bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Paradox of Conceptual Novelty and Galileo's Use of Experiments
Authors: Van Dyck Maarten
Published: February 2007

Starting with a discussion of what I call ‘Koyré's paradox of conceptual novelty’, I introduce the ideas of Damerow et al. on the establishment of classical mechanics in Galileo's work. I then argue that although their view on the nature of Galileo's conceptual innovation is convincing, it misses an essential element: Galileo's use of the experiments described in the first day of the Two New Sciences. I describe these experiments and analyze their function. Central to my analysis is the idea that Galileo's pendulum experiments serve to secure the reference of his theoretical models in actually occurring cases of free fall. In this way, Galileo's experiments constitute an essential part of the meaning of the new concepts of classical mechanics.
Identifying the Explanatory Weakness of Strong Altruism: The Needle in the ‘Haystack Model’
Authors: Morris Stephen G.
Published: February 2007

Evolutionary theorists have encountered difficulty in explaining how altruistic behavior can evolve. I argue that these theorists have made this task more difficult than it needs to be by focusing their efforts on explaining how nature could select for a strong type of altruism that has powerful selection forces working against it. I argue that switching the focus to a weaker type of altruism renders the project of explaining how altruism can evolve significantly less difficult. I offer a model of weak altruism that can avoid many of the difficulties that evolutionary accounts of altruism have traditionally faced.
Why Selection and Drift Might Be Distinct
Authors: Pfeifer Jessica
Published: February 2007

In this paper, it is argued that selection and drift might be distinct. This contradicts recent arguments by Brandon (2005) and Matthen and Ariew (2002) that such a distinction “violates sound probabilistic thinking” (Matthen and Ariew 2002, 62). While their arguments might be valid under certain assumptions, they overlook a possible way to make sense of the distinction. Whether selection and drift can be thought of as causally distinct, I argue, depends on the source of probabilities in natural selection. In particular, if the probabilities used in defining fitness values are at least partly a result of abstracting from or ignoring certain features of the environment, then selection and drift might in fact be causally distinct.
What Is the Point of Confirmation?
Authors: Huber Franz
Published: February 2007

Philosophically, one of the most important questions in the enterprise termed confirmation theory is this: Why should one stick to well confirmed theories rather than to any other theories? This paper discusses the answers to this question one gets from absolute and incremental Bayesian confirmation theory. According to absolute confirmation, one should accept “absolutely well confirmed” theories, because absolute confirmation takes one to true theories. An examination of two popular measures of incremental confirmation suggests the view that one should stick to incrementally well confirmed theories, because incremental confirmation takes one to (the most) informative (among all) true theories. However, incremental confirmation does not further this goal in general. I close by presenting a necessary and sufficient condition for revealing the confirmational structure in almost every world when presented separating data.
Social Construction and the Concept of Race
Authors: Machery Edouard , Faucher Luc
Published: February 2007

There has been little serious work to integrate the constructionist approach and the cognitive/evolutionary approach in the domain of race, although many researchers have paid lip service to this project. We believe that any satisfactory account of human beings’ racialist cognition has to integrate both approaches. In this paper, we propose to move toward this integration. We present an evolutionary hypothesis that rests on a distinction between three kinds of groups—kin-based groups, small scale coalitions, and ethnies. Following Gil-White (1999, 2001a, 2001b), we propose that ethnies have raised specific evolutionary challenges that were solved by an evolved cognitive system. We suggest that the concept of race is a byproduct of this mechanism. We argue that recent theories of cultural transmission are our best hope for integrating social constructionists’ and cognitive/evolutionary theorists’ insights.
Group Categories in Pharmacogenetics Research
Authors: Gannett Lisa
Published: February 2007

Current controversy over whether the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) system of racial and ethnic classification should be used in pharmacogenetics research as suggested by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has been couched in terms of realist-social constructionist debates on race. The assumptions both parties to these debates share instead need to be relinquished—specifically, dichotomies between the social and scientific and what is descriptive and evaluative/normative. This paper defends a pragmatic approach to the question of the appropriateness of the OMB group categories in pharmacogenetics research, an approach that is local and context-specific rather than global, incorporates practical and ethical as well as theoretical dimensions, and recognizes intersections of the social and the biological in the constitution of group categories.
The Methodological Value of Coincidences: Further Remarks on Dark Matter and the Astrophysical Warrant for General Relativity
Authors: Vanderburgh William L.
Published: February 2007

Four techniques for measuring the masses of galaxies and larger astrophysical systems from their dynamics are discussed. Their apparent agreement is sometimes invoked as warrant for postulating huge quantities of ‘dark matter’ as the best solution to “the dynamical discrepancy,” the disparity between the amount of mass visible in large scale astrophysical systems and the amount calculated from dynamics. This paper argues that the agreement, though suggestive, is not definitive. The coincident measurements remain the best reason for preferring dark matter over revisions to General Relativity for solving the dynamical discrepancy, but the preference is only weakly warranted.
Ramsey Sentence Realism as an Answer to the Pessimistic Meta-Induction
Authors: Newman Mark
Published: February 2007

John Worrall recently provided an account of epistemic structural realism, which explains the success of science by arguing for the correct mathematical structure of our theories. He accounts for the historical failures of science by pointing to bloated ontological interpretations of theoretical terms. In this paper I argue that Worrall's account suffers from five serious problems. I also show that Pierre Cruse and David Papineau have developed a rival structural realism that solves all of the problems faced by Worrall. This Ramsey sentence realism is a significant advance in the debate, but still ultimately fails for its incomplete account of reference
On the Photoelectron Spectrum of O2
Authors: O Edqvist  , E Lindholm  , L E Selin  , L Åsbrink
Published: February 2007

The photoelectron spectrum of molecular oxygen has been studied in the range 12-28 eV with the 584 Å and 304 Å He lines, and the O2+states have been measured accurately. Due to the high resolution of our apparatus we have been able to observe theA2Πustate which has been considered as absent in photoelectron spectroscopy work. Its ionization energy is 17.045 eV. Our result is compared with spectroscopic observations of the second negative band systemA2Πu→X2Πg.

The relative intensity of theA2Πustate is in good agreement with a recent calculation by Dixon and Hull.
Vacuum Spark Spectra of Zirconium, Niobium and Molybdenum. Term analysis of Zr V, Nb VI and Mo VII
Authors: Mirza Said-uz-Zafar Chaghtai
Published: February 2007

Recording and measurement of the spectra emitted by Zr, Nb and Mo in the vacuum ultra-violet are described, and a term analysis of 4p-ndand 4p-nstransitions in the Kr I-like spectra Zr V, Nb VI and Mo VII is reported.
Electron Binding Energy Determinations on the 2.6 year Promethium Isotope
Authors: G Malmsen  , O Nilsson  , I Thorén  , J-E Bergmark
Published: February 2007

L, M and N electron binding energies in Pm have been determined by the ESCA method. The electron spectra were excited by Mo, Cu and A1 X-radiation. The Pm specimens were made by molecular plating of 147
61Pm.
Term Analysis of Zr VII, Nb VIII and Mo IX
Authors: Mirza Said-uz-Zafar Chaghtai
Published: February 2007

Term analyses of the transitions 4p- 4dand 4p- 5sin Zr VII, Nb VIII and Mo IX are reported. A total of 143 lines has been identified and 81 energy levels are established in these previously unknown spectra. The whole isoelectronic sequence of Se I-like spectra is briefly reviewed.
Anode Vapour Flow Phenomena in a FXR Discharge
Authors: A Dejke  , S K Händel  , A Englund-Ponterius
Published: February 2007

Streak photographs of the radial motion of vaporized electrode material in a flash X-ray (FXR) discharge indicate successive constrictions of the metal vapour cloud existing just outside the anode. Such a constriction may give rise to the anode vapour jet earlier observed in axial streak photographs of the discharge. Calculations show that the anode vapour production is sufficiently high to supply the discharge column behind the jet front with "new" vapour.
Direct Observation of the Effects of Irradiation with Gamma Rays and Fast Neutrons on Silicon
Authors: L Gerward
Published: February 2007

X-ray topography has been used to study the production of lattice defects by 1.25 MeV gamma photons and by fast neutrons in silicon single crystals. It is found that no changes occur in the dislocation configuration and no defects are created with strain fields larger than 1 μ in size. Though electrical measurements indicate the existence of overlapping disordered regions in crystals irradiated with doses exceeding 1019 fast neutrons per cm2 it is shown that the defects are sufficiently dilute to maintain a well defined lattice with regard to X-ray diffraction properties.
Studies of Stimulated Emission from Discharges in Air and Nitrogen in the Pressure Range 1-760 torr
Authors: N R Nilsson  , O Steinvall  , C K Subramanian  , L Högberg
Published: February 2007

Stimulated emission from gas discharge tubes built up of ceramic disc capacitors (C= 3 000 pF) separated by electrodes and having a central hole (discharge channel) has been studied. Nitrogen has been used as test gas. It is shown that the output power density is appreciably higher from this tube when fed by a high voltage pulse generator than from an ordinary straight tube with end electrodes. 230 kW pulses (superradiant mode without mirrors) have been observed from a tube 7 mm in bore and 102 mm long at at nitrogen pressure of 175 torr. The pulse duration is approximately 2 ns. It is further shown that the stimulated emission occurs during breakdown. In a similar tube with aluminium oxide discs (εr= 8) instead of the disc capacitors, laser action has been observed at considerably higher pressure. In air at atmospheric pressure an output of 25 kW has been achieved from a tube 4 mm in bore and 102 mm long. The pulse duration is in this case approximately 1 ns.
Mean Lives of n=3 Terms in Li II
Authors: J Bromander  , R Buchta
Published: February 2007

The mean lives of five of the six n=3 terms in Li II have been measured by means of the beam-foil technique. The results are compared with the theoretical predictions of their transition probabilities.
Studies of AgIn and CuGe Alloys by Optical and Photoemission Techniques
Authors: P O Nilsson
Published: February 2007

The electronic structure of Ag87In13and Cu94Ge6has been investigated by measuring the optical absorption and photoelectron energy distributions. The effect of screening on alloying was observed as a lowering of the conduction band. The optical transition across the conduction band gap at theLpoint is identified and discussed.
Decomposition of the Tensor Product of two Imaginary Mass Representations of the Poincaré Group
Authors: G Lindblad
Published: February 2007

The reduction of the tensor product is carried out by a method that is completely analogous to that used for real mass representations in the helicity coupling. This is possible through the use of a continuous basis for the UIRs of the little group SU(1,1). The Clebsch-Gordan coefficients are obtained in the same simple form as in the real mass case.
Parametrization of Scattering Amplitudes: Definition of Crossing Symmetric Measure and Inertial Tensor
Authors: Karl-Erik Eriksson
Published: February 2007

The parametrization of N-point functions and scattering amplitudes in a relativistic particle theory is briefly discussed. A "democratic" parametrization is suggested. In connection with this a 4-dimensional "tensor of inertia" is defined in close connection to the Gram matrix. A measure is introduced in the (non-physical) Euclidean part of momentum space.
Remeasured Wavelengths of Some Resonance Lines of Be III, B IV, C V and O VII
Authors: Lars Åke Svensson
Published: February 2007

Twelve lines in the region 20-100 Å, belonging to the resonance series of Be III, B IV, C V and O VII, have been remeasured by using plates taken by Tyrén. Wavelengths are given to four decimal places.
The Spectrum of Singly Ionized Boron B II
Authors: Alf Ölme
Published: February 2007

The spectrum of singly ionized boron has been studied by using a sliding spark in vacuum. The wavelength list contains 76 lines in the region 9 660-630 Å, 33 of which have not been observed or identified before. The singlets and triplets have been connected by the assumption that 6g1Gand 6g3Ghave the same term value. The ionization energy has been determined to 202 887.4 ± 1.0 cm-1by means of the polarization formula for 5gand 6gwith a theoretical value of the dipole polarizability. The application of the polarization formula to other members of the Be isoelectronic sequence has lead to an increase by 27.2 cm-1in the ionization limit of C III. The new value is 386 241.0 ± 1.0 cm-1.
Phase-locking of Coupled Modes in Nonlinearly Unstable Plasmas
Authors: H Wilhelmsson  , K Östberg
Published: February 2007

The purpose of the paper is to discuss phase-locking of three coupled modes for plasma systems which are explosively unstable. The study is carried out within the frame-work of the well-defined phase description. It turns out that appreciable phase-locking occurs in a period of time shorter than the time the explosive instability needs to develop.
Subcellular Relocalization of a Trans-acting Factor Regulates XIAP IRES-dependent Translation
Authors: Lewis Stephen M. , Veyrier Anne , Hosszu Ungureanu Nicoleta , Bonnal Sophie , Vagner Stéphan , Holcik Martin
Published: February 2007

Translation of the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) proceeds by internal ribosome entry site (IRES)-mediated initiation, a process that is physiologically important because XIAP expression is essential for cell survival under conditions of compromised cap-dependent translation, such as cellular stress. The regulation of internal initiation requires the interaction of IRES trans-acting factors (ITAFs) with the IRES element. We used RNA-affinity chromatography to identify XIAP ITAFs and isolated the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNP A1). We find that hnRNP A1 interacts with XIAP IRES RNA both in vitro and in vivo and that hnRNP A1 negatively regulates XIAP IRES activity. Moreover, XIAP IRES-dependent translation is significantly reduced when hnRNP A1 accumulates in the cytoplasm. Osmotic shock, a cellular stress that causes cytoplasmic accumulation of hnRNP A1, also leads to a decrease in XIAP levels that is abrogated by knockdown of hnRNP A1 expression. These results suggest that the subcellular localization of hnRNP A1 is an important determinant of its ability to negatively regulate XIAP IRES activity, suggesting that the subcellular distribution of ITAFs plays a critical role in regulating IRES-dependent translation. Our findings demonstrate that cytoplasmic hnRNP A1 is a negative regulator of XIAP IRES-dependent translation, indicating a novel function for the cytoplasmic form of this protein.
Nematode parasites reduce carotenoid-based signalling in male red grouse
Authors: Martínez-Padilla Jesús , Mougeot François , Pérez-Rodríguez Lorenzo , Bortolotti Gary R
Published: February 2007

Carotenoids determine the yellow–red colours of many ornaments, which often function as signals of quality. Carotenoid-based signalling may reliably advertise health and should be particularly sensitive to parasite infections. Nematodes are among the commonest parasites of vertebrates, with well-documented negative effects on their hosts. However, to date, little is known about the effects that these parasites may have on carotenoid-based signalling. Tetraonid birds (grouse) exhibit supra-orbital combs, which are bright integumentary ornaments pigmented by carotenoids. We tested the effect of the nematode parasiteTrichostrongylus tenuison signalling in free-living male red grouseLagopus lagopus scoticus. We show that experimentally reduced nematode infection increases plasma carotenoid concentration and comb redness, demonstrating for the first time that nematodes can influence carotenoid-based signals.
Gaussian fluctuations of Young diagrams under the Plancherel measure
Authors: Bogachev Leonid V , Su Zhonggen
Published: February 2007

We obtain the central limit theorem for fluctuations of Young diagrams around their limit shape in the bulk of the ‘spectrum’ of partitions
λ
⊢
n
∈

(under the Plancherel measure), thus settling a long-standing problem posed by Logan & Shepp. Namely, under normalization growing like

, the corresponding random process in the bulk is shown to converge, in the sense of finite-dimensional distributions, to a Gaussian process with independent values, while local correlations in the vicinity of each point, measured on various power scales, possess certain self-similarity. The proofs are based on the Poissonization techniques and use Costin–Lebowitz–Soshnikov's central limit theorem for determinantal random point processes. Our results admit a striking reformulation after the rotation of Young diagrams by 45°, whereby the normalization no longer depends on the location in the spectrum. In addition, we explain heuristically the link with an earlier result by Kerov on the convergence to a generalized Gaussian process.
Damage accumulation processes and life prediction in unidirectional composites
Authors: Blassiau S , Bunsell A.R , Thionnet A
Published: February 2007

A parallel has been made between the design and the failure of some composite structures, such as pressure vessels, and that of a unidirectional carbon fibre-reinforced epoxy resin. This type of composite has many characteristics that make it attractive, however, long-term damage accumulation in it, when under load, is not understood in any quantitative manner. It is therefore necessary to identify the processes involved in the degradation of the composite when subjected to long-term loading. Acoustic emission (AE) has been used to detect damage in the composite material and to relate the microstructural damage processes to the activity recorded from composite specimens through the development of a detailed analytical model of the damage processes involved. A multiscale model beginning at the scale of individual fibres and the surrounding matrix has been developed by taking into account the accumulated effects of individual fibre breaks on the behaviour of the whole composite and therefore explains the AE detected during the tests.
Female butterflies prefer males bearing bright iridescent ornamentation
Authors: Kemp Darrell J
Published: February 2007

Butterflies are among nature's most colourful animals, and provide a living showcase for how extremely bright, chromatic and iridescent coloration can be generated by complex optical mechanisms. The gross characteristics of male butterfly colour patterns are understood to function for species and/or sex recognition, but it is not known whether female mate choice promotes visual exaggeration of this coloration. Here I show that females of the sexually dichromatic speciesHypolimnas bolinaprefer conspecific males that possess bright iridescent blue/ultraviolet dorsal ornamentation. In separate field and enclosure experiments, using both dramatic and graded wing colour manipulations, I demonstrate that a moderate qualitative reduction in signal brightness and chromaticity has the same consequences as removing the signal entirely. These findings validate a long-held hypothesis, and argue for the importance of intra- versus interspecific selection as the driving force behind the exaggeration of bright, iridescent butterfly colour patterns.
Specification of CNS glia from neural stem cells in the embryonic neuroepithelium
Authors: Kessaris Nicoletta , Pringle Nigel , Richardson William D
Published: February 2007

All the neurons and glial cells of the central nervous system are generated from the neuroepithelial cells in the walls of the embryonic neural tube, the ‘embryonic neural stem cells’. The stem cells seem to be equivalent to the so-called ‘radial glial cells’, which for many years had been regarded as a specialized type of glial cell. These radial cells generate different classes of neurons in a position-dependent manner. They then switch to producing glial cells (oligodendrocytes and astrocytes). It is not known what drives the neuron–glial switch, although downregulation of pro-neural basic helix–loop–helix transcription factors is one important step. This drives the stem cells from a neurogenic towards a gliogenic mode. The stem cells then choose between developing as oligodendrocytes or astrocytes, of which there might be intrinsically different subclasses. This review focuses on the different extracellular signals and intracellular responses that influence glial generation and the choice between oligodendrocyte and astrocyte fates.
Sequencing and analysis of chromosome 1 of Eimeria tenella reveals a unique segmental organization
Authors: Ling King-Hwa , Rajandream Marie-Adele , Rivailler Pierre , Ivens Alasdair , Yap Soon-Joo , Madeira Alda M.B.N. , Mungall Karen , Billington Karen , Yee Wai-Yan , Bankier Alan T. , Carroll Fionnadh , Durham Alan M. , Peters Nicholas , Loo Shu-San , Mat Isa Mohd Noor , Novaes Jeniffer , Quail Michael , Rosli Rozita , Nor Shamsudin Mariana , Sobreira Tiago J.P. , Tivey Adrian R. , Wai Siew-Fun , White Sarah , Wu Xikun , Kerhornou Arnaud , Blake Damer , Mohamed Rahmah , Shirley Martin , Gruber Arthur , Berriman Matthew , Tomley Fiona , Dear Paul H. , Wan Kiew-Lian
Published: February 2007

Eimeria tenella is an intracellular protozoan parasite that infects the intestinal tracts of domestic fowl and causes coccidiosis, a serious and sometimes lethal enteritis. Eimeria falls in the same phylum (Apicomplexa) as several human and animal parasites such as Cryptosporidium, Toxoplasma, and the malaria parasite, Plasmodium. Here we report the sequencing and analysis of the first chromosome of E. tenella, a chromosome believed to carry loci associated with drug resistance and known to differ between virulent and attenuated strains of the parasite. The chromosome—which appears to be representative of the genome—is gene-dense and rich in simple-sequence repeats, many of which appear to give rise to repetitive amino acid tracts in the predicted proteins. Most striking is the segmentation of the chromosome into repeat-rich regions peppered with transposon-like elements and telomere-like repeats, alternating with repeat-free regions. Predicted genes differ in character between the two types of segment, and the repeat-rich regions appear to be associated with strain-to-strain variation.
Skeletal Muscle Insulin Resistance Is Fundamental to the Cardiometabolic Syndrome
Authors: Nistala Ravi , Stump Craig S.
Published: February 2007

The cardiometabolic syndrome is associated with insulin resistance and a dysregulation of glucose and lipid metabolism that occurs in multiple tissues. Of these, skeletal muscle is the most abundant insulin‐sensitive tissue, handling >40% of the postprandial glucose uptake, while consuming 20% of the body's energy. The inability to efficiently take up and store fuel, and to transition from fat to glucose as the primary source of fuel during times of plenty (increased insulin), has been termed metabolic inflexibility. This resistance to insulin is thought to be a major contributor to the whole‐body metabolic dysregulation that leads to increased cardiovascular risk. Recent investigation has identified specific defects in postinsulin receptor signaling in skeletal muscle from resistant humans and animals. Potential mechanisms contributing to this reduced insulin signaling and action include decreases in mitochondrial oxidative capacity, increased intramuscular lipid accumulation, increased reactive oxygen species generation, and up‐regulated inflammatory pathways. Future research is focused on understanding these and other potential mechanisms to identify therapeutic targets for reducing cardiometabolic syndrome risk.
Subcutaneous emphysema during restorative dentistry
Authors: STEELMAN ROBERT J. , JOHANNES PHYLLIS W.
Published: February 2007

Background.  Subcutaneous emphysema is a rare occurrence in the dental setting. When it does occur, the entity may be mistaken for an anaphylactic reaction to a local anaesthetic agent or other medications used in dental surgery.

Case Report.  During restorative treatment of a left second primary molar air was introduced under an operculum. Communication with submandibular and sublingual spaces to the mediastinum was established.

Conclusion.  Therapy for subcutaneous emphysema involves, correct diagnosis and antibiotic coverage. Subcutaneous air will resolve over time so observation is indicated.
The accompanying adult: authority to give consent in the UK
Authors: LATA LAL SEEMA MADHUR , PAREKH SUSAN , MASON CAROL , ROBERTS GRAHAM
Published: February 2007

Background.  Children may be accompanied by various people when attending for dental treatment. Before treatment is started, there is a legal requirement that the operator obtain informed consent for the proposed procedure. In the case of minors, the person authorized to give consent (parental responsibility) is usually a parent.

Aim.  To ascertain if accompanying persons of children attending the Department of Paediatric Dentistry at the Eastman Dental Hospital, London were empowered to give consent for the child's dental treatment.

Design.  A total of 250 accompanying persons of children attending were selected, over a 6‐month period. A questionnaire was used to establish whether the accompanying person(s) were authorized to give consent.

Result.  The study showed that 12% of accompanying persons had no legal authority to give consent for the child's dental treatment.

Conclusion.  Clinicians need to be aware of the status of persons accompanying children to ensure valid consent is obtained.
Quantitative assessment of the compliance with once‐daily sublingual immunotherapy in children (EASY Project: Evaluation of A novel SLIT formulation during a Year)
Authors: Passalacqua Giovanni , Musarra Antonino , Pecora Silvia , Amoroso Saverio , Antonicelli Leonardo , Cadario Gianni , Gioacchino Mario Di , Lombardi Carlo , Ridolo Erminia , Sacerdoti Guido , Schiavino Domenico , Senna Gianenrico
Published: February 2007

Compliance is a major determinant for allergy treatment, especially in children. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is self‐managed at home, and no quantitative data on pediatric adherence are available. We studied the compliance in a large real‐life setting. A simplified schedule of SLIT was used, consisting of a 10‐day updosing phase followed by maintenance treatment in monodose containers to be taken daily (SLITOne®). Italian specialists throughout Italy assessed the compliance in children who were newly prescribed SLIT according to guidelines. Parents were contacted with unscheduled telephone interviews at the third and sixth month of therapy and asked to count at that moment the remaining vials. Data from 71 children (38 boys, age range 2–13 yr) were enclosed in the database. Thirty had rhinoconjunctivitis, four asthma and 37 rhinoconjunctivitis + asthma. SLIT was prescribed for: mites in 57 (81%) subjects, grasses in 11 (15%) and 3 (4%) grass + olive mixture. Compliance data were available for all children at 3 months, and for 56 at 6 months. At 3 months, 85% of subjects had a compliance rate >75% (69% of them adhered >90%). At 6 months, 84% had a compliance rate >75% (66% of them adhered >90%). In four cases SLIT was discontinued for economical reasons, and in one case (1.4%) for side effects probably related to therapy. These data obtained in a quite large sample of children and in real‐life confirm that the compliance with SLITOne® is good, despite the therapy managed at home.
Validation of a questionnaire for epidemiologic studies of wheezing in infants
Authors: Chong Neto H. J. , Rosario N. , Dela Bianca A. C. , Solé D. , Mallol J.
Published: February 2007

Large international studies on asthma and allergies in childhood have found notorious variation in prevalence and temporal trend among countries. However, there is no international studies on the epidemiologic characteristics of wheezing in the first year of life. The aim of this study was to validate a questionnaire to assess the prevalence of wheezing in infants from Latin America, Spain, and Portugal. This study was undertaken in pediatric emergency rooms (PER). A randomized sample of parents visiting PER because lower respiratory illness, answered a questionnaire on wheezing developed by the International Study of Wheezing in Infants. During visit, all infants were examined by one of the authors (blind) who reported, or not, the presence of wheezing on chest auscultation. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive positive value, predictive negative value, and agreement level were calculated from parent and physician reports. Two hundred and nine infants aged 12–15 months participated in the study. Fifty‐six parents reported current wheezing and 43 were confirmed by physician; 153 parents did not report current wheezing and 146 had not wheezing at physical examination (agreement = 0.74, CI 95% 0.64–0.85). This questionnaire showed high sensitivity (86%), specificity (91.8%), positive predictive value (76.8%) and predictive negative value (95.4%). Regardless of previous experience with wheezing episodes, parents can reliably inform when their infants are currently wheezing. A simple and convenient questionnaire confirmed by physical examination produce an accurate tool to asses the prevalence of asthma symptoms in infants.
Eocene drill holes in cold‐seep bivalves of Hokkaido, northern Japan
Authors: Amano Kazutaka , Jenkins Robert G.
Published: February 2007

Four specimens of the thyasirid Conchocele bisecta (Conrad) and one small specimen of the vesicomyid Hubertschenckia ezoensis (Yokoyama), each with a drill hole made by a naticid gastropod, were found at a cold‐seep site in the upper Eocene Poronai Formation of Hokkaido. This is apparently the oldest record not only of drill holes, but also of predation scars, in a cold‐seep fauna. In addition, drilled vesicomyids are known from several Miocene cold‐seep sites in Japan. We suggest that the Eocene and Miocene chemoautotrophic bivalves were drilled only in the shallow‐water settings preferred by most naticids. The lack of drill holes in Oligocene chemoautotrophic bivalves in the northwestern USA suggests that this innovation, which allowed naticids to prey upon highly toxic bivalves, first appeared in the western Pacific during the Eocene.
Effects of washout following indomethacin administration on electrical field stimulation–induced isolated rat gastric fundus strip contractions
Authors: Keshavarz Mansoor , Afshin Salimeh , Djahanguiri Bijan
Published: February 2007

Background and Aim:  Although gastric hypermotility is one of the mechanisms proposed to explain the ulcerogenic action of indomethacin, the drug has shown relaxatory effects on isolated longitudinal and transverse rat gastric fundus. To explain the above discrepancy, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of washout following indomethacin administration on the contractile response of isolated rat gastric strips to electrical field stimulation.

Methods:  Transverse and longitudinal strips of stomach were suspended in organ baths containing oxygenated Krebs solution. Contractile responses to electrical field stimulation were recorded on a physiograph before and after administration of a single concentration of indomethacin. Recordings were also taken 15 min after the washout of the drug. To study the part played by KATP channels on post‐washout response, the effects of diazoxide as a channel opener and glybenclamide as a channel blocker were also studied.

Results:  The amplitude of the contractions was not changed following indomethacin administration but was significantly increased 15 min after washout of the drug. Diazoxide pretreatment inhibited the stimulatory post‐washout response of both strips. Glybenclamide pretreatment showed different results depending on the type of strip. In the transverse strips the drug showed no effect while in the longitudinal strips it decreased the post‐washout response.

Conclusions:  The present data suggest that indomethacin has a delayed stimulatory effect on gastric smooth muscle, which will appear after the exposure of the strip to the drug followed by its washout. This effect seems to be under the influence of KATP channel modulators.
Human peritoneal mesothelial cells isolated from spent dialysate fluid maintain contaminating macrophages via production of macrophage colony stimulating factor
Authors: TEE MELINDA M , TESCH GREGORY H , NIKOLIC‐PATERSON DAVID J , BROWN FIONA G
Published: February 2007

Background:  Human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMC) are useful for the analysis of peritoneal reactions to various insults and to peritoneal dialysate. HPMC can be readily obtained from spent dialysis fluid, but leucocyte contamination is a major problem when using these cells for in vitro experiments. Therefore, we examined the persistence of leucocyte contamination in HPMC cultures obtained from spent dialysate.

Methods:  Cells were obtained from spent patient dialysate bags by centrifugation and analysed for specific cell phenotypes by flow cytometry at the initial collection and during sequential passages in cell culture. Cell proliferation was assessed by either bromodeoxyuridine incorporation or a dehydrogenase assay. Cytokine secretion was analysed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.

Results:  Spent dialysate bags contained two major cell populations: CD45+ leucocytes and cytokeratin‐8/18+ cells. Initially, most collected cells were CD45+, but their numbers decreased rapidly during the first week of culture. However, a persistent contamination of CD45+ leucocytes, approximately 20% of cells, was evident during the next three passages. This persistent CD45+ contamination was identified as CD68+ macrophages and contained bromodeoxyuridine + proliferating cells. These macrophages could be removed by fluorescence‐activated cell sorting using anti‐CD45 antibody, resulting in highly purified HPMC which expressed cytokeratin‐8/18 and calretinin. Supernatant obtained from these purified HPMC contained macrophage colony stimulating factor and induced proliferation of bone marrow‐derived macrophages.

Conclusion:  Spent dialysate contains macrophages which persist in culture and are associated with HPMC secretion of macrophage colony stimulating factor and macrophage proliferation. Therefore, contaminating macrophages should be specifically removed from HPMC preparations before performing in vitro studies.
In vivo survival and stratification of cultured limbal epithelium
Authors: Fatima Anees , Vemuganti Geeta K , Iftekhar Ghazala , Rao Gullapalli N , Sangwan Virender S
Published: February 2007

Abstract

A 6‐year‐old Bangladeshi girl presented with total limbal stem cell deficiency in the left eye, secondary to a 6‐month‐old chemical injury. The patient had also previously undergone two limbal transplantation surgeries. At the authors’ centre the child underwent autologous cultured limbal epithelium transplantation, on human amniotic membrane, without the use of air‐lift technique. Symptomatic relief, re‐epithelialization of the ocular surface, regression of corneal pannus and slight improvement in vision were all noted. The corneal button obtained at the time of keratoplasty (performed 4 months later) revealed stratified epithelium with basement membrane. Thirty‐seven months post keratoplasty, the best‐corrected visual acuity was 6/15 with clear graft and stable ocular surface. Herein, a case of limbal stem cell deficiency successfully managed by monolayer of cultured limbal epithelium is presented.
Photodynamic therapy with verteporfin for choroidal neovascularization due to age‐related macular degeneration and other causes: a New Zealand outcomes study
Authors: Sharp Dianne M , Lai Susannah , Markey Caroline M
Published: February 2007

Abstract

Purpose:   To assess the efficacy and safety of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) and other conditions by analysing visual acuity changes.

Methods:   A retrospective review of patients treated with PDT was conducted. CNV was confirmed on fluorescein angiography. Visual acuity outcomes were recorded at 3‐monthly intervals to a maximum of 48 months. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of patients avoiding moderate visual loss (losing less than three lines of visual acuity relative to baseline) at 12 months.

Results:   A total of 343 patients receiving PDT were followed up for a mean of 14.9 months. Two hundred and eighty‐five (83%) patients presented with CNV due to AMD and 58 patients (17%) due to other causes. Seventy per cent of patients with CNV secondary to AMD avoided moderate visual loss at both 12 and 24 months. Secondary outcomes (including mean change in visual acuity, proportion of patients with stable or improved vision and proportion of patients with severe vision loss) also compared favourably with the Treatment of Age‐Related Macular Degeneration with Photodynamic Therapy (TAP) Investigation. Of patients with CNV secondary to causes other than AMD, 76% avoided moderate visual loss at both 12 and 24 months. The safety profile identified one severe adverse reaction, with development of a serous pigment epithelial detachment and subsequent rip.

Conclusion:   The results of this present retrospective, open‐label, clinical practice study in New Zealand are consistent with the findings of multicentre randomized, placebo‐controlled trials and confirm the treatment benefit of PDT in a clinical setting.
‘SETTING A PRINCIPLED BOUNDARY’? EUTHANASIA AS A RESPONSE TO ‘LIFE FATIGUE’
Authors: HUXTABLE RICHARD , MÖLLER MAAIKE
Published: February 2007

The Dutch case of Brongersma presents novel challenges to the definition and evaluation of voluntary euthanasia since it involved a doctor assisting the suicide of an individual who was (merely?) ‘tired of life’. Legal officials had called on the courts to ‘set a principled boundary’, excluding such cases from the scope of permissible voluntary euthanasia, but they arguably failed. This failure is explicable, however, since the case seems justifiable by reference to the two major principles in favour of that practice, respect for autonomy and beneficence. Ultimately, it will be argued that those proponents of voluntary euthanasia who are wary of its use in such circumstances may need to draw upon ‘practical’ objections, in order to erect an otherwise arbitrary perimeter. Furthermore, it will be suggested that the issues raised by the case are not peculiarly Dutch in nature and that, therefore, there are lessons here for other jurisdictions too.
PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE: A NEW LOOK AT THE ARGUMENTS
Authors: DIETERLE J.M.
Published: February 2007

In this paper, I examine the arguments against physician assisted suicide (PAS). Many of these arguments are consequentialist. Consequentialist arguments rely on empirical claims about the future and thus their strength depends on how likely it is that the predictions will be realized. I discuss these predictions against the backdrop of Oregon's Death with Dignity Act and the practice of PAS in the Netherlands. I then turn to a specific consequentialist argument against PAS – Susan M. Wolf's feminist critique of the practice. Finally, I examine the two most prominent deontological arguments against PAS. Ultimately, I conclude that no anti‐PAS argument has merit. Although I do not provide positive arguments for PAS, if none of the arguments against it are strong, we have no reason not to legalize it.
BENEFITING FROM PAST WRONGDOING, HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELL LINES, AND THE FRAGILITY OF THE GERMAN LEGAL POSITION
Authors: TAKALA TUIJA , HÄYRY MATTI
Published: February 2007

This paper examines the logic and morality of the German Stem Cell Act of 2002. After a brief description of the law's scope and intent, its ethical dimensions are analysed in terms of symbolic threats, indirect consequences, and the encouragement of immorality. The conclusions are twofold. For those who want to accept the law, the arguments for its rationality and morality can be sound. For others, the emphasis on the uniqueness of the German experience, the combination of absolute and qualified value judgments, and the lingering questions of indirect encouragement of immoral activities will probably be too much.
A very Handy philosophy
Authors: Haskins Gay
Published: February 2007

Charles Handy is a writer, broadcaster, thinker and teacher whose books have sold over one million copies. He has also been an oil executive, an economist, a professor at London Business School and the warden of St George's House in Windsor Castle. For all that, Handy remains a man focused on others. His latest book is The New Philanthropists, and Gay Haskins expanded that topic to look reflectively at Handy's achievements as well as his concern with the need for us all ‐ as individuals ‐ to shape our own lives, set an agenda and make a difference.
THE IMPACT OF DISAGGREGATED INFRASTRUCTURE CAPITAL ON THE PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH OF THE CHILEAN ECONOMY*
Authors: ALBALA‐BERTRAND J. M. , MAMATZAKIS E. C.
Published: February 2007

The aim of this study is to estimate the productivity contribution of the main components of the infrastructure capital to the Chilean economy, over the 1960–2000 period. We develop a cost function framework that allows us to decompose the growth of total factor productivity into relevant contributions, which are then estimated via a translog function. Our estimates indicate that infrastructure capital was on the whole cost saving, but enhanced only moderately the productivity of the Chilean economy. Investment in electricity infrastructure systematically managed to tap such cost savings. This was also important for transport infrastructures over the 1990s, although it systematically failed for telecommunications. But the large contribution of economies of scale to total factor productivity might have also been indirectly stimulated by infrastructure in complex societal and economic ways.
Democratization and Ideational Diffusion: Europe, Mercosur and Social Citizenship*
Authors: GRUGEL JEAN
Published: February 2007

Policies in support of democratic transition aim to reconfigure the dominant norm set in previously authoritarian states and societies. The EU's commitment to such policies is well‐established. This article discusses what the EU does when it offers democratic support, using the example of Mercosur. The evidence presented here suggests that EU policy in Mercosur is premised on assumptions of a positive identity relationship with local governing elites. In fact, however, it is not clear that democracy is understood in the same way in Mercosur as in the EU. As a result, policies resonate less than expected.
Inverse and distinct modulation of tau‐dependent neurodegeneration by presenilin 1 and amyloid‐β in cultured cortical neurons: evidence that tau phosphorylation is the limiting factor in amyloid‐β‐induced cell death
Authors: Leschik Julia , Welzel Alfred , Weissmann Carina , Eckert Anne , Brandt Roland
Published: February 2007

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by massive neuron loss in distinct brain regions, extracellular accumulations of the amyloid precursor protein‐fragment amyloid‐β (Aβ) and intracellular tau fibrils containing hyperphosphorylated tau. Experimental evidence suggests a relation between presenilin (PS) mutations, Aβ formation, and tau phosphorylation in triggering cell death; however, how Aβ and PS affect tau‐dependent degeneration is unknown. Using herpes simplex virus 1‐mediated gene‐transfer of fluorescent‐tagged tau constructs in primary cortical neurons, we demonstrate that tau expression exerts a neurotoxic effect that is increased with a construct mimicking disease‐like hyperphosphorylation [pseudohyperphosphorylated (PHP) tau]. Live imaging revealed that PHP tau expression is associated with increased perikarya suggesting the development of a ‘ballooned’ phenotype as a specific feature of tau‐mediated cell death. Transgenic expression of PS1 suppressed tau‐induced neurodegeneration. In contrast, Aβ amplified degeneration in the presence of wt tau but not of PHP tau. The data indicate that PS1 and Aβ inversely modulate tau‐dependent neurodegeneration at distinct steps. They indicate that the mode by which PHP tau causes neurotoxicity is downstream of Aβ and that tau phosphorylation is the limiting factor in Aβ‐induced cell death. Suppression of tau expression or inhibition of tau phosphorylation at disease‐relevant sites may provide an effective therapeutic strategy to prevent neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease.
Ibutilide‐Induced Cardioversion of Atrial Fibrillation During Pregnancy
Authors: KOCKOVA RADKA , KOCKA VIKTOR , KIERNAN THOMAS , FAHY GERARD J.
Published: February 2007

We present two cases of successful cardioversion of atrial fibrillation using intravenous ibutilide during pregnancy. One patient had atrial fibrillation, complicating the Wolff‐Parkinson‐White syndrome and the other had a history of nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. No adverse maternal or fetal effects were observed during or after pregnancy in either case.
Efficacy and Safety of Tacrolimus Ointment Monotherapy in Chinese Children With Atopic Dermatitis
Authors: Chi Keung Yeung , Kwok Chiu Ma , Henry Hin Lee Chan
Published: February 2007

Objective: To assess the efficacy and patients' tolerance of topical tacrolimus ointment for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in Chinese children during hot and humid seasons.

Methods: Tacrolimus ointment at a concentration of 0.03% was applied for up to 4 weeks. Patients were assessed at weekly intervals for adverse events and efficacy.

Results: Thirty‐four patients completed the study. Twenty‐seven percent of patients showed greater than 75% improvement according to the investigators' Global Evaluation of Clinical Response from Week 1 onward. The mean patients' assessment of treatment effects and Eczema Area Severity Index decreased by 60% after treatment for 4 weeks ( p<0.001), and the mean score for patients' assessment of pruritus decreased by 41% at Week 4 ( p<0.001). Pruritus and burning sensation were the two main adverse events reported.

Conclusions: The short‐term monotherapy of childhood atopic dermatitis with tacrolimus ointment is well tolerated and effective during the hot and humid seasons in Hong Kong.