bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Distance-Scaled Water Concentrations versus Mass-Median Drop Size, Temperature, and Altitude in Supercooled Clouds
Authors: Jeck Richard K.
Published: July 2008

About 28 000 nautical miles (n mi) of select in-flight measurements of liquid water content (LWC), droplet sizes, temperature, and other variables in supercooled clouds from a variety of research projects over portions of North America, Europe, and the northern oceans have been compiled into a computerized database for obtaining new statistics on the ranges, frequency of occurrence, and interrelationships of the variables.

The LWCs are averaged over uniform cloud intervals of variable length. LWC probabilities are then generated as a function of averaging distance, temperature, droplet mass-median diameter (MMD), altitude, and freezing-level height. These variously scaled LWCs (different averaging intervals from 1 s to 200 n mi) are easily accommodated by distance-based graphing (LWC versus averaging distance). These graphs provide realistic LWCs for modeling, and they can serve as a common reference for comparing LWC measurements over any averaging scale.

Maximum recorded LWCs are about 1.6 g m−3 in stratiform clouds and about 5 g m−3 in convective clouds, both over short (<0.5 km) distances. A sharp MMD mode near 15 μm appears to be a stable condition in which the LWCs can be the largest and extend the farthest. The larger the MMD above the mode, the shorter its spatial extent will be, the rarer its occurrence, and the lower the maximum LWC that can be present.
Emergence and Secondary Instability of Ekman Layer Rolls
Authors: Dubos T. , Barthlott C. , Drobinski P.
Published: July 2008

The authors revisit the idealized scenario by which long-lived rolls are believed to emerge in the neutral planetary boundary layer, that is, through the saturation of the shear instability of the neutrally stratified Ekman flow.

First, the nonlinear stages of the primary instability are studied, using a constant turbulent viscosity with Reynolds numbers up to 1000. Two-dimensional equilibrated rolls are found to exist, as predicted earlier based on a weakly nonlinear expansion. However, the flow may not saturate into those equilibrated rolls if the turbulent Reynolds number is too high. Second, a linear stability analysis of these equilibrated rolls is performed, which finds that they are subject to a three-dimensional instability. The growth rate of the most unstable mode is comparable to the growth rate of the primary instability; the selected horizontal length scale is about 4 times shorter. The unstable mode draws its energy by interacting with both across-roll and along-roll shear, the latter interaction being stronger.

The latitude and the direction of the geostrophic wind affect the dynamics through the horizontal component of the Coriolis vector; their influence is investigated in both studies. At Reynolds numbers sufficiently higher than the threshold of the primary instability, the saturated rolls depend negligibly on latitude and wind direction. However, the growth rate of the secondary instability depends substantially on latitude and wind direction over the range of Reynolds numbers considered.
Scaling Laws and Regime Transitions of Macroturbulence in Dry Atmospheres
Authors: Schneider Tapio , Walker Christopher C.
Published: July 2008

In simulations of a wide range of circulations with an idealized general circulation model, clear scaling laws of dry atmospheric macroturbulence emerge that are consistent with nonlinear eddy–eddy interactions being weak. The simulations span several decades of eddy energies and include Earth-like circulations and circulations with multiple jets and belts of surface westerlies in each hemisphere. In the simulations, the eddy available potential energy and the barotropic and baroclinic eddy kinetic energy scale linearly with each other, with the ratio of the baroclinic eddy kinetic energy to the barotropic eddy kinetic energy and eddy available potential energy decreasing with increasing planetary radius and rotation rate. Mean values of the meridional eddy flux of surface potential temperature and of the vertically integrated convergence of the meridional eddy flux of zonal momentum generally scale with functions of the eddy energies and the energy-containing eddy length scale, with a few exceptions in simulations with statically near-neutral or neutral extratropical thermal stratifications. Eddy energies scale with the mean available potential energy and with a function of the supercriticality, a measure of the near-surface slope of isentropes. Strongly baroclinic circulations form an extended regime in which eddy energies scale linearly with the mean available potential energy. Mean values of the eddy flux of surface potential temperature and of the vertically integrated eddy momentum flux convergence scale similarly with the mean available potential energy and other mean fields.

The scaling laws for the dependence of eddy fields on mean fields exhibit a regime transition between a regime in which the extratropical thermal stratification and tropopause height are controlled by radiation and convection and a regime in which baroclinic entropy fluxes modify the extratropical thermal stratification and tropopause height. At the regime transition, for example, the dependence of the eddy flux of surface potential temperature and the dependence of the vertically integrated eddy momentum flux convergence on mean fields changes—a result with implications for climate stability and for the general circulation of an atmosphere, including its tropical Hadley circulation.
Internal Variability of the Winter Stratosphere. Part II: Time-Dependent Forcing
Authors: Scott R. K. , Polvani L. M. , Waugh D. W.
Published: July 2008

This paper considers the effect of time-dependent lower boundary wave forcing on the internal variability found to appear spontaneously in a stratosphere-only model when the forcing is perfectly steady. While the time-dependent forcing is found to modulate the internal variability, leading in some cases to frequency locking of the upper-stratospheric response to the forcing, the temporal and spatial structure of the variability remains similar to the case when the forcing is time independent. Experiments with a time-periodic modulation of the forcing amplitude indicate that the wave flux through the lower boundary is only partially related to the instantaneous forcing, but is more significantly influenced by the condition of the polar vortex itself. In cases of purely random wave forcing with zero time mean, the stratospheric response is similar to that obtained with steady forcing of magnitude equal to the root-mean-square of the time-varying forcing.
The Dynamics of Atmospherically Driven Intraseasonal Polar Motion
Authors: Feldstein Steven B.
Published: July 2008

The atmospheric dynamical processes that drive intraseasonal polar motion are examined with National Centers for Environmental Prediction–National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis data and with pole position data from the International Earth Rotation Service. The primary methodology involves the regression of different atmospheric variables against the polar motion excitation function.

A power spectral analysis of the polar motion excitation function finds a statistically significant peak at 10 days. Correlation calculations show that this peak is associated with the 10-day, first antisymmetric, zonal wavenumber 1, normal mode of the atmosphere. A coherency calculation indicates that the atmospheric driving of polar motion is mostly confined to two frequency bands, with periods of 7.5–13 and 13–90 days. Regressions of surface pressure reveal that the 7.5–13-day band corresponds to the 10-day atmospheric normal mode and the 13–90-day band to a quasi-stationary wave.

The regressions of pole position and the various torques indicate not only that the equatorial bulge torque dominates the mountain and friction torques but also that the driving by the equatorial bulge torque accounts for a substantial fraction of the intraseasonal polar motion. Furthermore, although the 10-day and quasi-stationary wave contributions to the equatorial bulge torque are similar, the response in the pole position is primarily due to the quasi-stationary wave.

Additional calculations of regressed power spectra and meridional heat fluxes indicate that the atmospheric wave pattern that drives polar motion is itself excited by synoptic-scale eddies. Regressions of pole position with separate torques from either hemisphere show that most of the pole displacement arises from the equatorial bulge torque from the winter hemisphere. Together with the above findings on wave–wave interactions, these results suggest that synoptic-scale eddies in the winter hemisphere excite the quasi-stationary wave, which in turn drives the polar motion through the equatorial bulge torque.
An investigation of the division between espoused and actual practice in infection control and of the knowledge sources that may underpin this division
Authors: Nichols A. , Badger B.
Published: July 2008

Aims: This paper aims to provide a better understanding of divisions between the espoused and actual infection control practice of staff working within a renal unit and to investigate the sources of knowledge used to underpin practice.

Background: Healthcare associated infection continues to be a major problem for health services. It has been claimed that healthcare associated infections may be reduced by around a third through the use of effective infection control measures. The effectiveness of these measures will rely upon the learning and skills of those implementing them.

Methods: The study employed a primarily qualitative approach using participant observation and semi structured interviews over a six month period on a renal unit within a district general hospital.

Results: Results gained provided some indication of a gap between espoused and actual compliance with infection control policy in practice while also indicating that tacit knowledge and learning in practice may offer an effective means of gaining and implementing infection control knowledge.

Conclusions: This study highlights divisions between espoused and actual infection control practice, it also emphasises the role of tacit learning and how tacit knowledge may be gained and employed in practice.
Blood pressure cuffs as a potential fomite for transmission of pathogenic micro- organisms: A prospective study in a university teaching hospital
Authors: Baruah J. , Kumar S. , Gratrix A. , Dibb W. , Madeo M.
Published: July 2008

Objective: To investigate the contamination of blood pressure cuffs on medical, surgical, paediatric and intensive care areas in a university teaching hospital.

Design: A comprehensive, prospective study quantitatively and qualitatively evaluating the bacterial contamination on blood pressure cuffs of 100 sphygmomanometers in use in ten hospital units from June through to July 2007.

Setting: A university teaching hospital with medical, surgical, paediatric and intensive care units.

Results: The inner sides of the cuffs were found to harbour more organisms (97%) compared to the outer surface (89%). The inside also had a much higher level of contamination, 29% having >100 colony forming units (cfu) compared to only 8% with >100cfu on the outer surface. On average most cuffs were found to have organisms in the 10—100 cfu range. The most heavily contaminated cuffs (>100cfu) were found on the general intensive care unit. Coagulase negative Staphylococcus was the most commonly isolated organism, found in 67% of samples.
Bayesian semi parametric multi-state models
Authors: Kneib Thomas , Hennerfeind Andrea
Published: July 2008

Multi-state models provide a unified framework for the description of the evolution of discrete phenomena in continuous time. One particular example is Markov processes which can be characterised by a set of time-constant transition intensities between the states. In this paper, we will extend such parametric approaches to semiparametric models with flexible transition intensities based on Bayesian versions of penalised splines. The transition intensities will be modelled as smooth functions of time and can further be related to parametric as well as nonparametric covariate effects. Covariates with time-varying effects and frailty terms can be included in addition. Inference will be conducted either fully Bayesian (using Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation techniques) or empirically Bayesian (based on a mixed model representation). A counting process representation of semiparametric multi-state models provides the likelihood formula and also forms the basis for model validation via martingale residual processes. As an application, we will consider human sleep data with a discrete set of sleep states such as REM and non-REM phases. In this case, simple parametric approaches are inappropriate since the dynamics underlying human sleep are strongly varying throughout the night and individual-specific variation has to be accounted for using covariate information and frailty terms.
Model misspecification
Authors: Tarpey Thaddeus , Yun Dong , Petkova Eva
Published: July 2008

A common problem in statistical modelling is to distinguish between finite mixture distribution and a homogeneous non-mixture distribution. Finite mixture models are widely used in practice and often mixtures of normal densities are indistinguishable from homogenous non-normal densities. This paper illustrates what happens when the EM algorithm for normal mixtures is applied to a distribution that is a homogeneous non-mixture distribution. In particular, a population-based EM algorithm for finite mixtures is introduced and applied directly to density functions instead of sample data. This algorithm is used to find finite mixture approximations to common homogeneous distributions. An example regarding the nature of a placebo response in drug treated depressed subjects is used to illustrate ideas.
Seaweed polysaccharides with anticancer potential
Authors: Wang Hui , Chiu Lawrence C.M. , Ooi Vincent E.C. , Ang Put O.
Published: July 2008

Aqueous extracts from 12 species of Hong Kong seaweeds were screened for their antiproliferative potential on HL-60 and MCF-7 cell lines. Eight seaweeds exhibited selective antiproliferative activity on HL-60 cells, while 10 species possessed some effect on MCF-7 cell line. Two brown seaweeds, Hydroclathrus clathratus and Padina arborescenos, had a higher inhibitory effect on the growth of both cancer cell lines than the others and were less toxic to normal cells. The extract of H. clathratus (Hy) caused morphological alteration of MCF-7 cells when they were treated at the beginning of incubation. Some polysaccharide fractions isolated and purified from Hy had antiproliferative activity on both HL-60 and MCF-7 cell lines. Furthermore, all of these fractions, including the crude extract, had varying degrees of antioxidant activity. In vivo antitumor tests using Sarcoma 180 tumor-bearing BALB/c mice showed that the fraction H3-a from H. clathratus had the best effect in suppressing tumor growth in the treated mice.
Preliminary validation of real-time PCR assays for the identification of Yersinia pestis
Authors: Tomaso Herbert , Jacob Daniela , Eickhoff Meike , Scholz Holger C. , Al Dahouk Sascha , Kattar Mireille M. , Reischl Udo , Plicka Helga , Olsen Jaran Strand , Nikkari Simo , Matero Pirjo , Beuret Christian , Ciammaruconi Andrea , Lista Florigio , Gala Jean-Luc , Broll Hermann , Appel Bernd , Sellek Cano Ricela E. , Ybarra de Villavicencio Maria del Carmen , Broekhuijsen Martien , Indra Alexander , Petersen Roger , Neubauer Heinrich
Published: July 2008

:

: A total of four samples of quantified

: All participating laboratories were able to perform the real-time PCR assays according to the protocols provided and identified the samples containing

: Our real-time PCR system proved to be highly reproducible and has the potential of complementing the diagnostic tools for rapid identification of

Clin Chem Lab Med 2008;46:1239–44.
“When in Rome……”: What Josquin Learned in the Sistine Chapel
Authors: Rodin Jesse
Published: July 2008

Only recently has our ever-changing image of Josquin's life and career come into sharper focus. With the composer's date of birth pushed forward by ten or perhaps as many as fifteen years and the importance of Milan as the first stop on his Italian tour now fading, it looks increasingly as though Josquin's first compositional maturity occurred while he was a singer in the Sistine Chapel choir in Rome (ca. 1489–at least 1494). The new biographical picture also points toward an unfamiliar possibility: that Josquin learned something from the music of his contemporaries. In particular, he seems to have engaged closely with compositions by his “Roman” colleague Marbrianus de Orto (d. 1529).

Through an examination of music by de Orto and Josquin likely composed in Rome, I have uncovered a series of close musical connections between the composers. It is now clear, for instance, that the cantus firmus treatment in Josquin's Missa L'homme armé super voces musicales is dependent on de Orto's. Josquin's tenor motet Illibata Dei virgo nutrix (a 5) may also owe something to de Orto's example, as may his four-voice setting of the song Si j'ay perdu mon amy. Josquin and de Orto are even united in their unusual preference for certain contrapuntal and melodic strategies. All of this suggests that de Orto played a pivotal role in Josquin's compositional development, and calls for a revised historiographical model with which to frame studies of the elusive Josquin des Prez.
The Idea of Melodic Connection in Samuel Beckett
Authors: Maier Franz Michael
Published: July 2008

Music plays an important role in the art of Samuel Beckett. Indeed, we need only observe the continual presence of a defining motive that spans the thirty years between Beckett's novel Watt of 1953 and his television play Nacht und Träume of 1983: Beckett's protagonists sing. The enigmatic Mr. Knott of the novel sings, as does the nameless protagonist of the television play. An astonishing transformation emerges, however, when we trace the treatment of music from the “extreme monotony” of Mr. Knott's song in Watt to the elaborate bars of Schubert in Nacht und Träume. Increasingly, Beckett's attitude toward music contrasts with his attitude toward the other arts. “One loses one's classics,” complains Winnie in Happy Days, but this does not hold true for the Lehár melody she sings. Nor does it hold true for Beckett's relationship to Beethoven and Schubert: musical quotations from their works appear in unbroken extension. As though he meant to model his concept of music ever more explicitly on Schopenhauer's metaphysics and Proust's romanticism, Beckett's quotations from music gain strength over time, achieve more immediate reality, and become a dominant factor in his work.
Lake Sturgeon Spawning Habitat in the Big Manistee River, Michigan
Authors: Chiotti Justin A. , Holtgren J. Marty , Auer Nancy A. , Ogren Stephanie A.
Published: July 2008

Spawning sites of lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens were verified using egg collection mats in the Big Manistee River in northwestern lower Michigan. Photographs taken by a fixed-position underwater video camera were used to characterize the substrate at egg mat locations. A total of 3,913 lake sturgeon eggs were captured at two discrete spawning locations in 2003 and 2004. Spawning locations consisted of 34–44% cobble and 0.04–8% sand, and nonspawning locations consisted of 2–43% cobble and 0.16–7% sand. Shannon diversity indices describing substrate heterogeneity at spawning locations were statistically higher than those for nonspawning locations in 2003 (P = 0.002). Four spawning events (one in 2003 and three in 2004) were documented at water temperatures ranging from 11.1°C to 14.8°C and egg incubation periods ranging from 6 to 10 d. Depth at spawning sites was 1.5–3.0 m, average water velocity was 0.34–1.32 m/s, and near-substrate water velocity was 0.08–1.26 m/s. The topography of the Big Manistee River channel appears to have been altered by manipulated river flows, resulting in the development of barchans (ridges or shelves along the river bottom) in the region utilized for spawning. This study is the first to document lake sturgeon spawning success in the Big Manistee River and identify the specific characteristics of spawning bed material used as well as the presence of barchans that may produce eddies or turbulent irregular flows that affect egg dispersal and survival.
Current Trends in Weight Management: What Advice Do We Give to Patients?
Authors: Boucher Jackie L. , Benson Gretchen A. , Kovarik Stephanie , Solem Brianne , VanWormer Jeffery J.
Published: July 2008

IN BRIEF

Given the number of individuals with diabetes who are overweight or obese,it is essential for diabetes educators to familiarize themselves with evidence related to common questions patients have when they set a goal to lose weight. Educators need to work with patients to help them develop a realistic approach to weight loss that is consistent with their diabetes management goals.
Low‐pressure packed‐bed gas phase conversion of glycerol to acetol
Authors: Chiu Chuang‐Wei , Tekeei Ali , Sutterlin William R. , Ronco Joshua M. , Suppes Galen J.
Published: July 2008

This article describes the investigations carried out on the vapor‐phase hydrogenolysis of glycerol to acetol over a copper‐chromite catalyst in a packed bed flow reactor. The effects of reaction method (liquid‐phase vs. vapor‐phase mode), vapor‐phase reaction with gas feed, reaction temperature, catalyst loading, and hydrogen feed rate were studied to arrive at optimum conditions. Operating the reactor in vapor‐phase mode dramatically reduced the amount of undesired by‐product formation, and thereby increased the overall yield of acetol and propylene glycol. The optimum reaction temperature is near 220°C. Higher hydrogen feed rates increased propylene glycol selectivity. The proposed production scheme has application for production of both acetol and propylene glycol from the crude glycerol that contains various soluble salts. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2008
Subcellular localization of human heparanase and its alternative splice variant in COS‐7 cells
Authors: Sato Mayumi , Amemiya Kana , Hayakawa Sumio , Munakata Hiroshi
Published: July 2008

Heparanase, the enzyme that degrades heparan sulfate, has been implicated to play important and characteristic roles in organogenesis, tissue organization, cell migration, and tumor metastasis. Clarification of its expression, its intracellular sorting, and its secretion is, therefore, of much importance to understand its role in cell biology. In addition to the 1.7 Kb transcript previously reported, we detected a 1.5 Kb transcript of human heparanase by RT‐PCR. The smaller transcript was shown to be an alternatively spliced variant lacking exon 5, which contains the essential glutamic acid residue required for enzyme activity. When expressed in COS‐7 cells this variant did not show any heparanase activity. Full‐length heparanase and the exon 5‐deleted splice variant were expressed in COS‐7 cells and examined by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Both proteins co‐localized with calnexin, a marker protein for the endoplasmic reticulum, and they co‐immunoprecipitated with calnexin. Both proteins were postulated to be precursors based upon the results of SDS–PAGE analyses. Treatment with endoglycosidases revealed that all potential N‐glycosylation sites in the proteins were glycosylated. Tunicamycin treatment of transfected COS‐7 cells inhibited N‐glycosylation but did not change the subcellular localization. These results indicate that overexpressed heparanase and its splice variant localize to the endoplasmic reticulum independent of glycosylation in COS‐7 cells. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Structural and Computational Study of Synthetically Important Alkali‐Metal/Tetramethylpiperidide (TMP) Amine Solvates
Authors: Armstrong David R. , Graham David V. , Kennedy Alan R. , Mulvey Robert E. , O'Hara Charles T.
Published: July 2008

Two heavy alkali‐metal salts of the sterically demanding amine, 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine (TMPH), have been prepared using different methodologies. Complex 1, [{(tmeda)Na(tmp)}2] (TMEDA=N,N, N′,N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine), can be synthesized by a deprotonative route. This is achieved by reacting butylsodium with TMPH in the presence of excess TMEDA in hexane. The potassium congener [{(tmeda)K(tmp)}2] (2), can be prepared by treating KTMP (made using a metathesis reaction between LiTMP and potassium tert‐butoxide) with an excess of TMEDA in hexane. In the solid state, 1 and 2 are essentially isostructural. They are discretely dimeric and their framework consists of a four‐membered M‐N‐M‐N ring (M=Na or K, N=TMP). Due to the high steric demand of the TMP ligand, the TMEDA molecules bind to the metal centers in an asymmetric manner. In 2, each of the coordination spheres of the metals is completed by an agostic K⋅⋅⋅CH3(TMP) interaction. DFT calculations at the B3 LYP/6‐311G** level give an insight into why 1 and 2 adopt dramatically different structures from their previously reported, “open‐dimeric”, lithium counterpart. The theoretical work also focuses on the TMEDA‐free parent amide complexes and reveals that the energy difference for the formation of [{M(tmp)}x] (in which, M=Li or Na, x=3 or 4; and M=K, x=2, 3 or 4) are small.
Compiler and runtime techniques for software transactional memory optimization
Authors: Wu Peng , Michael Maged M. , von Praun Christoph , Nakaike Takuya , Bordawekar Rajesh , Cain Harold W. , Cascaval Calin , Chatterjee Siddhartha , Chiras Stefanie , Hou Rui , Mergen Mark , Shen Xiaowei , Spear Michael F. , Wang Hua Yong , Wang Kun
Published: July 2008

Software transactional memory (STM) systems are an attractive environment to evaluate optimistic concurrency. We describe our experience of supporting and optimizing an STM system at both the managed runtime and compiler levels. We describe the design policies of our STM system and the statistics collected by the runtime to identify performance bottlenecks and guide tuning decisions. We present an initial work on supporting automatic instrumentation of the STM primitives for C/C++ and Java programs in the IBM XL compiler and J9 Java virtual machine. We evaluate and discuss the performance of several transactional programs running on our system. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ionic Liquid Supported Acid/Base‐Catalyzed Production of Biodiesel
Authors: Lapis Alexandre A. M. , de Oliveira Luciane F. , Neto Brenno A. D. , Dupont Jairton
Published: July 2008

The transesterification (alcoholysis) reaction was successfully applied to synthesize biodiesel from vegetable oils using imidazolium‐based ionic liquids under multiphase acidic and basic conditions. Under basic conditions, the combination of the ionic liquid 1‐n‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (BMI⋅NTf2), alcohols, and K2CO3 (40 mol %) results in the production of biodiesel from soybean oil in high yields (>98 %) and purity. H2SO4 immobilized in BMI⋅NTf2 efficiently promotes the transesterification reaction of soybean oil and various primary and secondary alcohols. In this multiphase process the acid is almost completely retained in the ionic liquid phase, while the biodiesel forms a separate phase. The recovered ionic liquid containing the acid could be reused at least six times without any significant loss in the biodiesel yield or selectivity. In both catalytic processes (acid and base), the reactions proceed as typical multiphasic systems in which the formed biodiesel accumulates as the upper phase and the glycerol by‐product is selectively captured by the alcohol‐ionic liquid‐acid/base phase. Classical ionic liquids such as 1‐n‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate and hexafluorophosphate are not stable under these acidic or basic conditions and decompose.
Computer‐based training with ortho‐phonological units in dyslexic children: new investigations
Authors: Ecalle Jean , Magnan Annie , Bouchafa Houria , Gombert Jean Emile
Published: July 2008

This study aims to show that training using a computer game incorporating an audio‐visual phoneme discrimination task with phonological units, presented simultaneously with orthographic units, might improve literacy skills. Two experiments were conducted, one in secondary schools with dyslexic children (Experiment 1) and the other in a speech‐therapy clinic with individual case studies (Experiment 2). A classical pre‐test, training, post‐test design was used. The main findings indicated an improvement in reading scores after short intensive training (10 h) in Experiment 1 and progress in the reading and spelling scores obtained by the dyslexic children (training for 8 h) in Experiment 2. These results are discussed within the frameworks of both the speech‐specific deficit theory of dyslexia and the connectionist models of reading development. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development of a new sensorless vector‐controlled and transmissionless electric vehicle using a permanent‐magnet synchronous motor
Authors: Shinnaka Shinji , Takeuchi Shigeru
Published: July 2008

One of the most important technologies for electric vehicles (EVs) will be drive control technology for the main motor. It is desired that the drive control technology have the following characteristics. (1) It does not require a position/speed sensor for controlling motor drive, which has been mounted on the rotor shaft. (2) It has vector controls that can produce torque quickly, efficiently, and/or precisely. (3) It has wide driving‐range and allows developing EVs with no variable transmission. This paper proposes new drive control technologies for such EVs using a permanent‐magnet synchronous motor as a main motor, and verifies its usefulness through development of an actual EV that can drive on public roads. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 165(3): 83–94, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20459
Voltage control of distribution network with a large penetration of photovoltaic generation using FACTS devices
Authors: Kondo Taro , Baba Jumpei , Yokoyama Akihiko
Published: July 2008

In recent years, there has been a great deal of interest in distributed generation from viewpoints of environmental problems and energy saving measures. Thus, a lot of distributed generators will be connected to the distribution network in the future. However, increase of distributed generators, which convert natural energy into electric energy, raises concerns as to their adverse effects on the distribution network. Therefore, control of distribution networks using Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) devices is considered in order to adjust the voltage profile, and as a result more distributed generations can be installed into the networks.

In this paper, four types of FACTS devices— Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM), Static Synchronous Series Compensator (SSSC), Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) and self‐commutated Back‐To‐Back converter (BTB)— are analyzed by comparison of required minimum capacity of the inverters in a residential distribution network with a large penetration of photovoltaic generations. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 165(3): 16– 28, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20499
Lentiviral-mediated miRNA against osteopontin suppresses tumor growth and metastasis of human hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Sun Bing-Sheng , Dong Qiong-Zhu , Ye Qing-Hai , Sun Hai-Jing , Jia Hu-Liang , Zhu Xiao-Qun , Liu Dao-Yong , Chen Jie , Xue Qiong , Zhou Hai-Jun , Ren Ning , Qin Lun-Xiu
Published: July 2008

In our previous study, osteopontin (OPN) was identified as one of the leading genes that promote the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the mechanism by which OPN promotes metastasis of HCC is not understood. In this study, RNA interference mediated by viral vectors—which could induce a long-lasting down-regulation in gene expression—was applied to analyze the role of OPN in metastasis of HCC. Three lentiviral vectors encoding microRNA against OPN, Lenti.OPNi-1, Lenti.OPNi-2, and Lenti.OPNi-3, were constructed and found to down-regulate the OPN level by 62%, 78%, and 95%, respectively, in HCCLM3 cells which had an overexpression of OPN and a higher metastatic potential. Consequently, both Lenti.OPNi-2 and Lenti.OPNi-3 induced a significant decrease in matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and urokinase plasminogen activator expression, and led to an obvious inhibition of both

in vitro

invasion and

in vivo

lung metastasis of HCCLM3 cells (

P

< 0.001). Moreover, Lenti.OPNi-3, rather than Lenti.OPNi-2, could also suppress

in vitro

proliferation and

in vivo

tumor growth of HCCLM3. Smaller detectable tumors were found in only 50% of mice after implantation of Lenti.OPNi-3–transfected HCCLM3 cells (341 ± 502.6 mm3 versus >3500 mm3 in controls;

P

< 0.001). Lenti.OPNi-3, not Lenti.OPNi-2, significantly suppressed the MEK/ERK1/2 pathway in HCCLM3 cells. Recombinant OPN was found to induce translocation of p65 into the nucleus of HCC cells and activation of MMP-2 and MEK/ERK/1/2, which were suppressed by the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate.

Conclusion:

OPN plays an important role in metastasis as well as tumor growth of HCC, in which different minimum threshold levels of OPN are needed. These effects may occur through activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase and NF-κB pathways, and MMP-2. OPN could be a hopeful target for the control of HCC. (Hepatology 2008;48:1834-11842.)
Ca2+-dependent protein kinase C isoforms are critical to estradiol 17β-d-glucuronide–induced cholestasis in the rat
Authors: Crocenzi Fernando A. , Pozzi Enrique J. Sánchez , Ruiz María Laura , Zucchetti Andrés E. , Roma Marcelo G. , Mottino Aldo D. , Vore Mary
Published: July 2008

The endogenous estradiol metabolite estradiol 17β-d-glucuronide (E217G) induces an acute cholestasis in rat liver coincident with retrieval of the canalicular transporters bile salt export pump (Bsep, Abcc11) and multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (Mrp2, Abcc2) and their associated loss of function. We assessed the participation of Ca2+-dependent protein kinase C isoforms (cPKC) in the cholestatic manifestations of E217G in perfused rat liver (PRL) and in isolated rat hepatocyte couplets (IRHCs). In PRL, E217G (2 μmol/liver; intraportal, single injection) maximally decreased bile flow, total glutathione, and [3H] taurocholate excretion by 61%, 62%, and 79%, respectively; incorporation of the specific cPKC inhibitor Gö6976 (500 nM) in the perfusate almost totally prevented these decreases. In dose-response studies using IRHC, E217G (3.75–800 μM) decreased the canalicular vacuolar accumulation of the Bsep substrate cholyl-lysylfluorescein with an IC50 of 54.9 ± 7.9 μM. Gö6976 (1 μM) increased the IC50 to 178.4 ± 23.1 μM, and similarly prevented the decrease in the canalicular vacuolar accumulation of the Mrp2 substrate, glutathione methylfluorescein. Prevention of these changes by Gö6976 coincided with complete protection against E217G-induced retrieval of Bsep and Mrp2 from the canalicular membrane, as detected both in the PRL and IRHC. E217G also increased paracellular permeability in IRHC, which was only partially prevented by Gö6976. The cPKC isoform PKCα, but not the Ca2+-independent PKC isoform, PKCε, translocated to the plasma membrane after E217G administration in primary cultured rat hepatocytes; Gö6976 completely prevented this translocation, thus indicating specific activation of cPKC. This is consistent with increased autophosphorylation of cPKC by E217G, as detected via western blotting.

Conclusion:

Our findings support a central role for cPKC isoforms in E217G-induced cholestasis, by inducing both transporter retrieval from the canalicular membrane and opening of the paracellular route. (Hepatology 2008;48:1885-1895.)
Evaluation of polycaprolactone scaffold degradation for 6 months in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Lam Christopher X. F. , Hutmacher Dietmar W. , Schantz Jan‐Thorsten , Woodruff Maria Ann , Teoh Swee Hin
Published: July 2008

The use of polycaprolactone (PCL) as a biomaterial, especially in the fields of drug delivery and tissue engineering, has enjoyed significant growth. Understanding how such a device or scaffold eventually degrades in vivo is paramount as the defect site regenerates and remodels. Degradation studies of three‐dimensional PCL and PCL‐based composite scaffolds were conducted invitro (in phosphate buffered saline) and in vivo (rabbit model). Results up to 6 months are reported. All samples recorded virtually no molecular weight changes after 6 months, with a maximum mass loss of only about 7% from the PCL‐composite scaffolds degraded in vivo, and a minimum of 1% from PCL scaffolds. Overall, crystallinity increased slightly because of the effects of polymer recrystallization. This was also a contributory factor for the observed stiffness increment in some of the samples, while only the PCL‐composite scaffold registered a decrease. Histological examination of the in vivo samples revealed good biocompatibility, with no adverse host tissue reactions up to 6 months. Preliminary results of medical‐grade PCL scaffolds, which were implanted for 2 years in a critical‐sized rabbit calvarial defect site, are also reported here and support our scaffold design goal for gradual and late molecular weight decreases combined with excellent long‐term biocompatibility and bone regeneration. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2009
CCL2 induces prostate cancer transendothelial cell migration via activation of the small GTPase Rac
Authors: van Golen Kenneth L. , Ying Chi , Sequeira Linda , Dubyk Cara W. , Reisenberger Tracy , Chinnaiyan Arul M. , Pienta Kenneth J. , Loberg Robert D.
Published: July 2008

Nearly 85% of the men who will die of prostate cancer (PCa) have skeletal metastases present. The ability of PCa cells to interact with the microenvironment determines the success of the tumor cell to form metastatic lesions. The ability to bind to human bone marrow endothelial (HBME) cells and undergo transendothelial cell migration are key steps in allowing the PCa cell to extravasate from the bone microvasculature and invade the bone stroma. We have previously demonstrated that monoctyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP‐1; CCL2) is expressed by HBME cells and promotes PCa proliferation and migration. In the current study, we demonstrate that the CCL2 stimulation of PCa cells activates the small GTPase, Rac through the actin‐associated protein PCNT1. Activation of Rac GTPase is accompanied by morphologic changes and the ability of the cells to undergo diapedesis through HBME cells. These data suggest a role for HBME‐secreted CCL2 in promoting PCa cell extravasation into the bone microenvironment. J. Cell. Biochem. 104: 1587–1597, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Latent effects of egg incubation temperature on growth in the lizard Anolis carolinensis
Authors: Goodman Rachel M.
Published: July 2008

Varied egg incubation temperatures can result in immediate effects on the phenotype of reptiles, and also latent effects that can augment or contradict effects evident at egg hatching. I examined the effects of incubation temperature on embryonic development, hatching morphology, and subsequent growth in multiple populations of the lizard Anolis carolinensis. Eggs from wild‐caught females in four populations were incubated at up to three temperatures, 23.5, 27, and 30°C. Measures of body size were collected immediately after hatching and weekly thereafter, while juveniles were maintained in a common laboratory environment for 8 weeks. Cooler incubation temperatures resulted in longer incubation periods but did not affect conversion of egg mass to hatchling mass. Incubation temperature did not affect hatchling mass or snout vent length (SVL), but did affect subsequent growth in both mass and SVL, which varied by population. Cooler incubation temperatures generally resulted in greater overall growth over 8 weeks of housing all juveniles in a common environment. In A. carolinensis, egg incubation temperature had latent effects on juvenile growth despite the absence of any detected immediate effects on hatchling phenotype. Therefore, the total impact and evolutionary importance of developmental environment should not be assessed or assumed based solely on the phenotype of reptiles at birth or hatching. J. Exp. Zool. 309A:525–533, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Characterization of high‐capacity adenovirus production by the quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction: a comparative study of different titration methods
Authors: Crettaz Julien , Olague Cristina , Vales Africa , Aurrekoetxea Igor , Berraondo Pedro , Otano Itziar , Kochanek Stephan , Prieto Jesús , González‐Aseguinolaza Gloria
Published: July 2008

Background

High‐capacity adenoviruses (HC‐Ad) hold great promise for the treatment of many diseases. The major drawbacks for the clinical application of this vector concern difficulties with respect to large‐scale production, and the absence of standardized methods for production and titration. In the present study, we compare the different methods found in the literature for characterizing HC‐Ad production.

Methods

Two productions of the HC‐Ad carrying murine IL‐12 gene were obtained. The viral titer and adenovirus‐helper contamination as well as viral particle concentration of both productions were determined using different methods: (i) quantification of total viral particles by spectrophotometry and plaque assay to estimate first‐generation (FG)‐helper‐Ad contamination; (ii) quantification of HC‐Ad and FG‐helper‐Ad genomes by the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) directly from viral stock; (iii) quantification of viral genomes after cell infection by the slot‐blot hybridization assay and (iv) qPCR.

Results

Dramatic differences with respect to viral titer were found depending on the method used. The first method overestimates HC‐Ad titer and underestimates FG‐helper‐Ad contamination and no information on the infectivity of the HC‐Ad is obtained. qPCR analysis of viral stock is more sensitive and accurate, but information about infectivity remains unknown and FG‐helper‐Ad contamination is overestimated. Quantification of HC‐Ad and FG‐helper‐Ad infectious units by‐slot blot DNA hybridization and qPCR assay are found to be equally sensitive and accurate.

Conclusions

The results of the present study demonstrate that a standardized method should be developed for HC‐Ad characterization for future clinical applications of this vector. Quantification of HC‐Ad production by qPCR is a fast, safe and reliable method for determining HC‐Ad and FG‐helper‐Ad particles and infectious units. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Successful inhibition of excitotoxic neuronal damage and microglial activation after delayed application of interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist
Authors: Vogt Cornelia , Hailer Nils P. , Ghadban Chalid , Korf Horst‐Werner , Dehghani Faramarz
Published: July 2008

Interleukin (IL)‐1 is an important mediator of neuronal demise and glial activation after acute central nervous system lesions and is antagonized by IL‐1 receptor antagonist (IL‐1RA). Here we determined the time window in which IL‐1RA elicits neuroprotective effects in rat organotypic hippocampal slice cultures (OHSC). OHSC were lesioned with N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) and treated with IL‐1RA (100 ng/ml) at different time points postinjury or were left untreated. Damaged neurons, microglial cells, and astrocytes were labelled with NeuN, propidium iodide, isolectin B4, or glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), respectively, and were analyzed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. In lesioned OHSC, the most dramatic increase in microglial cell number occurred between 8 and 16 hr postinjury, and the maximal neuronal demise was found between 16 and 24 hr postinjury. The cellular source of IL‐1β was investigated by immunohistochemistry, and IL‐1β immunoreactivity was found in few microglial cells at 4 hr postinjury and in numerous microglial cells and astrocytes at 16 hr postinjury. In both glial populations, IL‐1β immunoreactivity peaked at 24 hr postinjury. IL‐1RA treatment potently suppressed neuronal damage by 55% when initiated within the first 16 hr postinjury (P < 0.05), and IL‐1RA treatment initiated at 24 hr postinjury resulted in weaker but still significant neuroprotection. IL‐1RA treatment also reduced the number of microglial cells significantly when initiated within 36 hr postinjury (P < 0.05). In conclusion, IL‐1RA exhibits significant neuroprotective effects in this in vitro model of excitotoxic injury even after delayed application. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The influence of air temperature and atmospheric circulation on winter fog frequency over Northern Eurasia
Authors: Ye Hengchun
Published: July 2008

This study examines the relationship between the number of fog days with surface air temperature and with atmospheric circulation as represented by the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and Siberian High (SBH) Pressure index over northern Eurasia during the winters of 1936–1937 to 1989–1990. The results suggest that the number of fog days decreases as surface air temperature increases, the SBH weakens, and the AO strengthens over much of the study region, except for southern European Russia, where fog days may increase with air temperature. The most significant and dominant impact on fog day frequency is surface air temperature, followed by the intensity of the SBH which directly reflects atmospheric stability. The AO has some limited influence on fog frequency over northern European Russia and southwestern Siberia. The combination of air temperature with either SBH or AO index explained, on average, about 30–60% of the variability of winter fog days over Siberia. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society
Pigment analysis by Raman microscopy of the non‐figurative illumination in 16th‐ to 18th‐century Islamic manuscripts
Authors: Burgio Lucia , Clark Robin J. H. , Muralha Vânia S. F. , Stanley Tim
Published: July 2008

The non‐figurative illumination in five Islamic religious manuscripts of the 16th to 18th centuries held in the National Art Library (NAL) at the Victoria and Albert Museum were analysed by Raman microscopy (RM) and X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) to determine the pigments used in each case and to establish whether the range of pigments evolved with time. The pigments identified include lazurite, red lead, vermilion, orpiment and a carbon‐based black, which were found on all five manuscripts without exception, as well as lead white, malachite, atacamite, haematite, pararealgar, indigo and Prussian blue, which were found on a more limited number of manuscripts. The presence of gold‐based gilding was also established. This range of pigments differs in only a few respects from those already established for Islamic secular manuscripts of the same period. We may conclude that the range of pigments remained stable during the 16th and 17th centuries and began to expand in the 18th century through the introduction of synthetic pigments. On a 16th‐century manuscript analysed in this study, the intermediate phase formed by the light‐induced degradation of realgar into pararealgar was also identified. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.