bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparing Dynamic Specifications: The Case of Presidential Approval
Authors: Beck Nathaniel
Published: January 2007

This article compares a variety of models of presidential approval in terms of their dynamic properties and their theoretical underpinnings. Exponential distributed lags, partial adjustment, error correction, and transfer function models are considered. The major difference between the models lies in interpretation rather than statistical properties. The error correction model seems most satisfactory. Approval models based on individual level theories are examined, and found to give no additional purchase.
Serum response factor binding sites differ in three human cell types
Authors: Cooper Sara J. , Trinklein Nathan D. , Nguyen Loan , Myers Richard M.
Published: January 2007

The serum response factor (SRF) is essential for embryonic development and maintenance of muscle cells and neurons. The mechanism by which this factor controls these divergent pathways is unclear. Here we present a genome-wide view of occupancy of SRF at its binding sites with a focus on those that vary with cell type. We used chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) in combination with human promoter microarrays to identify 216 putative SRF binding sites in the human genome. We performed independent quantitative PCR validation at over half of these sites that resulted in 146 sites we assert to be true binding sites at over 90% confidence. Nearly half of the sites are bound by SRF in only one of the three cell types we tested, providing strong evidence for the diverse roles for SRF in different cell types. We also explore possible mechanisms controlling differential binding of SRF in these cell types by assaying cofactor binding, DNA methylation, histone methylation, and histone acetylation at a subset of sites bound preferentially in smooth muscle cells. Although we did not see a strong correlation between SRF binding and epigenetics modifications, at these sites, we propose that SRF cofactors may play an important role in determining cell-dependent SRF binding sites. ELK4 (previously known as SAP-1 [SRF-associated protein-1]) is ubiquitously expressed. Therefore, we expected it to occupy sites where SRF binding is common in all cell types. Indeed, 90% of SRF sites also bound by ELK4 were common to all three cell types. Together, our data provide a more complete understanding of the regulatory network controlled by SRF.
Tinea capitis due to Trichophyton soudanense mimicking bacterial folliculitis
Authors: Ghilardi A. , Massai L. , Gallo A. , Paccagnini E. , Romano C.
Published: January 2007

We report the case of a 36‐year‐old Senegalese male with non‐scarring alopecia of the scalp, including nodules and pustules, diagnosed as tinea capitis caused by Trichophyton soudanense. This dermatophyte is endemic in Central Africa and is becoming more frequent in Europe because of immigration. It has seldom been isolated in Italy. Tinea capitis is common in childhood and it is rare in adults, in which female sex is preferred. In adults, alopecic patches have to be distinguished from those due to other dermatoses inducing alopecia.
Tinea circinata manus due to Microsporum gypseum in a HIV‐positive boy in Uganda, east Africa
Authors: Nenoff P. , Gräser Y. , Kibuka‐Serunkuma L. , Muylowa G. K.
Published: January 2007

A 15‐year‐old HIV‐positive Ugandan boy suffered from several dry and hyperkeratotic lesions of his left hand and forearm with circinated, erythematous and scaly morphology. Microsporum gypseum could be isolated as causative agent of this ringworm. Species differentiation was confirmed and specified by sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer of the ribosomal DNA. Successful topical treatment of the tinea manus was started with clotrimazole‐containing ointment.
Atypical favic invasion of the scalp by Microsporum canis: report of a case and review of reported cases caused by Microsporum species
Authors: Krunic Aleksandar L. , Cetner Aaron , Tesic Vera , Janda William M. , Worobec Sophie
Published: January 2007

Favus is an uncommon pattern of dermatophytic infection of the scalp, glabrous skin and nails. We report the first documented case of favus of the scalp caused by Microsporum canis in an immunocompetent 8‐year‐old girl. The classic and various atypical clinical presentations of favus are discussed, as well as a brief review of the literature given.
Painful legs and moving toes syndrome associated with Hashimoto's disease
Authors: Guimarães J. , Santos L. , Bugalho P.
Published: January 2007

A patient with Hashimoto’ s disease presented with painful legs and moving toes (PLMT). The neurological and electrophysiological findings suggest that, in this case, PLMT syndrome is a variety of dystonic movement and is associated with Hashimoto's disease.
Comparative effects of resistance training on peak isometric torque, muscle hypertrophy, voluntary activation and surface EMG between young and elderly women
Authors: Cannon Jack , Kay Derek , Tarpenning Kyle M. , Marino Frank E.
Published: January 2007

We compared the effect of a 10‐week resistance training program on peak isometric torque, muscle hypertrophy, voluntary activation and electromyogram signal amplitude (EMG) of the knee extensors between young and elderly women. Nine young women (YW; range 20–30 years) and eight elderly women (EW; 64–78 years) performed three sets of ten repetitions at 75% 1 repetition maximum for the bilateral leg extension and bilateral leg curl 3 days per week for 10 weeks. Peak isometric torque, EMG and voluntary activation were assessed before, during, and after the training period, while knee extensor lean muscle cross‐sectional area (LCSA) and lean muscle volume (LMV) were assessed before and after the training period only. Similar increases in peak isometric torque (16% and 18%), LCSA (13% and 12%), LMV (10% and 9%) and EMG (19% and 21%) were observed between YW and EW, respectively, at the completion of training (P<0·05), while the increase in voluntary activation in YW (1·9%) and EW (2·1%) was not significant (P>0·05). These findings provide evidence to indicate that participation in regular resistance exercise can have significant neuromuscular benefits in women independent of age. The lack of change in voluntary activation following resistance training in both age groups despite the increase in EMG may be related to differences between measurements in their ability to detect resistance training‐induced changes in motor unit activity. However, it is possible that neural adaptation did not occur and that the increase in EMG was due to peripheral adaptations.
Influence of Wear on the Behavior of a Two-Lobe Hydrodynamic Journal Bearing Subjected to Numerous Startups and Stops
Authors: Bouyer J. , Fillon M. , Pierre-Danos I.
Published: January 2007

The behavior of the hydrodynamic journal bearings is now very well known because of the many experimental and numerical studies that have been carried out on the topic. This interest in two-lobe journal bearings is due to the fact that their simplicity, efficiency, and low cost have led to them being widely used in industry. These mechanical components tend to be subjected to numerous startups and stops. During transient periods, direct contact between the journal and bearing induces high friction in the lubricated contact and hence wear of the lining. The aim of this work is, first, to present experimental data obtained on a journal lobed bearing subjected to numerous starts and stops. Then, a comparison is made between the measured bearing performance and numerical results, these being obtained on the assumption that the regime is a thermohydrodynamic one. The wear after more than 2000 cycles was measured and used to generate numerical simulations. The aim here was to compare experimental data with theoretical results. It was observed that hydrodynamic pressure increases, whereas the temperature at the film/bush interface slightly decreases on both the upper and lower lobes. These trends are confirmed by the numerical simulations, with theoretical results being very close to experimental data. The final value for wear was measured, the maximum being found to be located at an angular coordinate of 180deg and reaching nearly 9μm. The present study demonstrates that, for the case studied, while the bearing behavior is clearly affected by wear, the bearing still remains useable and safe.
Manipulation of Base Excision Repair to Sensitize Ovarian Cancer Cells to Alkylating Agent Temozolomide
Authors: Fishel Melissa L. , He Ying , Smith Martin L. , Kelley Mark R.
Published: January 2007

Purpose: To improve the treatment of women with ovarian cancer, we are investigating the modulation of a prominent DNA-damaging agent, temozolomide, by manipulating the DNA base excision repair (BER) pathway via BER inhibitor, methoxyamine, and overexpression of N-methylpurine DNA glycosylase (MPG).

Experimental Design: Enhancement of temozolomide via methoxyamine and MPG overexpression was analyzed using in vitro assays, including 3-(4-5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium salt (MTS) assay, apoptosis via Annexin staining, and Western blotting for H2AX phosphorylation to quantitate DNA damage.

Results: Our data show that we can effectively modulate the activity of the chemotherapeutic agent, temozolomide, via modulator methoxyamine, in three ovarian cancer cell lines, SKOV-3x, Ovcar-3, and IGROV-1. This enhancement of temozolomide-induced cytotoxicity is not dependent on p53 status as we transfected an ovarian cancer cell line with a dominant-negative p53-expressing plasmid (IGROV-1mp53) and obtained similar results. Our results show that MPG-overexpressing IGROV-1 and IGROV-1mp53 cells are significantly more sensitive to the clinical chemotherapeutic temozolomide in combination with methoxyamine as assayed by cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and levels of DNA damage than either agent alone.

Conclusions: These studies show that although clinical trials in ovarian cancer to determine temozolomide single-agent efficacy are in development, through manipulation of the BER pathway, an increase in response to temozolomide is achieved. The combination of temozolomide plus methoxyamine has potential for second-line therapy for patients who have failed standard platinum plus paclitaxel chemotherapy.
Pilot Study of Rosiglitazone Therapy in Women with Breast Cancer: Effects of Short-term Therapy on Tumor Tissue and Serum Markers
Authors: Yee Lisa D. , Williams Nita , Wen Ping , Young Donn C. , Lester Joanne , Johnson Maria V. , Farrar William B. , Walker Michael J. , Povoski Stephen P. , Suster Saul , Eng Charis
Published: January 2007

Purpose: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is a steroid nuclear receptor that is activated by natural compounds such as specific fatty acids and synthetic drugs such as thiazolidinedione antidiabetic agents. Expressed in normal and malignant mammary epithelial cells, activation of PPARγ is associated with antiproliferative effects on human breast cancer cells in preclinical studies. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that PPARγ ligand therapy might inhibit tumor growth and progression in human breast cancer.

Experimental Design: We conducted a pilot trial of short-term (2-6 weeks) treatment with the thiazolidinedione rosiglitazone in 38 women with early-stage (Tis-T2, N0-1, M0) breast cancer, administered between the time of diagnostic biopsy and definitive surgery.

Results: Short-term treatment with rosiglitazone (8 mg/d) did not elicit significant effects on breast tumor cell proliferation using Ki67 expression as a measure of cell proliferation and surrogate marker of tumor growth and progression. In pretreatment tumors notable for nuclear expression of PPARγ by immunohistochemistry, down-regulation of nuclear PPARγ expression occurred following rosiglitazone administration (P = 0.005). No PPARG mutations were identified, and the incidence of P12A and H446H polymorphisms did not differ relative to U.S. controls (P = 0.5). Treatment with rosiglitazone resulted in increased serum adiponectin (P < 0.001), decreased insulin levels (P = 0.005), and increased insulin sensitivity (P = 0.004). Rosiglitazone was well tolerated without serious adverse events.

Conclusion: Our data indicate that short-term rosiglitazone therapy in early-stage breast cancer patients leads to local and systemic effects on PPARγ signaling that may be relevant to breast cancer.
Plasma Phytoestrogens and Subsequent Breast Cancer Risk
Authors: Verheus Martijn , van Gils Carla H. , Keinan-Boker Lital , Grace Philip B. , Bingham Sheila A. , Peeters Petra H.M.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Phytoestrogens are plant compounds that are structurally and functionally similar to mammalian estrogens. By competing for estrogen receptors, phytoestrogens possibly inhibit binding of the more potent endogenous estrogens and decrease their potential effects on breast cancer risk. We investigated the association between plasma phytoestrogen levels and breast cancer risk in a prospective manner.

Patients and Methods

We performed a nested case-control study within the Prospect cohort, one of the two Dutch cohorts participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. A total of 383 women (87 pre- or perimenopausal women [mean age, 52 years] and 296 postmenopausal women [mean age, 59 years]) who developed breast cancer were selected as case subjects and were matched to 383 controls, on date of blood sampling. Plasma levels of isoflavones (daidzein, genistein, glycitein, O-desmethylangolensin, and equol) and lignans (enterodiol and enterolactone) were measured. The isotope dilution liquid chromatography/tandem mass-spectrometry method incorporating triply13C-labeled standards was used for all analyses. Breast cancer odds ratios were calculated for tertiles of phytoestrogen plasma levels using conditional logistic regression analysis.

Results

For genistein, the risk estimate for the highest versus the lowest tertile was 0.68 (95% CI, 0.47 to 0.98). Similar protective effects, although not statistically significant, were seen for the other isoflavones. Lignan levels did not appear to be related to breast cancer risk. Results were the same in pre- or perimenopausal women, and in postmenopausal women.

Conclusion

High genistein circulation levels are associated with reduced breast cancer risk in the Dutch population. No effects of lignans on breast cancer risk were observed.
Core requirements of the adenine riboswitch aptamer for ligand binding
Authors: Lemay Jean-FranÇois , Lafontaine Daniel A.
Published: January 2007

The adenine riboswitch aptamer, the A box, positively regulates gene expression upon adenine binding. To provide insight into structure–function relationships, important for the adenine riboswitch aptamer, we have created alignments for six aptamer sequences that reveal the core requirements. In addition, 2-aminopurine (2AP) binding studies have been used to test the consensus sequence derived from the alignment. Overall, the consensus secondary structure is consistent with 2AP binding studies. However, a position in the core, previously identified as variable, shows restriction in nucleotide sequence. Furthermore, this restriction is found to be related with the ligand specificity of the riboswitch. The implications of this relationship for the riboswitch gene regulation mechanism are discussed.
Is a “Wage-Payment” Model for Research Participation Appropriate for Children?
Authors: Bagley Stephen J. , Reynolds William W. , Nelson Robert M.
Published: January 2007

OBJECTIVE. Our goal was to evaluate the applicability of a “wage-payment” model to inducements for children to participate in research.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS. We interviewed 42 children and adolescents between the ages of 4 and 16 years who had diabetes, asthma, seizures, or no chronic medical condition. The interview explored hypothetical participation decisions for up to 4 research scenarios. To evaluate factors that would influence children and adolescents' decision-making for research participation, we probed for the impact of monetary and other incentives. The interviews were transcribed and coded for specific themes related to money or other rewards and incentives.

RESULTS. Older children, mainly those >9 years of age, showed an appreciation for the role and value of money through (a) an accurate concept of the material value of money in society or (b) asking for a realistic amount of money in exchange for their research participation. Younger children, primarily those <9 years of age, showed an inability to appreciate the role and value of money by: (a) asking for excessive monetary amounts that bore no relationship to the sum warranted by participation; (b) having no concept of what that money could buy; (c) not comprehending the meaning of a wage as earning a reward for working; or (d) justifying proposed amounts with reasons unrelated to the time and effort involved.

CONCLUSIONS. An age-appropriate token of appreciation as an inducement for research participation is appropriate for the younger child who is <9 years old, because they generally have an inadequate understanding of the value of money and, therefore, the meaning of a wage. A wage-payment model for compensating older children (>9 years of age) and adolescents for the time and effort of research participation is appropriate because they generally understand the meaning and value of a wage.
Preventing and Treating Homesickness
Authors: Thurber Christopher A. , Walton Edward ,   and the Council on School Health
Published: January 2007

This Clinical Report was retired November 2017.

Homesickness is the distress and functional impairment caused by an actual or anticipated separation from home and attachment objects such as parents. It is characterized by acute longing and preoccupying thoughts of home. Almost all children, adolescents, and adults experience some degree of homesickness when they are apart from familiar people and environments. Pediatricians and other health care professionals are in a unique position to assist families in understanding the etiology, prevention, and treatment of homesickness. In the case of planned separations, such as summer camp, techniques are provided that may aid in prevention. In the case of unanticipated or traumatic separations, such as hospitalization, effective treatment strategies are available.
Cord Blood Banking for Potential Future Transplantation
Authors:   Section on Hematology/Oncology and Section on Allergy/Immunology
Published: January 2007

This Policy Statement was retired May 2012.

In recent years, umbilical cord blood, which contains a rich source of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, has been used successfully as an alternative allogeneic donor source to treat a variety of pediatric genetic, hematologic, immunologic, and oncologic disorders. Because there is diminished risk of graft-versus-host disease after transplantation of cord stem cells using matched related donors, the use of less-than-completely matched HLA cord blood stem cells may incur less risk of graft-versus-host disease than mismatched cells from either a related or unrelated “walking” donor, although this remains to be proven. Gene-therapy research involving modification of autologous cord blood stem cells for the treatment of childhood genetic disorders, although experimental at the present time, may prove to be of value. These scientific advances have resulted in the establishment of not-for-profit and for-profit cord blood–banking programs for allogeneic and autologous cord blood transplantation. Many issues confront institutions that wish to establish or participate in such programs. Parents often seek information from their physicians about this new biotechnology option. This document is intended to provide information to guide physicians in responding to parents’ questions about cord blood donation and banking and the types and quality of cord blood banks. Provided also are recommendations about appropriate ethical and operational standards, including informed consent policies, financial disclosures, and conflict-of-interest policies for physicians, institutions, and organizations that operate or have a relationship with cord blood–banking programs.
Meteorological study for Gangotri Glacier and its comparison with other high altitude meteorological stations in central Himalayan region
Authors: Singh Pratap , Haritashya Umesh K. , Kumar Naresh
Published: January 2007

In spite of the vital role of high altitude climatology in melting of snow and glaciers, retreat or advancement of glaciers, flash floods, erosion and sediment transport, etc., weather conditions are not much studied for the high altitude regions of Himalayas. In this study, a comprehensive meteorological analysis has been made for the Gangotri Meteorological Station (Bhagirathi Valley, Garhwal Himalayas) using data observed for four consecutive melt seasons (2000–2003) covering a period from May to October for each year. The collected meteorological data includes rainfall, temperature, wind speed and direction, relative humidity, sunshine hours and evaporation. The results and their distribution over the different melt seasons were compared with available meteorological records for Dokriani Meteorological Station (Dingad Valley, Garhwal Himalayas) and Pyramid Meteorological Station (Khumbu Valley, Nepal Himalayas). The magnitude and distribution of temperature were found to be similar for different Himalayan regions, while rainfall varied from region to region. The influence of the monsoon was meagre on the rainfall in these areas. July was recorded to be the warmest month for all the regions and, in general, August had the maximum rainfall. For all the stations, daytime up-valley wind speeds were 3 to 4 times stronger than the nighttime down-valley wind speeds. It was found that the Gangotri Glacier area experienced relatively low humidity and high evaporation rates as compared to other parts of the Himalayas. Such analysis reveals the broad meteorological characteristics of the high altitude areas of the Central Himalayan region.
Introduction to ecosystem governance: focusing on Africa
Authors: Hattingh J. , Maree G. A. , Ashton P. J. , Leaner J. J. , Rascher J. , Turton A. R.
Published: January 2007

The last two decades have been marked by a dramatic increase in global attention to the concept of governance, especially in relation to the effective and sustainable management of natural resources. Furthermore, South Africa has been through a rapid transition to democracy since 1994 with significant changes in government, society and within the legislative environment. Despite the highly desirable attributes of these landmark pieces of legislation, almost a decade after their promulgation South African government authorities are still struggling to implement the requirements of these Acts. An investigation by the South African CSIR into the reasons for the non-implementation indicated that an incomplete understanding of the importance of governance was a central reason for the lack of successful implementation and that the concept of “governance” had not really been fully defined or explored. Countries and regions differed in their understanding and interpretation of “governance”, whilst equally wide differences were recorded in countries that had different levels of socio-economic and political development. In an effort to unpack the so-called “black box” of governance, a group of international specialists were invited to review governance issues related to their areas of technical specialization, covering different levels of development and maturity of democracy. Each specialist was challenged to interrogate a new “Trialogue” hypothesis on governance. A selection of the manuscripts is published in this special edition of Water Policy entitled Ecosystem Governance in Africa.
Study of a 5 kW PEMFC Using Experimental Design and Statistical Analysis Techniques
Authors: Wahdame B. , Candusso D. , François X. , Harel F. , De Bernardinis A. , Kauffmann J.‐M. , Coquery G.
Published: January 2007

Within the framework of the French inter lab SPACT project (Fuel Cell Systems for Transportation Applications), the behavior of a 5 kW PEM fuel cell stack, fed by humidified hydrogen and compressed air, is investigated in a test platform at Belfort, France.

A set of polarization curves are recorded, under various conditions of stack temperature, gas pressure, and stoichiometry rates, in order to obtain a kind of cartography, representing the static stack performance. Initially, the tests are defined considering experimental design techniques.

In order to study the relative impacts of the physical factors on the fuel cell voltage, some polarization curve results are selected from the static tests available applying experimental design methodology.

First, several analyses are used to estimate the impact of the stack temperature, gas pressure, and stoichiometry rate on the fuel cell voltage. Statistical sensitivity analyses (ANOVA) are used to compute, from the available data, the effects and respective contributions of the various physical factors on the stack voltage. The potential for the detection of any interactions between the different parameters is shown. Also, some graphic representations are used to display the results of the statistical analyses made for different current values of the polarization curves. Then, the experimental design method and its associated statistical tools are employed in order to identify the influence of the stack temperature and gas pressure on the fuel cell voltage. Moreover, it is shown how it is possible to reduce the number of experiments needed and how certain optimizations of the fuel cell operating parameters leading to higher performances can be achieved.

The work presented aims at showing the suitability of the experimental design method for the characterization, analysis, and improvement of a complex system like a fuel cell generator. The future outlook is proposed in the final part of the paper. The methodologies developed for the analysis of the tests performed on the 5 kW stack could also be used to study different fuel cells and phenomena. For instance, the roles of additional physical parameters, linked with the gas humidification process, could be considered.
On the chemistry of 5‐aryl‐2‐hydrazino‐benzo[6,7]cyclohepta[1,2‐b]pyrido[2,3‐e] pyrimidin‐4‐one
Authors: El‐Gazzar A. B. A. , Abu‐Zied Kh. M. , El‐Din N. Khir
Published: January 2007

Several pyrido[2,3‐e]pyrimidine fused with other rings have been prepared by intramolecular cyclization of 5‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐2‐hydrazino‐benzo [6,7]cyclohepta‐[1,2‐b]pyrido[2,3‐e]pyrimidine‐4‐one (1) with acids, carbon disulfide to form triazole derivatives (2,4), halo‐ketones to give triazine derivative (5), β‐ketoesters, β‐cyanoesters, and β‐diketones to yield 2‐(1‐pyrazolyl) derivatives (7,9,10), and aldehydes to form arylhydrazone derivatives (11a,b) which cyclized to form triazoles (12a,b). Also, acyclic N‐nucleosides are prepared by heating under reflux 2‐hydrazino‐benzo[6,7]cyclohepta[1,2‐b]pyrido[2,3‐e] pyrimidin‐4‐one (1) with xylose and glucose to give the corresponding acyclic N‐nucleosides (13a,b) which are cyclized to afford the corresponding protected tetra and penta–O‐acetate C‐nucleosides (14a,b). Deacetylating of the latter nucleosides afforded the free acyclic C‐nucleosides (15a,b). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 18:34–43, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20248
Differential fragmentation patterns of pectin oligogalacturonides observed by nanoelectrospray quadrupole ion‐trap mass spectrometry using automated spectra interpretation
Authors: Mutenda Kudzai E. , Matthiesen Rune , Roepstorff Peter
Published: January 2007

Oligogalacturonides of different degrees of polymerization (DP) and methyl esterification (DE) were structurally analyzed by nanoESI quadrupole ion‐trap mass spectrometry. The fragmentation patterns of the oligogalacturonides were compared using the program ‘Virtual Expert Mass Spectrometrist’ (VEMS) for structural annotation. In the analyzed oligogalacturonides of lower DP, the generation of C/Y ions, i.e. ions retaining the glycosidic oxygen, was higher than that of B/Z ions. In general, with oligogalacturonides of higher DP, the B/Z ions were generated more abundantly. Oligogalacturonides with free carboxylic acid groups underwent higher water loss compared to fully methyl‐esterified oligogalacturonides under the same fragmentation conditions. Cross‐ring cleavage, in which fragmentation occurs across the ring system of the galacturonate residue and signified by unique mass losses, was observed to be higher in fully methyl‐esterified oligogalacturonides than in non‐methyl‐esterified ones. This study demonstrates the different fragmentation patterns of oligogalacturonides as influenced by the presence or absence of methyl ester groups. For a detailed analysis of unknown oligogalacturonides, cross‐ring fragmentation gives more structural information than glycosidic bond cleavage. One implication of this is that more structural information is obtained when analyzing methyl‐esterified oligogalacturonides than non‐methyl‐esterified ones in an ion‐trap instrument. This is of particular importance in pectin chemistry, where mass spectrometry has become the technique of choice for structural determination. Although this study was not designed to explain the mechanisms of oligogalacturonide fragmentation, possible explanations for why non‐methyl‐esterified oligogalacturonides undergo more water loss than methyl‐esterified ones will be postulated. In addition, the VEMS program was extended to automatically interpret and assign the fragment ions peaks generated in this study. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Electron spin dynamics in GaAsN and InGaAsN structures
Authors: Lagarde D. , Lombez L. , Marie X. , Balocchi A. , Amand T. , Kalevich V. K. , Shiryaev A. , Ivchenko E. , Egorov A.
Published: January 2007

We report on optical orientation experiments in undoped GaAsN epilayers and InGaAsN quantum wells (QW), showing that a strong electron spin polarisation can persist at room temperature. We demonstrate that the spin dynamics in these dilute nitride structures is governed by a spin‐dependent recombination process of free conduction electrons on deep paramagnetic centres. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Injection level dependent luminescence characteristics of UV–violet emitting (AlGaIn)N LED structures
Authors: Kunzer M. , Baeumler M. , Köhler K. , Leancu C.‐C. , Kaufmann U. , Wagner J.
Published: January 2007

A series of (AlGaIn)N LEDs covering the 377 to 428 nm wavelength interval has been analyzed by pulsed electro‐ and temperature dependent photo‐luminescence with respect to the carrier density dependence of the quantum efficiency and peak position. A non‐thermal rollover of the quantum efficiency vs. current is observed for the LEDs with higher In content and longer wavelengths (λ > 400 nm). The photoluminescence data reveal In induced band tails as well as the presence of a quantum confined stark effect. Both effects contribute to the observed non‐thermal rollover. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
A mini challenge: build a verifiable filesystem
Authors: Joshi Rajeev , Holzmann Gerard J.
Published: January 2007

We propose tackling a “mini challenge” problem: a nontrivial verification effort that can be completed in 2–3 years, and will help establish notational standards, common formats, and libraries of benchmarks that will be essential in order for the verification community to collaborate on meeting Hoare’s 15-year verification grand challenge. We believe that a suitable candidate for such a mini challenge is the development of a filesystem that is
verifiably
reliable and secure. The paper argues why we believe a filesystem is the right candidate for a mini challenge and describes a project in which we are building a small embedded filesystem for use with flash memory.
Thermal instability in drawing viscous threads
Authors: WYLIE JONATHAN J. , HUANG HUAXIONG , MIURA ROBERT M.
Published: January 2007

We consider the stretching of a thin viscous thread, whose viscosity depends on temperature, that is heated by a radiative heat source. The thread is fed into an apparatus at a fixed speed and stretched by imposing a higher pulling speed at a fixed downstream location. We show that thermal effects lead to the surprising result that steady states exist for which the force required to stretch the thread can decrease when the pulling speed is increased. By considering the nature of the solutions, we show that a simple physical mechanism underlies this counterintuitive behaviour. We study the stability of steady-state solutions and show that a complicated sequence of bifurcations can arise. In particular, both oscillatory and non-oscillatory instabilities can occur in small isolated windows of the imposed pulling speed.
Enhanced modal gain of multilayer InAs∕InGaAs∕GaAs quantum dot lasers emitting at 1300nm
Authors: Salhi A. , Fortunato L. , Martiradonna L. , Cingolani R. , De Vittorio M. , Passaseo A.
Published: January 2007

The optical properties of multilayer InAs∕InGaAs quantum dots (QDs) with different GaAs barrier thicknesses have been investigated. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity is found to increase with increasing GaAs barrier thickness. For thicknesses larger than 40nm the PL intensity increases linearly with the number of the QD layers, with a considerable narrowing of the full width at half maximum (from 33to26meV for active regions consisting of three QD layers). This growth protocol has been applied to laser structures containing stacked InAs∕InGaAs QD layers. The broad area processed devices exhibit a modal gain as high as 30 and 41cm−1 for structures embedding five and seven QD layers, respectively, which corresponds to 6cm−1 per QD layer. The internal quantum efficiency and the transparency current density per QD layer were approximately 70% and 10A∕cm2, respectively, for both structures.
Illustrations of Just and Tempered Intonation
Authors: Ellis Alexander John
Published: January 2007

Mr. Ellis commenced as follows:— ‘By intonation is here meant a selection of musical sounds of certain degrees of pitch, made according to some fixed principle. It is called just, when that principle is to make the consonances as perfect as possible. It is called tempered, when the degrees of just intonation are slightly altered, with a view of materially facilitating performance on instruments having fixed tones, and, since the introduction of harmony, with the intention of injuring the consonances as little as may be compatible with that facilitation. That is to say, just intonation prefers harmony to manipulation—tempered intonation prefers manipulation to harmony. To understand this distinction thoroughly, and the various contrivances that have been proposed for serving at once the muse and the instrumentalist, it is necessary to know on what consonance and its deterioration depend. This requires a knowledge of the nature of musical sound itself, such as has been collected and clearly explained, within the last thirteen years, by Professor Helmholtz. But the results may be readily felt and appreciated by simply hearing a few experiments and harmonies. It seemed to me, therefore, that I should be rendering a service to the Musical Association if I showed a few of the elementary experiments in a manner which anyone could reproduce for himself, and also exhibited the effect of the principal tempered intonations, as contrasted with the just, in the chief forms of harmony. In doing so, I shall endeavour to reduce my observations to the merest thread sufficient to string my illustrations together, and refer those who wish to enter fully into the subject to my translation of Professor Helmholtz's work on the Sensations of Tone.’
Photographs of the Throat in Singing
Authors: Behnke Emil
Published: January 2007

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,—I know the time of this Association is very precious, and I do not intend to exceed it. I will, therefore, not make any preliminary remarks, but shall at once commence my subject. By means of the sketch you now see on the screen I propose to explain as briefly as possible the position of the parts that had to be photographed. There are only two things I need say anything about; the one is the larynx, and the other the soft palate. There is no necessity to say anything about the others, because they speak for themselves. The larynx, or voice box, you see down below in the throat. This is the left half of the body, the right half being supposed to be cut away. Here you see the left vocal cord, or left vocal ligament, and above that this curved line shows the left pocket ligament, and between these two ligaments there is an opening. That is the opening running into the left ventricle, or pouch or pocket of the larynx. It is maintained by some that, in the act of singing, a tone is imprisoned, as it were, in the cavity formed between these two pairs of ligaments, and that an explosion takes place which ushers the tone into the world. It has always been a mystery to me how a tone can be imprisoned. I can understand that air can be imprisoned, but not a tone. I shall be able to show to you quite plainly—in fact, it is one of the lessons enforced by these photographs—that the pocket ligaments never meet in phonation, therefore it is quite impossible that any air or tone could be imprisoned in the cavity between those ligaments and the vocal ligaments. If we go a little higher up, we see here the lid or epiglottis forming, with some adjoining parts, a tube through which the air passes up and down, and over which the food goes in the act of swallowing. The food has to pass over the voice box and behind the wind-pipe, through the gullet into the stomach, and the lid allows itself to be drawn over the aperture of the tube just described, thereby closing it. If at any time that act is not performed properly a little food will find its way into the voice box, with what result we all know. We then say the food has gone “the wrong way.” It is very necessary to be clear about this tube. Through it we have to breathe and to sing, and down it we have to look by means of the laryngoscope if we wish to see what is going on in the larynx.
Music and Drama in the Operas of Giovanni Bononcini
Authors: Ford Anthony
Published: January 2007

Giovanni Bononcini was born at Modena on 18 July 1670. Not long after the death of his father in 1678 he moved to Bologna, where he completed his musical education, held his first posts as a church musician and published his first eight collections, largely of instrumental music. He left Bologna for Rome in 1691 and composed there his first operas, beginning with Xerse in January 1694. To this period also belongs the opera Il trionfo di Camilla, Regina de' Volsci which was first performed at Naples on 27 December 1696, and achieved international renown. By 1699 he had moved to Vienna where he wrote music for 21 dramatic works of various sorts between that year and 1710, including ten full-length operas. Two serenatas for Berlin and one opera and part of a pasticcio for Italy also date from this period.
The Role of Music in Eighteenth- and Early Nineteenth-Century Aesthetics
Authors: Le Huray Peter
Published: January 2007

Few readers will be unfamiliar with E. T. A. Hoffmann's imaginative music criticism, and especially with his essay on Beethoven's instrumental music in which the author compares the music of Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn. Haydn, Hoffmann suggested, leads us through green groves and amongst throngs of happy people. We find there life such as was before the Fall, full of bliss, with no pain or suffering other than a sweet, sad longing for the beloved. Mozart, however, leads us into the very heart of the spirit world. Fear grips us, but not a torturing fear; rather a premonition of the infinite. Tender accents of love and melancholy are to be heard, and we follow with inexpressible longing the figures that wave to us in friendly greeting as they soar through the clouds in the eternal dance of the spheres. Beethoven, on the other hand, transports us to the realms of the monstrous and the unfathomable. Glowing rays flash through the deep night and we are conscious of giant, surging shadows that close in on us, obliterating everything within us other than the pain of infinite yearning. Hoffmann's prose is striking; indeed, nothing quite like it had existed before. His criticisms are veritable symphonies in words of which Ludwig Tieck would surely have been proud. Original as this kind of criticism may have been, though, the ideas behind it owe rather more to the immediate past than is at first sight apparent. We have only to explore one or two of the paths that lead through the forbidding no-man's-land of eighteenth-century musical aesthetics to see that this was so, paths that once were much frequented but which are now sadly overgrown.
Shadwell and Locke's Psyche: the French Connection
Authors: Lefkowitz Murray
Published: January 2007

Upon the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 Matthew Locke received three places in the king's Musick: private composer to the King in the place of John Coprario, composer in the wind music in place of Alfonso Ferrabosco (ii), and a new place as composer for the band of violins. He was also made organist to the Queen at her chapel (probably because of his Catholic religion), and he composed the music for the elaborate celebrations marking the return of the King to London. Locke was then thirty-eight years old, and in his spare time he moonlighted as composer for the Duke of York's Theatre Company organized by Sir William Davenant.
The Traditions of Don Juan Plays and Comic Operas
Authors: Pirrotta Nino
Published: January 2007

Beethoven's sharp criticism of Mozart's Don Giovanni was an expression of uncompromising moral and artistic standards. One wonders, however, to what extent it also reflected an aristocratic Viennese bias against a plot disreputable per se, which in addition had been handled by a librettist and a composer neither of whom had really achieved an approved social status in the capital of the Habsburg Empire.
Berlioz's Swan-Song: Towards a Criticism of Béatrice et Bénédict
Authors: Rushton Julian
Published: January 2007

Béatrice et Bénédict is the last work of a great romantic. Yet, like Verdi's Falstaff with which it is tempting to make comparisons, it is a neo-classical comic opera. With both composers surprise at this last turn in their careers-is tempered by knowledge of admirable comedy in earlier operas (such as Un ballo in maschera and Benvenuto Cellini); and Berlioz's overt nec-classicism is perhaps, after Les troyens, hardly surprising at all. What is remarkable is that Béatrice et Bénédict is Berlioz's only Shakespearean opera, and one of only two full-length works based on the poet he idolized for more than forty years. It is not the first time, however, that Berlioz had dealt with Shakespeare's comedies. Although his first introduction to Shakespeare, and his profoundest experience of him in the theatre, concerned Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, he was also inspired by plays he had only read, and his first Shakespearean composition was the fantasy-overture The Tempest (1830), followed by the overture King Lear (1831). Lines from The Merchant of Venice appear in Les troyens (no. 37). Berlioz almost certainly never saw Much Ado About Nothing, but as early as 1833 he asked a friend to lend him a copy, as he planned ‘a very merry Italian opera’ on the subject. The idea resurfaced in 1852. A full scenario survives from that period, but it bears no relation to the opera which reached the stage at Baden in 1862 beyond the two principal characters. The opera reached its final form in 1863, just thirty years after its conception; after the first performances Berlioz added two new numbers, of which the first, the Trio no. 11, is his last substantial composition, his swan-song.
The Vocal Scoring, Choral Balance and Performing Pitch of Latin Church Polyphony in England, c.1500-58
Authors: Bowers Roger
Published: January 2007

Embedded into the approaches to their crafts adopted inescapably by the composers and performance directors of church polyphony in England during the century or so before the Reformation were a number of constraints imposed by extraneous factors over which they had no control, but which effected a decisive influence over both the resulting form and the sound of the music which they produced in their respective capacities. Looming large among these was the nature of the performing medium. Over most aspects of this neither composer nor director exercised any influence at all; in terms of, for instance, the simple number of executants, they were obliged to produce music for and from the medium which their ecclesiastical superiors saw fit to provide, and the principal priority of the latter was the realization not of occasional polyphony for the liturgy, but of its standard plainsong and ceremonial as laid down by the authorized service books. Within these predetermined numbers of priests, clerks and choristers, however, the principal musicians presumably enjoyed some scope for nominating the constituent numbers of executants of the various timbres of voice necessary for mounting a performance of polyphony. The decisions taken by the musicians themselves in an area such as this that lay probably within their discretion have much to reveal about the nature of the choral balance and of the vocal scoring that they envisaged as appropriate for their music, and also – by inference from the latter – its sounding pitch.
Beethoven's Portfolio of Bagatelles
Authors: Cooper Barry
Published: January 2007

Beethoven published two sets of bagatelles during the 1820s – op. 119 (11 pieces) and op. 126 (six pieces) – but it is known that he considered publishing several other bagatelles as well at this time. Exactly which pieces these were, and why he did not publish them in the end, are matters which have never been thoroughly investigated; but an examination of these and related questions helps to throw new light on the two published sets as well as revealing interesting features about the unpublished bagatelles, none of which was printed until long after his death.
Mozart's ‘Haydn’ Quartets: Composing Up and Down without Rules
Authors: Cavett-Dunsby Esther
Published: January 2007

In Classical sonata form, the second group - usually in the dominant or relative major - is normally recapitulated in the tonic. This means that a composer of sonatas must choose whether to transpose the second group in the recapitulation up or down a fourth/fifth or sixth/third. What advice, then, would Mozart have offered if his pupil Thomas Attwood had asked him how to decide whether the second group should come back transposed up or down?
Rhetorical Aspects of the Renaissance Modes
Authors: Meier Bernhard
Published: January 2007

The ‘rhetorical’ character of Renaissance music – or, more precisely, of the vocal music of that period – is generally well known. Briefly: the musical segmentation of every vocal composition of that period is determined by the syntactic division of its text; each individual word that is suited to musical ‘translation’ not only renders this quasi-allegorical representation possible, but absolutely requires it; and the ability to discover such ‘allegories’, to apply them appropriately and thus to enrich the expressive vocabulary of music was regarded as the chief measure of the competence of a composer.
English Country Psalmodists and their Publications, 1700–1760
Authors: Hunter David
Published: January 2007

The singing of metrical psalms, canticles, some anthems and a few hymns in the ‘old way’ constituted almost the sole musical activity in English parish church services after the Restoration. By the start of the eighteenth century a reform was under way. Parish clerks ceased to line out the psalms for the benefit of congregations. As the clergy and gentry generally disdained to assist the improvement of music and only the wealthiest urban churches could afford organs, congregations took their lead from choirs trained by itinerant singing-masters. Church music became divided between the art music of cathedrals, chapels and rich parishes and the popular psalmody performed elsewhere.