractable problem, since there is no absolute reference for calibration. Phase-alignment is a practical alternative solution and can be realized by adaptive filters that operate locally with simple error signals.
Editors' Introduction: Taslim Olawale Elias in the Periphery Series
Authors: JOHNS FLEUR , SKOUTERIS THOMAS , WERNER WOUTER
Published: May 2008

This special issue of the Leiden Journal of International Law on the Nigerian international lawyer Taslim Olawale Elias (1914–91) marks the second of the journal's Periphery Series. The collection of essays featured here serves essentially two functions. On the one hand, it pays tribute to an exceptional jurist whose work marked international legal scholarship during the years of decolonization. On the other, it invites critical engagement with the theme of international law's ‘periphery’. The centre–periphery formulation, as explained elsewhere, owes its provenance mostly to recent debates in political economy. It is a spatial metaphor which postulates a structural relationship between a presumed ‘centre’, typically portrayed as advanced or metropolitan, and a less developed and provincial ‘periphery’. In such debates the centre–periphery opposition is assumed as stable, decisive, and representative of the empirical reality of a ‘world out there’. The Periphery Series was launched in 2007, with a special issue on the Chilean jurist Alejandro Álvarez, to foster engagement with the discursive function of centre–periphery oppositions in public international law in its various iterations, and to confront questions of resource allocation, dependency, geography, and power.
Things Fall Together: The Past and Future Africas of T. O. Elias's Africa and the Development of International Law
Authors: LANDAUER CARL
Published: May 2008

This article investigates T. O. Elias's constructions of past and future Africas in Africa and the Development of International Law. It locates Elias within Nigeria's educated elite and its oscillating constructions of past and future Africas, and turns specifically to Elias's romanticized African past of the great medieval empires as a source of legitimacy within the broader ‘development’ of international law. The article works through his depiction of ‘customary’ law in Nigeria and how the African past maintains its presence in current law, and then addresses Elias's depiction of the future represented by new pan-African institutions. Finally, the article discusses Elias's depiction of a liberating future or ‘modern’ international law – the move from consent to consensus – in which Africa seems important only within the broader population of new states, and how his conception of international law – citing Jenks and Jessup, Friedmann and Falk – with its commitment to law's reflection of society, fits comfortably within the traditions of a modern sociological jurisprudence.
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon: Is a ‘Tribunal of an International Character’ Equivalent to an ‘International Criminal Court’?
Authors: SCHABAS WILLIAM A.
Published: May 2008

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon is the latest international criminal tribunal to be established by the United Nations. Similar in many respects to the earlier institutions – for the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone – it stands alone in the fact that its subject-matter jurisdiction does not contain any international crimes. It is thus international in some respects, but it is arguably not an international criminal tribunal in the sense that was intended by the International Court of Justice in the Yerodia case. The drafting history of the Statute of the Special Tribunal is examined with a view to determining whether the new court should treat sovereign immunity in the same manner as the other three UN criminal tribunals.
Endosperm and starch granule morphology in wild cereal relatives
Authors: Shapter F. M. , Henry R. J. , Lee L. S.
Published: May 2008

Australia's native grass species contain a diverse array of wild cereal relatives which are adapted to a broader range of environmental conditions than current commercial cereals and may contain novel alleles which have utility in commercial production systems. Characterizing the available variation in endosperm morphology is one of the first steps towardsin plantamanipulation of endosperm by either the introgression of novel alleles or bioengineering cereal starch and protein. The endosperm of 19 crop wild relatives (CWR) was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Mature caryopses were fixed, dehydrated, critical-point dried and then snap fractured transversely through the grain. Wild relatives exhibited similar types of starch granules to that of their respective cultivated species, though in general the wild species retained a greater proportion of the endosperm cell wall at maturity. The two species examined with no closely related cultivated species exhibited a rice-like endosperm. Wild sorghum relatives exhibited an abundance of endosperm variations described as variations in starch granule size, shape and surface morphology, and the distribution of protein bodies. This is particularly important because the grain ofSorghum bicolorhas inherently low starch and protein digestibility. These variations within the wild relatives of commercial cereals may provide novel sources of genetic diversity for future grain improvement programmes.
Dual-purpose landraces of pearl millet ( Pennisetum glaucum) as sources of high stover and grain yield for arid zone environments
Authors: Yadav O. P. , Bidinger F. R.
Published: May 2008

Both stover and grain are important considerations in the adoption of the new pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) cultivars in crop–livestock farming system in north-west India. Local landrace germplasm contains many of the traits needed to breed new cultivars, which met such requirements. We evaluated 169 pearl millet landraces to assess their potential for breeding new open-pollinated varieties, and measured heterosis in landrace testcrosses to evaluate their potential for topcross hybrids breeding. There were significant differences among landraces in their total biomass, grain yield and stover yield. A high accumulation of biomass, followed by its efficient partitioning, was crucial in determining grain productivity under arid zone. There was also no trade-off between stover and grain productivity and several landraces outperformed check cultivars in both grain and stover yields. The manifestation of heterosis in the landrace-based topcross hybrids varied for different traits. Significant heterosis for biomass, grain yield and stover yield was observed in specific male-sterile seed parent × landrace-based pollinator combinations. Utilization of landraces in variety development and topcross hybrids breeding programmes targeting north-western India or similar regions are discussed.
Towards a conservation strategy for Aegilops species
Authors: Maxted N. , White K. , Valkoun J. , Konopka J. , Hargreaves S.
Published: May 2008

Aegilopsspecies provide an invaluable source of genes for the improvement of cultivated wheats. This paper illustrates how the existing geo-referenced passport data associated withAegilopsspecies can be used to identify gaps in current conservation and also to develop a more systematic conservation strategy for the genus. Taxonomic, ecological, geographic and conservation information for the 22Aegilopsspecies were collated from ICARDA, EURISCO, GRIN and SINGER datasets, synthesized and analysed. The combined database contained 9866 unique geo-referenced observations collected between 1932 and 2004. Patterns of specific distribution based on the germplasm accession data and the predicted distribution using climatic models were compared in conservation gap analysis using GIS tools. Theex situconservation status of each taxon was assessed and used to provide a priority ranking. Futureex situcollection is recommended in Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Israel, Libya, Spain, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The species identified with the highestex situconservation priority are as follows:Aegilops bicornis,Aegilops comosa,Aegilops juvenalis,Aegilops kotschyi,Aegilops peregrina,Aegilops sharonensis,Aegilops speltoides,Aegilops uniaristataandAegilops vavilovii. Patterns of species richness based on the germplasm accession passport data are presented and five complementary regions ofAegilopsdiversity were identified in west Syria and north Lebanon, central Israel, north-west Turkey, Turkmenistan and south France. Within these areas, 16 IUCN-recognized protected areas are found and these are identified as potential sites to establish genetic reserves. However, the premierAegilopshotspots on the Syrian/Lebanese border are not coincident with any existing internationally recognized protected areas, and here there is a need to establish a novel protected area.
Two distinct AFLP types in three populations of marram grass (Ammophila arenaria) in Wales
Authors: Hol W. H. Gera , van der Wurff Andre W. G. , Skøt Leif , Cook Roger
Published: May 2008

The genetic structure of marram grass populations at coastal and inland locations, 200 m apart, was investigated at three sites by means of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) DNA markers. We expected a genetic differentiation between coastal and inland populations and more genetic variation in the coastal areas as a result of different events of colonization by different plant materials. An assignment test showed that the sampledAmmophila arenariacould be assigned to two groups based on AFLP data. The spatial distribution of the two AFLP types ofA. arenariavaried with sampling location. In two of the three locations, mainly one type (1) was found in the newly formed dunes. This type did also occur further landward, but the second type (2) was preferentially found in inland populations. Genetic diversity was very low and of similar value in both coastal and inland populations. For each site, outlier loci with respect toFSTvalue were identified, which may be indicative of different selection pressures in coastal compared with inland clusters. However, no identical outlier loci were found at all three sites. Possible explanations for the observed difference in distribution of type 1 and 2 populations between coastal and inland sites are discussed.
Real‐time visualization of calcium ion activity in shallow benthic foraminiferal cells using the fluorescent indicator Fluo‐3 AM
Authors: Toyofuku Takashi , Jan de Nooijer Lennart , Yamamoto Hiroyuki , Kitazato Hiroshi
Published: May 2008

Calcium ion storage and movements within foraminiferal cells were observed using the fluorescent cell‐permeant calcium indicator Fluo‐3 AM. Living specimens of the shallow‐water benthic foraminifer Ammonia beccarii were incubated with 8 μM Fluo‐3 AM in both natural seawater and calcium‐free artificial seawater. No fluorescence was observed in specimens that were incubated in Fluo‐3 AM/calcium‐free seawater, while fluorescent emission was identified in all foraminifera that were incubated in Fluo‐3 AM/natural seawater. In another series of experiments, juvenile specimens were incubated with Fluo‐3 AM to trace calcium ion activity during the process of chamber formation. The method described here is a potential tool to observe the flow of calcium ions within living foraminiferal cells and may yield valuable information on the process of calcite precipitation.