bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anesthetic management of a patient with asymptomatic ventricular tachycardia
Authors: SHORTT RODGER , ASHBURY TED , MILNE BRIAN
Published: November 2005

There are many causes of ventricular arrhythmias in pediatric patients, even those with structurally normal hearts. However, in young patients with ‘normal’ hearts, sustained ventricular arrhythmias are relatively rare. The primary concern of the physician is to identify which patients have benign ventricular arrhythmia patterns and which are at risk for sudden cardiac death. Even in asymptomatic patients, the choice of anesthetic agents may be important to minimize precipitation of episodes of tachyarrhythmias. This clinical report describes the anesthetic considerations for an asymptomatic child with a history of sustained premature ventricular contractions, ventricular tachycardia, and bigeminy. This child had chronic serous otitis media requiring repeat tympanostomy and tube replacement. This case report outlines the initial cancellation of anesthesia because of sustained arrhythmias, and subsequent conduct of the anesthesia for the case, as well as the considerations in the selection of the drugs when a child presents with significant ventricular arrhythmia.
Jet ventilation for laryngotracheal surgery in an ex‐premature infant
Authors: KOOMEN ERIK , POORTMANS GERT , ANDERSON BRIAN J. , JANSSENS MAURICE M.L.
Published: November 2005

A 4‐month‐old ex‐premature infant with severe airway obstruction from subglottic cysts presented for surgical cyst removal. Laryngeal and tracheal surgical procedures in children may present difficulties for the anesthetist because the airway is shared with the surgeon. We report the use of high‐frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) to maintain ventilation and provide adequate surgical access. Anesthesia was induced using sevoflurane in oxygen and was maintained with intravenous infusions of propofol 7.5 mg·kg−1·h−1 and remifentanil 0.4 μg·kg−1·min−1. The suction channel of the ENT laryngoscope was used to introduce an 8‐FG ureteric drainage catheter into the larynx and this catheter was used to provide HFJV. Obstruction to expiratory flow was a major concern and was dependent on good positioning of the rigid laryngoscope. Complications such as barotrauma, pneumopericardium, CO2‐retention, necrotizing tracheobronchitis, and gastric rupture dictate a fastidious technique.
A randomized‐controlled study of ultrasound prelocation vs anatomical landmark‐guided cannulation of the internal jugular vein in infants and children
Authors: CHUAN WEI XIN , WEI WEI , YU LI
Published: November 2005

Background:  A specifically designed ultrasound scanner may be helpful in percutaneous cannulation of the internal jugular vein in pediatric patients. We report a new two‐dimensional (2D) ultrasound prelocation (UL) technique using a transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) intraoperative probe instead of the portable scanner, and have compared the new technique with conventional anatomical landmark method (AL) for central venous catheterization in infants and children.

Methods:  Sixty‐two infants (body weight <12 kg) undergoing elective surgery for congenital heart disease were randomized into two groups. In the AL group, the landmark for cannulation was the palpation of the common carotid pulsation or the sternocleidomastoid triangle. In the UL group, the central vein was located by 2D ultrasonic imaging using a TEE intraoperative probe for HP SONOS 4500. The number of cannulation attempts, success rate, and complication rate were recorded.

Results:  For the UL and AL groups, the cannulation success rate was 100% and 80% (P < 0.05), the incidence of arterial puncture was 3.1% and 26.7% (P < 0.025), and the number of attempts was 1.57 ± 1.04 and 2.55 ± 1.76 (P < 0.001), respectively.

Conclusions:  Two‐dimensional ultrasound prelocated central venous catheterization in infants and children is convenient and can markedly increase cannulation success rate and reduce the incidence of complications.
Pharmacokinetics and efficacy of ropivacaine for continuous epidural infusion in neonates and infants
Authors: BÖSENBERG ADRIAN T. , THOMAS JENNY , CRONJE LARISSA , LOPEZ TESSA , CREAN PETER M. , GUSTAFSSON URBAN , HULEDAL GUNILLA , LARSSON LARS E.
Published: November 2005

Introduction:  The primary objective of this noncomparative study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of ropivacaine during a 48–72‐h continuous epidural infusion of ropivacaine in children under 1 year. The secondary objectives were to assess efficacy and safety.

Methods:  Neonates and infants (ASA I–III, gestational age ≥37 weeks, ≥2.5 kg, scheduled for major abdominal or thoracic surgery) were included and separated into age groups: 0–30 (neonate), 31–90, 91–180, and 181–365 days. Ethics committee approval and informed parental consent were obtained before inclusion. An epidural catheter was introduced under general anesthesia at the appropriate dermatomal level. An initial bolus dose (0.9–2.0 mg·kg−1 of ropivacaine 0.2%) was followed by an epidural infusion (0.2 mg·kg−1·h−1 for infants <180 days or 0.4 mg·kg−1·h−1 for infants >180 days). Plasma samples were collected every 12 h from 24 h, and on termination of the epidural infusion. Postoperative pain was evaluated using both the Objective Pain Scale and a four‐graded descriptive scale.

Results:  Forty‐five infants, median age 116 (0–362) days, were included. Forty‐three and 19 patients received an infusion for at least 48 and 72 h, respectively. Satisfactory analgesia was provided in the majority, only 20 patients were given supplementary medication during the infusion. In all age groups, plasma concentrations of unbound ropivacaine leveled at 24 h, without any further increase at 48 and 72 h. Because of lower clearance of unbound ropivacaine in neonates (mean 33 ml·min−1·kg−1) than in infants above the age of 30 days (80, 124, and 163 ml·min−1·kg−1, respectively, in the age groups 31–90, 91–180, and 180–365 days), unbound ropivacaine concentrations at the end of infusion were higher in neonates [median 0.10 mg·l−1 (0.04–0.21 mg·l−1)] than in infants >30 days [median 0.03 mg·l−1 (0.003–0.10 mg·l−1)].

Conclusion:  Epidural infusions (0.2–0.4 mg·kg−1·h−1 ropivacaine) provided satisfactory pain relief in neonates and infants under 1 year. As plasma concentrations of unbound ropivacaine were not influenced by the duration of the infusion, ropivacaine can be safely used for postoperative epidural infusion for 48–72 h. Levels of unbound ropivacaine were higher in the neonates than in the infants, but were below threshold concentrations for CNS toxicity in adults (≥0.35 mg·l−1). This should not preclude the use of ropivacaine infusions in neonates but suggests a need for caution during the first weeks of life.
Screening a wide host‐range, waste‐water metagenomic library in tryptophan auxotrophs of Rhizobium leguminosarum and of Escherichia coli reveals different classes of cloned trp genes
Authors: Li Youguo , Wexler Margaret , Richardson David J. , Bond Philip L. , Johnston Andrew W. B.
Published: November 2005

A metagenomic cosmid library was constructed, in which the insert DNA was derived from bacteria in a waste‐water treatment plant and the vector was the wide host‐range cosmid pLAFR3. The library was screened for clones that could correct defined tryptophan auxotrophs of the α‐proteobacterium Rhizobium leguminosarum and of Escherichia coli. A total of 26 different cosmids that corrected at least one trp mutant in one or both of these species were obtained. Several cosmids corrected the auxotrophy of one or more R. leguminosarum trp mutants, but not the corresponding mutants in E. coli. Conversely, one cosmid corrected trpA, B, C, D and E mutants of E. coli but none of the trp mutants of R. leguminosarum. Two of the Trp+ cosmids were examined in more detail. One contained a trp operon that resembled that of the pathogen Chlamydophila caviae, containing the unusual kynU gene, which specifies kynureninase. The other, whose trp genes functioned in R. leguminosarum but not in E. coli, contained trpDCFBA in an operon that is likely co‐transcribed with five other genes, most of which had no known link with tryptophan synthesis. The sequences of these TRP proteins, and the products of nine other genes encoded by this cosmid, failed to affiliate them with any known bacterial lineage. For one metagenomic cosmid, lac reporter fusions confirmed that its cloned trp genes were transcribed in R. leguminosarum, but not in E. coli. Thus, rhizobia, with their many σ‐factors, may be well‐suited hosts for metagenomic libraries, cloned in wide host‐range vectors.
Virtus on Whitehall: The Politics of Palladianism in William Kent's Treasury Building, 1733–61
Authors: DODSWORTH FRANCIS
Published: November 2005

Abstract  The development of the modern state in the eighteenth century had a material as well as a socio‐political dimension. The 1730s saw the domination of neo‐Palladianism in the Office of Works and the establishment of a prominent and permanent administrative centre whose style made an architectural statement about the conduct of Walpole's government. The nature of this statement is only comprehensible when viewed in the context of contemporary political debate. William Kent's Treasury invoked antique Rome in order to emphasise the government's competence and assert the independence of its officers from patronage and their commitment to the common good.
Freedom and Suicide: A Genealogy of Suicide Regulation in New Zealand 1840–2000
Authors: MCMANUS RUTH
Published: November 2005

Abstract  Taking one's own life is a moral and political transgression: it is taboo. As suicide is a special death that has warranted a panoply of sanctions, inscriptions and taboos across many cultures (Retterstol, 1993), suicide has come to play a crucial part in the formulation of social order in many political philosophies, including liberalism. The task of this article is to outline ways in which this making of political order can unfold in a liberal political context. Taking New Zealand as a particularly powerful case study, the discussion cuts a genealogical track through cultural practices of suicide regulation to make the case for a different way of understanding the political place of suicide in liberalism. Conventionally given the role of litmus test for liberal freedom, cultural practices of suicide regulation in New Zealand are shown to inscribe and enact particular ways of being free. Relays between colonial, social and advanced liberal modes of calculation and the criminally suicidal, the suicidally mad and those at risk of suicide are all shown to install a mode of power worked through links, networks and alliances that “govern persons in accordance with freedom” (Rose, 1999: 12). This genealogy sets out to dis‐quieten the assumption that suicide is a litmus test for liberal freedom. It is better to think of New Zealand's attempts to regulate suicide as in the service of governing through freedom.
“Prelude to Imperialism”1: Whiteness and Chinese Exclusion in the Reimagining of the United States
Authors: MURPHY ERIN L.
Published: November 2005

Abstract The debates around Chinese exclusion were part of a racial reimagining of the United States after the Civil War. These debates show how the Exclusion Acts were the “prelude to imperialism” overseas. By employing competing racisms toward Chinese migrants, disparate groups of whites created contradictory stereotypes of the Chinese, such as the “coolie” and “celestial.” Focusing on working‐class whites’ messy and violent racism toward the Chinese has contributed to ignoring more paternalistic “civilized” racism of missionaries, reformers, politicians, and capitalists that led to more lasting stereotypes of Chinese, such as the “model minority.” This study analyzes how these racisms simultaneously contributed to the transformation of the racial state and the extension of imperialist policies, while they disciplined workers of all races, Chinese immigrants, Filipinos, and whites.
Organizational Networking in UK Biotechnology Clusters
Authors: Hendry Chris , Brown James
Published: November 2005

Differences in growth patterns between regional clusters are often attributed to the extent to which they benefit from agglomeration, defined as the advantages that derive from being proximately located with other companies and institutions in the same industry. Foremost among these supply‐side externalities are the knowledge ‘spillover’ effects that can result from firms interacting extensively in both horizontal (complementary equivalent firms) and vertical (value chain) directions. The paper presents evidence from two surveys, one national and one regionally based, of networking patterns in UK biotechnology, focusing on how firms engage with other small firms, with large pharmaceuticals, and with research centres, and how far these interactions are regional, national or international in character. It suggests that where companies do collaborate, there is a tendency for the intensity of activity to increase as the location of the partner moves from the local to the international space. We evaluate the obvious interpretation that local linkages may be satisfactory for idea generation and early product development, but that national and international connections are more important for manufacturing, marketing and distribution activities. However, we conclude that a broader set of largely industry factors account for the networking patterns – namely, the science‐technology base, research funding, firms' business models, and competitor strategies in evolving markets – and that these matter more to clustered UK biotechnology firms than the cluster itself. These findings suggest a rethinking of cluster policy and the theoretical basis for clusters.
Towards Best or Better Practice in Corporate Leadership Development: Operational Issues in Mode 2 and Design Science research
Authors: Burgoyne John , James Kim Turnbull
Published: November 2005

The research reported here was part of a UK government initiative to improve management and leadership capability. Corporate leadership development was one element of this initiative. The researchers, also the authors of this paper, were tasked with developing a best practice guide in leadership development. The aim was to establish current best UK corporate practice in order to inform similar organizations striving to improve their approach to leadership development. The aim of this paper is to present the findings of this inquiry as an example of Mode 2 research, i.e. that which is co‐produced with practitioners in a rigorous yet actionable way. The paper addresses operational issues by exploring the tensions inherent in Mode 2 research and makes some additions to previous literature on conducting Mode 2 research. It introduces the notion of technological rules derived from the concept of management research as design science, which enables the authors to articulate the way in which output can be developed in a form readily acceptable to end users of Mode 2 research. Actionable research products and accompanying dissemination issues are proposed as central operational concerns for Mode 2 research.
The Management of Information and Managers in Subsidiaries of Multinational Corporations
Authors: Hong Chung Lai , Gibbons Patrick T. , Schoch Herbert P.
Published: November 2005

A key challenge facing multinational corporations (MNCs) is how to encourage the development of firm specific advantages throughout the network of subsidiaries while maintaining global coherence. As a result, a critical task for top managers in the MNC is to structure the relationship between headquarters and subsidiaries. Thus, headquarters' control of subsidiary behaviour and performance becomes a central integrating function in the MNC.

We examine first the relationship between the nationality of the MNC headquarters and its information management, namely the key performance metrics utilized by the parent to evaluate subsidiary performance. Second, we investigate the relationship between the MNC nationality and its management of managers, specifically, the transfer of parent company nationals and corporate acculturation. These questions are investigated in a study of MNC subsidiaries located in Australia, Ireland and Singapore. Our data provide strong evidence that MNCs of all nationalities place the greatest emphasis on financial metrics compared to other performance metrics. Moreover, there are differences in the degree of emphasis on performance metrics across MNC nationality. We found that Japanese and German MNCs place significantly less emphasis on financial measures than US and UK MNCs. Our hypotheses relating to the management of managers were also supported by the data. In comparison with all other MNC nationalities, Japanese MNCs place greater emphasis on the transfer of Japanese managers to overseas subsidiaries and less emphasis on corporate acculturation. While some researchers have argued that management control has become more isomorphic as a result of globalization, our results show that companies from different nationalities diverge in their practices.
INTERTEMPORAL COMPETITIVE EQUILIBRIUM, CAPITAL AND THE STABILITY OF TÂTONNEMENT PRICING REVISITED
Authors: Parrinello Sergio
Published: November 2005

This paper reconsiders a recent criticism which contends that the theory of general intertemporal equilibrium, formulated by taking the physical endowments of capital goods as given, is not protected from the problem of capital at the centre of the two Cambridges debate of the 1960s. The author confirms such a criticism following a different approach. He argues that the stability analysis of an intertemporal equilibrium via tâtonnement must be consistent with a uniform rate of return on capital. He shows that the resulting non‐orthodox tâtonnement subverts the traditional analysis of equilibrium stability.
The early modern great divergence: wages, prices and economic development in Europe and Asia, 1500–18001
Authors: BROADBERRY STEPHEN , GUPTA BISHNUPRIYA
Published: November 2005

Contrary to the claims of Pomeranz, Parthasarathi, and other ‘world historians’, the prosperous parts of Asia between 1500 and 1800 look similar to the stagnating southern, central, and eastern parts of Europe rather than the developing north‐western parts. In the advanced parts of India and China, grain wages were comparable to those in north‐western Europe, but silver wages, which conferred purchasing power over tradable goods and services, were substantially lower. The high silver wages of north‐western Europe were not simply a monetary phenomenon, but reflected high productivity in the tradable sector. The ‘great divergence’ between Europe and Asia was already well underway before 1800.
Effects of jpeg 2000 compression on automated dsm extraction: evidence from aerial photographs
Authors: Shih Tian‐Yuan , Liu Jung‐Kuan
Published: November 2005

This paper evaluates the effects of JPEG 2000 compression on automated digital surface model (DSM) extraction, using the area‐based matching technique. Two stereopairs of aerial photographs, which have different photo scale, pixel size, and topographic type, are used as the images for the experiments. In the experiments, the DSM generated from the uncompressed image is set as the reference, and the elevation accuracy is computed for a range of compression ratios (2:1 to 100:1). The results show that the employed indices of image quality based on the JPEG 2000 compression are clearly superior to the commonly used JPEG compression technique—especially for high compression ratios. However, the elevation accuracy varies with the compression ratios. Also, JPEG 2000 compression does not have a significant influence on the percentage of the successful matching rate. In addition, a near linear fall‐off is observed in extracted DSM accuracy with increasing compression ratios.
ALGAL TRANSGENICS IN THE GENOMIC ERA1
Authors: Walker Tara L. , Collet Chris , Purton Saul
Published: November 2005

The last few years have witnessed significant advances in the field of algal genomics. Complete genome sequences from the red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae and the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana have been published, the genomes for two more algae (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Ostreococcus tauri) are nearing completion, and several others are in progress or at the planning stage. In addition, large‐scale cDNA sequencing projects are being carried out for numerous algal species. This wealth of genome data is serving as a powerful catalyst for the development and application of recombinant techniques for these species. The data provide a rich resource of DNA elements such as promoters that can be used for transgene expression as well as an inventory of genes that are possible targets for genetic engineering programs aimed at manipulating algal metabolism. It is not surprising therefore that significant progress in the genetic engineering of eukaryotic algae is being made. Nuclear transformation of various microalgal species is now routine, and progress is being made on the transformation of macroalgae. Chloroplast transformation has been achieved for green, red, and euglenoid algae, and further success in organelle transformation is likely as the number of sequenced plastid, mitochondrial, and nucleomorph genomes continues to grow. Importantly, the commercial application of algal transgenics is beginning to be realized, and algal biotechnology companies are being established. Recent work has shown that recombinant proteins of therapeutic value can be produced in microalgal species, and it is now realistic to envisage the genetic engineering of commercially important species to improve production of valuable algal products. In this article we review the recent progress in algal transgenics and consider possible future developments now that phycology has entered the genomic era.
VARIABILITY IN TEMPERATURE AND HISTORICAL PATTERNS IN REPRODUCTION IN THEFUCUS DISTICHUSCOMPLEX (HETEROKONTOPHYTA; PHAEOPHYCEAE): IMPLICATIONS FOR SPECIATION AND THE COLLECTION OF HERBARIUM SPECIMENS1
Authors: Coleman Melinda A. , Brawley Susan H.
Published: November 2005

Natural and anthropogenic‐induced fluctuations in temperature can have profound effects on an organism's reproduction. The potential of herbarium collections for detecting changes in the timing of reproduction associated with interannual fluctuations in temperature from 1905 to 2003 was assessed in several taxa in theFucus distichus(L.) emend. Powell complex from northern New England. Data were also used to evaluate whether air and/or sea temperature and North Atlantic Oscillation indices can cause overlap in the reproductive seasonalities of these taxa, a potential mechanism that prevents speciation. For all taxa, there was much variability in reproductive seasonalities among years. Discerning potential correlations with air or sea temperature was difficult because of a suspected bias to collect reproductive specimens at times when most of the population was nonreproductive. Nevertheless, there was a trend for seawater temperature to explain aseasonal reproduction for some taxa. Moreover, the existing archive (1895–2003) shows that the reproductive seasons of these taxa often overlap, and we suggest that interannual variability in temperature may often inhibit speciation. Suggestions also include archive of both reproductive and vegetative materials as well as coordinated sampling in critical biogeographic regions. No one investigator or institution can accomplish this, but phycological societies could organize and sustain such efforts.
Can Psychology Help Save the World? A Model for Conservation Psychology
Authors: Clayton Susan , Brook Amara
Published: November 2005

Conservation psychology is defined as psychological research oriented toward understanding why people help or hurt the natural environment and promoting environmentally sustainable practices (Saunders, 2003). Despite a growing body of research, the field is largely unfamiliar to many psychologists and to those working in the environmental field. Here we make a case for the importance of conservation psychology and describe a model for the social psychology of conservation behavior that focuses on situational context, existing schemas, and personal motives. We hope this model will be useful for policymakers and will prompt new psychological research on the topic of conservation.
The Limits of Demographic Categories and the Politics of the 2004 Presidential Election
Authors: Unger Rhoda
Published: November 2005

This study looked at responses to the Iraq War in a nationwide sample of college students. The study focused mainly on the role of sex, religiosity, and the location of the school in a “red” or “blue” state. It also looked at a number of other psychological variables, including some related to cognitive competence. Support for the war was measured by an instrument comprising two independent factors—“patriotic militancy” and “internationalism.” As expected, support for the war in Iraq was significantly higher among students who considered themselves religiously involved than among students who rated themselves as more secular. Predicted sex differences in attitudes about the war were not found. However, several measures of cognitive competence including grade point average were significantly associated with less favorable attitudes toward the war. As expected from the election results later that year, students from “red” states were more supportive of the war than students from “blue” states. However, these effects appear to be due to a confound between religious affiliation and religiosity. The results are explained in terms of political rhetoric that focused on religious values as well as on the reduced importance of feminism as an ideological stance. They are discussed in terms of the need for a more social psychological analysis of political attitudes and behaviors that takes into account contextual factors and the transformation of demographic categories into meaningful psychological variables.
Threats to Democracy: A Judgment and Decision‐Making Perspective
Authors: Mandel David R.
Published: November 2005

Democracy as a political form of social organization offers humanity its best prospect for freedom and peace. Today, it faces deliberate threats from totalitarian movements that rely on terrorist tactics. Democracy also faces threats from its own leaders because of the consequential nature of their judgment and decision making. This article examines how threats to democracy are perceived and managed. It is proposed that perception and management of threats to democracy represent a case of judgment and decision making under uncertainty. Relevant factors that influence policy decision making as it pertains to safeguarding democracies from threat are highlighted.
Perceived Threats to Democracy: An Examination of Political Affiliation and Beliefs about Terrorism, State Control, and Human Rights
Authors: Papastamou Stamos , Prodromitis Gerasimos , Iatridis Tilemachos
Published: November 2005

This article reports on the results of a survey that was conducted in Greece. It explored 1,027 respondents' (a) definitions of and beliefs about terrorism, (b) tolerance of restrictive measures against terrorism, (c) tolerance of violations of the human rights of those accused of terrorism, and (d) political affiliations. Respondents were classified according to their endorsement of anti‐terrorist and anti‐power beliefs. A multiple correspondence analysis indicated that respondents who endorsed neither anti‐terrorist nor anti‐power beliefs were most tolerant of restrictive anti‐terrorist measures and violations of human rights. These respondents either identified politically with the extreme Right, or refused to place themselves on the political continuum.
Life Annuity Insurance Versus Self‐Annuitization: An Analysis From the Perspective of the Family
Authors: Schmeiser Hato , Post Thomas
Published: November 2005

Abstract

When comparing investment in an immediate life annuity with a payout‐equivalent investment fund decumulation plan (self‐annuitization), previous research focused on shortfall probabilities of self‐annuitization. Chances of self‐annuitization (i.e., bequests) typically have not been addressed. We argue that heirs might be willing to bear the shortfall risk of the retiree's self‐annuitization since they might benefit from a bequest. Our article proposes a “family strategy” in which heirs receive the remaining investment fund on the retiree's death, but are obliged to finance the retiree if the fund becomes exhausted. We estimate the chance and risk profile of this “family strategy” from the heirs' perspective using German capital and annuity market data. We show that in many cases, our “family strategy” offers enormous chance potential with low shortfall risk. Finally, we discuss some limitations of the proposed “family strategy” when putting the concept into practice.
Function and “functioning” in ecology: what does it mean?
Authors: Jax Kurt
Published: November 2005

Many investigations in current ecological research focus on ecological functions, the functions of biodiversity, or the functioning of ecological systems. However, within ecology “function” is used in several different meanings. The most important ones are those of function as denoting either processes, roles, services or the “functioning” of whole systems. Some of these meanings pose considerable problems in terms of their ability to apply them in empirical research. These problems together with the ambiguity of the term “function” constitute considerable impediments for generalizations of research results. In order to improve this situation, the current paper describes the different meanings of “function” and discusses the requirements necessary to unambiguously apply the concept(s) in practice. This is illustrated by the example of current discussions on the “functions of biodiversity”.
Trophic‐egg production in a subsocial bug: adaptive plasticity in response to resource conditions
Authors: Kudo Shin‐ichi , Nakahira Taichi
Published: November 2005

Adomerus triguttulus(Heteroptera: Cydnidae) females provision hostLamiumspp. seeds to their nymphs. Females also produce trophic eggs, which are inviable and usually function as a food supply for hatched nymphs. Here we report experimental evidence of the potentially adaptive maternal effects of this unusual resource investment. To investigate the effects of food‐resource environments on trophic‐egg production, we reared females under different resource conditions prior to oviposition and then compared the subsequent allocations of trophic eggs. Females that had been supplied with less‐developed seeds produced fewer viable eggs than those supplied with well‐developed seeds. However, there was no difference in the number of trophic eggs produced between the two treatments, and thus the trophic‐egg ratio, i.e. the number of trophic eggs per viable egg, was higher in females supplied with less‐developed seeds. Trophic‐egg feeding by hatched nymphs enhances their growth or survival, and a higher trophic‐egg ratio would be adaptive particularly under limited resource conditions. InA.triguttulus, adults and offspring depend on the same food resource, i.e. host seeds, and the resource conditions experienced by females prior to oviposition should be well correlated with those experienced later by the offspring. This may enable females to adjust the trophic‐egg ratio in response to varying resource environments prior to oviposition.
Growth rate plasticity to temperature in two damselfly species differing in latitude: contributions of behaviour and physiology
Authors: Van Doorslaer Wendy , Stoks Robby
Published: November 2005

Plasticity in growth rate may be driven by behavioural and physiological mechanisms. Although these underlying mechanisms have direct implications for the importance of ecological and physiological costs associated with rapid growth, the contribution of behaviour and physiology to temperature‐mediated plasticity in growth rate has largely been neglected. We studied the temperature‐dependence of growth rate and its underlying behavioural and physiological mechanisms in two congeneric damselfly species that differ in latitudinal distribution. Larvae were reared from the egg stage at three temperatures (17°C, 22°C and 27°C). Within each species, growth rates showed a quadratic response curve with an optimum at 22°C. Behaviour, as measured by food intake, and physiology, as measured by growth efficiency and heartbeat as proxy for metabolic rate, jointly contributed to this temperature‐induced plasticity in growth rate. At each temperature, growth rates were higher in the northern species. In line with the few other studies that compared northern and southern populations, both an increased food uptake and growth efficiency caused this pattern. Together with previous studies that focused on the population level, our results tentatively suggest that not only the latitudinal patterns in growth rate but also the mechanistic basis are similar at the species and at the population level.
Incorporating fundamental laws of biology and physics into population ecology: the metaphysiological approach
Authors: Owen‐Smith Norman
Published: November 2005

Models commonly used in population ecology have somewhat vague and often misleading connections with physical and biological processes connecting organisms with their environments. The metaphysiological modelling approach offers a conceptual framework that is consistent with basic laws and enables integration across levels of organization from cells to ecosystems. This perspective accommodates the intrinsically disequilibrial nature of biological systems in changing environments, as well as adaptive responses to these changes. More attention needs to be paid to factors governing mortality losses rather than the functional or intake response alone. Models need to be based more firmly on underlying biophysical processes in order to serve as reliable guides to conservation action in novel environments.
Polymorphism of the DPB1 locus in Hani ethnic group of south‐western China
Authors: Hu W‐H. , Lu J. , Dong Y‐L. , Cheng B‐W. , Tang W‐R. , Cun Y‐N. , Lei Y‐P. , Tan S‐J. , Xiao C‐J.
Published: November 2005

Polymorphism of HLA‐DPB1 was revealed with a sequencing‐based typing (SBT) method in 47 unrelated healthy individuals from Yunnan Hani ethnic minority. The alleles DPB1*5901 and DPB1*7001 were detected for the first time in Chinese populations. A dendrogram showed that the Hani ethnic group belongs to the southern group of Chinese.
Quality Improvement and Changes in Diabetic Patient Outcomes in an Academic Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Practice
Authors: Mackey Thomas A. , Cole Frank L. , Lindenberg Julie
Published: November 2005

Purpose

To examine a set of system interventions in the management of patients with diabetes and the outcomes of their care.

Data sources

Preintervention and postintervention data collected from electronic medical records.

Conclusions

The sample size was smaller than expected, contributing to a lack of statistical significance from preintervention to postintervention in the patient outcome measures. The systems‐level variables that were under the direct control of the clinic staff (e.g., pneumococcal vaccine given) showed great improvement. In the preintervention period, the percentage of “yes” responses to the system‐level variables ranged from 8 to 24 and jumped to 16 to 95 after the intervention.

Implications for practice

Unequivocally, this project demonstrated that systems‐level changes result in improved care being provided to patients; however, these had minimal impact on the patient outcome variables. Promoting change in patient behavior is difficult, which may have contributed to the lack of significance in this area, while the variables under the direct control of the clinic staff were more easily changed.
Control of Macro-Micro Manipulators Revisited
Authors: Parsa Kourosh , Angeles Jorge , Misra Arun K.
Published: November 2005

A full-pose, position and orientation, trajectory-tracking control of kinematically redundant flexible-macro-rigid-micro manipulators is proposed. Redundancy is resolved such that the forces exciting the lowest-frequency “modal coordinates” of the system are minimized, while imposing a proportional damping on the flexural dynamics, rendering it stable under certain conditions. The simulation results show that the initial posture of the manipulator plays an important role in satisfying the foregoing stability conditions.
Adaptive Variable Structure Control of Linear Delayed Systems
Authors: Oucheriah Said
Published: November 2005

This brief deals with the stabilization of a class of time-delay systems subject to external disturbance vectors whose bounds are not known. A continuous adaptive variable structure controller is synthesized to guarantee that the motions of the sliding surface are uniformly exponentially convergent to a ball with any prespecified exponential convergence rate towards it. Furthermore, the reduced-order sliding mode dynamics as well as the deviation from ideal sliding motion are uniformly exponentially convergent to a ball whose radius is minimized and the exponential convergence towards it is maximized. The problem is formulated as an optimization problem with LMI constraints. Finally, an example is included to illustrate the results developed in this brief.
The Motion of a Compliantly Suspended Rigid Body Constrained by Multipoint Frictional Contact
Authors: Huang Shuguang , Schimmels Joseph M.
Published: November 2005

This paper addresses methods for determining the motion of an elastically suspended rigid body in frictional contact at multiple distinct locations. The methods developed assume that: (1) The motion of the support from which the body is suspended and the elastic behavior of the suspension are known; (2) inertial forces are negligible (motion is quasi-static); and (3) the contact is characterized by Coulomb friction. The derived coupled set of spatial rigid body equations is used to determine both the unknown direction of the friction force (at each point of contact) and the unknown motion of the rigid body. The uniqueness of the set of active constraints when considering multipoint contact is also addressed. We show that, for any passive compliant system, if the coefficient of friction at each contact is upper bounded, the set of active constraints is unique. A procedure to determine both the set of active constraints and the motion of the constrained body is provided.
Generalized Multivariable Gain Scheduling With Robust Stability Analysis
Authors: Zhang Rong , Alleyne Andrew G. , Carter Don E.
Published: November 2005

In this work we introduce a methodology for the design of multivariable gain-scheduled controllers for nonlinear systems and an approach for determining the local stability of a nonlinear closed loop system. The gain-scheduled global control is designed by scheduling different local controllers using a Local Controller Network. The individual local controllers are assumed to be LTI MIMO controllers that can be designed via some user-specified multivariable method. In this paper, different portions of outputs from different local controllers are combined into the total control by using interpolation-weighting functions. The variation in the control behavior as a result of the scheduling variable is posed in a robust control framework. The dynamics of the scheduling variables are incorporated into the global control framework as an unstructured uncertainty. This allows the use of computational tools to analyze the stability of the overall global system and verify whether or not a given gain-scheduled approach will remain stable locally. To demonstrate the practical significance of the method, a multivariable electrohydraulic earthmoving powertrain problem is solved using the approach. The nonlinear power train was locally modeled as an LTI MIMO system and a local LTI MIMO controller was designed at each operating point using an H∞ algorithm. The analysis approach introduced is utilized to verify system stability and is supported closely by experimental results.
Photographing Auroras
Authors: Manos Harry
Published: November 2005

A propos of the January 2006 AAPT Winter Meeting in Anchorage, AK, this paper will provide techniques for photographing auroras using film and digital cameras, and information for either the beginning or amateur photographer who has never photographed an aurora and would like to get good pictures the first time out. It will also provide general pedagogical information about auroras. A variety of Internet sources is presented at the end of this paper.
Einstein in My Hometown
Authors: Mamola Karl
Published: November 2005

During the 22 years Albert Einstein lived and worked in the United States, he frequently took long summer vacations. Generally he chose quiet, out-of-the-way vacation spots, and because of his love of sailing, places close to bodies of water. Among other locations, he vacationed at Saranac Lake in upstate New York, the Rhode Island coast, and, during the summers of 1937–39, at Nassau Point on the North Fork of Long Island. Nassau Point is a part of the small town of Cutchogue1 and is located on Peconic Bay, about 90 miles from New York City. It was an ideal spot for Einstein both because it was off the beaten path and because of the outstanding sailing conditions on Peconic Bay. Einstein rented a cabin just a stone's throw from the bay. I myself have a special interest in Cutchogue because it's the place where I was born and where I spent the first few years of my life. Unfortunately, I came along five or six years too late to have actually seen Einstein there, but he did have encounters with some of my older friends and relatives.
Water Nozzles
Authors: Humbert Richard
Published: November 2005

The following type of nozzle problem is found in some introductory-level physics textbooks.1–3 The (average) flow speed of water through and out a hose with a cross-sectional area AH is vH. If a nozzle with an exit area AN < AH is attached to the hose, what is the speed vN of the water out of it? The books simply apply the continuity equation AHvH = ANvN to the nozzle to obtain vN = (AH/AN)vH. This solution is not correct because it does not take account of the fact that attaching the nozzle to the hose reduces the flow speed in it. So the books' values of vN must always be too high, sometimes by large amounts. It should not seem surprising that it takes more time to fill a watering can with a garden hose when there is a nozzle at the end of it than when there isn't. This paper will explain how a water nozzle actually works, and for a situation with a simple water source, the correct flow speed from a nozzle will be derived.
Marketing Science to Our Students
Authors: Rearden Kristin T. , Calvert Rosemary
Published: November 2005

Kristin T. Rearden is an assistant professor in science education at the University of Tennessee. Rosemary Calvert is a high school science teacher at Powell High School, Powell, TN.
Increased Excision of the
Salmonella
Prophage ST64B Caused by a Deficiency in Dam Methylase
Authors: Alonso Ana , Pucciarelli M. Graciela , Figueroa-Bossi Nara , García-del Portillo Francisco
Published: November 2005

Salmonella enterica
mutants defective in Dam methylase are strongly attenuated in virulence and release a large amount of proteins to the extracellular medium. The extent to which these two phenotypes are linked is unknown. Using a proteomic approach, we identified Sb6, Sb13, and Sb36 as proteins present in larger amounts in culture supernatants of an
S. enterica
serovar Typhimurium
dam
mutant than in those of the wild-type strain. These three proteins are encoded in the
Salmonella
prophage ST64B. Higher amounts of ST64B phage DNA and tailless viral capsids were also detected in supernatant extracts of the
dam
mutant, suggesting that Dam methylation negatively regulates the excision of ST64B. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis revealed that the expression of two ST64B genes encoding a putative antirepressor and a phage replication protein increases in the
dam
mutant. The SOS response also augments the excision of ST64B. Infection assays performed with phage-cured strains demonstrated that ST64B does not carry genes required for virulence in the mouse model. Evidence was also obtained discarding a relationship between the high excision of ST64B and the envelope instability or virulence attenuation phenotype. Taken together, these data indicate that ST64B excises at a high rate in
dam
mutants due to the loss of repression exerted by Dam on phage genes and induction of the SOS response characteristic of these mutants. The exacerbated excision of ST64B does not however contribute to the incapacity of
dam
mutants to cause disease.
Minimal Functions and Physiological Conditions Required for Growth of
Salmonella enterica
on Ethanolamine in the Absence of the Metabolosome
Authors: Brinsmade Shaun R. , Paldon Tenzin , Escalante-Semerena Jorge C.
Published: November 2005

During growth on ethanolamine,
Salmonella enterica
synthesizes a multimolecular structure that mimics the carboxysome used by some photosynthetic bacteria to fix CO
2
. In
S. enterica
, this carboxysome-like structure (hereafter referred to as the ethanolamine metabolosome) is thought to contain the enzymatic machinery needed to metabolize ethanolamine into acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA). Analysis of the growth behavior of mutant strains of
S. enterica
lacking specific functions encoded by the 17-gene
e
thanolamine
ut
ilization (
eut
) operon established the minimal biochemical functions needed by this bacterium to use ethanolamine as a source of carbon and energy. The data obtained support the conclusion that the ethanolamine ammnonia-lyase (EAL) enzyme (encoded by the
eutBC
genes) and coenzyme B
12
are necessary and sufficient to grow on ethanolamine. We propose that the EutD phosphotransacetylase and EutG alcohol dehydrogenase are important to maintain metabolic balance. Glutathione (GSH) had a strong positive effect that compensated for the lack of the EAL reactivase EutA protein under aerobic growth on ethanolamine. Neither GSH nor EutA was needed during growth on ethanolamine under reduced-oxygen conditions. GSH also stimulated growth of a strain lacking the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (EutE) enzyme. The role of GSH in ethanolamine catabolism is complex and requires further investigation. Our data show that the ethanolamine metabolosome is not involved in the biochemistry of ethanolamine catabolism. We propose the metabolosome is needed to concentrate low levels of ethanolamine catabolic enzymes, to keep the level of toxic acetaldehyde low, to generate enough acetyl-CoA to support cell growth, and to maintain a pool of free CoA.
Fine Structure of the
Deinococcus radiodurans
Nucleoid Revealed by Cryoelectron Microscopy of Vitreous Sections
Authors: Eltsov Mikhail , Dubochet Jacques
Published: November 2005

Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the nucleoid of the extremely radioresistant bacteria
Deinococcus radiodurans
may adopt an unusual ring shape. This led to the hypothesis that the tight toroidal package of the
D. radiodurans
genome might contribute to radioresistance by preventing diffusion of ends of double-stranded DNA breaks. The molecular arrangement of DNA in the nucleoid, which must be determined to test this hypothesis, is not discernible by conventional methods of electron microscopy. We have applied cryoelectron microscopy of vitreous sections and found that the DNA arrangement in
D. radiodurans
differs from toroidal spooling. Diffuse coralline nucleoids of exponentially growing
D. radiodurans
do not reveal any particular molecular order. Electron-dense granules are generally observed in the centers of nucleoids. In stationary-phase cells, the nucleoid segregates from cytoplasm and DNA filaments show locally parallel arrangements, with increasing aspects of cholesteric liquid crystalline phase upon prolonged starvation. The relevance of the observed nucleoid organization to the radiation resistance of
D. radiodurans
is discussed.