bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Party Autonomy, Distributive Justice and the Conclusion of Contracts in the DCFR
Authors: Eidenmüller Horst
Published: May 2009

The rules on the conclusion of contracts are at the core of contract law. This article aims not only to describe these rules contained in Book II of the academic Draft Common Frame of Reference (DCFR) but also to illustrate the underlying values and policies. The DCFR severely restricts contractual freedom and pursues distributive aims. Unfortunately, it is certainly inefficient and often even impossible to achieve the latter goal through private law. The DCFR's provisions on non-discrimination, withdrawal rights as well as on contractual fairness in particular are critically examined against this background. These provisions address important problems, but they are not based on a convincing private law theory. The article suggests various improvements of the DCFR's rules to take party autonomy, and hence efficiency, more seriously.
Complex formation and solubility of Pu(IV) with malonic and succinic acids
Authors: Sasaki Takayuki , Kobayashi Taishi , Takagi I. , Moriyama Hirotake , Fujiwara A. , Kulyako Yu. M. , Perevalov S. , Myasoedov Boris F.
Published: May 2009

The complex formation constants of tetravalent plutonium ion with malonic and succinic acids in aqueous solution were determined by the solvent-extraction method. Also, by taking the known values of the solubility products, the hydrolysis constants and the formation constants, the experimental solubility data of plutonium in the presence of carboxylates were analyzed.
New insights in the formation processes of Pu(IV) colloids
Authors: Walther Clemens , Rothe Jörg , Brendebach Boris , Fuss Markus , Altmaier Marcus , Marquardt Christian M. , Büchner Sebastian , Cho Hye-Ryun , Yun J.-I. , Seibert Alice
Published: May 2009

The high tendency of tetravalent plutonium to form polymeric complexes and colloids is well known but the exact processes underlying their formation are still controversially discussed. In the present work, the nucleation of small polynuclear hydroxide complexes, i.e. , ionic species containing more than one Pu ion, their aggregation and formation of larger colloids (polymers exceeding some 5 nm in size) and finally ripening processes of freshly formed amorphous Pu(IV) colloids towards more crystalline particles are investigated by use of a combination of various spectroscopic techniques. By electrospray mass-spectrometry small polymers such as dimers, trimers and tetramers containing mixed oxidation states of Pu were observed. These polymers might be responsible for the equilibration between the Pu(III)/Pu(IV) and the plutonyl species Pu(V)/Pu(VI) even in dilute solutions in the absence of colloids or precipitates.
Some aspects of neptunium acetohydroxamic acid chemistry under acidic conditions
Authors: Sarsfield Mark J. , Taylor Robin J. , Boxall C. , Adrieux F. , Sims H. E.
Published: May 2009

Hydroxamic acids are promising complexant based alternatives to the reductant (U4+ or Fe2+) based selective stripping of Np (and Pu) from a uranium loaded 30% TBP/OK solvent during the reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuels. Acetohydroxamic acid (AHA) has the benefits of being both a reductant and complexant that efficiently strips Np (and Pu) from solvent phase without adding salt wastes to actinide separation processes. To model these processes, an understanding of Np-hydroxamate chemistry in aqueous and organic solvent is necessary. Three aspects of this system are discussed.
Formation and stability of actinide oxides: a valence band photoemission study
Authors: Seibert Alice , Gouder T. , Huber F.
Published: May 2009

Thin films of the actinides from Th to Am were investigated concerning their oxidation with molecular oxygen and the more reactive atomic oxygen. Photoemission spectroscopy was used to perform chemical analysis of the surface/near surface (bulk) region of actinide thin films produced by sputter deposition, therewith giving insight into oxidation and corrosion processes on these surfaces, as well as providing direct evidence on their electronic structure. Reaction intermediates (chemisorbed species, top-surface oxides) and the stable bulk oxides were identified and characterised. Their formation throughout the actinide series is interpreted in the framework of the electronic structure information.
Plutonium traces in atmospheric precipitation and in aerosols from Krakow and Bialystok
Authors: Kierepko Renata , Mietelski Jerzy W. , Borowiec W. , Tarasiewicz S. , Blazej S. , Kapala J.
Published: May 2009

The appearance of plutonium isotopes in the environment was connected with the human activity, mainly: nuclear weapon tests (global fallout), nuclear accident in Chernobyl (1986), disintegration of satellite SNAP 9 (1963) and releases from nuclear reprocessing factories. At present, the concentration of plutonium in the atmosphere is very small but still observable.

The aim of the study is to report and to discuss the results of plutonium alpha-emitters determination from sampling aerosols in air (Krakow 1990–1998, 2001–2002 and Bialystok 1996–1998, 2001) and in precipitation (Krakow 2005–2006). Plutonium activity concentration in air samples (in Krakow and Bialystok) varied in range: 0.22±0.04 nBq/m3 to 17.1±1.3 nBq/m3 for 239+240Pu and 0.033±0.018 nBq/m3 to 2.54±0.22 nBq/m3 for 238Pu and deposition of atmospheric precipitation (Krakow): from 0.041±0.011 mBq/m2 to 2.81±0.24 mBq/m2 for 239+240Pu and for 238Pu below 1.29±0.45 mBq/m2.

One of the mechanisms responsible for the airborne plutonium is resuspension but on the other hand the main source of plutonium in the air seems to be marines aerosols from North See. This new hypothesis will be checked during the future research. The most interesting finding is the seasonal variation of plutonium air concentration. The conclusion from calculated ratio of plutonium isotopes (238Pu/239+240Pu) is that they are usually not typical for the global fallout.
The Sequence and Consequences of Bank Restructuring in South Korea, 1998–2006: Too Fast to Adjust
Authors: Kang Myung-koo
Published: May 2009

This paper explores the sequence, pace, and emerging outcomes of bank restructuring in South Korea since the financial crisis in late 1997, paying special attention to the state intervention pattern in regard to resolving non-performing loans and privatizing temporarily nationalized banks by foreign selling.
Master of the Master Gland: Choh Hao Li, the University of California, and Science, Migration, and Race
Authors: Zulueta Benjamin C.
Published: May 2009

This essay examines the origins of the relationship between Choh Hao Li and the University of California, Berkeley. Li came to the United States from China in 1935 for graduate study at the University of Michigan, but ended up enrolling at Berkeley. Over the course of the next two decades, Li went from being a foreign graduate student in chemistry on a temporary visa to an internationally recognized leader in the biochemistry of endocrinology at the head of his own laboratory and a naturalized citizen of the United States. At what was otherwise a dark time for Americans of Chinese descent, Li was garnering adulation in the popular press. He was called the "master of the master gland" for his successes both in isolating and in synthesizing pituitary hormones. Specifically, the essay explores the making of the "master of the master gland" from the perspectives of the history of science and the history of race and migration in the United States, tracing the interplay among Li's scientific work, his migrations, his career aspirations, and his legal status in the United States. A Chinese intellectual cast adrift by the shifting geopolitics of World War II and the early Cold War, Li danced delicately along the margins of membership in American society during the 1940s, only arriving at what turned out to be his final destination after careful and protracted negotiations with officials of the U.S. government, with influential members of the international scientific community, and with representatives of the University of California, Berkeley.
Manhattan Transfer: Lethal Radiation, Bone Marrow Transplantation, and the Birth of Stem Cell Biology, ca. 1942–1961
Authors: Kraft Alison
Published: May 2009

This study investigates how, in the late 1940s and 1950s, fears of nuclear accidents and nuclear warfare shaped postwar radiobiology. The new and intense forms of radiation generated by nuclear reactor technology, and which would be released in the event of a nuclear war, created concerns about a public-health hazard unprecedented in form and scale. Fears of inadvertent exposure to acute and potentially lethal radiation launched a search for anti-radiation therapies, out of which emerged the new technique of bone marrow transplantation (BMT). This study analyzes the use of BMT first as a research tool to explore the biological effects of ionizing radiation, and then as an adjunct to radiotherapy for the treatment of cancer. In highlighting how BMT became the province of different research and clinical constituencies, this study develops an understanding of the forces and contingencies that shaped its development. Exploring the emergence of BMT and the uses to which it was put, it reveals that BMT remained a technique in the making—unstable and far from standardized, even as it became both a widely used research tool and rapidly made its way into the clinic. More broadly, it casts new light on one route through which the Manhattan Project influenced postwar radiobiology; it also affords new insights into one means by which radiobiology came to serve the interests of the Cold War state. In its focus on BMT this paper provides a new perspective on the evolving relationship between radiobiology and biomedicine in the postwar period.
Hobbes, Slavery, and Despotical Rule
Authors: Nyquist Mary
Published: May 2009

Hobbes's theorization of contractual absolutism relies upon a juridico-military doctrine relating to the enslavement of war captives, a doctrine that for Grotius has the authority of the law of nations. Although Hobbes's appeal to this doctrine cannot be understood apart from contemporaneous rhetorical appeals to figurative "slavery," his representation of a dramatic encounter involving the military victor's power of life and death enables him to develop novel views of civil subjecthood and of the family, together with a defense of Atlantic slavery that is later appropriated by Locke.
Roots, Races, and the Return to Philology
Authors: Harpham Geoffrey Galt
Published: May 2009

Noting recent indications of a renewed interest in philology, this essay provides accounts of both the flourishing of philology in the nineteenth century and the abandonment by scholars of philology on methodological and moral grounds in the twentieth century. It contends that while traditional philology cannot be considered a worthy model for contemporary scholarship, neither can it be simply repudiated or ignored, for it continues to exert a powerful if largely unacknowledged influence on scholarly practice.
Amount and Disposition of Striped Bass Discarded in Delaware's Spring Striped Bass Gill-Net Fishery during 2002 and 2003: Effects of Regulations and Fishing Strategies
Authors: Clark John H. , Kahn Desmond M.
Published: May 2009

The Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife allocated 95% of the 87,748-kg annual commercial quota for striped bass Morone saxatilis to the spring gill-net fishery. Many striped bass were discarded during the fishery for regulatory and market reasons. The Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife conducted 45 onboard samples with 10 cooperating netters during the 2002 and 2003 spring gill-net seasons to determine the discard rate and discard mortality rate in this fishery to compare with the 1988 discard and discard mortality rates. Discarded striped bass constituted 29% of the cooperators' total striped bass catch in 2002 and 31% in 2003. Dead discards were 55% of the total discarded striped bass in 2002 and 36% in 2003. Striped bass catch per unit effort, adjusted for the gill-net meters fished, was significantly higher in 2002–2003 than in 1988, but the discard mortality rate was lower than the earlier figure (47% versus 41%). Females comprised almost 60% of dead discards, and many of the discarded females were mature. Eighty-four percent of the discards were above the minimum legal length. The number of sublegal striped bass caught increased as net mesh size decreased. Most discards and all dead discards came from anchor nets. As derived from the discard catch per unit effort of the onboard samples, the estimated number of striped bass discarded dead by Delaware Bay anchor gillnetters was 3,577 during the 2002 season and 4,120 during the 2003 season. The management response by the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife to discarding in the spring striped bass gill-net fishery included attempts to curtail anchor netting and encourage drift netting.
The Response of Salmon Populations to Geomorphic Measurements at Three Scales
Authors: Bryant M. D. , Woodsmith R. D.
Published: May 2009

Protocols to assess stream channel response to disturbances often focus on physical aspects of the stream at the reach scale without measurements of fish populations. In this study, estimates of juvenile salmon abundance in 511 habitat units within 25 reaches of 12 streams were made over 4 years and juxtaposed with measurements of physical habitat at the habitat unit, reach, and watershed scales. Fish ranged in size from about 50 to 160 mm fork length. The amount of variation among densities differed by species and geographic scale. For most species, the habitat unit scale accounted for the most variation. Relationships between salmon density and measurements at the habitat unit scale varied. At the reach scale, we observed a negative relationship between abundance of coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch parr and number of pools. A positive relationship appeared between coho salmon parr and large wood. At the watershed scale, a positive relationship was observed between coho salmon parr and valley morphology. Valley morphology also entered the model for cutthroat trout O. clarkii. Differences in salmonid densities observed between northern and southern watersheds were attributed to differences in landforms, geology, and soils among islands in southeast Alaska. Simple habitat measures, such as pool counts, were not good predictors of fish abundance. However, geomorphic measures from multiple scales that are accompanied by estimates of fish abundance can provide managers with an integrated picture of watershed productivity and a better means to evaluate features that influence productivity.
A Synthesis of Cisco Recovery in Lake Superior: Implications for Native Fish Rehabilitation in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Authors: Stockwell Jason D. , Ebener Mark P. , Black Jeff A. , Gorman Owen T. , Hrabik Thomas R. , Kinnunen Ronald E. , Mattes William P. , Oyadomari Jason K. , Schram Stephen T. , Schreiner Donald R. , Seider Michael J. , Sitar Shawn P. , Yule Daniel L.
Published: May 2009

Populations of cisco Coregonus artedi in the Laurentian Great Lakes supported large-scale commercial fisheries and were the primary forage of piscivores during the first half of the 20th century. However, by 1970 populations had collapsed in all of the lakes. Since then, ciscoes have staged a recovery in Lake Superior. In this synthesis, we describe the status of ciscoes in Lake Superior during 1970–2006 and provide a comprehensive review of their ecology. Better understanding of age estimation techniques, application of hydroacoustic and midwater trawl sampling, and compilation of long-term data sets have advanced our understanding of the species. Management agencies contemplating rehabilitation of cisco populations should recognize that (1) knowledge of cisco ecology and population dynamics is increasing; (2) ciscoes are long-lived; (3) Great Lakes populations are probably composed of both shallow-water and deepwater spawning forms; (4) large year-classes can be produced from small adult stocks; (5) large variation in year-class strength is probably intrinsic to Great Lakes populations; (6) despite the longevity and early maturity of ciscoes, stocks can be overfished because large year-classes are produced infrequently; (7) regional environmental factors appear to play a large role in reproductive success; and (8) rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax are likely to have a negative effect on cisco recruitment under certain conditions. A top-down approach for rehabilitating lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Superior probably benefited cisco recovery through lake trout predation on invasive rainbow smelt populations. We argue that managing for populations of exotic alewives Alosa pseudoharengus to support popular recreational fisheries of exotic Pacific salmonids in the other Great Lakes conflicts with stocking efforts to rehabilitate native lake trout in those lakes. If native fish rehabilitation is a serious and primary goal for management agencies in the Great Lakes basin, we propose that an ecosystem-based approach to modifying the environment for the benefit of native fish species (i.e., decimation or eradication of invasive species) is required.
Potential Consequences of Climate Change to Persistence of Cutthroat Trout Populations
Authors: Williams Jack E. , Haak Amy L. , Neville Helen M. , Colyer Warren T.
Published: May 2009

Warmer water, changes in stream flow, and the increasing frequency and intensity of other disturbances are among the factors associated with climate change that are likely to impact native trout populations in the western USA. We examined how three of these factors—increased summer temperatures, uncharacteristic winter flooding, and increased wildfires—are likely to affect broad-scale population persistence among three subspecies of cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii. Our results suggest that as much as 73% of the habitat currently occupied by Bonneville cutthroat trout O. c. utah, 65% of that occupied by westslope cutthroat trout O. c. lewisi, and 29% of that occupied by Colorado River cutthroat trout O. c. pleuriticus will be at high risk from one or more of the these three factors. Within the next 50 years, wildfire, floods, and other disturbances may have a greater impact on population persistence than increasing water temperature alone. Our results also suggest that the risk will vary substantially within subspecies. For each subspecies, our analyses identified large portions of their ranges where all populations either currently fail to meet basic persistence criteria, are at high risk from climate change, or both, indicating a high likelihood of losing the genetic and life history diversity in those areas. Stress from climate change is likely to compound existing problems associated with habitat degradation and introgression from introduced salmonids. Recognition of the increased risk from climate change may warrant altering the management paradigm of isolation and require increased control efforts for invasive nonnative species. Regardless of the management avenue chosen, more populations are likely to become isolated and vulnerable in the near future. Our results argue for immediate restoration actions within certain subbasins to increase the resistance and resilience of at-risk populations and habitats to additional disturbances caused by rapid climate change.
Habitat Use, Home Range, and Movement of Shoal Bass in Alabama
Authors: Stormer David G. , Maceina Michael J.
Published: May 2009

The shoal bass Micropterus cataractae has been listed as a species of special conservation concern by the American Fisheries Society and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. We describe seasonal movement, habitat use, and home range of 23 shoal bass fitted with radiotelemetry transmitters in Little Uchee Creek, Alabama. During this tracking period, the region experienced a drought that probably influenced shoal bass habitat choice and movement during reduced streamflow. During most of the year, shoal bass preferred runs and eddies, low current velocity (≤0.30 m/s), moderate depth (0.4–0.8 m), and boulder and bedrock substrates. Most shoal bass in Little Uchee Creek had a strong affinity for shoal habitat. Generally, movement was minimal (<7 m/week); the fish exhibited relatively sedentary behavior and remained within the shoal complex. Home ranges were small and averaged 0.11 ha (50% kernel home range) and 0.47 ha (95% kernel home range); typically, these fish inhabited less than 30% of the 1.15-km-long study area. As streamflow decreased during late summer and fall 2006 and dewatered the shoal, some shoal bass migrated to a nearby deepwater pool (>1.2 m deep) that contained sand bottom and had a water velocity of zero. However, 87% of the radio-tagged shoal bass did not emigrate from the shoal habitat as it became dewatered; these fish subsequently perished. Small home ranges and the lack of movement by many shoal bass from the dewatered shoal habitat to deepwater pool refuges warrant concern to ensure that adequate water quantity is maintained in streams where these fish are found.
An Evaluation of Visible Implant Elastomer for Marking the Federally Listed Fountain Darter and the San Marcos Salamander
Authors: Phillips Catherine T. , Fries Joe N.
Published: May 2009

Visible marks can aid in population studies but, depending on the type of mark used, may result in poor retention and increased mortality. Visible implant elastomer (VIE) was evaluated as a marking technique for two species listed as endangered or threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act: The fountain darter Etheostoma fonticola and the San Marcos salamander Eurycea nana. We compared VIE with acrylic latex paint (ALP) marks in the fountain darter and found that VIE marks exhibited greater retention than ALP marks (88% versus 23% at 244 d). Fountain darter survival and growth were not affected by mark type. In the San Marcos salamander, the use of VIE marks did not affect survival or growth. For both species, mark placement (dorsally versus ventrally) did not affect retention. Visible implant elastomer marks would be the preferred method for population studies of these listed species.
The Use of Stable Oxygen Isotope (δ18O) Composition in Sockeye Salmon Body Fluid to Determine whether a Fish Has Been Caught in Freshwater
Authors: Macdonald R. W. , Forsland V. , Withler R. E. , Patterson D. A. , Demsky A.
Published: May 2009

Fisheries enforcement is often tasked with determining whether a seized Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. has been caught legally or illegally, either in freshwater while it was migrating to its natal stream or in the ocean at some point during its life cycle or migration. Here we show that the oxygen stable isotope composition (δ18O) of the water within seized fish tissue, together with DNA analysis, provides a powerful means of establishing where the fish was migrating and whether it was inhabiting freshwater when harvested. These tools are relatively easy to apply and are supported by an extensive set of microsatellite DNA data for sockeye salmon O. nerka that provide “forensic” identification and by a time series record for δ18O in the water of the Fraser River. The difference between δ18O composition in the river (∼−17‰) and the ocean (∼−2‰), together with conservative mixing between the end members, provides wide discriminatory power. Evaporation or sublimation during storage favors the light isotope and would thus be to the advantage of the defendant.
Organochlorine Fingerprinting to Determine Foraging Areas of Sea-Ranched Atlantic Salmon: A Case Study from Denmark
Authors: Svendsen Tore C. , Vorkamp Katrin , Svendsen Jon C. , Aarestrup Kim , Frier Jens-Ole
Published: May 2009

We used organochlorine fingerprinting to identify the principal marine foraging area in a sea-ranched population of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar from Denmark. The results of this study, the first to apply the method to teleosts, suggest that Atlantic salmon released as juveniles (age 1) in the River Gudenaa, Denmark, are utilizing the North Sea and not the Baltic Sea as their principal marine foraging area.
Herbicide Dissipation from Low Density Polyethylene Mulch
Authors: Grey Timothy L. , Vencill William K. , Webster Theodore M. , Culpepper A. Stanley
Published: May 2009

Field and laboratory studies were conducted to examine herbicide dissipation when applied to low density polyethylene (LDPE) mulch for dry scenarios vs. irrigation. Analytical chemical analysis was used for quantification. In field studies, halosulfuron, paraquat, carfentrazone, glyphosate, and flumioxazin were surface applied to black 32-μm-thick (1.25 mil) LDPE mulch. LDPE mulch harvest began 1 h after treatment (HAT) then continued every 24 h for five consecutive rain-free days after treatment (DAT) to determine the level of herbicide dissipation from the LDPE mulch surface. In a related study, treated LDPE mulch was harvested 1 HAT, then sprinkler irrigation was applied, followed by a sampling five HAT, then the same irrigation and sampling procedure was repeated every 24 h for five consecutive DAT. The order for half-life, as defined as time for 50% dissipation (DT50), varied by herbicide and method of dissipation for dry and irrigated studies. Data indicated that glyphosate and paraquat dissipation was rapid following irrigation. Glyphosate and paraquat DT50were both 1 h in the irrigated study, but 84 and 32 h for the dry scenario, respectively. This indicated that glyphosate and paraquat could be removed from LDPE mulch with rainfall or irrigation, primarily due to their high water solubility. Halosulfuron and flumioxazin DT50were 3 and 6 h in the irrigated study, and 18 and 57 h for the dry study, respectively. Carfentrazone DT50was similar at 28 and 30 h for the irrigated and dry studies, respectively. This indicated that carfentrazone was adsorbed to the LDPE mulch, and irrigation water did not remove it from the LDPE mulch. Results from14C-herbicide laboratory studies were similar to those from field studies for halosulfuron, glyphosate, paraquat, and flumioxazin.
Within-Season Changes in the Residual Weed Community and Crop Tolerance to Interference over the Long Planting Season of Sweet Corn
Authors: Williams Martin M.
Published: May 2009

Sweet corn is planted over a long season to temporally extend the perishable supply of ears for fresh and processing markets. Most growers' fields have weeds persisting to harvest (hereafter called residual weeds), and evidence suggests the crop's ability to endure competitive stress from residual weeds (i.e., crop tolerance) is not constant over the planting season. Field studies were conducted to characterize changes in the residual weed community over the long planting season and determine the extent to which planting date influences crop tolerance to weed interference in growth and yield traits. Total weed density at harvest was similar across five planting dates from mid-April to early-July; however, some changes in composition of species common to the midwestern United States were observed. Production of viable weed seed within the relatively short growth period of individual sweet corn plantings showed weed seedbank additions are influenced by species and planting date. Crop tolerances in growth and yield were variable in the mid-April and both May plantings, and the crop was least affected by weed interference in the mid-June and early-July planting dates. As the planting season progressed from late-May to early-July, sweet corn accounted for a great proportion of the total crop–weed biomass. Based on results from Illinois, a risk management perspective to weeds should recognize the significance of planting date on sweet corn competitive ability. This work suggests risk of yield loss from weed control failure is lower in late-season sweet corn plantings (June and July) than earlier plantings (April and May).
Comparison of pressurized liquid extraction and matrix solid-phase dispersion for the measurement of semivolatile organic compound accumulation in tadpoles
Authors: Stanley Kerri , Simonich Staci Massey , Bradford David , Davidson Carlos , Tallent-Halsell Nita
Published: May 2009

Analytical methods capable of trace measurement of semivolatile organic compounds (SOCs) are necessary to assess the exposure of tadpoles to contaminants as a result of long-range and regional atmospheric transport and deposition. The present study compares the results of two analytical methods, one using pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and the other using matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD), for the trace measurement of more than 70 SOCs in tadpole tissue, including current-use pesticides. The MSPD method resulted in improved SOC recoveries and precision compared to the PLE method. The MSPD method also required less time, consumed less solvent, and resulted in the measurement of a greater number of SOCs than the PLE method.
Lethal and sublethal toxic effects of a test chemical (ivermectin) on the yellow dung fly (Scathophaga stercoraria) based on a standardized international ring test
Authors: Römbke Jörg , Floate Kevin D. , Jochmann Ralf , Schäfer Martin A. , Puniamoorthy Nalini , Knäbe Silvio , Lehmhus Jörn , Rosenkranz Boris , Scheffczyk Adam , Schmidt Thomas , Sharples Amanda , Blanckenhorn Wolf U.
Published: May 2009

A standardized bioassay using the yellow dung fly, Scathophaga stercoraria L. (Diptera: Scathophagidae), was developed to test the lethal and sublethal toxicity of parasiticide residues in livestock dung. The repeatability of the bioassay was assessed for the parasiticide ivermectin in 13 tests performed by seven laboratories in Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Canada. Test results had an acceptable range of heterogeneity. The calculated median effective concentration for 50% (EC50) egg-to-adult mortality was 20.9± 19.1 ug ivermectin/kg dung fresh weight (FW) (mean ± standard deviation; range, 6.33-67.5 μg/kg). Mortality was not observed below a calculated no-observable-effect concentration (NOEC) of 8.1 ± 7.7 μg/kg FW. However, prolonged development time (and, in a subset of tests, reduced body size) was observed above a calculated NOEC of 0.8 ± 0.8 μg/kg FW. An oviposition site choice test revealed that yellow dung fly females do not discriminate among dung of different ivermectin concentrations. Thus, the yellow dung fly is suitably sensitive, and the methods are sufficiently repeatable, to support use of this standardized bioassay by the international community in the registration of new veterinary pharmaceuticals.
Successful Treatment of Psoriasis-like Lesions in HIV Infected Patients in Uganda with Chloroquine
Authors: Shihab Hasan M. , Feld Jordan J. , Lutwama Fred , Piloya Theresa , Colebunders Robert
Published: May 2009

The effect of chloroquine in the treatment of psoriasis remains controversial. Treatment of psoriasis in HIV
infection is not well described. Chloroquine has been shown to have direct effects on both the Human Immunodeficiency
Virus (HIV) and on the psoriasis disease process. The effect of chloroquine in HIV infected patients with psoriasis has not
been well studied.

We report on the effect of chloroquine on psoriasis-like lesions in three HIV infected patients who were not on
antiretroviral therapy. Three consecutive HIV positive patients with CD4 cell count below 200cells/mm3 had unequivocal
improvement of their psoriasis-like lesions after 2 weeks of a daily dose of 150mg of chloroquine.

In conclusion, chloroquine may be useful in the treatment of psoriasis-like lesions in patients with HIV infection
particularly in resource poor settings. Ideally, a controlled clinical trial will be needed to confirm this.
Genomic Identification of SinR Transcription Factor Binding Sites in Nitrogen Fixing Bacterium Bradyrhizobium japonicum
Authors: Feroz Khan , Richa Sharma , Rakesh Kumar Shukla , Abha Meena , Ajit Kumar Shasany , Ashok Sharma
Published: May 2009

SinR is a transcription factor which controls expression of stress tolerance sin genes related to alternate development
processes under stress condition. Identification of genome wide SinR-box motif and their regulated genes has not
been worked out yet in Bradyrhizobium japonicum. For this, a weight matrix of 9 bp was developed from the known promoter
sequences of Bacillus subtilis, which was then used for genome wide identification of co-regulated genes. The
methodology first involves phylogenetic footprinting of SinR regulated genes and then construction of scoring matrix
through ‘Consensus’ and confirmation through MEME & D-Matrix tools. Genomic prediction was done through ‘Patser’
program and confirmation through ‘PossumSearch’ program in Linux system. Results showed that all the 371 predicted
genes belongs to 9 different functional classes, in which 221 found in operons with more than 80% Sin-box motif similarity.
Similar approach can be used in other bacteria to explore hidden genomic regulatory network.
The prestigious maize inbred lines with erect top leaves: The priority performance of the efficient photosynthetic model in breeding
Authors: Radenovic Cedomir , Filipovic Milomir , Selakovic Dragojlo , Secanski Mile , Babic Vojka , Camdzija Zoran , Jovanovic Snezana , Pavlov Jovan , Stevanovic Milan
Published: May 2009

This study conforms the hypothesis that there are elite maize inbred lines with erect top leaves that have a property of an efficient photosynthetic model and that as such are successfully used in the processes of breeding in which the number of plants is increased per area unit (plant density). This proof was established by the application of non- invasive photosynthetic-fluorescence method suitable for the evaluation of the efficiency of the photosynthetic model. The obtained photosynthetic and fluorescence properties of observed prestigious maize inbred lines with the erect top leaves are based on the effects and the nature of changes in chlorophyll fluorescence occurring in their thylakoid membranes. Their principal parameters are temperature dependence of the chlorophyll delayed fluorescence intensity, the Arrhenius plot for the determination of the phase transition in thylakoid membranes and the estimated activation energies. The displayed results on the size of an angle between the direction of the propagation of the above-ear leaf and the direction of the stalk propagation, as well as, results on the dynamics of grain dry-down during the maturation period, additionally indicate that traits of observed maize inbred lines with erect top leaves are the prominent base for more exact, rational and faster proceeding of current processes of breeding.
Detection of K-ras gene mutation in bronchial aspirate of patients with lung carcinoma
Authors: Ilic Vesna , Tomic Ilija , Cvetkovic Gordana , Bokun Radmila , Magic Zvonko
Published: May 2009

Lung cancer belongs to a group of tumors with bad prognosis resulting in limited therapeutic chances. It is the most common cause of cancer deaths and cancer-related deaths worldwide. Only 25-40% of lung cancers are considered resectable when a diagnosis is made and just 20% of patients have a confined disease at the time of surgery. That makes problem of early diagnosis of lung cancer one of the biggest challenges in clinical oncology. Our goal was to determine whether molecular genetic assays could augment conventional clinical and laboratory diagnostic procedures. Bronchoalveolar aspirate of patients with different histological types and stages of NSCLC were analyzed for presence of K-ras oncogene mutations (codons 12 and 13) and compared with cytological findings in the same samples. Mutations in codons 12 and 13 of K- and H-ras genes in bronchoalveolar aspirate of 53 patients (pts) were examined by polymerase chain reaction and SSCP analysis. Mutations in K-ras gene were identified in 18/53 (34%) specimens of bronchoalveolar aspirate, out of which 3/18 were adenocarcinomas, 11/18 squamous cell carcinoma, two were with anaplastic and two patients with chronical lung disease. The same samples were examined for presence of malignant cells by conventional cytological analysis. Normal cytological results were found in 6 samples of patients with malignant tumors out of which K-ras mutations were detected in 4 samples. A presence of mutated K-ras gene may prove useful as an adjunct to cytological analysis and also could serve as additional criteria for early diagnosis in patients with bronchogenic carcinoma.
The effects of cytoplasmic male sterility and xenia on the chemical composition of maize grain
Authors: Vancetovic Jelena , Jankuloski Ljupcho , Bozinovic Sofija , Dodig Dejan
Published: May 2009

Sterile hybrids often outyield their fertile counterparts, especially if pollinated by a genetically unrelated pollinator. The combined effect of cms and xenia is referred to as the Plus-hybrid effect. The objective of this study was to determine the individual, as well as, combining effect of cms and xenia on the maize grain chemical composition. The percent of oil, protein and starch in the grain was also observed. Two sterile hybrids, their fertile counterparts and five fertile pollinator-hybrids were selected for the studies. The three-replicate trial set up according to the split-plot experimental design was performed at Zemun Polje in 2008. The obtained results show that the effects of cms on the oil percent was not significant in the studied hybrid ZP 341, while it increased at the significance level of P = 0.1 in the second observed hybrid ZP 360. The effect of this factor on the protein and starch percent was also significant (P = 0.01) in some hybrid combinations. Xenia effects on all three chemical parameters were significant (P = 0.01) in some hybrid combinations. The gained results indicate that the identification of a good combination of two hybrids, in which one would be a sterile female component, and the other a pollinator, would end up not only in the increased yield, but also in the improved maize grain quality.
Characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from artisanal Zlatar cheeses produced at two different geographical location
Authors: Terzic-Vidojevic Amarela , Veljovic Katarina , Tolinacki Maja , Nikolic Milica , Ostojic Mihailo , Topisirovic Ljubisa
Published: May 2009

Eighty-one strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from white semi-hard homemade cheese, designated Zlatar BGNV, which was taken from household settled on Northern side of mountain Zlatar. The Zlatar BGNV cheese was manufactured from raw cow's milk without addition of the starter culture. All isolates of LAB were characterized by phenotypic and genotypic tests. Identification of strains was done by the repetitive extragenic palindromic-polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) with (GTG)5 primer and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The most present species in Zlatar BGNV cheese were Lactobacillus casei/paracasei (65.43%) and Enterococcus faecalis (29.63%). Two facultative heterofermentative rods were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum (2.47%), and two obligate hetrofermentative LAB isolates as Lactobacillus parabuchneri (2.47%). Among all 81 tested isolates, only eight enterococci were producers of antimicrobial compounds. Fourteen of 16 tested lactobacilli isolates showed medium to very good proteolytic activity. All 57 lactobacilli from the Zlatar BGNV cheese curdled milk very slowly or did not curdle milk at all. However, three isolates of enterococci, BGNV1-63, BGNV1-76 and BGNV1-80, showed very good activity in milk and curdled milk within 5 h. They showed very high proteolytic activity hydrolyzing completely ?s1- and ?-casein after 3 h, and ?-casein after 30 min of incubation. In addition, those three enterococcal isolates degraded gelatin. Comparing obtained results with those previously achieved in examination of LAB microflora in another Zlatar BGZLS cheese made also from raw cow's milk, it can be concluded that LAB microflora in the Zlatar BGNV cheese is less diverse.
Construction and behavioral validation of superstition scale
Authors: Zezelj Iris , Pavlovic Masa , Vladisavljevic Marko , Radivojevic Branislava
Published: May 2009

The main goal of this study was to create an instrument for assessing tendency towards superstition-related beliefs and behavior and validate it in real life situations. Superstition was considered and analyzed as an attitude toward specific objects of the superstition. In the first part of the study, a sample of superstitious beliefs and behaviors was collected, after which the former list was reduced to 44 descriptions, based on the average familiarity. A preliminary version of the instrument was administered to 266 participants. The factor analysis suggested a presence of one main factor and three highly correlated sub-factors. In the last part of the study, in order to validate the instrument through behavioral variables, the final version of the instrument was administered to a different sample and subjects were put in two situations that challenged their potential superstitious behavior (passing below or going around a ladder in a computer laboratory; forward a chain e-mail for good luck). Group of participants that exhibited at least one superstitious behavior and the group of participants that did not, differed significantly in the average superstition score.
The convergent and discriminant validity of the need for cognition
Authors: Trogrlic Aleksandra , Vasic Aleksandar
Published: May 2009

The Serbian version of the short form of the Need for Cognition Scale (NCS - Cacciopo et al., 1984) showed acceptable convergent and discriminant validity. In accordance with previous findings, the need for cognition is gender-independent and age-dependent construct. Correlations of the need for cognition with personality traits and intelligence are also in accordance with previous findings. Concerning the personality traits, the most salient correlates are authoritarianism, extraversion, Big Five openness to experience and neuroticism. There is, also, a marginally significant relationship between the need for cognition and conscientiousness. On the level of narrow cognitive abilities, the need for cognition is significantly associated with dimensions of serial and parallel processing. The g-factor has the same effect as the narrower aspects of cognitive functioning.
Specificity of peer conflicts in adolescence
Authors: Petrovic Danijela
Published: May 2009

The results of the survey conducted on the sample of 530 adolescents are presented in this paper. The sample included two age groups (13 and 16 years). The research was realized in 11 town and 26 schools. The method of the retrospection of the conflict contents, with one week retrospection interval, was used to research the perception of the conflict characteristics. The distinctive characteristics and the effects of the peer conflicts in adolescence have been identified by comparing them to the conflicts with friends, romantic partners, siblings and teachers. According to the results peer conflicts have certain specificity. Although less frequent than conflicts with parents and siblings, the peer conflicts in adolescence are widen phenomenon - on average, the adolescents get in conflict with their peers more than 13 times in a week, almost twice in a day. The most frequent causes are teasing and inappropriate jokes, deliberate provoking, gossips, insults and not respecting the differences in opinion. Peers follow the teachers as the least important persons in the conflict. Compared to the conflicts in other types of the social relations, the conflicts with peers are the least uncomfortable. Yielding is the least, competition the most present resolution strategy in peer conflicts. As well as the most conflicts in this age conflicts with peers are short time episode.
Importance of visual and non-visual information for perceived distance anisotropy
Authors: Toskovic Oliver
Published: May 2009

The aim of this research was to verify whether perceived distance anisotropy exists even when visual information are available, that is, to examine interaction of non-visual (vestibular and proprioceptive) and visual information in depth perception. An experiment was done in a forest, where there is a large number of equally distributed depth cues. Partiticipants were instructed to equalize the distance of the stimuli towards horizon with the distance of the standard towards zenith. As a stimuli we used paper circles, 30cm in diameter, and participants performed their task from standing and lying position. Results have shown that estimated distances towards horizon were longer than physically identical distances towards zenith, which means that distances towards horizon are being perceived as shorter. Shorten age of perceived distances towards horizon was smaller from lying position. These findings point out significance of vestibular and proprioceptive information on percieved distance anisotropy, regardless of presence of visual information.
Social context of school crisis and the patterns of school violence
Authors: Georgievski Petre
Published: May 2009

The article starts from the idea that crisis in society, especially in instances such as the Macedonian society in the period of transition, conditions the crisis of the school. Symptoms of the latter ar not just the declining quality of teaching but also increased frequency of physical forms of school violence. The concept of violence is complex and its definitions range from 'verbal violence' to 'uncivilized behavior'. School violence occurs always in a certain social context, considered in this article at three levels: 1) the level of Macedonian society; 2) the global level or globalising context and 3) mass communication context (television, internet, computer and video games, cell phones etc.). Various forms of violence occurring in the family, in the social setting (which forms the background to both family and school) and in the school are closely related and mutually dependent. According to J. Dumay, school violence has three forms: 1) exogenous, 2) the violence proper to the school, implying some form of 'school incivility', and 3) anti-school violence aimed at institutions. In such a social context, the school itself with its authoritarian forms of teaching, textbooks related to the 'hidden curriculum', and inadequate organization and management is a source of violence against students. Research data presented in this paper confirm these claims. The findings also indicate that in terms of incidence of school violence Macedonia ranks at the top of European countries. The pressing character of the problem has urged some countries to develop programs for preventing and reducing school violence, as well as models of effectively organized school.
On ghosts and mirrors: A contribution on studying anthropology of difference
Authors: Boskovic Aleksandar
Published: May 2009

Starting from the premise that contemporary social sciences are involved in producing and chasing ghosts, the paper presents several key debates in contemporary social and cultural anthropology. One of them is the issue of colonialism, and the other one is the uneasy relationship between feminism and anthropology. Taking the paradigm of Strathern's 'partial connections,' it is claimed that the only way to increase our understanding of the world we live in, is accepting its complexities and ambiguities, and understanding contexts and concrete situations they arise from.