bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Apoptosis in epithelial cells of apical radicular cysts
Authors: Loyola A. M. , Cardoso S. V. , Lisa G. S. , Oliveira L. J. , Mesquita R. A. , Carmo M. A. V. , Aguiar M. C. F.
Published: March 2007

Aim  To investigate the occurrence of apoptotic cell death in the epithelium of radicular cysts and to compare its frequency in lesions presenting a distinct functional state.

Methodology  Twenty radicular cysts were selected and arranged into two groups with 10 lesions in each group: atrophic (quiescent) and hyperplastic (active) epithelium. Morphologic investigations of apoptosis were conducted by means of optic microscopy in haematoxylin and eosin slides. Immunohistochemical techniques to detect the bcl‐2 protein were carried out by streptavidin–biotin–peroxidase assay. In both instances, 30 sequential high‐power microscopic fields were observed to determine apoptotic (AI) and bcl‐2 immunostaining (bcl‐2I) indexes. The presence of AI and bcl‐2I within the two groups was compared using the t‐test. Correlation between the AI and the bcl‐2I was investigated using the Spearman test.

Results  Apoptosis was detected in the epithelium of all cysts. Higher AI levels were found in lesions with an atrophic (0.17 ± 0.19) rather than a hyperplastic (0.10 ± 0.10) epithelium. The same was found for the bcl‐2I levels (0.06 ± 0.03 vs. 0.04 ± 0.01, respectively). However, these differences were not statistically significant. A positive and significant correlation was found between AI and bcl‐2I.

Conclusions  Apoptosis was always present in the epithelium of the lesions and was more frequent in lesions with atrophic (quiescent) epithelium.
Applying a modified Prochaska’s model of readiness to change for general practitioners on depressive disorders in CME programmes: validation of tool
Authors: Shirazi Mandana , Assadi Seyed Mohammad , Sadeghi Majid , Zeinaloo Ali A. , Kashani Ahmad S. , Arbabi Mohammad , Alaedini Farshid , Lonka Kirsti , Wahlstrom Rolf
Published: March 2007

Objective  To assess the validity and reliability of an 11‐item questionnaire for stages of readiness to change according to a modified Prochaska model (including attitude, intention and action stage) in the context of continuing medical education (CME) on depressive disorders for general practitioners (GPs) in Tehran, Iran.

Methods  Three hundred and fifty GPs were recruited for filling in a questionnaire in order to assess content validity and modifying the questionnaire. Fifty‐nine GPs were involved for testing reliability and 39 GPs for testing concurrent validity. Content validity of the questionnaire was assessed by expert consensus. Concurrent validity was assessed by correlating the results of a semi‐structured interview with those of the self‐assessment questionnaire. For testing reliability there was a test–retest approach with an interval of 3–7 days.

Results  A panel of experts was held at four times and the final version of modified Prochaska questionnaire (MPQ) was compiled by the panel. Total κ coefficient for concurrent validity of the whole questionnaire was 0.80. Only two of the questions had a κ coefficient lower than 0.70. In the test–retest, 96% of participants reassigned to the same stage and the total κ coefficient of reliability was 0.89 for the whole questionnaire.

Conclusion  The validity and reliability of the MPQ for assessing GPs’ readiness to change in the field of depressive disorders were found to be high in the Iranian context. These findings support its application in tailoring and evaluating CME programmes for GPs in Iran.
An empirical test of freshwater vicariance via river capture
Authors: BURRIDGE CHRISTOPHER P. , CRAW DAVE , WATERS JONATHAN M.
Published: March 2007

River capture is a geomorphological process through which stream sections are displaced from one catchment to another, and it may represent a dominant facilitator of interdrainage transfer and cladogenesis in freshwater‐limited taxa. However, few studies have been conducted in a manner to explicitly test the biological significance of river capture. Here we present a multispecies phylogeographical analysis to test whether the nonmigratory fish fauna of the Von River (South Island, New Zealand) is the product of a well‐documented, Late Quaternary capture of a section of the Oreti River (Southland drainage). Specifically, we predict that nonmigratory fishes of the Von River will exhibit closer genetic affinities with those of Southland, rather than those of the Clutha system, into which the Von River presently drains. Mitochondrial DNA phylogeography (control region and cytochrome b sequence data) and analysis of nuclear orthologues of mtDNA sequences indicate that ‘flathead’Galaxias of the Von River (n = 31, three sites) have greatest genetic affinities with those of Southland (Galaxias ‘southern’, n = 216, 38 sites), rather than with those of the Clutha River (Galaxias sp. ‘D’, n = 73, 32 sites). Likewise, Von River ‘roundhead’Galaxias (n = 52, four sites) have greatest genetic affinities with those of Southland drainages (Galaxias gollumoides, n = 223, 58 sites), rather than with those of the Clutha River (Galaxias pullus, Galaxias anomalus, Galaxias gollumoides of the Nevis tributary; n = 68, 32 sites). These findings are consistent with our predictions that genetic affinities of the nonmigratory fish fauna in the Von River would reflect past, rather than present, drainage connections. Consequently, river capture is responsible for the nonmigratory fish fauna of the Von River. In a broader context, river capture has frequently influenced the distribution of genetic lineages among catchments in New Zealand freshwater‐limited fish, and its biogeographical significance may have been underestimated in other regions.
Longitudinal range expansion and cryptic eastern species in the western Palaearctic oak gallwasp, Andricus coriarius
Authors: CHALLIS RICHARD J. , MUTUN SERAP , NIEVES‐ALDREY JOSE‐LUIS , PREUSS SONJA , ROKAS ANTONIS , AEBI ALEXANDRE , SADEGHI EBRAHIM , TAVAKOLI MAJID , STONE GRAHAM N.
Published: March 2007

The oak gallwasp Andricus coriarius is distributed across the Western Palaearctic from Morocco to Iran. It belongs to a clade of host‐alternating Andricus species that requires host oaks in two sections of Quercus subgenus Quercus to complete its lifecycle, a requirement that has restricted the historic distribution and dispersal of members of this clade. Here we present nuclear and mitochondrial sequence evidence from the entire geographic range of A. coriarius to investigate the genetic legacy of longitudinal range expansion. We show A. coriarius as currently understood to be para‐ or polyphyletic, with three evolutionarily independent (but partially sympatric) lineages that diverged c. 10 million years ago (mya). The similarities in gall structure that have justified recognition of single species to date thus represent either strong conservation of an ancestral state or striking convergence. All three lineages originated in areas to the east of Europe, underlining the significance of Turkey, Iran and the Levant as ‘cradles’ of gallwasp evolution. One of the three lineages gave rise to all European populations, and range expansion from a putative Eastern origin to the present distribution is predicted to have occurred around 1.6 mya.
Estimating the number of founder lineages from haplotypes of closely linked SNPs
Authors: LEBLOIS RAPHAËL , SLATKIN MONTGOMERY
Published: March 2007

We consider an isolated population founded by a small number of individuals randomly chosen from a source population of known genetic composition at a known time in the past. We develop a Monte‐Carlo maximum‐likelihood method for estimating the number of founding individuals from the haplotype frequencies at several SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) loci in a sample. We assume the isolated population was founded recently enough that that mutation can be ignored and that haplotype frequencies in the source population have not changed. We apply the method to simulated data and show that it is unbiased. With a reasonable number of individuals sampled, it is possible to estimate the number of founders within a factor of 2. We show that the performance of the method is not degraded substantially if the frequencies of the rare haplotypes in the source are not known precisely and if there is some recombination. We illustrate the use of our method by applying it to a previously published data set from a recently founded population of wolves (Canis lupus) in Scandinavia.
Temporal pattern of feeding activity in the firebug Pyrrhocoris apterus and its relation to sex, wing dimorphism and physiological state of adults
Authors: SOCHA RADOMÍR , ZEMEK ROSTISLAV
Published: March 2007

Abstract The present study tested whether the pattern of feeding activity in the firebug Pyrrhocoris apterus (L.) is sex‐ and wing morph‐related, diurnal or nocturnal, as well as whether the feeding rhythm persists in constant darkness. Temporal patterns of feeding activity are analysed in macropterous and brachypterous adults reared under long‐day (LD 18 : 6 h) and short‐day (LD 12 : 12 h) photoperiods, and in adults transferred to constant darkness. In females, the total feeding activity is highest in long‐day reproductively active brachypters, intermediate in short‐day diapausing brachypters, and lowest in macropters; the differences among males are substantially smaller. Although the total feeding activity of macropterous males is higher than in macropterous females, no sex‐related differences are found in feeding activity of diapausing and reproductively active brachypters. The frequency of feeding exhibits sex‐related differences, with obviously higher values in males. Mean feeding periods of macropterous and reproductively active brachypterous males are shorter than in females of the same wing morph. Mean interfeeding periods are longest in macropters, intermediate in diapausing brachypters, and shortest in reproductively active brachypters, and always lower in males than in females. The study shows that the feeding activity of P. apterus adults is age‐, sex‐ and wing morph‐related, and exhibits a diurnal pattern, except in reproductively active brachypterous females. The latter do not express a clear diurnal rhythm of feeding, presumably because of interactions with cycles of egg development and oviposition. The persistence of diurnal rhythm of feeding activity in short‐day brachypterous females transferred to constant darkness indicates an endogeneity of this rhythm in P. apterus.
Mechanisms of hypoxic signal transduction regulated by reactive nitrogen species
Authors: Sumbayev V. V. , Yasinska I. M.
Published: March 2007

Recent reports devoted to the field of oxygen sensing outline that signalling molecules such as nitric oxide/nitric oxide derived species as well as cytokines and other inflammatory mediators participate in hypoxic signal transduction. In the present review, we summarize the current knowledge about the role of nitric oxide and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) derived from it in hypoxic signal transduction and particularly in accumulation/de‐accumulation of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF‐1α) protein, which is critical not only for cellular adaptation to low oxygen availability but also for generation of inflammatory and innate immune responses. After brief description of nitric oxide and other RNS as multifunctional messengers we analyse and discuss the RNS‐dependent accumulation of HIF‐1α protein under normoxia followed by discussion of the mechanisms of nitric oxide (NO)‐dependent enzyme‐regulated degradation of HIF‐1α protein under low oxygen availability.
Early chloroplastic alterations analysed by optical coherence tomography during a harpin‐induced hypersensitive response
Authors: Boccara Martine , Schwartz Wilfrid , Guiot Elvire , Vidal Guillaume , Paepe Rosine De , Dubois Arnaud , Boccara Albert‐Claude
Published: March 2007

The hypersensitive response has been mostly studied by molecular and biochemical methods after sample destruction. The development of imaging techniques allows the monitoring of physiological changes before any signs of cell death. Here, we follow the early steps of a hypersensitive‐like response induced by the bacterial elicitor harpin in Nicotiana sp. We describe cytological modifications after inoculation of the harpin protein, using confocal fluorescence microscopy (CFM) and optical coherence tomography (OCT), an interferometric‐based microscopy. The changes detected by CFM occurred 5 h after harpin infiltration and corresponded to a redistribution of the chloroplasts from the upper to the inner regions of the palisade mesophyll cells which could be related to a perturbation in the microtubule network. Using OCT, we were able to detect a decrease in chloroplast backscattered signal as early as 30 min after harpin infiltration. A simple physical model, which accounted for the structure and distribution of thylakoid membranes, suggested that this loss of scattering could be associated with a modification in the refractive index of the thylakoid membranes. Our OCT observations were correlated with a decrease in photosynthesis, emphasizing changes in chloroplast structure as one of the earliest hallmarks of plant hypersensitive cell death.
Arabidopsis peroxisomal malate dehydrogenase functions in β‐oxidation but not in the glyoxylate cycle
Authors: Pracharoenwattana Itsara , Cornah Johanna E. , Smith Steven M.
Published: March 2007

The aim was to determine the function of peroxisomal NAD+‐malate dehydrogenase (PMDH) in fatty acid β‐oxidation and the glyoxylate cycle in Arabidopsis. Seeds in which both PMDH genes are disrupted by T‐DNA insertions germinate, but seedling establishment is dependent on exogenous sugar. Mutant seedlings mobilize their triacylglycerol very slowly and growth is insensitive to 2,4‐dichlorophenoxybutyric acid. Thus mutant seedlings are severely impaired in β‐oxidation, even though microarray analysis shows that β‐oxidation genes are expressed normally. The mutant phenotype was complemented by expression of a cDNA encoding PMDH with either its native peroxisome targeting signal‐2 (PTS2) targeting sequence or a heterologous PTS1 sequence. In contrast to the block in β‐oxidation in mutant seedlings, [14C]acetate is readily metabolized into sugars and organic acids, thereby demonstrating normal activity of the glyoxylate cycle. We conclude that PMDH serves to reoxidize NADH produced from fatty acid β‐oxidation and does not participate directly in the glyoxylate cycle.
Structural analogs of ABA reveal novel features of ABA perception and signaling in Arabidopsis
Authors: Huang Daiqing , Jaradat Masrur R. , Wu Weiren , Ambrose Stephen J. , Ross Andrew R. , Abrams Suzanne R. , Cutler Adrian J.
Published: March 2007

Changes in gene expression produced by the application of (+)‐abscisic acid (ABA) to Arabidopsis thaliana plants were compared with changes produced by the ABA structural analogs (−)‐ABA, (+)‐8′‐acetylene ABA and (−)‐2′,3′‐dihydroacetylenic abscisyl alcohol. The maximum expression of many rapidly (+)‐ABA‐induced genes occurred prior to peak hormone accumulation, suggesting negative feedback regulation that may be mediated by the induction of genes encoding PP2C‐type protein phosphatases. For most rapidly (+)‐ABA‐induced genes, expression was delayed in ABA analog treatments although analogs accumulated to higher levels than did (+)‐ABA. For each analog, some genes exhibited a hypersensitive response to the analog and some genes were less sensitive to the analog than to (+)‐ABA. Variations in the sensitivity of gene expression to (+)‐ABA and analogs reflect the different structural requirements of two or more classes of hormone receptors. By using ABA analogs to reveal and confirm weakly (+)‐ABA‐regulated genes, we estimate that 14% of Arabidopsis genes are ABA‐regulated in aerial tissues. Treatments with the analog (+)‐8′‐acetylene ABA (PBI425) led to the identification of new ABA‐regulated genes. As an example, the transcription factor MYBR1 was significantly induced by PBI425, but not by (+)‐ABA, and is shown to play a role in ABA signaling by phenotypic analysis of gain‐of‐function and loss‐of‐function mutants.
Function of the anion transporter AtCLC‐d in the trans‐Golgi network
Authors: Fecht‐Bartenbach Jennifer von der , Bogner Martin , Krebs Melanie , Stierhof York‐Dieter , Schumacher Karin , Ludewig Uwe
Published: March 2007

Anion transporting proteins of the CLC type are involved in anion homeostasis in a variety of organisms. CLCs from Arabidopsis have been shown to participate in nitrate accumulation and storage. In this study, the physiological role of the functional chloride transporter AtCLC‐d from Arabidopsis was investigated. AtCLC‐d is weakly expressed in various tissues, including the root. When transiently expressed as a GFP fusion in protoplasts, it co‐localized with the VHA‐a1 subunit of the proton‐transporting V‐type ATPase in the trans‐Golgi network (TGN). Stable expression in plants showed that it co‐localized with the endocytic tracer dye FM4‐64 in a brefeldin A‐sensitive compartment. Immunogold electron microscopy confirmed the localization of AtCLC‐d to the TGN. Disruption of the AtCLC‐d gene by a T‐DNA insertion did not affect the nitrate and chloride contents. The overall morphology of these clcd‐1 plants was similar to that of the wild‐type, but root growth on synthetic medium was impaired. Moreover, the sensitivity of hypocotyl elongation to treatment with concanamycin A, a blocker of the V‐ATPase, was stronger in the clcd‐1 mutant. These phenotypes could be complemented by overexpression of AtCLC‐d in the mutant background. The results suggest that the luminal pH in the trans‐Golgi network is adjusted by AtCLC‐d‐mediated transport of a counter anion such as Cl− or NO3−.
Effect of elevated CO2, temperature and limited water supply on antioxidant status during regrowth of nodulated alfalfa
Authors: Erice Gorka , Aranjuelo Iker , Irigoyen Juan J. , Sánchez‐Díaz Manuel
Published: March 2007

Atmospheric CO2 is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect and is one of the main inducers of climate change. Previous studies with nodulated alfalfa plants have shown that elevated CO2 increased the growth of plants grown under well‐watered or limited water supply conditions. The beneficial effects of atmospheric CO2 enrichment included higher photosynthetic rates, growth and water‐use efficiency and an increase in the root/shoot ratio. However, at the moment, we do not have information on the possible implications of the beneficial effect of elevated CO2 as it may relate to a higher capacity of the violaxanthin–antheraxanthin–zeaxanthin (VAZ) cycle, the dissipation of excess radiation as heat and the effect on photooxidation, and to an improved leaf antioxidant system (Halliwell–Asada cycle). The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of the interaction between CO2 (ambient, around 350 vs 700 μmol mol−1), temperature (ambient vs ambient + 4°C) and water availability (well irrigated vs partially irrigated) on the leaf antioxidant status of nodulated alfalfa during regrowth. Parameters measured in this study included relative growth rate (RGR), H2O2 content, oxidative damage [measured as thiobarbituric acid‐reacting substances (TBARS)], leaf pigment composition (chlorophylls and xanthophylls), ascorbate (ASA) and glutathione pool levels and antioxidant enzymes. Our results revealed that during alfalfa regrowth, the effects of elevated CO2, limited water supply, temperature and their interactions on growth were not related to significant or general changes in leaf antioxidant capacity, H2O2 accumulation or oxidative stress (TBARS concentrations). The beneficial effects of CO2 enrichment in well‐watered and limited water‐subjected plants were not associated with an increase in the capacity of alfalfa leaves to dissipate excess radiation as heat through the VAZ cycle or with an increase in the antioxidant capacity, measured in terms of Halliwell–Asada cycle enzymes and antioxidant compounds. Furthermore, elevated CO2 did not affect RGRs during the last 15 days of regrowth and reduced the activity of several antioxidant enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase and ASA peroxidase in limited water‐subjected plants), suggesting a lower basal rate of oxygen activation and H2O2 formation, leading to a relaxation of the antioxidant system.
Manipulation of in vivo pollination techniques to improve the fertilization efficiency of interspecies crosses in the genus Phaseolus
Authors: Gurusamy V. , Vandenberg A. , Bett K. E.
Published: March 2007

Phaseolus angustissimus A. Gray contains genes for traits of interest for dry bean (P. vulgaris) breeders. F1 hybrids can be produced but introgression through backcrossing has been a problem. One of the main impediments is the time required between pollination and fertilization when F1 hybrids of P. vulgaris/P. angustissimus are backcrossed with P. vulgaris. In an attempt to reduce this time, the effect of alternative pollination techniques was studied. The rate and the time of fertilization were ascertained using three different pollen types (pollen germinated in vitro, fresh pollen (FP) mixed in pollen‐germinating media and FP), and two methods of pollination (cut‐style and stigmatic pollinations). An optimal in vitro pollen germination medium for Phaseolus pollen was developed. Low temperatures (6–9°C) were demonstrated to be necessary for Phaseolus pollen germination. Pollination using a cut‐style technique coupled with pregerminated pollen reduced the time for fertilization in the backcrosses of interspecies hybrids by approximately 28 h. This technique improved the success rate of fertilization in wide crosses of Phaseolus designed to introgress genes from wild relatives.
Inheritance and allelic relationships of fertility restoration genes for seven new sources of male‐sterile cytoplasm in sunflower
Authors: Jan C. C. , Vick B. A.
Published: March 2007

The inheritance of fertility restoration of six mitomycin C and streptomycin‐induced cytoplasmic male‐sterile (cms) mutants and one cms line derived from Native American cultivar PI 432513 in sunflower was evaluated. These seven new cms sources were also compared with the commercially used cms PET1 (Helianthus petiolaris Nutt.) cytoplasm, using USDA inbred lines with restoration genes (Rf1) specific for cms PET1 and new restoration lines identified for cms PI 432513. Restoration genes for cms PI 432513 were found in ‘Armavir’, VNIIMK, P21 and male‐fertile (MF) plants of PI 432513. F2 and F3 segregation ratios of crosses between cms PI 432513 and these restoration sources indicated a single dominant gene controlled fertility restoration. Progenies of cms PI 432513 testcrossed with F1’s of half‐diallel crosses among the respective four homozygous restoration lines and RHA 274 suggested that the restoration genes of RHA 274, VNIIMK, P21 and PI 432513 were at the same locus. Restoration genes from VNIIMK, P21 and PI 432513 satisfactorily restored pollen stainability in the heterozygous condition. A very weak expression of the Rf gene in ‘Armavir’ was observed in the heterozygous condition. Fertility restoration capability of these genes for the six mutant cms HA 89 and cms HA 89 (in PET1 cytoplasm) was observed. The mutant cms HA 89 lines were also restored completely by RHA 266, RHA 274, RHA 280 and RHA 296, and F2’s segregation ratios indicated single dominant gene control, implying a common cytoplasmic male sterility in all lines. F1’s of half‐diallel crosses among RHA 266, RHA 273, RHA 274, RHA 280 and RHA 296 were testcrossed onto the cms lines, and their all MF progenies among lines, except RHA 280, confirmed that fertility restoration was controlled by a single Rf1 gene locus. The restoration gene in confection line RHA 280, namely Rf3, was at a different locus than Rf1 and was equally capable of restoring all the cms lines. Cms HA 89 mutants and cms PI 432513 are in H. annuus cytoplasm, and are agronomically equal in hybrid performance to the cms PET1 used in commercial sunflower hybrids. These new cms lines will provide immediate alternative cms sources for reducing the genetic vulnerability resulting from the exclusive use of the single cms source PET1 in sunflower hybrid production.
Butter feeding enhances TNF‐α production from macrophages and lymphocyte adherence in murine small intestinal microvessels
Authors: Fujiyama Yoichi , Hokari Ryota , Miura Soichiro , Watanabe Chikako , Komoto Shunsuke , Oyama Tokushige , Kurihara Chie , Nagata Hiroshi , Hibi Toshifumi
Published: March 2007

Background and Aim:  Dietary fat is known to modulate immune functions. Intake of an animal fat‐rich diet has been linked to increased risk of inflammation; however, little is known about how animal fat ingestion directly affects intestinal immune function. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of butter feeding on lymphocyte migration in intestinal mucosa and the changes in adhesion molecules and cytokines involved in this effect.

Methods:  T‐lymphocytes isolated from the spleen were fluorescence‐labeled and injected into recipient mice. Butter was administered into the duodenum, and villus microvessels of the small intestinal mucosa were observed under an intravital microscope. mRNA expression of adhesion molecules and cytokines in the intestinal mucosa were determined by quantitative PCR. The effect of butter feeding on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α mRNA expression of intestinal macrophages was also determined.

Results:  Intraluminal butter administration significantly increased lymphocyte adherence to intestinal microvessels accompanied by increases in expression levels of adhesion molecules ICAM‐1, MAdCAM‐1 and VCAM‐1. This accumulation was significantly attenuated by anti‐MAdCAM‐1 and anti‐ICAM‐1 antibodies. Butter administration significantly increased TNF‐α in the lamina proprial macrophages but not interleukin‐6. Anti‐TNF‐α treatment attenuated the enhanced expression of adhesion molecules induced by butter administration.

Conclusion:  T‐lymphocyte adherence to microvessels of the small intestinal mucosa was significantly enhanced after butter ingestion. This enhancement is due to increase in expression levels of adhesion molecules of the intestinal mucosa, which is mediated by TNF‐α from macrophages in the intestinal lamina propria.
Analysis of multiple cracks in laminate composites under anti‐plane static loads
Authors: WANG B. L. , ZHANG H. Y.
Published: March 2007

This paper investigates multiple cracking of a laminate composite subjected to anti‐plane loads. The laminate composite is made up of a central layer sandwiched between two layers of different properties. There is a periodic array of cracks in the central layer along the central axis of the medium. A singular integral equation is formulated in terms of the crack‐face displacement. The model developed is applied to the analysis of fibre multiple cracking in fibre‐matrix laminate composites. It is also applied to the analysis of matrix cracking in fibre‐matrix laminate composites. Numerical results have been given for the effects of crack spacing and constituent volume fraction on the crack tip field intensity factor and stress.
Fatigue strength of small‐notched specimens under variable amplitude loading within the fatigue limit diagram
Authors: KONDO Y. , SAKAE C. , KUBOTA M. , NAGAMATSU S.
Published: March 2007

Although the fatigue limit diagram is defined in principle for constant stress amplitude, it is often considered that fatigue failure would not occur, even in varying loading, if applied stresses were kept within the fatigue limit diagram. However, it was shown in the case of small‐notched specimens that fatigue failure occurred in some special cases of variable amplitude loading, even when all stress amplitudes were kept within the fatigue limit diagram. The cause of this phenomenon was examined using two‐step stress and repeated two‐step stress patterns in which the first step stress was chosen to be equal to the fatigue limit with zero mean stress and a mean stress was superposed on the second step stress. A non‐propagating crack was formed by the first step stress. This crack functioned as a pre‐crack for the second step stress with high mean stress. Consequently, fatigue failure occurred even when all stress amplitudes were kept within the fatigue limit diagram. It was an unexpected fracture caused by the interference effect of a non‐propagating crack and a mean stress change.
Modelling of fatigue lifetime under non‐proportional multiaxial alternating loading
Authors: WEICK M. , AKTAA J.
Published: March 2007

This paper presents two approaches to lifetime prediction under non‐proportional multiaxial alternating loading; a phenomenological approach using the Manson–Coffin relation and a microstructural approach. Both models have in common the use of a new multiaxiality factor.

The data sets for the adaptation and validation of both models are taken from the authors' own experiments. In these tests, both the load paths and the phase shift are varied. The biaxial test apparatus allows for an application of fixed principal stress or strain directions even under non‐proportional loading.

A fairly good agreement with our multiaxial lifetime results is obtained with both models. For an advanced assessment of the quality of the approaches used, the models are compared with several other well‐known models from the literature. An additive yardstick is used for the comparison of the different models.
Evaluation of fatigue crack propagation by mode I and mixed mode in 1050 aluminium
Authors: MAKABE C. , YAMANE T. , SOCIE D. F. , SUEYOSHI T.
Published: March 2007

The mechanism of mixed‐mode fatigue crack propagation was investigated in pure aluminum. Push‐pull fatigue tests were performed using two types of specimens. One was a round bar specimen having a blind hole, one was a plate specimen having a slit. The slit direction cut in the specimen was perpendicular or inclined 45 degrees relative to the centre of the specimen axis. In both cases, cracks propagated by mode I or by the mixed mode combining mode I and shear mode, depending on the testing conditions. In these cases the crack propagation rate was evaluated with a modified effective stress intensity factor range. Crack propagation retardation was observed in some specimens. However, it was found that the crack propagation rate could also be evaluated by the effective stress intensity factor range independent of the crack propagation mode.
Effect of plastic anisotropy of weld on limit load of undermatched middle cracked tension specimens
Authors: ALEXANDROV S. , CHUNG K.‐H. , CHUNG K.
Published: March 2007

Plastic anisotropy may have a significant effect on the limit load of structures. The present paper shows its effect on the limit load of well‐undermatched middle cracked tension specimens assuming that the base material is elastic and the weld material obeys Hill's quadratic orthotropic yield criterion in rigid‐perfect plasticity. The solution is based on a kinematically admissible velocity field, which is compatible with a stress field satisfying the equilibrium equations and the yield criterion in the plastic zone. The velocity field is singular in the vicinity of the bi‐material interface, which is typical for isotropic materials.
Hypoglycaemia and cognitive function
Authors: Warren Roderick E. , Frier Brian M.
Published: March 2007

Acute hypoglycaemia impairs cerebral function, and available data indicate that cognitive performance becomes impaired at a blood glucose level of 2.6–3.0 mmol/l in healthy subjects. Methodological problems limit comparisons between studies, but in general complex tasks are more sensitive to hypoglycaemia than simple tasks, and some cognitive abilities are completely abolished. The onset of hypoglycaemic cognitive dysfunction is immediate, but recovery may be considerably delayed. There is persuasive evidence of adaptation to hypoglycaemia, partly due to increased brain glucose uptake capacity, although other mechanisms may exist. Patients who are exposed to chronic or recurrent hypoglycaemia become remarkably tolerant to the state, but this is insufficient to prevent severe hypoglycaemia with neuroglycopenic decompensation, probably because symptomatic and counterregulatory responses adapt even more. During experimental hypoglycaemia, administration of non‐glucose cerebral fuels preserves cognitive function. However, little progress has been made as yet towards protecting cognitive function during hypoglycaemia in clinical practice. The chronic effects of recurrent hypoglycaemia remain contentious. There are numerous case reports of hypoglycaemic brain damage and of cognitive deterioration attributed to repeated severe hypoglycaemia. The major prospective studies, including the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, did not report cognitive declines in intensively treated patients, but had unrepresentative study populations and may have been too short to detect such effects. Structural and functional brain changes are not only associated with recurrent severe hypoglycaemia, but also with hyperglycaemia and early disease onset and may in part be due to hyperglycaemic microvascular disease. Children may be more prone to acute metabolic insults, and there is evidence of developmental disadvantage associated with hypoglycaemic episodes.
A Doubly Weighted Approach to Urban Data Disaggregation in GIS: A Case Study of Wuhan, China
Authors: Huang Zhengdong , Ottens Henk , Masser Ian
Published: March 2007

Urban models are evolving to require more and more detailed data that in many cases have to be spatially disaggregated from larger zones. This paper deals with the disaggregation of statistical data in an urban context in which land use data are available at a less detailed level. With the availability of land use data, the traditional approach of areal weighting is improved with an areal and land use weighted approach. This weighted approach is further elaborated to include homogeneous weight zones (HWZ) so as to reflect general geographical variations among the same land use type. A case study in Wuhan, China has demonstrated the effectiveness of the doubly weighted approach within the specified context.
GML for Representing Data from Spatio‐Historical Databases: A Case Study
Authors: Siyuan Fang , Griffiths Tony , Paton Norman W
Published: March 2007

Many applications, in areas such as land use, traffic management and location aware services, involve the storage, analysis and sharing of spatio‐temporal data. The need to represent such data in a way that eases sharing across applications, has led to the development of the Geography Markup Language (GML), which provides a rich collection of constructs for representing spatial and associated aspatial data as XML documents. However, although there are a growing number of applications and tools that make use of GML, there are surprisingly few experience reports on the representation of data from existing applications or models using GML constructs. This paper provides one such report, describing the use of GML as an exchange format for the Tripod spatio‐historical database. This in turn involves identifying mappings between Tripod and GML constructs, and the development of a generic architecture for carrying out such mappings. The experience demonstrates that even though GML provides rich modelling facilities, the development of mappings from pre‐existing models can be challenging, as related constructs often provide semantically distinct capabilities.
BETWEEN SUBORDINATION AND KOINONIA: TOWARD A NEW READING OF THE CAPPADOCIAN THEOLOGY1
Authors: AWAD NAJEEB G.
Published: March 2007

This article argues that it is inappropriate to read Cappadocian theology exclusively from the angle of Basil of Caesarea's identification of the Godhead with the Father alone. As an alternative to the Basilian‐based reading that undermines the view that the three persons are together co‐constitutive of the Godhead and restricts the Godhead to the Father alone, this article calls for a more comprehensive reading of the theology of the Cappadocian fathers that takes into consideration the trinitarian perspective of Gregory of Nazianzus, and claims that his understanding of the Godhead as the reciprocal koinonia of the three persons together not only completes and corrects Basil's view and presents a more coherent view of the Cappadocian theology, but also salvages the theology of the Trinity from any possible semi‐monarchical logic that could undermine one of the divine persons for the sake of, or at the expense of, the others.
Voices of Southern Protest during the Vietnam War Era: The University of South Carolina as a Case Study
Authors: Grose Andrew
Published: March 2007

Throughout the decades following America's involvement in the Vietnam War, historians have documented various aspects of the antiwar and dissident movements across the nation and on college campuses. Over time, the historiography of the antiwar movement, especially as related to campus protest movements, has expanded considerably, particularly in regard to the origins, structure, and internal dynamics of the groups involved. Yet there are shortcomings in the scholarly literature on this subject. Most historians have focused upon dissident movements in the American North and West while all but neglecting protest activities at colleges in the South. In this article, I show that dissent similar to that which shook other colleges around the nation occurred on the campus of the University of South Carolina.
World Social Forum1
Authors: Becker Marc
Published: March 2007

Every year at the end of January, the world's corporate and government elite gather in the Swiss resort town of Davos for the World Economic Forum to plot the future of corporate‐led globalization. In 2001, community organizers, trade unionists, young people, academics, and others began to meet in Porto Alegre, Brazil, to rethink and recreate globalization so that it would benefit people. From these humble beginnings, this alternative annual meeting called the World Social Forum has quickly grown into the world's largest meeting of civil society. Under the slogan “Another World Is Possible,” the forum provides a dynamic and important political venue for activists to discuss strategies of resistance to neoliberal globalization and to present constructive alternatives. As the same time, it has been an arena for perennial discussions regarding the relationship between civil society and political parties in organizing a social movement.
Correlations between feeding type and mandibular morphology in the sika deer
Authors: Ozaki M. , Suwa G. , Kaji K. , Ohba T. , Hosoi E. , Koizumi T. , Takatsuki S.
Published: March 2007

Morphological comparisons of the sika deer Cervus nippon mandible and molars were conducted between two (northern and southern) Japanese subspecific lineages and among local populations of different (‘grazer’ or ‘intermediate feeder’) feeding types. The northern lineage showed greater M1 breadth, M3 hypsodonty and mandibular corpus height than the southern lineage. Such differences were not observed between the ‘grazer’ and ‘intermediate feeder’ populations of the northern lineage. However, a northern population, which inhabits a particularly harsh environment (Kinkazan Island), had the largest values of relative molar size and hypsodonty, although this was not statistically significant. These results imply that, in the Japanese sika deer, the selective pressures acting on the current ‘grazer’ populations are not strong enough to bring out noticeable adaptive change in molar size and hypsodonty, but adaptive change in these traits may occur in an environment that promotes excessive molar wear, more than that seen in the current sika deer habitats of Japan. Combined with what is known of the Pleistocene history of the sika deer, we infer that the ancestral population of the northern Japanese lineage likely acquired their relatively larger and more hypsodont molars in an extremely harsh environment during the last or previous glacial periods.
Den shifting by wolves in semi‐wild landscapes in the Deccan Plateau, Maharashtra, India
Authors: Habib B. , Kumar S.
Published: March 2007

Reproductive success is crucial for the survival and persistence of any species. The Deccan Biogeographic Zone of India is the stronghold of a population of the Indian wolfCanis lupus pallipes. Gaining a better understanding of the den‐use pattern of wolves in different areas in this zone is thus vital for their conservation and management. The wolves excavated multiple dens in our study sites and kept shifting their litters among them. Major disturbance factors around denning sites were active stone quarries, traffic, crop harvesting and livestock movement. One wolf pack used 14 dens in four breeding seasons. Discriminant function analysis indicated that den shifting by wolves was not entirely governed by disturbance levels at den sites. Increasing age of pups was one of the main factors associated with den shifting rather than the magnitude of disturbance (χ2=34.26, d.f.=12,P<0.001). Tolerance to disturbance around dens during the early stages of pup development was negatively correlated (r=−0.519,P<0.05) with availability of water and age of pups (r=−0.613,P<0.01). Excavation of multiple dens by wolves was apparently related to den shifting, which seemingly is a survival strategy of wolves in these semi‐wild human‐dominated landscapes in the Deccan Biogeographic Zone. Principal components analysis indicated that during the initial stages of pup development, nature of the land, den orientation and distance of the den from roads were important cues in addition to age category of pups for den shifting. The analysis also suggested that factors such as distance of the new den where pups are to be transferred, distance from water source and availability of foxVulpes bengalensisholes for den use were also important.
Remarkable genetic homogeneity in unstriped, long‐tailed Ichthyophis along 1500 km of the Western Ghats, India
Authors: Gower D. J. , Dharne M. , Bhatta G. , Giri V. , Vyas R. , Govindappa V. , Oommen O. V. , George J. , Shouche Y. , Wilkinson M.
Published: March 2007

The mountainous Western Ghats are part of a biodiversity hotspot and extend for about 1600 km, lying close and subparallel to the west coast of peninsular India. The region is a centre of diversity for amphibians, and recent preliminary work on some components of both caecilian (Gymnophiona) and frog (Anura) fauna is indicative of a high degree of local endemism. We investigated diversity in mitochondrial rRNA 12S and 16S sequences for long‐tailed, unstriped Ichthyophis (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Ichthyophiidae) that potentially represent four taxonomically confused and poorly known endemic caecilian species. Data were analysed for18 individuals from along c. 1500 km of the Western Ghats region. Genetic diversity is remarkably low, with a maximum uncorrected p‐distance of 0.5%. These DNA sequences and new morphological data do not allow us to reject the null hypothesis that the sample comprises only a single, widely distributed, highly interconnected species. The phylogenetic signal among the data is extremely low. However, population genetic analyses reveal that the Palghat Gap, a c. 30 km discontinuity in the Western Ghats considered to be significant in the biogeography of other organisms occurring in this region, corresponds to a significant subdivision of long‐tailed, unstriped Ichthyophis into two groups.
What can the concept of friendship contribute to the study of national identity?
Authors: KAPLAN DANNY
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACT.This article argues that understanding national identity requires a reappraisal of friendship as a political sentiment. Although studies of nationalism underscored the transformation of face‐to‐face interactions into ties between ‘distant others,’ they failed to acknowledge how sentiments of friendship may be involved. First, following theorising in political philosophy, the Aristotelian paradigm of civic friendship is conceptually applicable to modern civil society based on characteristics such as volition, commitment and sentiment. Second, feminist scholarship has delineated how an implicit discourse of male fraternity underlies the historical realisations of the modern social contract and mediates the notions of both patriotism and nationalism. Finally, networks of male associations and transformations in collective affection from small settings to large‐scale societies contributed to the magnification of a politics of friendship. Consequently, rather than viewing fraternal friendship as a relic of traditional societies, it should be studied as a unique aspect of modern nationalism.
The nationalisation of the human rights debate in Egypt
Authors: ABDELRAHMAN MAHA
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACT. The study of nationalism in Egypt has often focused on Arab nationalism and its relevance to the post‐colonial state building process. The current article shifts the focus to the Egyptian state's strategic use of nationalism as a mechanism for survival and for shoring up its failing legitimacy. In particular, the case of the human rights debate is chosen to show the regime's most recent attempt to ‘nationalise’ a rising movement which promotes universalism and poses a threat to the notion of the nation's homogeneity. By misrepresenting human rights organisations as mouthpieces of Western imperialist powers, the regime has managed to create an image of these organisations as posing a threat to Egypt's national security and undermining its international ‘reputation’. More recently, however, the state has refined its discourse on human rights by promoting an image whereby it is the ‘official agent’ of a more nationalistically defined human rights movement.
Patriotism, nationalism and modernity: the patriotic societies in the Danish conglomerate state, 1769–1814
Authors: ENGELHARDT JULIANE
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACT. This article investigates sixty‐three patriotic societies established in the Danish conglomerate state during the Age of Enlightenment, since they can throw light on the pre‐national collective identities. It explains how the patriotic societies had both an external function in regard to society and an internal function among their members. It analyses how the members comprehended patriotism and how they propagated ideas of solidarity and good citizenship to a wider audience. The patriotism of the eighteenth century is also compared with the nationalism of the nineteenth century, and the way they reflect two different understandings of core concepts such as state, language and folk culture is explained. However, both ideologies correlate to modernity, since they reflect the same dialectic tension in the relationship between the individual, the social community and the modern state.
Indifference towards national identity: what young adults think about being English and British*
Authors: FENTON STEVE
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACT. National identity should be sharply distinguished from nationalism. People speak by reference to a general and assumed membership of a country, and routine markers of behaviour and style may exhibit this sense of membership. This matter‐of‐fact acceptance of ‘national’ membership does not guarantee enthusiasm for the ‘nation’ and it cannot be taken as a signal of nationalism, banal or otherwise. While theoretical statements and assumptions often suggest that national identity is fundamental to individuals in contemporary societies, empirical investigation of people talking about national identity uncovers some broad strands of indifference and hostility towards national identity in general, and towards British and English identities in particular. This may reflect young adults' wish not to appear ‘nationalist’ just as many would wish not to appear racist. But the level of apathy and antagonism towards national identity among young adults suggests that we ought to reconsider any assumption that national identity is ‘normally’ a powerful and important marker, embraced with enthusiasm.