bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Photovoltaic effect in ideal carbon nanotube diodes
Authors: Lee Ji Ung
Published: August 2005

We demonstrate that individual single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) can form ideal p-n junction diodes. An ideal behavior is the theoretical limit of performance for any diode, a highly sought after goal in all electronic materials development. We further elaborate on their properties by examining photovoltaic effects, an application where its performance is intimately related to the quality of the diode. Under illumination, SWNT diodes show significant power conversion efficiencies owing to enhanced properties of an ideal diode.
Transport properties of p-type phosphorus-doped (Zn,Mg)O grown by pulsed-laser deposition
Authors: Li Y. J. , Heo Y. W. , Kwon Y. , Ip K. , Pearton S. J. , Norton D. P.
Published: August 2005

We report on carrier type in phosphorus-doped (Zn,Mg)O films grown by pulsed-laser deposition under a broad range of conditions. For film growth at 500°C, increasing the oxygen partial pressure from 20to200mTorr yielded a carrier type conversion from n to p type. Transport characteristics of as-grown P-doped (Zn,Mg)O films were determined by Hall-effect measurements at room temperature. The P-doped (Zn,Mg)O films grown at 150mTorr oxygen partial pressure were marginally p type and exhibited a hole concentration of 2.7×1016cm−3, a mobility of 8.2cm2∕Vs, and a resistivity of 35Ωcm. The films exhibited good crystallinity with c-axis orientation. These results indicate the importance of oxidation conditions in realizing p-type (Zn,Mg)O films.
THz sideband generation at telecom wavelengths in a GaAs-based quantum cascade laser
Authors: Dhillon S. S. , Sirtori C. , Barbieri S. , de Rossi A. , Calligaro M. , Beere H. E. , Ritchie D. A.
Published: August 2005

Terahertz sideband generation is demonstrated by using the nonlinear intracavity interaction between far-infrared and near-infrared modes in a GaAs waveguide. A low power near-infrared beam at 1.32μm is coupled into a quantum cascade laser operating at 104μm (2.9 THz), which acts as both the THz source and the nonlinear medium. The conversion efficiency of the resulting sidebands is found to be approximately 4.5×10−6.
Exciton-controlled magnetization in single magnetic quantum dots
Authors: Mackowski S. , Gurung T. , Jackson H. E. , Smith L. M. , Karczewski G. , Kossut J.
Published: August 2005

We report on low temperature polarization-resolved imaging of single magnetic self-assembled CdMnTe quantum dots (QDs) in the absence of magnetic field. Using longitudinal optical phonon-assisted absorption to photoexcite spin-polarized excitons into a QD ground state, we find that the magnetic impurities within CdMnTe QDs can be aligned ferromagnetically with a single emission lines exhibiting a circular polarization as large as 65%. These results demonstrate that the magnetization of a single magnetic QD can be optically controlled with a suitably polarized laser.
Giant tunneling magnetoresistance effect in low-resistance CoFeB∕MgO(001)∕CoFeB magnetic tunnel junctions for read-head applications
Authors: Tsunekawa Koji , Djayaprawira David D. , Nagai Motonobu , Maehara Hiroki , Yamagata Shinji , Watanabe Naoki , Yuasa Shinji , Suzuki Yoshishige , Ando Koji
Published: August 2005

The giant tunneling magnetoresistance effect has been achieved in low-resistance CoFeB∕MgO(001)∕CoFeB magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) at room temperature. A magnetoresistance (MR) ratio as high as 138%, seven times that of state-of-the-art MTJs for magnetic sensor application, was obtained at room temperature in MTJs with a resistance-area product (RA) as low as 2.4Ωμm2. Such a high MR ratio at such a low resistance was made possible by introducing an ultrathin Mg metal layer with a thickness of 4 Å between the CoFeB bottom electrode layer and the MgO(001) tunnel barrier layer. The Mg layer was slightly but not fully oxidized, which resulted in a reduction in MR for a thicker MgO barrier (high RA) region and in an increase in MR for a thinner barrier (low RA) region. The Mg layer improves the crystalline orientation of the MgO(001) layer when the MgO(001) layer is thin. These MTJs will accelerate the realization of highly sensitive read heads for ultrahigh-density hard-disk drives.
Energy dependence of ion-assisted chemical etch rates in reactive plasmas
Authors: Stafford L. , Margot J. , Chaker M. , Pearton S. J.
Published: August 2005

In a highly cited paper, Steinbrüchel [C. Steinbrüchel, Appl. Phys. Lett. 55, 1960 (1989)] has demonstrated that in the sub-keV region the etch yield scales like the square root of the ion energy. Based on this result, many authors have subsequently applied this specific energy dependence to ion-assisted chemical etch rates of various materials in different etch tools. In this work, it is demonstrated that in contrast to the etch yield, the etch rate cannot universally be modeled by a simple square-root energy dependence. A novel model accounting for the correct energy dependence of ion-assisted chemical etch rates is therefore proposed. Application of this model to the etching of SiO2 and ZnO in halogenated plasma chemistries provides a quantitative description of the simultaneous dependence of the etch rate on ion energy and on ion and reactive neutral fluxes.
Geographic routing in social networks
Authors: Liben-Nowell David , Novak Jasmine , Kumar Ravi , Raghavan Prabhakar , Tomkins Andrew
Published: August 2005

We live in a “small world,” where two arbitrary people are likely connected by a short chain of intermediate friends. With scant information about a target individual, people can successively forward a message along such a chain. Experimental studies have verified this property in real social networks, and theoretical models have been advanced to explain it. However, existing theoretical models have not been shown to capture behavior in real-world social networks. Here, we introduce a richer model relating geography and social-network friendship, in which the probability of befriending a particular person is inversely proportional to the number of closer people. In a large social network, we show that one-third of the friendships are independent of geography and the remainder exhibit the proposed relationship. Further, we prove analytically that short chains can be discovered in every network exhibiting the relationship.
Advanced glycation endproduct-induced aging of the retinal pigment epithelium and choroid: A comprehensive transcriptional response
Authors: Tian Jane , Ishibashi Kazuki , Ishibashi Kazuko , Reiser Karen , Grebe Rhonda , Biswal Shyam , Gehlbach Peter , Handa James T.
Published: August 2005

Advanced glycation endproduct (AGE) formation is a trigger for the onset of age-related disease. To evaluate AGE-induced change in the ocular fundus, 5-mo-old C57BL/6 mice were given low-dosed-galactose (d-gal) for 8 wk and evaluated by AGE fluorescence, electroretinography (ERG), electron microscopy, and microarray analysis for 20 wk. Although AGE fluorescence was increased ind-gal-treated retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)–choroid compared with controls at all time points, ERG showed no AGE-induced functional toxicity. Progressive ultrastructural aging in the RPE–choroid was associated temporally with a transcriptional response of early inflammation, matrix expansion, and aberrant lipid processing and, later, down-regulation of energy metabolism genes, up-regulation of crystallin genes, and altered expression of cell structure genes. The overall transcriptome is similar to the generalized aging response of unrelated cell types. A subset of transcriptional changes is similar to early atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by matrix expansion and lipid deposition. These changes suggest an important contribution of a single environmental stimulus to the complex aging response.
Identifying gene-independent noncoding functional elements in the yeast ribosomal DNA by phylogenetic footprinting
Authors: Ganley Austen R. D. , Hayashi Kouji , Horiuchi Takashi , Kobayashi Takehiko
Published: August 2005

Sequences involved in the regulation of genetic and genomic processes are primarily located in noncoding regions. Identifying such
cis
-acting sequences from sequence data is difficult because their patterns are not readily apparent, and, to date, identification has concentrated on regions associated with gene-coding functions. Here, we used phylogenetic footprinting to look for gene-independent noncoding elements in the ribosomal RNA gene repeats from several
Saccharomyces
species. Similarity plots of ribosomal intergenic spacer alignments from six closely related
Saccharomyces
species allowed the identification of previously characterized functional elements, such as the origin-of-replication and replication-fork barrier sites, demonstrating that this method is a powerful predictor of noncoding functional elements. Seventeen previously uncharacterized elements, showing high levels of conservation, were also discovered. The conservation of these elements suggests that they are functional, and we demonstrate the functionality of two classes of these elements, a putative bidirectional noncoding promoter and a series of conserved peaks with matches to the origin-of-replication core consensus. Our results paint a comprehensive picture of the functionality of the
Saccharomyces
ribosomal intergenic region and demonstrate that functional elements not involved in gene-coding function can be identified by using comparative genomics based on sequence conservation.
Diverse DNA transposons in rotifers of the class Bdelloidea
Authors: Arkhipova Irina R. , Meselson Matthew
Published: August 2005

We surveyed the diversity, structural organization, and patterns of evolution of DNA transposons in rotifers of the class Bdelloidea, a group of basal triploblast animals that appears to have evolved for millions of years without sexual reproduction. Representatives of five superfamilies were identified:
ITm
(
IS630
/
Tc
/
mariner
),
hAT
,
piggyBac
,
helitron
, and
foldback
. Except for
mariners
, no fully intact copies were found.
Mariners
, both intact and decayed, are present in high copy number, and those described here may be grouped in several closely related lineages. Comparisons across lineages show strong evidence of purifying selection, whereas there is little or no evidence of such selection within lineages. This pattern could have resulted from repeated horizontal transfers from an exogenous source, followed by limited intragenomic proliferation, or, less plausibly, from within-host formation of new lineages under host- or element-based selection for function, in either case followed by eventual inactivation and decay. Unexpectedly, the flanking sequences surrounding the majority of
mariners
are very similar, indicating either insertion specificity or proliferation as part of larger DNA segments. Members of all superfamilies are present near chromosome ends, associated with the apparently domesticated retroelement
Athena
, in large clusters composed of diverse DNA transposons, often inserted into each other, whereas the examined gene-rich regions are nearly transposon-free.
Inhibitors of cathepsin L prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus entry
Authors: Simmons Graham , Gosalia Dhaval N. , Rennekamp Andrew J. , Reeves Jacqueline D. , Diamond Scott L. , Bates Paul
Published: August 2005

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is caused by an emergent coronavirus (SARS-CoV), for which there is currently no effective treatment. SARS-CoV mediates receptor binding and entry by its spike (S) glycoprotein, and infection is sensitive to lysosomotropic agents that perturb endosomal pH. We demonstrate here that the lysosomotropic-agent-mediated block to SARS-CoV infection is overcome by protease treatment of target-cell-associated virus. In addition, SARS-CoV infection was blocked by specific inhibitors of the pH-sensitive endosomal protease cathepsin L. A cell-free membrane-fusion system demonstrates that engagement of receptor followed by proteolysis is required for SARS-CoV membrane fusion and indicates that cathepsin L is sufficient to activate membrane fusion by SARS-CoV S. These results suggest that SARS-CoV infection results from a unique, three-step process: receptor binding and induced conformational changes in S glycoprotein followed by cathepsin L proteolysis within endosomes. The requirement for cathepsin L proteolysis identifies a previously uncharacterized class of inhibitor for SARS-CoV infection.
Le Caligula de l'histoire: un empereur déjà camusien
Authors: Bastien Sophie
Published: August 2005

Des critiques ont cherché ce que le Caligula d'Albert Camus devait à l'historiographie ancienne, mais on a négligé le contenu virtuellement camusien du Caligula hitorique. En retraçant d'abord la démarche de Camus à l'époque où il découvrait l' empereur romain, nous tentons ici d'élucider la révélation inspirante qu'eut alors l'écrivain naissant, la rencontre culturelle qui se produisit entre un cas historique et une pensée philosophique en quête d'illustrations; la rencontre fut si intime qu'on dirait que ce cas même a stimulé cette pensée, dans ses débuts. Nous faisons ensuite ressortir les traits du personnage réel qui renferment un potentiel dramatique pouvant se mouler sur une conception camusienne de l'existence. Certains de ces traits sont inhérents au statut césarien, comme la lucidité qu'acquiert le César, le plus puissant des hommes, en se heurtant à l'impuissance ontologique. D'autres sont propres à l'empereur Caligula, comme la folie mêlée d'intelligence, la tyrannie cruelle mais exempte de revendication politique, la théâtralité constante et polymorphe, la jeunesse à la fois méprisante et idéaliste. Nous remarquons que le Caligula historique contient en luimême tous les motifs qui font la force d'impact du personnage fictif; le dramaturge en a extrait un discours théâtral qui ‘met en scène’ sa vision du monde. Cet éclairage nouveau restitue à la philosophie camusienne la formidable caution historique qu'elle a su se trouver.

Albert Camus a utilisé de plusieurs manières le matériel historique dans ses pièces de théâtre. La première d'entre elles,
Caligula
, place un personnage réel dans un cadre fictif; la suivante,
Le Malentendu
, reprend un' ‘fait divers’ paru dans un journal;
L'État de siège
met en scène de façon allégorique une situation politique réelle (l'Espagne franquiste);
Les Justes
, enfin, présentent un cadre historique (celui de la Russie à la fin du XIX
e
siècle) et des personnages qui ont réellement existé. Ses quatre pièces sont ainsi brodées sur un canevas plus ou moins ancré dans la réalité. Son roman
La Peste
, qui peut être lu comme une fable sur le phénomène récent du nazisme, et son essai
L'Homme révolté
, qui analyse différentes formes de révolte rencontrées dans l'Histoire, reviennent à la formule adoptée avec
Caligula
, de l'exemple historique.
Three amino acids that are critical to formation and stability of the P22 tailspike trimer
Authors: Gage Matthew J. , Zak Jennifer L. , Robinson Anne Skaja
Published: August 2005

The P22 tailspike protein folds by forming a folding competent monomer species that forms a dimeric, then a non‐native trimeric (protrimer) species by addition of folding competent monomers. We have found three residues, R549, R563, and D572, which play a critical role in both the stability of the native tailspike protein and assembly and maturation of the protrimer. King and colleagues reported previously that substitution of R563 to glutamine inhibited protrimer formation. We now show that the R549Q and R563K variants significantly delay the protrimer‐to‐trimer transition both in vivo and in vitro. Previously, variants that destabilize intermediates have shown wild‐type chemical stability. Interestingly, both the R549Q and R563K variants destabilize the tailspike trimer in guanidine denaturation studies, indicating that they represent a new class of tailspike folding variants. R549Q has a midpoint of unfolding at 3.2M guanidine, compared to 5.6M for the wild‐type tailspike protein, while R563K has a midpoint of unfolding of 1.8 M. R549Q and R563K also denature over a broader pH range than the wild‐type tailspike protein and both proteins have increased sensitivity to pH during refolding, suggesting that both residues are involved in ionic interactions. Our model is that R563 and D572 interact to stabilize the adjacent turn, aiding the assembly of the dimer and protrimer species. We believe that the interaction between R563 and D572 is also critical following assembly of the protrimer to properly orient D572 in order to form a salt bridge with R549 during protrimer maturation.
Ionic interactions at both inter‐ring contact sites of GroEL are involved in transmission of the allosteric signal: A time‐resolved infrared difference study
Authors: Sot Begoña , von Germar Fritzthof , Mäntele Werner , Valpuesta Jose María , Taneva Stefka G. , Muga Arturo
Published: August 2005

The biological activity of the double‐ring chaperonin GroEL is regulated by complex allosteric interactions, which include positive intra‐ring and negative inter‐ring cooperativity. To further characterize inter‐ring communication, the nucleotide‐induced absorbance changes in the vibrational spectrum of the chaperonin GroEL, of two single‐point mutants suppressing one inter‐ring ionic contact (E461K and E434K) and of a single‐ring version of this protein, were investigated by time‐resolved infrared difference spectroscopy. Interaction of the nucleotide with the proteins was triggered by its photochemical release from a biologically inactive caged precursor [P3‐1‐(2‐nitro) phenylethyl nucleotide]. The results indicate that (1) ATP binding to the protein induces a conformational change that affects concomitantly both intra‐ring and inter‐ring communication, and (2) the experimental absorbance changes are sensitive to the double‐ring structure of the protein. The characterization of the single‐point, inter‐ring mutants demonstrates that ionic interactions at both contact sites are involved in the transmission of the allosteric signal. However, both mutations have different effects on the inter‐ring interface. While that of E461K still retains ionic contacts sensitive to ATP binding, E434K shows spectroscopic features similar to those of the single‐ring version of the protein, therefore suggesting that electrostatic interactions at these contact sites contribute differently to the stability of the inter‐ring interface.
Solution structure of the C1‐subdomain of Bacillus stearothermophilus translation initiation factor IF2
Authors: Wienk Hans , Tomaselli Simona , Bernard Cédric , Spurio Roberto , Picone Delia , Gualerzi Claudio O. , Boelens Rolf
Published: August 2005

IF2 is one of three bacterial translation initiation factors that are conserved through all kingdoms of life. It binds the 30S and 50S ribosomal subunits, as well as fMet‐tRNAfMet. After these interactions, fMet‐tRNAfMet is oriented to the ribosomal P‐site where the first amino acid of the nascent polypeptide, formylmethionine, is presented. The C‐terminal domain of Bacillus stearothermophilus IF2, which is responsible for recognition and binding of fMet‐tRNAfMet, contains two structured modules. Previously, the solution structure of the most C‐terminal module, IF2‐C2, has been elucidated by NMR spectroscopy and direct interactions between this subdomain and fMet‐tRNAfMet were reported. In the present NMR study we have obtained the spectral assignment of the other module of the C‐terminal domain (IF2‐C1) and determined its solution structure and backbone dynamics. The IF2‐C1 core forms a flattened fold consisting of a central four‐stranded parallel β‐sheet flanked by three α‐helices. Although its overall organization resembles that of subdomain III of the archaeal IF2‐homolog eIF5B whose crystal structure had previously been reported, some differences of potential functional significance are evident.
Frog albumin is expressed in skin and characterized as a novel potent trypsin inhibitor
Authors: Zhang Ying‐Xia , Lai Ren , Lee Wen‐Hui , Zhang Yun
Published: August 2005

A novel potent trypsin inhibitor was purified and characterized from frog Bombina maxima skin. A full‐length cDNA encoding the protein was obtained from a cDNA library constructed from the skin. Sequence analysis established that the protein actually comprises three conserved albumindomains. B.maximaserum albumin was subsequently purified, and its coding cDNA was further obtained by PCR‐based cloning from the frog liver. Only two amino acid variations were found in the albumin sequences from the skin and the serum. However, the skin protein is distinct from the serum protein by binding of a haem b (0.95 mol/mol protein). Different from bovine serum albumin, B. maxima albumin potently inhibited trypsin. It bound tightly with trypsin in a 1:1 molar ratio. The equilibrium dissociation constants (KD) obtained for the skin and the serum proteins were 1.92 × 10−9 M and 1.55 × 10−9 M, respectively. B. maxima albumin formed a noncovalent complex with trypsin through an exposed loop formed by a disulfide bond (Cys53–Cys62), which comprises the scissile bond Arg58(P1)–His59(P1′). No inhibitory effects on thrombin, chymotrypsin, elastase, and subtilisin were observed under the assay conditions. Immunohistochemical study showed that B. maxima albumin is widely distributed around the membranes of epithelial layer cells and within the stratum spongiosum of dermis in the skin, suggesting that it plays important roles in skin physiological functions, such as water economy, metabolite exchange, and osmoregulation.
Localization of protein‐binding sites within families of proteins
Authors: Korkin Dmitry , Davis Fred P. , Sali Andrej
Published: August 2005

We address the question of whether or not the positions of protein‐binding sites on homologous protein structures are conserved irrespective of the identities of their binding partners. First, for each domain family in the Structural Classification of Proteins (SCOP), protein‐binding sites are extracted from our comprehensive database of structurally defined binary domain interactions (PIBASE). Second, the binding sites within each family are superposed using a structural alignment of its members. Finally, the degree of localization of binding sites within each family is quantified by comparing it with localization expected by chance. We found that 72% of the 1847 SCOP domain families in PIBASE have binding sites with localization values greater than expected by chance. Moreover, 554 (30%) of these families have localizations that are statistically significant (i.e., more than four standard deviations away from the mean expected by chance). In contrast, only 144 (8%) families have significantly low localization. The absence of a significant correlation of the binding site localization with the average sequence and structural conservations in a family suggests that localization can be helpful for describing the functional diversity of protein–protein interactions, complementing measures of sequence and structural conservation. Consideration of the binding site localization may also result in spatial restraints for the modeling of protein assembly structures.
Structure of the B3 domain from Arabidopsis thaliana protein At1g16640
Authors: Waltner Jeanette K. , Peterson Francis C. , Lytle Betsy L. , Volkman Brian F.
Published: August 2005

A novel DNA binding motif, the B3 domain, has been identified in a number of transcription factors specific to higher plant species, and was recently found to define a new protein fold. Here we report the second structure of a B3 domain, that of the Arabidopsis thaliana protein, At1g16640. As part of an effort to ‘rescue’ structural genomics targets deemed unsuitable for structure determination as full‐length proteins, we applied a combined bioinformatic and experimental strategy to identify an optimal construct containing a predicted conserved domain. By screening a series of N‐ and C‐terminally truncated At1g16640 fragments, we isolated a stable folded domain that met our criteria for structural analysis by NMR spectroscopy. The structure of the B3 domain of At1g16640 consists of a seven‐stranded β‐sheet arranged in an open barrel and two short α‐helices, one at each end of the barrel. While At1g16640 is quite distinct from previously characterized B3 domain proteins in terms of amino acid sequence similarity, it adopts the same novel fold that was recently revealed by the RAV1 B3 domain structure. However, putative DNA‐binding elements conserved in B3 domains from the RAV, ARF, and ABI3/VP1 subfamilies are largely absent in At1g16640, perhaps suggesting that B3 domains could function in contexts other than transcriptional regulation.
Drowning of British children abroad
Authors: Cornall P. , Howie S. , Mughal A. , Sumner V. , Dunstan F. , Kemp A. , Sibert J.
Published: August 2005

Aims  To quantify the risks of British children drowning abroad.

Methods  The numbers of British children drowning abroad were estimated for 1996–2003 using the RoSPA/RLSS press cutting database. We compared these figures with the numbers of British children going abroad from the International Passenger Survey from the Office of National Statistics.

Results  Sixty‐eight children (45 boys‐23 Girls) drowned in the eight‐year period: 48 (71%) in swimming pools (mostly in hotels). Allowing for exposure, the rate was higher in North America [5.2 (CI 2.9–9.4)/million tourists] than the European Union [1.9 (CI 1.4–2.5)/million tourists] p = 0.002.

Discussion  On average eight British children drown each year abroad. This is therefore a rare but tragic event. Most of these episodes happen in swimming pools and this needs to be compared to the one child that dies each year in municipal swimming pools in the United Kingdom where there is adequate lifeguarding. It may be that parents have a false sense of security for their children in pools abroad. We believe that there needs to be action from the European Union on this important event.
Using the Internet? The experiences of parents of disabled children
Authors: Blackburn C. , Read J.
Published: August 2005

Background  Research has offered consistent evidence that the provision of crucial information to parents of disabled children, at a time when they need it and in a form that they can use, is an intractable problem. This makes it important to develop new and effective approaches to information presentation, distribution and delivery. The Internet has been put forward as a medium through which families’ needs for information and services can be met. This paper looks at parents of disabled children's experience of using it.

Methods  A cross‐sectional survey of 3014 adult carers, of which 788 were carers of disabled children aged 0–17. Data were collected using a postal questionnaire.

Results  A high proportion (75%) had previously used the Internet. Of these, 63% were frequent users and 91% were using it at home. Popular uses were emailing, obtaining information about caring, ordering equipment and shopping online. Despite positive benefits, users experienced problems relating to technical issues and equipment and system design. Lack of time owing to caring and other circumstances was an issue for over half of all users. Never users were more likely to be living in rented accommodation, be unemployed and not have a PC at home. Reasons for not using the Internet included lack of access to equipment, cost and lack of skill.

Conclusions  For some parents the Internet is a viable and flexible medium for accessing useful information and services. However, caution about the extent to which it becomes the primary means for delivering information is needed. Technical problems and lack of time can make it difficult to search for complex information. The ‘digital divide’ between users and non‐users makes it crucial that issues of cost, lack of equipment and skill be addressed. Information needs to be made available in other forms to ensure that those who cannot or do not wish to use the Internet are not socially excluded.
An analysis of the factors influencing the paediatrician–parents relationship: the importance of the socio‐demographic characteristics of the mothers
Authors: Zaffani S. , Cuzzolin L. , Meneghelli G. , Gangemi M. , Murgia V. , Chiamenti G. , Benoni G.
Published: August 2005

Background  The paediatrician–parents meeting is not always characterized by mutual understanding and final satisfaction. Anxiety and preconceptions of the parents and clinicians may have consequences for the formulation of the diagnosis, for the pharmacological prescription, for the therapeutic alliance.

Methods  We performed a survey in collaboration with a representative sample of Italian paediatricians and mothers in the Veneto region to investigate the influence of paediatricians’ and families’ socio‐demographic characteristics on some clinical aspects of the visit and on their relationship. The survey consisted of a first 7‐item anonymous questionnaire addressed to paediatricians and to mothers. An univariate analysis (Pearson χ2‐test) was applied.

Results  A total of 276/527 family paediatricians and 2567/5270 mothers completed the questionnaire. The 69.7% of responding paediatricians reported that mothers are very anxious during the visit and require a therapy (especially antibiotics). However, only 9.74% of mothers said they required a therapy, mainly the younger mothers with a lower level of education. The mothers reported that they were satisfied with the time devoted and the explanations given by paediatrician. The main information sources for mothers are personal experience or health care providers’ advice, with a marginal role for mass‐media, mentioned especially by the younger, with a lower level of education and less experienced mothers.

Conclusions  Our experience suggests that maternal anxiety and physicians’ interpretation of parental expectations are important factors to take into account during the visit. The paediatricians are not always good predictors of parental expectations. Younger mothers, with a lower level of education and with less experience need more time, more information and support by paediatricians. They are more likely to request therapy, are less satisfied, more easily influenced and likely to follow mass‐media advice, rather than a reliable source of information.
Human rights obligations and policy supporting children and families. JRF Findings
Authors: Reading Richard
Published: August 2005

.
 
Henricson C. &
Bainham A.
(
2005
)

. Available at http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/0255.asp

Background and methods  Governments face a considerable challenge in balancing the needs of children, on the one hand, with those of parents and the wider community on the other. This study, by Clem Henricson of the National Family and Parenting Institute and Andrew Bainham of the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge, aims to stimulate debate about the tensions in family and child policy by reviewing government policy in the context of international human rights commitments, such as the European Convention on Human Rights. It explores ways of reconciling differing interests to the maximum benefit of all family members.

Results

Human rights commitments require the government to formulate policies that take account of the rights and needs of children and parents, but these needs are often competing.

Progress in balancing individual and collective needs of different family members across policy areas varies.

Children's welfare has dominated both the social exclusion agenda and issues of residence and contact. In both cases, this may have been to the detriment of the rights of parents and other adults.

In education, the balance is in favour of parents’ rights; children do not have rights to representation, consultation or choice.

Tough youth justice measures promote the welfare of society above the rights and welfare of children and their parents. As such, they risk breaching the spirit, if not the letter, of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the European Convention on Human Rights.

The greatest balance has been achieved in managing commitments to universal family support alongside investment in child protection.

Conclusions

The field would benefit from an overarching child and family policy that takes account of the separate and collective needs and rights of family members;

Such a policy would need underpinning by a consideration of human rights to ensure that the entitlements of individuals are protected and balanced across the generations.
The Oxford‐Durham study: a randomized, controlled trial of dietary supplementation with fatty acids in children with developmental co‐ordination disorder
Authors: Reading Richard
Published: August 2005

.
 
Richardson A. J. &
Montgomery P.
(
2005
)

,
115
,
1360
–
1366
.

Background  Developmental co‐ordination disorder (DCD) affects 5% of school‐aged children. In addition to the core deficits in motor function, this condition is associated commonly with difficulties in learning, behaviour, and psychosocial adjustment that persist into adulthood. Mounting evidence suggests that a relative lack of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids may contribute to related neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders such as dyslexia and attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Given the current lack of effective, evidence‐based treatment options for DCD, the use of fatty acid supplements merits investigation.

Methods  A randomized, controlled trial of dietary supplementation with w‐3 and w‐6 fatty acids, compared with placebo, was conducted with 117 children with DCD (5–12 years of age). Treatment for 3 months in parallel groups was followed by a 1‐way crossover from placebo to active treatment for an additional 3 months.

Results  No effect of treatment on motor skills was apparent, but significant improvements for active treatment vs. placebo were found in reading, spelling, and behaviour over 3 months of treatment in parallel groups. After the crossover, similar changes were seen in the placebo‐active group, whereas children continuing with active treatment maintained or improved their progress.

Conclusions  Fatty acid supplementation may offer a safe efficacious treatment option for educational and behavioural problems among children with DCD. Additional work is needed to investigate whether our inability to detect any improvement in motor skills reflects the measures used and to assess the durability of treatment effects on behaviour and academic progress.
Roles for MreC and MreD proteins in helical growth of the cylindrical cell wall in Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Leaver Mark , Errington Jeff
Published: August 2005

Actin homologues of the MreB family have an important role in specifying the morphology of many non‐spherical eubacteria. The mreC and mreD genes have been implicated in control of cell morphology but their precise functions are unknown. In Bacillus subtilis the MreB homologue Mbl directs helical insertion of new cell wall material in the cylindrical part of the rod‐shaped cell. Depletion of either MreC or MreD abolishes the control of cell shape. In the presence of high concentrations of magnesium cells depleted of MreC or MreD can be propagated indefinitely, although they have a spheroidal shape. We show that growth of the spheroidal mutants is based on insertion of new wall material at cell division sites and that this localized growth is dependent on cell division. Under some conditions the MreC and MreD proteins localize in a helical configuration. This localization pattern resembles that of the helical cables of Mbl protein. These results suggest that MreC and MreD act in a morphogenic pathway that couples the helical cytosolic Mbl cables to the extracellular cell wall synthetic machinery, which is critical for cylindrical elongation of the rod‐shaped cells.
Taking shape: control of bacterial cell wall biosynthesis
Authors: Stewart George C.
Published: August 2005

The characteristic shape of a bacterial cell is a function of the three dimensional architectures of the cell envelope and is determined by the balance between lateral wall extension and synthesis of peptidoglycan at the division septum. The three dimensional patterns of cell wall synthesis in the bacterium Bacillus subtilis is influenced by actin‐like proteins that form helical coils in the cell and by the MreCD membrane proteins that link the cytoskeletal elements with the penicillin‐binding proteins that carry out peptidoglycan synthesis. Recent genetic studies have provided important clues as to how these proteins are arranged in the cell and how they function to regulate cell shape.
A novel DNA modification by sulphur
Authors: Zhou Xiufen , He Xinyi , Liang Jingdan , Li Aiying , Xu Tiegang , Kieser Tobias , Helmann John D. , Deng Zixin
Published: August 2005

Streptomyces lividans has a novel DNA modification, which sensitises its DNA to degradation during electrophoresis (the Dnd phenotype). The entire gene cluster (dnd) involved in this modification was localized on an 8 kb DNA fragment and was expressed in a S. lividans deletion mutant (dnd) and in several heterologous hosts. Disruption of the dnd locus abolishes the Dnd phenotype, and gain of the dnd locus conferred the Dnd phenotype respectively. Extensive analysis of the dnd gene cluster revealed five open reading frames, whose hypothetic functions suggested an incorporation of sulphur or a sulphur‐containing substance into S. lividans genome, yet in an unknown manner. The Dnd phenotype was also discovered to exist in DNA of widespread bacterial species of variable origin and diverse habitat. Similarly organized gene clusters were found in several bacterial genomes representing different genera and in eDNA of marine organisms, suggesting such modification as a widespread phenomenon. A coincidence between the Dnd phenotype and DNA modification by sulphur was demonstrated to occur in several representative bacterial genomes by the in vivo35S‐labelling experiments.
Residues that influence in vivo and in vitro CbbR function in Rhodobacter sphaeroides and identification of a specific region critical for co‐inducer recognition
Authors: Dangel Andrew W. , Gibson Janet L. , Janssen Anita P. , Tabita F. Robert
Published: August 2005

CbbR is a LysR‐type transcriptional regulator (LTTR) that is required to activate transcription of the cbb operons, responsible for CO2 fixation, in Rhodobacter sphaeroides. LTTR proteins often require a co‐inducer to regulate transcription. Previous studies suggested that ribulose 1,5‐bisphosphate (RuBP) is a positive effector for CbbR function in this organism. In the current study, RuBP was found to increase the electrophoretic mobility of the CbbR/cbbI promoter complex. To define and analyse the co‐inducer recognition region of CbbR, constitutively active mutant CbbR proteins were isolated. Under growth conditions that normally maintain transcriptionally inactive cbb operons, the mutant CbbR proteins activated transcription. Fourteen of the constitutively active mutants resulted from a single amino acid substitution. One mutant was derived from amino acid substitutions at two separate residues that appeared to act synergistically. Different mutant proteins showed both sensitivity and insensitivity to RuBP and residues that conferred constitutive transcriptional activity could be highlighted on a three‐dimensional model, with several residues unique to CbbR shown to be at locations critical to LTTR function. Many of the constitutive residues clustered in or near two specific loops in the LTTR tertiary structure, corresponding to a proposed site of co‐inducer binding.
A novel, conserved cluster of genes promotes symbiotic colonization and σ54‐dependent biofilm formation by Vibrio fischeri
Authors: Yip Emily S. , Grublesky Brian T. , Hussa Elizabeth A. , Visick Karen L.
Published: August 2005

Vibrio fischeri is the exclusive symbiont residing in the light organ of the squid Euprymna scolopes. To understand the genetic requirements for this association, we searched a library of V. fischeri transposon insertion mutants for those that failed to colonize E. scolopes. We identified four mutants that exhibited severe defects in initiating colonization. Sequence analysis revealed that the strains contained insertions in four different members of a cluster of 21 genes oriented in the same direction. The predicted gene products are similar to proteins involved in capsule, exopolysaccharide or lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, including six putative glycosyltransferases. We constructed mutations in five additional genes and found that they also were required for symbiosis. Therefore, we have termed this region syp, for symbiosis polysaccharide. Homologous clusters also exist in Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus, and thus these genes may represent a common mechanism for promoting bacteria–host interactions. Using lacZ reporter fusions, we observed that transcription of the syp genes did not occur under standard laboratory conditions, but could be induced by multicopy expression of sypG, which encodes a response regulator with a predicted σ54 interaction domain. This induction depended on σ54, as a mutation in rpoN abolished syp transcription. Primer extension analysis supported the use of putative σ54 binding sites upstream of sypA, sypI and sypM as promoters. Finally, we found that multicopy expression of sypG resulted in robust biofilm formation. This work thus reveals a novel group of genes that V. fischeri controls through a σ54‐dependent response regulator and uses to promote symbiotic colonization.
Legislating Professionals: Private Bills for Entry to Practise Professions in Ontario, 1868–1914
Authors: ADAMS TRACEY L.
Published: August 2005

Abstract  While states are clearly crucial to the establishment and regulation of professions, there is little consensus over the nature of the relationship between professions and the state. This paper explores profession‐state relations, through a case study of the Ontario government's historical practice of granting individual petitioners the right to circumvent requirements for entry to practise established by professional bodies. Through this practice, the Ontario legislature implicitly challenged professions’ right to determine competence and expertise. While some have argued that states regulate professions to regulate expertise, this analysis suggests that state acceptance of professional expertise was a gradual process that came several decades after the establishment of professions in the province.
Accounting for Poverty: Conflicting Constructions of Family Survival in Scotland, 1855–1925
Authors: BLAIKIE ANDREW
Published: August 2005

Abstract  As in England, the moral implications of pauperism were significant in the operation of the Scottish Poor Law. While the ways in which kin were distributed reflect patterns of survival embedded in local cultures, those failing to conform to an idealised family model, especially unmarried mothers, were disadvantaged, as contested relief claims indicate. Analysis considers encounters between local Inspectors and applicants using a framework that draws upon perspectives from political, moral, and particularly social economy. The outcomes of negotiation reveal how individual agency was compromised by adaptation to circumstances as much as by official and popular frames of reference.
Presbyterian Social Ties and Mobility in the Irish Sea Culture Area, 1610–1690
Authors: VANN BARRY
Published: August 2005

Abstract  While most scholars recognize the relationship between the Scottish Kirk and the establishment of Ulster and Irish Presbyterianism in the seventeenth‐century, few studies have examined the specific institutional and social ties, including the communities of the imagination, of the ministers who served in Ireland during that time. Moreover, few studies have considered the reverse flow of ministers to Scotland from Ireland and how their experiences in Ulster (the nine northern‐most counties in Ireland) impacted the political landscape in south‐western Scotland. This study addresses those voids in the literature.
HOW INFECTIOUS DISEASES GOT LEFT OUT – AND WHAT THIS OMISSION MIGHT HAVE MEANT FOR BIOETHICS
Authors: FRANCIS LESLIE P. , BATTIN MARGARET P. , JACOBSON JAY A. , SMITH CHARLES B. , BOTKIN JEFFREY
Published: August 2005

In this article, we first document the virtually complete absence of infectious disease examples and concerns at the time bioethics emerged as a field. We then argue that this oversight was not benign by considering two central issues in the field, informed consent and distributive justice, and showing how they might have been framed differently had infectiousness been at the forefront of concern. The solution to this omission might be to apply standard approaches in liberal bioethics, such as autonomy and the harm principle, to infectious examples. We argue that this is insufficient, however. Taking infectious disease into account requires understanding the patient as victim and as vector. Infectiousness reminds us that as autonomous agents we are both embodied and vulnerable in our relationships with others. We conclude by applying this reunderstanding of agency to the examples of informed consent and distributive justice in health care.
REFLECTING ON ETHICAL AND LEGAL ISSUES IN WILDLIFE DISEASE
Authors: MCCALLUM HAMISH , HOCKING BARBARA ANN
Published: August 2005

Disease in wildlife raises a number of issues that have not been widely considered in the bioethical literature. However, wildlife disease has major implications for human welfare. The majority of emerging human infectious diseases are zoonotic: that is, they occur in humans by cross‐species transmission from animal hosts. Managing these diseases often involves balancing concerns with human health against animal welfare and conservation concerns. Many infectious diseases of domestic animals are shared with wild animals, although it is often unclear whether the infection spills over from wild animals to domestic animals or vice versa. Culling is the standard means of managing such diseases, bringing economic considerations, animal welfare and conservation into conflict. Infectious diseases are also major threatening processes in conservation biology and their appropriate management by culling, vaccination or treatment raises substantial animal ethics issues. One particular issue of great significance in Australia is an ongoing research program to develop genetically modified pathogens to control vertebrate pests including rabbits, foxes and house mice. Release of any self‐replicating GMO vertebrate pathogen gives rise to a whole series of ethical questions. We briefly review current Australian legal responses to these problems. Finally, we present two unresolved problems of general importance that are exemplified by wildlife disease. First, to what extent can or should ‘bioethics’ be broadened beyond direct concerns with human welfare to animal welfare and environmental welfare? Second, how should the irreducible uncertainty of ecological systems be accounted for in ethical decision making?