bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
NORTHCOM
(
U
.
S
.
N
orthern
C
ommand)
Authors: Savidge Charlotte
Published: July 2005

The article provides an overview of the history, current efforts, and future plans of the U.S. Northern Command's biodefense‐related activities. It covers NORTHCOM's exercises to demonstrate operational capacity in 2003 and its role in federal simulation exercises. The article outlines NORTHCOM's geographic and operational areas of responsibility and its work with federal, state, and local agencies. Future simulation exercises are also discussed
O
range
O
ctober: A Case Study
Authors:   Monterey WMD‐Terrorism Database Staff
Published: July 2005

In 1993, a group calling itself Orange October mailed letters containing syringes allegedly contaminated with an undifferentiated hepatitis virus to a large number of companies in the United Kingdom. Some employees did suffer needle sticks, but forensic tests showed the needles had not been contaminated.
P
alestinian
I
slamic
J
ihad
Authors: Sinai Joshua
Published: July 2005

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is a radical Sunni Muslim group that portrays Palestine as vital to the Muslim world and contends that anti‐Zionism is the key to Islam's success. PIJ believes that carrying out terrorist attacks against Israel will weaken it in preparation for military confrontation by the “great Islamic Arabic army.” It also opposes pro‐Western Arab governments. PIJ is headquartered in Damascus, Syria. The group is allied with HAMAS, the Lebanese Hizballah, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards stationed in Lebanon. The group conducts fundraising through Islamic charities. It receives logistical assistance from Syria and financial and material resources from Iran.
P
alestine
L
iberation
O
rganization
Authors: Cranmer Skyler J.
Published: July 2005

Although the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) draws upon Islam to some extent as a means to inspire its members, it is basically a secular organization. The PLO is an umbrella organization divided into diverse sections whose goal is to liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation. It listed Jerusalem as its capitol and was recognized by 100 nations despite the fact that the PLO has no sovereign territory. It never has been able to control Jerusalem so it operates out of other areas, most recently, the city of Ramallah on the West Bank. The PLO currently denounces terrorism and does not officially sponsor terrorist operations. The exact number of members is unknown. The PLO is considered currently active despite the fact that it has not been regarded by the U. S. State Department as a terrorist group since 1988.
P
ine
B
luff
A
rsenal
Authors: Urrea Joseph
Published: July 2005

The Pine Bluff Arsenal has served as a manufacturing center for the production of both chemical and biological weapons. Today the facility remains a storage site for a portion of the U.S. chemical defense stockpile. In 2001, Congress supported the Arsenal Support Program Initiative to help maintain the viability of army arsenals. This allows arsenals to enter in cooperative partnerships with private companies. Programs at Pine Bluff teach emergency responders how to choose, operate, and maintain, their radiological, chemical, and biological response equipment. Pine Bluff is expected to play a role in homeland security in the years to come.
Prion Diseases
Authors: Zilinskas Raymond A.
Published: July 2005

Prion stands for proteinaceous infectious particle. Prion diseases are infectious diseases of the brain and occur in both animals and people. The disease is given a different name according to the species it affects. Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy is a general term encompassing all prion diseases. Prion diseases are transmissible between species and bring about slow degeneration of the central nervous system, which leads to death.

This article discusses the prion pathogen and diagnostic methods for detection. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy prions are considered one of the 80 select agents requiring special attention under the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002. Use of prions as terrorists' agents is questionable due to the fact that these agents have long incubation times.
Public Health Preparedness in the
U
nited
S
tates
Authors: Katz Rebecca
Published: July 2005

Public health preparedenss is a crucial aspect in the defense against bioterrorism. This article discusses the basic responsibilities of the public health system with respect to bioterrorism preparednes and reviews current capabilities.
R
epublic of
T
exas: A Case Study
Authors:   Monterey WMD‐Terrorism Database Staff
Published: July 2005

In July 1998, Johnnie Wise, Jack Abbott Grebe, Jr., and Oliver Dean Emigh, all members of the separatist militia, The Republic of Texas, were arrested in Wise's home in Olmito, Texas and charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. The Republic of Texas believes that Texas was not properly annexed in 1845 and is therefore not a part of the United States. The trio belongs to a splinter faction and the Republic of Texas issued a statement denouncing any connection to the trio.
Biological Simulants
Authors: Kosal Margaret E.
Published: July 2005

Simulants are nonpathogenic microbes or biological substitutes used as model organisms in place of more lethal biological agents. Simulants, or surrogates, have been widely used in the past to study potential biological warfare (BW) scenarios. Current use of simulants is for defensive biological programs, including biomolecular studies and as model organisms for detector development.
S
udan,
R
epublic of
Authors: Nelson Gail H.
Published: July 2005

Sudan offers exceptional terrain for insurgent groups in transit and concealment of international terrorist organizations in hiding. Solidarity with other Arab countries is a main feature of Sudan's foreign policy. Sudan's support for regional insurgencies and extremist groups generates international concern. There is no firm evidence that the Sudanese government ever engaged in the production of chemical or biological weapons. However, Sudan remains a region vulnerable to extremist‐terrorist activities. It requires close monitoring for the potential that extremist groups and front enterprises backing terrorist networks would resort to WMD development.
Suicide Terrorism
Authors: Dolnik Adam
Published: July 2005

In recent years, suicide bombings have become the most lethal and the most popular operational method for terrorist groups worldwide. The scope of advantages of suicide terrorism for tactical as well as strategic purposes is vast, as the act itself combines an ultimate demonstration of commitment, a pragmatic military tactic, the prevention of interrogation, and an unignorable form of protest into a single operation. Over the last 25 years, we have witnessed more then 500 suicide bombings carried out by at least 25 different terrorist organizations in 26 different countries, and counting. This entry focuses on providing the background on definitions, motivations, history and operational characteristics of modern suicide terrorism, followed by an assessment of the potential use of suicide bombers as delivery vehicles for biological agents in the future.
S
yria
Authors: Binder Markus , Vadlamudi Sundara
Published: July 2005

The article discusses Syria's biological weapons capability, its support to terrorism, and finally the chances of providing biological weapons‐related information to terrorist groups. Based on the available information, the article concludes that Syria does not possess an offensive biological weapons capability even though it probably possesses the technical wherewithal to develop, produce, and deploy biological weapons. The article also concludes that in spite of its support to terrorism in the region, Syria has not transferred any biological‐weapons related information or material to terrorist groups
Terrorist Group Identification
Authors: Hartzell Richard W.
Published: July 2005

In the United States, the identification of domestic terrorist organizations is coordinated by the local and state governments in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security. Foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) are designated in the basis of the United States Code (USC). Those organizations found to meet the qualifying criteria are included on a master list maintained by the U.S. Department of State. Relevant USC specifications are summarized in this article as well as the U.S. Department of State criteria for designation of FTOs.
DianeThompson: A Case Study
Authors:   Monterey WMD‐Terrorism Database Staff
Published: July 2005

In 1996, Diane Thompson, a laboratory technician in Dallas, Texas provided a number of fellow hospital workers with pastries contaminated withShigella dysenteriae. This attack lead to 12 illnesses and four hospitalizations. Thompson was arrested for food tampering and is serving a 20‐year prison sentence.
Threat Reduction in the Former
S
oviet
U
nion
Authors: Harrington Anne
Published: July 2005

Containing the proliferation of former Soviet biological weapons expertise and materials from Russia and Eurasia is a high priority nonproliferation objective shared by the United States, Russia, and other countries. Various aspects of the U. S. efforts in this area have been reviewed independently by the U.S. General Accounting Office and the National Academy of Sciences and are generally viewed as successful. The reasons for launching these efforts continue to be seen as valid. Many of the scientists who worked on weapons projects still have productive work time ahead of them. Economic conditions do not ensure that long term meaningful employment will be available. Other countries support overall nonproliferation of former Soviet biological warfare expertise and materials, but the United States has played the lead role. This article gives an overview of weapons of mass destruction engagement, discusses the efforts to counter bioterrorism as an element of engagement, making engagement work, and the attempts to secure and contain highly dangerous pathogens.
Toxins: Overview and General Principles
Authors: Poli Mark A.
Published: July 2005

The threat of bioterrorism or biological warfare (BW) by terrorist groups and rogue states is very real. While the threat needs to be continuously evaluated, the description of biological agents as “the ultimate terrorist weapon” is likely overstated, at least for toxins. The realistic number of potential toxin weapons is relatively low due to limitations stemming from potency, stability, and availability. Effective weaponization and dissemination are not trivial. Although gaps exist in our knowledge base, research programs are in place to address these needs.
Tularemia (Francisellatularensis)
Authors: Forsman Mats , Johansson Anders
Published: July 2005

Tularemia is a zoonosis, a disease of animals transmissible to humans, and is caused by the facultative intracellular bacterium Francisella tularensis. F. tularensis is considered a potential agent of biological warfare and bioterrorism and as such has been rated among the top 6 category A agents. Formerly, F. tularensis was included among agents developed and used by state‐sponsored bioweapons programs. In fact, F. tularensis is one of the most infectious pathogenic bacteria known, requiring inoculation or inhalation of as few as 10 organisms to cause human infection. At present there are four recognized subspecies of F. tularensis: tularensis, holarctica, mediasiatica, and novicida. The natural reservoirs of F. tularensis still await complete delineation. Little is known about the virulence mechanisms of F. tularensis. In a bioterrorism scenario, respiratory tularemia (acquired through inhalation) is judged to be the greatest threat. Natural outbreaks of human respiratory type A or type B tularemia have repeatedly been recorded in farmers and landscape workers illustrating the potential of effective F. tularensis transmission by dry aerosols. The clinical expression of tularemia largely depends on the route of entrance of the infectious agent and the prognosis in tularemia is highly dependent on the causative subspecies of F. tularensis. There is currently no licensed and widely available tularemia vaccine. Tularemia warrants antibiotic treatment and is not transmitted from person to person. Currently, there is a reawakened interest in tularemia and a rapid development of new diagnostics, prophylactics and therapies.
UnitedStates Legislation and Presidential Directives
Authors: Jacobs Leslie Gielow , Parker Elizabeth Rindskopf
Published: July 2005

Lawmaking is event driven. Lawmakers constructed the complicated mosaic that is the current bioterrorism defense policy. What had begun as a single idea, to eliminate biological weapons as a threat, has grown into a broad and complex body of laws that make up the bioterrorism defense legal regime. The process of creating the many components of bioterrorism defense policy is ongoing. Defense policies are mushrooming in the federal statue books and in the code of federal agency regulations. Presidential directives, programs, and proposals also address multiple aspects of terror threats. This article tries to give a snapshot of this enormous undertaking. The structure and substance of the bioterrorism defense in the United States is discussed. The defense policy is divided into three general categories: defining and punishing biological weapon offenses; expanding laws and enforcement tools and methods; and preventing access to biological weapons materials, equipment and expertise.
Weather Underground: A Case Study
Authors:   Monterey WMD‐Terrorism Database Staff
Published: July 2005

In November 1970, Jack Anderson reported in the
Washington Post
that the radical leftist group, the Weather Underground. Know to be responsible for numerous bombings in protest of the Vietnam War, had attempted to obtain an unknown biological agents from the Untied States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease at Fort Detrick, Maryland No evidence was found to support this accusation.
Army
T
echnical
E
scort
U
nit
Authors: Runyon Jennifer
Published: July 2005

The U. S. Army created the Technical Escort Unit (TEU) in 1943 to safely transfer chemical munitions. The TEU began escorting radioactive materials in 1949 and by 1969 had expanded its mission to include biological components.
Glanders (Burkholderia mallei)
Authors: Carr Bridget K. , Eitzen Edward
Published: July 2005

Glanders once was a common malady of horses and rarely of humans. It has largely been eradicated around the globe since the 1960s. The recent interest in biological warfare (BW) has placed this ancient disease back in the spotlight as a potential weapon. This chapter presents a detailed account of this near‐forgotten disease, and offers a current biological defense perspective.
Risk Assessment in Bioterrorism
Authors: Hope Bruce K.
Published: July 2005

General concerns about terrorist use of biological agents have increased at U.S. state and federal levels and in the popular press. However, establishment of effective security and counterterrorism programs will require condensing generalizations about such threats into specific attack scenarios, as well as use of an analysis method that helps focus decision makers on those scenarios that are both most probable and potentially most damaging. This chapter proceeds on the premise that risk assessment methodologies developed for human health and the environment can be adapted to move decision makers beyond potentially intractable generalizations about who or what is threatened by bioterrorism toward specific scenarios that can be evaluated, anticipated, and managed. A two‐step process is outlined with which to achieve this goal: first, a vulnerability analysis to define and rank scenarios, followed, for the more highly ranked scenarios, by a quantitative risk assessment to more clearly identify (and eventually manage) specific factors contributing to risk
Generating heat from conducting polypyrrole‐coated PET fabrics
Authors: Kaynak Akif , Håkansson Eva
Published: July 2005

Heating effects in polypyrrole‐coated polyethyleneterephthalate (PET)‐Lycra® fabrics were studied. Chemical synthesis was employed to coat the PET fabrics by polypyrrole using ferric chloride as oxidant and antraquinone‐ 2‐sulfonic acid (AQSA) and naphthalene sulfonic acid (NSA) as dopants. The coated fabrics exhibited reasonable electrical stability, possessed high electrical conductivity, and were effective in heat generation. Surface resistance of polypyrrole‐coated fabrics ranged from approximately 150 to 500 Ω/square. Different connections between conductive fabrics and the power source were examined. When subjected to a constant voltage of 24 V, the current transmitted through the fabric decreased about 10% in 72 h. An increase in resistance of conductive fabrics subjected to constant voltage was observed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 24: 194–207, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20040
Evaluation of numerical simulation methods in reactive extrusion
Authors: Zhu Linjie , Narh Kwabena A. , Hyun Kun S.
Published: July 2005

Reactive extrusion is a complex process, and numerical simulation is an important method in optimizing operational parameters. In the current work, two different simulation methods, one‐dimensional (1D) model and three‐dimensional (3D) model, were introduced to predict the polymerization of ε‐caprolactone in fully filled screw elements. The predicted results of polymerization progression under different simulation conditions based on these two methods were compared. The simulation results show that the simplifications and assumptions in 1D model make it difficult to capture the complex mixing mechanism, heat generation, and heat loss in reactive extrusion. 1D model is feasible only under particular conditions, such as low screw rotating speed, small heat from reaction, and small screw diameter, whereas 3D model is a more powerful simulation tool for much wider processing conditions. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 24: 183–193, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20041
Preparation, characterization, and biodegradability of jute‐based natural fiber composite superabsorbents
Authors: Sahoo Prafulla K. , Sahu Gobinda C. , Rana Pradeep K. , Das Aswini K.
Published: July 2005

Jute (Corchorus capsularis) based natural fiber composites were prepared by a series of experiments such as pulping, bleaching, and grafting with butyl acrylate (BA) together with a crosslinker, N,N′‐methylene‐bis‐acrylamide (MBA) and finally embedding the copolymer with sodium silicate (SS) additive using a complex initiating system CuSO4/histidine/potassium peresulfate (KPS). The (crosslinked jute pulp‐g‐PBA)/SS composites so obtained were characterized by FT‐IR and TGA, and their morphology was imaged by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The tensile properties, superabsorbency, and biodegradability of these composites in soil and sludge water were evaluated for their novel commercial importance as jute‐based superabsorbents. The water absorption of the grafted composites with SS was more than 35 times greater than that of the ungrafted fiber. The biodegradability of the grafted crosslinked composite with SS was lower than the other samples due to dispersed silicate layers in the composite matrix. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 24: 208–214, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20042
The influence of process history on the ductile failure of polyethylene pipes subject to continuous hydrostatic pressure
Authors: Krishnaswamy Rajendra K. , Lamborn Mark J.
Published: July 2005

Failure times of plastic and metal pipes subjected to hydrostatic pressure at various levels assist pipe manufacturers to not only design pipes for certain applications, but also to give them an indication of the useful service lifetimes of these pipes. In this work, a medium density polyethylene was converted into various pipes by varying extrusion parameters. These pipes displayed low levels of lamellar orientation and a skin‐core gradient in morphology. The hydrostatic pressure performance (ductile failure regime at 23°C) of the pipes was observed to depend on morphology, which was inferred by the systematic dependence of the failure times on the tensile behavior of the pipes. It was also found that pipes annealed at 80°C prior to testing displayed 400% longer failure times; annealing was found to increase the crystallinity of the pipe only marginally. Consequently, this performance improvement was attributed to relaxation of some of the frozen‐in residual stresses in the pipe. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 24: 226–232, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20044
A review of current developments in process and quality control for injection molding
Authors: Chen Zhongbao , Turng Lih‐Sheng
Published: July 2005

Injection molding is one of the most versatile and important manufacturing processes capable of mass‐producing complicated plastic parts in net shape with excellent dimensional tolerance. Injection molding process and quality control has been an active research area for many years, as part quality and yield requirements become more stringent. This paper reviews the state‐of‐the‐art research and development in injection molding control. It organizes prior studies into four categories, namely, process setup, machine control, process control, and quality control, and presents the distinction and connection of these different levels of control. This paper further reviews and compares the typical variables, models, and control methods that have been proposed and employed for those control tasks. Strictly speaking, real online quality control without human intervention has yet to be realized, primarily due to the lack of transducers for online, real time quality response measurement, and a robust model that correlates the control variables with quantitative quality measurements. Based on the research progress to date, this paper suggests that the different levels of control tasks have to be integrated into a multilevel quality control system, and that the quality sensor and the process and quality model are the two most important areas for further advancement in injection molding control. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 24: 165–182, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20046
Synthesis of Water‐Soluble, Multiple Functionalizable Dendrons for the Conversion of Large Dendrimers or Other Molecular Objects into Potential Drug Carriers
Authors: Müller Stephan , Schlüter A. Dieter
Published: July 2005

The synthesis of dendrons and dendrimers which carry OEG chains and bidentate ligands and/or fluorescence tags is described. The orthogonally protected functional groups of the dendrons allow modification of the substitution pattern and attachment to larger entities. Both dendrons and dendrimers are highly water‐soluble. The dendrons should have considerable potential to convert, for example, commercially available, high‐generation dendrimers into water‐soluble, versatile support materials for antitumor therapy.
Inorganic Materials and Living Organisms: Surface Modifications and Fungal Responses to Various Asbestos Forms
Authors: Daghino Stefania , Martino Elena , Fenoglio Ivana , Tomatis Maura , Perotto Silvia , Fubini Bice
Published: July 2005

In a previous study several strains of soil fungi were reported to remove iron in vitro from crocidolite asbestos, a process that was envisaged as a possible bioremediation route for asbestos‐polluted soils. Here, we get some new insight into the chemical basis of the fiber/fungi interaction by comparing the action of the most active fungal strain Fusarium oxysporum on three kind of asbestos fibers—chrysotile, amosite, and crocidolite—and on a surface‐modified crocidolite. None of the fibers examined significantly inhibited biomass production. Even the smallest fibrils were visibly removed from the supernatant following adhesion to fungal hyphae. F. oxysporum, through release of chelators, extracted iron from all fibers; the higher the amount of iron at the exposed surface, the larger the amount removed, that is, crocidolite>amosite≫chrysotile. When considering the fraction of total iron extracted, however, the ranking was chrysotile>crocidolite>amosite>heated crocidolite, because of the different accessibility of the chelators to the metal ions in the crystal structure. Chrysotile was the easiest to deplete of its metal content. Iron removal fully blunted HO. radical release from crocidolite and chrysotile but only partially from amosite. The removal, in a long‐term experiment, of more iron than is expected to be at the surface suggests a diffusion of ions from the bulk solid towards the surface depleted of iron by fungal activity. Thus, if the fibers could be treated with a continuous source of chelators, iron extraction would proceed up to a full inactivation of free radical release. The fungal metabolic response of F. oxysporum grown in the presence of chrysotile, amosite and crocidolite revealed that new extracellular proteins are induced—including manganese‐superoxide dismutase, the typical antioxidant defense—and others are repressed, upon direct contact with the fibers. The protein profile induced by heated crocidolite was different, a result suggesting a key role for the state of the fiber/hyphae interface in protein induction.
What Anions Do Inside a Receptor's Cavity: A Trifurcate Anion Receptor Providing Both Electrostatic and Hydrogen‐Bonding Interactions
Authors: Amendola Valeria , Boiocchi Massimo , Fabbrizzi Luigi , Palchetti Arianna
Published: July 2005

The trifurcate receptor 13+ forms stable 1:1 complexes with halide and oxo anions in MeCN solution, as shown by spectrophotometric and 1H NMR experiments, and selectively recognizes chloride (lg Kass>7) in the presence of fluoride and bromide. The high stability reflects the receptor's ability to donate up to six hydrogen bonds (from three pyrrole NH and three CH fragments, polarized by the proximate positive charge) to the included anion. Addition of an excess of more basic anions (F− and CH3COO−) induces stepwise deprotonation of the NH groups, an event signalled by the appearance of a bright yellow color. Crystal and molecular structures are reported for the complex with NO3− and a capsule consisting of two interconnected trifurcate subunits, one of which includes an H‐bound Br− ion, while the other is doubly deprotonated and includes an H‐bound water molecule. Finally, evidence is given for the formation in solution of an authentic complex of OH−, in which H‐bound hydroxide is included within the cavity of 13+.
Secondary neurogenesis in the brain of the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, as revealed by PCNA, Delta‐1, Neurogenin‐related‐1, and NeuroD expression
Authors: Wullimann Mario F. , Rink Elke , Vernier Philippe , Schlosser Gerhard
Published: July 2005

After primary neurogenesis in the Xenopus laevis embryo, a massive new surge of neurogenesis and related neurogenic and proneural gene expression occurs in the spinal cord at the beginning of the larval period (starting at Stage 46), which corresponds to well‐documented secondary neurogenesis in larval zebrafish central nervous system development. Here, we document related neural proliferation and gene expression patterns in the brain of Xenopus, in various embryonic and larval stages, showing the distribution of proliferative cells (immunostaining of cells containing the proliferating cell nuclear antigen; the auxiliary protein of DNA polymerase δ; PCNA), and the activity of some critical genes expressed during neurogenesis (i.e., Delta‐1, Neurogenin‐related‐1, NeuroD). This study reveals that the early larval stage in Xenopus (Stage 48) displays patterns of proliferation (PCNA), as well as of neurogenic (Delta‐1) and proneural (Ngnr‐1; NeuroD) gene expression that are qualitatively almost identical to those seen in the 3‐day postembryonic zebrafish or the 12.5/13.5‐day embryonic mouse. Furthermore, a comparable bauplan of early proliferation zones (including their neuromeric organization) as described in the postembryonic zebrafish apparently exists in tetrapods (Xenopus). Altogether, the data presented suggest a common brain bauplan on the level of early proliferation patterns and neurogenic/proneural gene activity in anamniotes, if not vertebrates. J. Comp. Neurol. 489:387–402, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Movement suppression during anesthesia: Neural projections from the mesopontine tegmentum to areas involved in motor control
Authors: Sukhotinsky Inna , Hopkins David A. , Lu Jun , Saper Clifford B. , Devor Marshall
Published: July 2005

Microinjection of pentobarbital and GABAA‐receptor agonists into a brainstem region we have called the mesopontine tegmental anesthesia area (MPTA; Devor and Zalkind [2001] Pain 94:101–112) induces a general anesthesia‐like state. As in systemic general anesthesia, rats show loss of the righting reflex, atonia, nonresponsiveness to noxious stimuli, and apparent loss of consciousness. GABAA agonist anesthetics acting on the MPTA might suppress movement by engaging endogenous motor regulatory systems previously identified in research on decerebrate rigidity and REM sleep atonia. Anterograde and retrograde tracing revealed that the MPTA has multiple descending projections to pontine and medullary areas known to be associated with motor control and atonia. Prominent among these are the dorsal pontine reticular formation and components of the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM). The MPTA also has direct projections to the intermediate gray matter and ventral horn of the spinal cord via the lateral and anterior funiculi. These projections show a rostrocaudal topography: neurons in the rostral MPTA project to the RVM, but only minimally to the spinal cord, while those in the caudal MPTA project to both targets. Finally, the MPTA has ascending projections to motor control areas including the substantia nigra, subthalamic nucleus, and the caudate‐putamen. Projections are bilateral with an ipsilateral predominance. We propose that GABAA agonist anesthetics induce immobility at least in part by acting on these endogenous motor control pathways via the MPTA. Analysis of MPTA connectivity has the potential for furthering our understanding of the neural circuitry responsible for the various functional components of general anesthesia. J. Comp. Neurol. 489:425–448, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Afferent connections of the amygdalopiriform transition area in the rat
Authors: Santiago Adriana C. , Shammah‐Lagnado Sara J.
Published: July 2005

The amygdalopiriform transition area (APir) is often considered part of the lateral entorhinal cortex (Entl). However, in contrast to Entl, APir densely innervates the central extended amygdala (EAc) and does not project to the dentate gyrus. In order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of these territories, the afferent connections of APir were examined in the rat with retrograde (cholera toxin B subunit or FluoroGold) and anterograde tracers (Phaseolus vulgarisleucoagglutinin) and compared to those of the neighboring Entl. The results suggest that APir and Entl are interconnected and receive topographically organized hippocampal projections. Both are targeted by the olfactory bulb, the piriform, posterior agranular insular and perirhinal cortices, the ventral tegmental area, dorsal raphe nucleus, and locus coeruleus. Most importantly, the data reveal that APir and Entl also have specific inputs and should be viewed as separate anatomical entities. The APir receives robust projections from structures affiliated with the EAc, including the anterior basomedial and posterior basolateral amygdaloid nuclei, the gustatory thalamic region, parasubthalamic nucleus, and parabrachial area. The Entl is a major recipient for amygdaloid projections from the medial part of the lateral nucleus and the caudomedial part of the basolateral nucleus. Moreover, the medial septum, subicular complex, nucleus reuniens, supramammillary region, and nucleus incertus, which are associated with the hippocampal system, preferentially innervate the Entl. These data underscore that APir processes olfactory and gustatory information and is tightly linked to EAc operations, suggesting that it may play a role in reward mechanisms, particularly in hedonic aspects of feeding. J. Comp. Neurol. 489:349–371, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Sexual differentiation of the copulatory neuromuscular system in green anoles (Anolis carolinensis): Normal ontogeny and manipulation of steroid hormones
Authors: Holmes Melissa M. , Wade Juli
Published: July 2005

The copulatory neuromuscular system of green anoles is sexually dimorphic and differentiates during embryonic development, although details of the process were unknown. In Experiment 1, we determined the time course of normal ontogeny. Both male and female embryos possessed bilateral copulatory organs (hemipenes) and associated muscles until incubation day 13; the structures completely regressed in female embryos by incubation day 19 (total incubation 34 days). In Experiment 2, we treated eggs with testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estradiol, or vehicle on both incubation days 10 and 13 to determine whether these steroid hormones mediate sexual differentiation. These time points fall between gonadal differentiation, which was determined in Experiment 1 to complete before day 10, and regression of the peripheral copulatory system in females. Tissue was collected on the day of hatching. Gonads were classified as testes or ovaries; presence versus absence of hemipenes and muscles, and the number and size of copulatory motoneurons were determined. Copulatory system morphology of vehicle‐treated animals matched their gonadal sex. Hemipenes and muscles were absent in estradiol‐treated animals, and androgens rescued the hemipenes and muscles in most females. Both testosterone and dihydrotestosterone treatment also caused hypertrophy of the hemipenes, which were everted in animals treated with these steroids. Copulatory motoneurons, assessed on the day of hatching in both experiments, were not dimorphic in size or number. Steroid treatment significantly increased motoneuron size and number overall, but no significant differences were detected in pairwise comparisons. These data demonstrate that differentiation of peripheral copulatory neuromuscular structures occurs during embryonic development and is influenced by gonadal steroids (regression by estradiol and enhancement by androgens), but associated motoneurons do not differentiate until later in life. J. Comp. Neurol. 489:480–490, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Region‐ and age‐specific deficits in γ‐aminobutyric acidergic neuron development in the telencephalon of the uPAR–/– mouse
Authors: Eagleson Kathie L. , Bonnin Alexandre , Levitt Pat
Published: July 2005

We have previously shown that in adult mice with a null mutation in the urokinase‐type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) gene, maintained on a C57BL/6J/129Sv background, there is a selective loss of GABAergic interneurons in anterior cingulate and parietal cortex, with the parvalbumin‐expressing subpopulation preferentially affected. Here, we performed a more detailed anatomical analysis of uPAR–/– mutation on the congenic C57BL/6J background. With glutamic acid decarboxylase‐67 and γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) immunostaining, there is a similar region‐selective loss of cortical interneurons in the congenic uPAR–/– mice from the earliest age examined (P21). In contrast, the loss of parvalbumin‐immunoreactive cells is observed only in adult cortex, and the extent of this loss is less than in the mixed background. Moreover, earlier in development, although there are normal numbers of parvalbumin cells in the uPAR–/– cortex, fewer cells coexpress GABA, suggesting that the parvalbumin subpopulation migrates appropriately to the cortex, but does not differentiate normally. Among the other forebrain regions examined, only the adult hippocampus shows a loss of GABAergic interneurons, although the somatostatin, rather than the parvalbumin, subpopulation contributes to this loss. The data suggest that uPAR function is necessary for the normal development of a subpopulation of GABAergic neurons in the telencephalon. It is likely that the late‐onset parvalbumin phenotype is due to the effects of an altered local environment on selectively vulnerable neurons and that the extent of this loss is strain dependent. Thus, an interplay between complex genetic factors and the environment may influence the phenotypic impact of the uPAR mutation both pre‐ and postnatally. J. Comp. Neurol. 489:449–466, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Simultaneous activation of mouse main and accessory olfactory bulbs by odors or pheromones
Authors: Xu Fuqiang , Schaefer Michele , Kida Ikuhiro , Schafer James , Liu Nian , Rothman Douglas L. , Hyder Fahmeed , Restrepo Diego , Shepherd Gordon M.
Published: July 2005

It is generally believed that the main olfactory system processes common odors and the accessory olfactory system is specifically for pheromones. The potential for these two systems to respond simultaneously to the same stimuli has not been fully explored due to methodological limitations. Here we examine this phenomenon using high‐resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to reveal simultaneously the responses in the main (MOB) and accessory olfactory bulbs (AOB) to odors and pheromones. Common odorants elicited strong signals in the MOB and weak signals in the AOB. 2‐Heptanone, a known mouse pheromone, elicited strong signals in both the MOB and AOB. Urine odor, a complicated mixture of pheromones and odorants, elicited significant signals in limited regions of the MOB and large regions of the AOB. The fMRI results demonstrate that both the main and the accessory olfactory systems may respond to volatile compounds but with different selectivity, suggesting a greater integration of the two olfactory pathways than traditionally believed. J. Comp. Neurol. 489:491–500, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of antiretroviral agents on carbohydrate metabolism in HIV‐1 infected pregnant women
Authors: Beitune Patrícia El , Duarte Geraldo , Foss Milton César , Montenegro Renan Magalhães , Spara Patricia , Quintana Silvana Maria , Figueiró‐Filho Ernesto Antonio , da Costa Antonio Gadelha , Filho Francisco Mauad
Published: July 2005

Background

Despite the correlation between the use of protease inhibitors (PI) and adverse metabolic glycemic events, no prospective study has examined these parameters in pregnant women who use these drugs.

Methods

A prospective study was conducted on 57 pregnant women to investigate the effect of antiretroviral drugs (ARV) on the carbohydrate metabolism during pregnancy. The women were divided into three groups: ZDV Group, 20 HIV‐1 infected women taking ZDV; TT Group, 25 patients on triple antiretroviral treatment (ZDV + 3TC + NFV); and Control Group, 12 pregnant women. Blood samples were obtained during the first visit for the determination of fasting plasma glycemia, when the patients were also submitted to a 75 g oral glucose test (OGTT‐75g). These procedures were performed four times along pregnancy.

Results

The median values of the area under the glycemia curve (AUC) determined over a period of 120 min between the 33rd and 38th week were 11 685 mg/dL for the Control Group, 13 477 mg/dL for the ZDV Group, and 13 650 mg/dL for the TT Group (p = 0.049). There was an increase in the AUC along pregnancy for all three groups studied, regardless of the treatment used, although this increase was significant only in the TT Group (p = 0.001). The antiretroviral agents had no deleterious effects on prematurity, low birth weight, intrauterine growth restriction rates, or on Apgar score.

Conclusion

An association was detected between the use of PI and the development of carbohydrate intolerance during pregnancy. The antiretroviral agents had no deleterious effects on perinatal prognosis. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Phenotypic and genetic clustering of diabetes and metabolic syndrome in Chinese families with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Li J. K. Y. , Ng M. C. Y. , So W. Y. , Chiu C. K. P. , Ozaki R. , Tong P. C. Y. , Cockram C. S. , Chan J. C. N.
Published: July 2005

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the familiality and clustering of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and metabolic syndrome (MES) predominantly in families with young‐onset diabetes from the Hong Kong Family Diabetes Study.

Methods

One hundred and seventy‐nine families (913 subjects) were ascertained through a diabetic proband. Anthropometry, glucose homeostasis, blood pressure and lipid levels were examined. Familial aggregation and inter‐relationships of these traits were examined by recurrence risk ratio, heritability, genetic and environmental correlations.

Results

One hundred and forty families (78%) had at least one subject with early‐onset T2DM (age‐at‐diagnosis ≤40 years). MES was highly prevalent in probands (53%) and siblings (25%). Recurrence risk ratios in siblings were high for T2DM (4.3), hypertension (2.9) and central obesity (2.0). Body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, plasma insulin, triglyceride, HDL‐cholesterol levels, insulin resistance and beta‐cell function had high estimates of heritability (0.45–0.63). Bivariate quantitative analyses revealed differential contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the phenotypic correlation between metabolic trait pairs. Obesity indices showed the strongest phenotypic correlation with other traits, and were significantly influenced by genetic factors (genetic correlation = 0.29–0.60).

Conclusion

There was significant familial aggregation of T2DM and related phenotypes including obesity, hypertension and dyslipidaemia. The clustering of metabolic traits is likely due to genetic effects, interacting with shared and unique lifestyle/environmental factors. The high familiality suggests that screening for MES is important, especially in families with young‐onset diabetes, and that the families in HKFDS are valuable subjects for genetic studies of these metabolic diseases. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Age‐related anthropometric remodelling resulting in increased and redistributed adiposity is associated with increases in the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in Chinese subjects
Authors: Thomas G. Neil , Tomlinson Brian , Hong Athena W. L. , Hui Stanley S. C.
Published: July 2005

Background

Ageing promotes increases in the prevalence of components of the metabolic syndrome, which obesity often underlies.

Methods

We report the relationship between ageing, obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors in 694 community‐based Chinese subjects in gender‐specific groups of three age ranges: 20.0–39.9 (young), 40.0–59.9 (middle‐aged) and 60.0–79.9 (old‐aged) years.

Results

Body mass index (BMI) values were similar in males in each age group, but waist and percentage body fat increased (6.6, and 39.5%, both p < 0.001, respectively), from young to old‐age groups, as did blood pressure and glycated haemoglobin levels (all p < 0.001). In the females, increases (all p < 0.001) in percentage body fat (29.3%) were accompanied by greater increases in BMI (10.3%) and waist (19.2%) than the males. Blood pressure, glycated haemoglobin, total and LDL‐cholesterol and triglyceride levels increased linearly with age (all p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Age‐related increases in central adiposity and percentage body fat were associated with increasingly adverse cardiovascular risk factor profiles. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reaction of tellurium tetraiodide with 2,3‐dihydro‐1,3‐diisopropyl‐4,5‐dimethylimidazol‐2‐ylidene
Authors: Kuhn Norbert , Abu‐Rayyan Ahmed , Piludu Carla , Steimann Manfred
Published: July 2005

2,3‐Dihydro‐1,3‐diisopropyl‐4,5‐dimethylimidazol‐2‐ylidene 1 (Carb, R1 = iPr, R2 = Me) reacts with TeI4 to give the carbene adduct CarbTeI2 (3). The crystal structure of 3 consists of T‐shaped monomeric fragments linked by weak Te. I interactions to form infinite helical chains. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 16:316–319, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20090
New 7‐phosphanorbornenes derived from 2‐methyl‐1‐phenyl‐ and 1‐cyclohexyl‐3‐ methyl‐2,5‐dihydro‐1H‐phosphole 1‐oxides
Authors: Kovács János , Szabó Nóra Balázsdi , Nagy Zoltán , Ludányi Krisztina , Keglevich György
Published: July 2005

Novel 7‐phosphanorbornene derivatives, such as 4, 5, 10, and 11 were synthesized utilizing 1‐phenyl‐2‐methyl‐2,5‐dihydro‐1H‐phosphole oxide (1) and 1‐cyclohexyl‐3‐methyl‐2,5‐dihydro‐1H‐phosphole oxide (7) as the starting materials. Products 4 and 10 were prepared by trapping the corresponding phosphole oxide intermediates (3 and 9, respectively) by N‐phenylmaleimide, while 5 and 11 were obtained by the dimerization of 3 and 9, respectively. The trapping reaction was studied in details; on one hand, bromo‐2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐phosphole oxides (6‐1 and 6‐2) were pointed out as the intermediates, on the other hand, the trapping reaction was optimized. Bri‐ dged P‐heterocycles 4, 5, 10, and 11 were tested in the fragmentation‐related phosphorylation of methanol. Hydrogenation of phosphanorbornenes 4 and 5 led to the corresponding phosphanorbornanes (12 and 14, respectively) and to a reductive type of retro cycloaddition. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 16:320–326, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20097
Transformations of benzothiadiphosphole system: General one‐pot synthesis of 1,2,5‐dithiaphosphepines and their precursor phosphanethiols
Authors: Baccolini Graziano , Boga Carla , Mazzacurati Marzia , Monari Magda
Published: July 2005

Treatment, at room temperature, of benzothiadiphosphole 1 with BrMg(CH2)5MgBr gives intermediate A, which was allowed to stand for about 3 h at room temperature. The subsequent addition of RMgX to the reaction mixture and the final treatment with an excess of S8 and water affords the dithiaphosphepine sulfide 8 in good yields. The structure of this new heterocyclic system, containing both an SS unit and a PS group, is confirmed by an single crystal X‐ray structure determination. If the reaction is carried out without final treatment with sulfur we obtain, using PhMgBr as mono‐Grignard reagent, the corresponding ring‐opened product 11b, which can be easily transformed into the corresponding ring‐opened sulfide 12b by simple treatment with elemental sulfur. Further addition of sulfur to 12b gives quantitatively the cyclic dithiaphosphepine sulfide 8b. The two phosphanethiols 11b and 12b are of considerable interest. In fact, recently, attention has increasingly been paid to the coordination chemistry of polydentate ligands incorporating both thiolate and tertiary phosphine groups, also known as SPS pincer ligands. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 16:339–345, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20099
2‐Benzothiazolyl‐N‐(arenesulfonyl)‐sulfinimidoyl fluorides
Authors: Pashinnik Valeriy E. , Guzyr Alexander I. , Borovikov Alexei V. , Shermolovich Yuriy G.
Published: July 2005

2‐Benzothiazolyl‐N‐(arenesulfonyl)‐sulfinimidoyl fluorides were synthesized by the treatment of benzothiazolyl‐2‐sulfur trifluoride with sulfonamides. The reaction of 2‐benzothiazolyl‐N‐ (p‐toluenesulfonyl)‐sulfinimidoyl fluoride with tert‐ butylamine and morpholine gave 2‐benzothiazolyl‐ N‐(arenesulfonyl)‐sulfinimidoyl amides. The reaction of 2‐benzothiazolyl‐N‐(p‐toluenesulfonyl)‐sulfinimi‐ doyl fluoride or 2‐benzothiazolyl‐15N‐(p‐tosyl)sul‐ finimidoyl fluoride with S‐trimethylsilylbenzenethiol gave di(benzothiazolyl‐2) disulfide, fluorotrimethylsi‐ lane and N,N′‐bis(p‐toluenesulfonyl)‐N,N′‐bis(phenyl‐ thio)‐hydrazine or 15N,15N′‐bis(p‐toluenesulfonyl)‐15N, 15N′‐bis(phenylthio)‐hydrazine, respectively. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 16:352–356, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20102