bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of conventional to intensity modulated radiation therapy for abdominal neuroblastoma
Authors: Paulino Arnold C. , Ferenci Michele S. , Chiang Kuang‐Yueh , Nowlan Adam W. , Marcus Robert B.
Published: November 2005

Objective

To compare three different techniques of irradiating abdominal neuroblastoma.

Patients and Methods

Six children with a median age of 4.1 years underwent radiotherapy (RT) to the primary site as part of treatment for high‐risk neuroblastoma. Four had midline disease while two had well‐lateralized lesions. Three different RT techniques were compared. Technique A used parallel‐opposed AP/PA fields prescribed to the midplane of the patient. For Techniques B and C, intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans were developed using inverse treatment planning with a sliding window or dynamic multileaf collimator approach, seven coplanar beams, and a 0.25 × 0.5 cm minimum beam resolution. The clinical target volume (CTV) included the tumor present prior to second look surgery but after induction chemotherapy with a 1.5 cm margin. The planning target volume (PTV) was the CTV with a 0.5 cm margin. The CTV was planned to receive 100% of the prescribed dose. For Technique C, the vertebral bodies adjacent to the tumor were included in the PTV to minimize heterogeneity of dose. Six MV photons were used for all techniques. Bilateral kidneys, liver, spine, spleen, stomach and bilateral iliac crests were contoured.

Results

Dose to the PTV and CTV were not significantly different using the three techniques. In comparison to Technique A, Techniques B and C delivered a lower mean dose to the bilateral kidneys in the four children with midline tumors but not the two children with a lateralized tumor where the contralateral kidney received a higher mean dose. Dose to the spine was less homogeneous with Technique B compared to Techniques A and C. The spleen, liver and stomach mean doses were higher using Techniques B and C compared to Technique A.

Conclusion

Although Technique C was the best method of RT delivery in midline tumors with respect to kidney doses, this was at a cost of a higher mean dose to the liver, stomach, and spleen. This, together with the theoretical increase in secondary malignancies, should be considered when treating a child with IMRT techniques. IMRT was not found to be better than the conventional AP/PA field for lateralized tumors. Pediatr Blood Cancer © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Polyamide‐6/natural clay mineral nanocomposites prepared by solid‐state shear milling using pan‐mill equipment
Authors: Shao Weiguo , Wang Qi , Wang Feng , Chen Yinghong
Published: November 2005

The polyamide‐6 (PA6)/natural clay mineral nanocomposites were successfully prepared by solid‐state shear milling method without any treatment of clay mineral and additives. PA6/clay mixture was pan‐milled to produce PA6/clay compounding powder, using pan‐mill equipment. The obtained powder as master batch was diluted with neat PA6 to prepare composites by a twin‐screw extruder. The clay silicate layers were found to be partially exfoliated and dispersed homogeneously at nanometer level in PA6 matrix. The rheological measurements and mechanical properties of nanocomposites were characterized. The shear viscosities of nanocomposites were higher than that of pure PA6, and tensile strength and tensile modulus increased, but Izod impact strength decreased, with increasing concentration of clay. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 249–255, 2006
Peptide fragment studies on the folding elements of dihydrofolate reductase from Escherichia coli
Authors: Arai Munehito , Iwakura Masahiro
Published: November 2005

One of the necessary conditions for a protein to be foldable is the presence of a complete set of “folding elements” (FEs) that are short, contiguous peptide segments distributed over an amino acid sequence. The FE‐assembly model of protein folding has been proposed, in which the FEs play a role in guiding structure formation through FE–FE interactions early in folding. However, two major issues remain to be clarified regarding the roles of the FEs in determining protein foldability. Are the FEs AFUs that can form nativelike structures in isolation? Is the presence of only the FEs without mutual connections a sufficient condition for a protein to be foldable? Here, we address these questions using peptide fragments corresponding to the FEs of DHFR from Escherichia coli. We show by CD measurement that the FE peptides are unfolded under the native conditions, and some of them have the propensities toward non‐native helices. MD simulations also show the non‐native helical propensities of the peptides, and the helix contents estimated from the simulations are well correlated with those estimated from the CD in TFE. Thus, the FEs of DHFR are not AFUs, suggesting the importance of the FEs in nonlocal interactions. We also show that equimolar mixtures of the FE peptides do not induce any structural formation. Therefore, mutual connections between the FEs, which should strengthen the nonlocal FE–FE interactions, are also one of the necessary conditions for a protein to be foldable. Proteins 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Determination of the enantiomer fraction of PBB 149 by gas chromatography/electron capture negative ionization tandem mass spectrometry in the selected reaction monitoring mode
Authors: von der Recke Roland , Mariussen Espen , Berger Urs , Götsch Arntraut , Herzke Dorte , Vetter Walter
Published: November 2005

Enantioselective determination of the atropisomers of 2,2′,3,4′,5′,6‐hexabromobiphenyl (PBB 149) in a purified sample from a bird egg was attempted in this work. By application of the classic method for PBB determination, i.e. gas chromatography coupled to electron capture negative ionization mass spectrometry (GC/ECNI‐MS) using the bromide ions, the enantiomers interfered with another brominated compound. Subsequent measurements clarified that this interference did not occur in the mass chromatogram of the molecular ion of PBB 149. Therefore, a GC/ECNI tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) method was developed, based on the fragmentation of [M]−. A suitable precursor‐product ion transition was found for m/z 627.5 → 80 ± 1.5, representing the most abundant ion trace of the molecular ion and the bromide ions. Optimization of the ion source temperature, the methane gas pressure, and the collision voltages resulted in a robust method that could solve the problem. Subsequent injections of a technical PBB product (Firemaster BP‐6®) resulted in the anticipated racemic proportion (enantiomer fraction (EF) = 0.50 ± 0.02 (n = 8)). By contrast, the EF in the purified extract of a bird egg was found to be 0.42 ± 0.02 (n = 10), indicative of a significant enantioenrichment of the second eluting atropisomer. Additional measurements were performed on a non‐chiral column. These measurements allowed for the detection of 16 hexabromobiphenyls (hexa‐BBs) in Firemaster BP‐6®. These comparisons verified that PBB 149 enantiomers did not interfere with an isomer that could falsify the enantiomer fraction in the sample. The novel method using GC/ECNI‐MS/MS in the selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode was eight times more sensitive than application of conventional GC/ECNI‐MS selected ion monitoring (SIM) analysis of the molecular ion. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Who competes with whom? A demand‐based perspective for identifying and representing asymmetric competition
Authors: DeSarbo Wayne S. , Grewal Rajdeep , Wind Jerry
Published: November 2005

A host of strategic management and marketing issues, including competitive analysis and strategic decision making, hinges on accurately identifying and representing competitive market structures. It is readily acknowledged that competitive market structures are typically asymmetric; namely, one firm may actively compete with another in a given market but not vice versa. However, empirical efforts to assess these competitive asymmetries have been lacking in the strategy literature. We propose a new spatial methodology to identify and represent asymmetric competitive market structures. Specifically, we devise a new stochastic multidimensional scaling procedure that is calibrated from actual consumer consideration/choice sets to estimate and uncover competitive asymmetries. The proposed methodology can be effectively employed in the analysis of appropriate data from either demand‐ or supply‐side approaches to assess competitive market structure. We illustrate our proposed methodology with survey data collected from two different commercial applications: one from the U.S. luxury automobile market and the other from the U.S. portable telephone market. We contrast the findings of the proposed methodology against traditional symmetric approaches for identifying and representing competitive market structures, and discuss the respective strategic insights. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Open for innovation: the role of openness in explaining innovation performance among U.K. manufacturing firms
Authors: Laursen Keld , Salter Ammon
Published: November 2005

A central part of the innovation process concerns the way firms go about organizing search for new ideas that have commercial potential. New models of innovation have suggested that many innovative firms have changed the way they search for new ideas, adopting open search strategies that involve the use of a wide range of external actors and sources to help them achieve and sustain innovation. Using a large‐scale sample of industrial firms, this paper links search strategy to innovative performance, finding that searching widely and deeply is curvilinearly (taking an inverted U‐shape) related to performance. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Alkaliisocyanacetate. Synthese und Struktur von [K(18‐Krone‐6)](O2CCH2NC)
Authors: Fehlhammer Wolf Peter , Schrölkamp Stephan , Hoyer Michael , Hartl Hans , Beck Wolfgang
Published: November 2005

Alkali‐isocyanoacetates. Synthesis and Structure of [K(18‐crown‐6)](O2CCH2NC)

The alkali isocyanoacetates M+[O2CCH2NC]− (M = Li,Na,K,Cs) (1a‐d) are synthesized by reaction of ethyl isocyanoacetate with the respective alkali hydroxides in ethanol and characterized by IR, NMR (1H, 13C), and mass spectrometry (FAB). In alcoholic solution as well as in the gas phase ion pairs and higher aggregated species are observed. In contrast, [K(18‐crown‐6)][O2CCH2NC] (2) which is obtained from 1c and 18‐crown‐6, turns out to be a 1:1 electrolyte in solution (acetone); in the solid, the isocyanoacetate anion binds to K+ via the two carboxylate oxygen atoms resulting in an O8‐coordinated metal atom.
Crystal Structure of Guanylurea Sulphate Hydrate [H2NC(=O)NHC(NH2)2]2SO4 · 2 H2O
Authors: Lotsch Bettina V. , Schnick Wolfgang
Published: November 2005

Single crystals of guanylurea (1–carbamoylguanidinium) sulphate hydrate (C 2/c, a = 30.353(6), b = 6.6162(13), c = 21.204(4) Å, β = 99.37(3)°, V = 4201.4(14) Å3, T = 200 K) were obtained from a neutral aqueous solution containing guanylurea sulphate. By analogy with previously reported simple molecular guanylurea salts, the title compound builds up an array of mutually linked chains of cations and anions, with the crystal packing being largely controlled by an extensive hydrogen bonding network.
Syntheses and Structural Characterization of Two Nitrilotriacetate Cobalt Complexes: [{CoK2(NTA)(Hmta)(H2O)3}NO3]n and [{Co(4,4′‐bpy)2(H2O)4}{Co2(NTA)2(4,4′‐bpy)(H2O)2}]
Authors: Chen Zilu , Liang Fupei , Tang Xingfu , Chen Mansheng , Song Lihua , Hu Ruixiang
Published: November 2005

Two nitrilotriacetate cobalt complexes {[CoK2(NTA)(Hmta)(H2O)3]NO3}n (1) and [{Co(4,4′‐bpy)2(H2O)4}{Co2(NTA)2(4,4′‐bpy)(H2O)2}] (2) (NTA = nitrilotriacetate anion, Hmta = hexamethylenetetramine and 4,4′‐bpy = 4,4′‐bipyridine) were prepared and characterized by IR, elemental analysis and single crystal X‐ray diffraction study. The influence of the neutral ancillary ligands on the formation of the complexes with different structures in the Co‐NTA system was discussed. The coordination of NTA and Hmta to Co2+ ions only resulted in the formation of mononuclear [Co(NTA)(Hmta)]− ions which are further connected by K+ ions and water molecules to form a three‐dimensional network. The use of 4,4′‐bpy as ancillary ligand in 2 led to the formation of separate mononuclear [Co(4,4′‐bpy)2(H2O)4]2+ and dinuclear [Co2(NTA)2(4,4′‐bpy)(H2O)2]2− which are further connected by hydrogen bonds to form a supramolecular three‐dimensional network. In these cases it seems to suggest that the addition of neutral ancillary ligand into the Co‐NTA system leads to the formation of lower dimensional structures when the contribution of alkali ions to the structural dimensionality is neglected.
Pt6Cl12·(1,2,4‐C6H3Cl3), a Structurally Characterized Cocrystallization Product of Pt6Cl12
Authors: Gorlov Mikhail , Fischer Andreas , Kloo Lars
Published: November 2005

The reaction of platinum(II) chloride with 1,2,4‐trichlorobenzene gives the novel platinum complex Pt6Cl12·(1,2,4‐C6H3Cl3). It is the first example of an cocrystallization product of platinum(II) chloride and organic molecules whose crystal structure has been established.
Grid‐like Cobalt(II) Layered Complex with an Unprecedented Double 1,2‐Bis(1,2,4‐triazole‐1‐yl)methane Bridges
Authors: Chen Xiao‐Yan , Cheng Peng , Yan Shi‐Ping , Liao Dai‐Zheng , Jiang Zong‐Hui
Published: November 2005

A novel two‐dimensional cobalt complex, [Co(btrm)2(dca)]ClO4 (1, btrm = 1,2‐bis(1,2,4‐triazole‐1‐yl)methane, dca = dicyanamide), was synthesized and characterized. X‐ray diffraction analyses reveal that the title complex crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/m with a = 29.507(13)Å, b = 17.804(8) Å, c = 14.709(7) Å, β = 119.916(7)°, Z = 12, and R1 = 0.0784, wR2 = 0.2041. The cobalt atom involves a six‐coordinated CoN6 environment, with a distorted octahedral coordination. Two btrm ligands connect the CoII atoms with the exodentate nitrogen atoms on the 4‐position of triazole rings to form a sixteen‐membered rhombic grid. The unprecedented double btrm bridges and μ1,5‐dca bridge connect the cobalt atoms to form a two‐dimensional grid‐like layered structure. The spectroscopic and magnetic properties have also been investigated.
Cytochrome c Effect on Respiration of Heart Mitochondria: Influence of Various Factors
Authors: Toleikis Adolfas , Trumbeckaite Sonata , Majiene Daiva
Published: November 2005

The effect of exogenous cytochrome c on respiration rate of the rat and human heart mitochondria was assessed in situ, using permeabilized fibers. It was (i) much more pronounced in State 2 and 4 than in State 3 with all the respiratory substrates (pyruvate+malate, succinate, palmitoyl-CoA+carnitine and octanoyl-L-carnitine), (ii) different with different substrates, (iii) much higher after ischemia in both metabolic states, particularly in the case of succinate oxidation compared to pyruvate+malate, (iv) the highest in State 4 with succinate as a substrate. Similar results were obtained with the isolated rat and rabbit heart mitochondria. The differences in the degree of stimulation of mitochondrial respiration by cytochrome c and, thus, sensitivity of cytochrome c test in evaluation of the intactness/injury of outer mitochondrial membrane are probably determined by the differences in the cytochrome c role in the control of mitochondrial respiration in the above-described conditions.
Internationalism and Democracy
Authors: Plattner Mark F.
Published: November 2005

The current transatlantic debate over multilateralism reveals that the traditional understanding of liberal internationalism is being transcended in favor of “globalism.” The latter is a doctrine that goes well beyond favoring international cooperation among states; in fact, the new globalism is intrinsically hostile to the sovereignty of the nation-state. Thus it
runs counter to the basic liberal understanding of the nature of the political order, as reflected in the American Declaration of Independence and, on a more philosophical level, in the political teaching of John Locke. The Declaration and the Lockean teaching proclaim universal principles, but hold that the implementation of these principles should be the business not of some international authority but of democratically elected and accountable national
Tossing the Rotten Thing Out:
Eliminating Bad Reasons not to Solve the Problem of Moral Luck
Authors: Domsky Darren
Published: November 2005

Solving the problem of moral luck—the problem of dealing with conflicting
intuitions about whether moral blameworthiness varies with luck in cases of negligence—is like repairing a dented fender in front of two kinds of critic. The one keeps telling you that there is no dent, and the other sees the dent but keeps warning you that repairing it will do more harm than good. It is time to straighten things out. As I argue elsewhere, the solution to the problem of moral luck is finally revealed. Our task now is twofold: to hold a magnifying glass up to the initial problem, so that all might finally see it; and to dismiss unfounded fears about solving that
problem, so that all might finally stop grinning and bearing it.
Einstein and Kant
Authors: Weinert Friedel
Published: November 2005

The paper aims to explain and illustrate why Einstein and Kant, relativity and transcendental idealism, came to be discussed in one breath after the Special theory of relativity had emerged in 1905. There are essentially three points of contact between the theory of relativity and Kant's objective idealism. The Special theory makes contact with Kantian views of time; the General theory requires a non-Kantian view of geometry; but both relativity theories endorse a quasi-Kantian view of the nature of scientific knowledge. The paper shows that Einstein is a Kantian in his insistence on the synthesis of rationalism and empiricism, but not in the details of his physics.
The association between suicide and the socio-economic characteristics of geographical areas: a systematic review
Authors: REHKOPF DAVID H. , BUKA STEPHEN L.
Published: November 2005

Background. Despite an extensive literature, there have been widely divergent findings regarding the direction of the association between area socio-economic characteristics and area suicide rates, with high-quality studies finding either a direct relation (higher rates of suicide in higher socio-economic areas), an inverse relation (lower rates of suicide in higher socio-economic areas) or no association.

Method. We performed a systematic review of the literature dating from 1897 to 2004 and identified 86 publications with 221 separate analyses that met our inclusion criteria. We examined the percent of direct, inverse and null findings stratified by key study characteristics including size of aggregated area, socio-economic measure used, region of study, control variables and study design.

Results. Analyses at the community level are significantly more likely to demonstrate lower rates of suicide among higher socio-economic areas than studies using larger areas of aggregation. Measures of area poverty and deprivation are most likely to be inversely associated with suicide rates and median income is least likely to be inversely associated with suicide rates. Analyses using measures of unemployment and education and occupation were equally likely to demonstrate inverse associations. Study results did not vary significantly by gender or by study design.

Conclusions. The heterogeneity of associations is mostly accounted for by study design features that have largely been neglected in this literature. Enhanced attention to size of region and measurement strategies provide a clearer picture of how suicide rates vary by region. Resources for suicide prevention should be targeted to high poverty/deprivation and high unemployment areas.
SHOULD CITIZENS OF A WELFARE STATE BE TRANSFORMED INTO “QUEENS”?
Authors: RISSE MATHIAS
Published: November 2005

Motivation, agency, and public policy: of knights and knaves, pawns and queens, by Julian Le Grand, Oxford University Press, 2003, 230 pages.

Julian Le Grand offers an account of public policy that arranges views along two axes: a motivational axis, along which individuals can be knights or knaves, and an agency axis, along which they can be pawns or queens. Knaves are concerned to further their self-interest, understood broadly in terms of whatever people may care about. Following Hume, Le Grand calls such characters “knaves,” but this has no automatic connotations with illegal activities. Knights, on the other hand, are motivated to help others for no private reward, even to the detriment of their interests. Pawns, like the pieces on the chess board, are passive victims of circumstances, unable to make responsible choices. Queens do make such choices: they are empowered agents responsible for their fates.
“Eyes and No Eyes”: Siwalik Fossil Collecting and the Crafting of Indian Palaeontology (1830–1847)
Authors: Nair Savithri Preetha
Published: November 2005

The context of discovery and collection of Siwalik fossils had far less to do with science than with the ability to effect “translations” that helped bring together a wide range of social worlds, from the Doab Canal engineers working at the foot of the Hills, surgeon-botanists at the Saharanpur Botanic Gardens, other colonial officials, the native “Hindoo” diggers and collectors, to all of whom the Siwalik Hills was a “boundary object,” a common factor that bound their lives together. In this colonial scientific collecting episode pertaining to the discovery of a new field of research, cooperation between different participants is achieved not by using methods of standardization but through an emphasis on greater heterogeneity, both in terms of the “allies” enrolled and fossils collected. Heterogeneity becomes a factor of strength rather than a weakness that deters the practice of science. This essay employs sociological reflection to examine the context of discovery, collection, and justification of a significant group of fossils in India in the 1830s–40s.
The Trading Zone Communication of Scientific Knowledge: An Examination of Jesuit Science in China (1582–1773)
Authors: Huang Xiang
Published: November 2005

The linguistic relativist thesis maintains that there is no neutral ground for different scientific traditions with different theoretic frameworks to communicate rationally, due to the fact that linguistic structure crucially decides the way people think about reality. For quite a long time, historical studies of scientific exchange between East and West have been guided by this thesis. The challenge to this thesis comes from recent studies by Peter Galison, who argues that scientists from different research traditions can communicate rationally in a way similar to the trading exchanges between two countries, in which a local coordination can be reached even if there is a global disagreement about the corresponding word usage in two natural languages. In this paper, I try to show that the concept of trading zone communication provides an interesting and useful theoretical tool to examine how, in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, Chinese scientists communicated with and learned Western knowledge from Jesuit scientists by building local coordination among them. In the first section I introduce the basic ideas of Galison's trading zone theory. In the second section I study the metaphysical, ontological, and epistemological differences between Chinese science and Western science. If the linguistic relativist thesis is taken for granted, these differences are likely to lead many historical studies on Jesuit science in China to reach the relativist conclusion. The third section deals with some of the basic concepts of the trading zone theory to explain how local rational communication among Chinese and Jesuit scientists was built and developed. In the last section I argue that Galison's trading zone theory can help us understand how Chinese scientists learned new knowledge from the Jesuits, especially astronomical and mathematical knowledge, despite the global differences between these two research traditions.
On the diachronic origin of sentential particles in North-Eastern Italian dialects
Authors: Munaro Nicola , Poletto Cecilia
Published: November 2005

In this article we try to determine the diachronic origin of a few sentential particles attested in some North-Eastern Italian dialects on the basis of their syntactic properties. The particles we consider are associated with specific clause types and can only appear in matrix non-declarative clauses; they generally occur in sentence-final position, and only some of them can follow the wh-item in an interrogative clause. They display the typical properties of X°-elements, and can therefore be analysed as functional heads of the CP layer; we present an analysis exploiting movement of the wh-item or of the whole clause to the specifier corresponding to the head occupied by the particle. The different distribution that characterizes the two main types of particles seems to depend on whether they derive etymologically from pronouns or from adverbs; the new properties developed in the grammaticalization process suggest that when an element is reanalysed as a functional category, it can further acquire the value of functional projections merged close to it in the structure.
Optional word order in wh-questions in two Norwegian dialects: a diachronic analysis of synchronic variation
Authors: Westergaard Marit R.
Published: November 2005

Based on a corpus of spontaneous production data, this paper compares the word order of wh-questions in two Norwegian dialects, Kåfjord and Tromsø. While the choice of word order (V2 or non-V2) in Tromsø is dependent on information structure, the Kåfjord speakers produce considerably more non-V2 in questions with monosyllabic wh-elements. The majority of questions with multisyllabic wh-constituents, on the other hand, occurs with V2. This synchronic variation is given a diachronic analysis within a Split-CP model of clause structure and a cue-based approach to acquisition and change, where an economy principle (head preference) also plays an important role. Furthermore, an information structure drift from V2 to non-V2 is argued to cause the cue for verb movement to fall below a critical level in the input to children, the result being that V2 only survives in lexically marked cases in Kåfjord, i.e. with the verb ‘be’.
Age variations in the perceptions of how to age successfully: an exploratory study in the Portuguese population
Authors: Sousa Liliana , Cerqueira Margarida , Galante Helena
Published: November 2005

Successful aging seeks to counteract and replace the old ‘decline and loss’ paradigm that views aging as a series of individual decrements or losses to which both older people and society needed to adapt or adjust. This new gerontology, based on the concept of successful aging, adopts a preventive model: modify individual behaviours throughout life in order to avoid the decrements and losses. Research has led to the development of a variety of models for successful aging, which share the fundamental assumption that successful aging is a result of a lifelong developmental process that involves the combination or interaction of traits or predispositions present at birth or in early life and cumulative life experiences. Successful aging builds on a life history of successful adaptation, which in turn, is a result of interactions among inherited and learned personality attributes and levels of adversity or advantage and resources. Research driven by the successful aging theorist is turning attention to the development of indicators that might explain and predict successful old age. A number of factors are already well known to promote well-being, for instance regular exercise, cognitive stimulation, friendship and the presence of a confiding relationship. However, little is known on how persons from different age groups perceive the preparation of a good old age. In this exploratory study we attempt to expand this topic, since it will allow the understanding of how these perceptions can influence, in a positive or negative way, the achieving of a good old age.
Dynamics of tuberculosis and economic growth
Authors: DELFINO DORIANA , SIMMONS PETER J.
Published: November 2005

We find significant empirical links between the health structure of the population and the productive system of an economy that is subject to infectious disease, in particular tuberculosis. Consequently, development policy, aimed to improve the level of prosperity, has significant effects on the demographic-epidemiological dynamics of the population. Moreover, infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, affect the size of the labour force and the productive capacity of the economy. We combine a Lotka-Volterra type system capturing the dynamics of TB epidemics with a Solow-Swan growth model where output is produced from capital and healthy labour. The demographic-epidemological parameters of the Lotka-Volterra type system are functions of GDP per healthy worker. We find significant differences between the most prosperous quartile and the rest of the world. In the former, the disease is eradicated whereas in the lowest three quartiles we predict damped capital and epidemic cycles converging to a population which is about 80 per cent of capacity and of whom about 2 per cent are TB infected. It follows that raising productivity in the lower quartiles is a critical policy aim.
Incentives in water management reform: assessing the effect on water use, production, and poverty in the Yellow River Basin
Authors: WANG JINXIA , XU ZHIGANG , HUANG JIKUN , ROZELLE SCOTT
Published: November 2005

The overall goal of our paper is to better understand water management reform in China's rural communities, especially focusing on the effect that improving incentives to water managers will have on the nation's water resources and the welfare of the rural population. To pursue this goal, the paper has three objectives. First, we track the evolution of water management reform and seek to identify the incentive mechanisms that encourage water managers to more efficiently use water. Second, we identify the impact on crop water use of the incentives provided to water managers during reform. Since we are also interested in the possible negative consequences of an incentive-led water management reform strategy, the paper also explores how changes in incentives also affect agricultural production, farmer income, and poverty. Based on a random sample of 51 villages, 189 farmers, and 378 plots in four large irrigation districts in Ningxia and Henan provinces, both provinces in China's Yellow River Basin, our results show that in our sample areas the two main forms of water management reform, Water User Associations and contracting, have begun to systematically replace traditional forms of collective management. Our analysis demonstrates, however, that it is not the nominal implementation of the reform that matters, but rather it is the creation of new management institutions that offer water managers monetary incentives that lead to water savings. Importantly, given China's concerns about national food production and poverty alleviation, the reductions in water, at least in our sample sites, do not lead to reductions in either production or income, and do not increase the incidence of poverty.
Response of the northern North Atlantic and Arctic oceans to a sudden change of the North Atlantic Oscillation
Authors: Brauch Jennifer P. , Gerdes Rüdiger
Published: November 2005

The influence of a switch from a long‐time high North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO+) state to an enduring NAO− situation is investigated with a coupled sea ice–ocean model. We compare the response to a sustained shift to NAO− conditions with that to a short‐lived transition to NAO− and back to NAO+ forcing. Observed changes in sea ice and oceanic variables between high and low NAO states are well captured in the model response. The ocean circulation adjustment includes a fast barotropic anomaly, accompanied by an enhancement of the meridional overturning and the northward heat transport at 48°N. The slow response contains a substantial decrease of the northward heat transport, which is caused by a reduction of the transport of subpolar and subtropical gyres. After a delay of around 2 years, the oceanic heat transport reacts to counteract the meridional temperature gradient imposed by the surface forcing. The propagation time of baroclinic Rossby waves is irrelevant for the delay between the forcing and the oceanic response. Rather, the strength of the subpolar gyres is determined by the rapid spin‐up of a topographic Sverdrup circulation and the subsequent slower changes through the JEBAR (Joint Effect of Baroclinicity And Relief). In an experiment where only the wind stress is changed to NAO− conditions, the adjustment is dampened strongly by the NAO+ thermohaline forcing. The gyres decrease slower than in the NAO− case. Comparison with an experiment where only the wind stress is changed to NAO− conditions indicates that the thermohaline forcing is most important. The heat fluxes counteract the wind stress forcing such that the meridional overturning and the northward heat transport decrease only slightly compared to the control run.
Comparison of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) remote‐sensing retrievals of aerosol fine mode fraction over ocean
Authors: Kleidman R. G. , O'Neill N. T. , Remer L. A. , Kaufman Y. J. , Eck T. F. , Tanré Didier , Dubovik Oleg , Holben B. N.
Published: November 2005

Aerosol particle size is one of the fundamental quantities needed to determine the role of aerosols in forcing climate, modifying the hydrological cycle, and affecting human health and to separate natural from man‐made aerosol components. Aerosol size information can be retrieved from remote‐sensing instruments including satellite sensors such as Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and ground‐based radiometers such as Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). Both satellite and ground‐based instruments measure the total column ambient aerosol characteristics. Aerosol size can be characterized by a variety of parameters. Here we compare remote‐sensing retrievals of aerosol fine mode fraction over ocean. AERONET retrieves fine mode fraction using two methods: the Dubovik inversion of sky radiances and the O'Neill inversion of spectral Sun measurements. Relative to the Dubovik inversion of AERONET sky measurements, MODIS slightly overestimates fine fraction for dust‐dominated aerosols and underestimates in smoke‐ and pollution‐dominated aerosol conditions. Both MODIS and the Dubovik inversion overestimate fine fraction for dust aerosols by 0.1–0.2 relative to the O'Neill method of inverting AERONET aerosol optical depth spectra. Differences between the two AERONET methods are principally the result of the different definitions of fine and coarse mode employed in their computational methodologies. These two methods should come into better agreement as a dynamic radius cutoff for fine and coarse mode is implemented for the Dubovik inversion. MODIS overestimation in dust‐dominated aerosol conditions should decrease significantly with the inclusion of a nonspherical model.
Potential sand sources for the dune fields in Noachis Terra, Mars
Authors: Fenton Lori K.
Published: November 2005

No sand transport pathways are visible in a study performed in Noachis Terra, a 60° × 35° region in the southern highlands of Mars known for its many intracrater dune fields. Detailed studies were performed of five areas in Noachis Terra, using Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) wide‐angle mosaics, Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) daytime and nighttime infrared mosaics, MOLA digital elevation and shaded relief maps, and MOC narrow‐angle images. The lack of observable sand transport pathways suggests that such pathways are very short, ruling out a distant source of sand. Consistent dune morphology and dune slipface orientations across Noachis Terra suggest formative winds are regional rather than local (e.g., crater slope winds). A sequence of sedimentary units was found in a pit eroded into the floor of Rabe Crater, some of which appear to be shedding dark sand that feeds into the Rabe Crater dune field. The visible and thermal characteristics of these units are similar to other units found across Noachis Terra, leading to the hypothesis that a series of region‐wide depositional events occurred at some point in the Martian past and that these deposits are currently exposed by erosion in pits on crater floors and possibly on the intercrater plains. Thus the dune sand sources may be both regional and local: sand may be eroding from a widespread source that only outcrops locally. Sand‐bearing layers that extend across part or all of the intercrater plains of Noachis Terra are not likely to be dominated by loess or lacustrine deposits; glacial and/or volcanic origins are considered more plausible.
Modeling of Cluster's electric antennas in space: Application to plasma diagnostics
Authors: Béghin C. , Décréau P. M. E. , Pickett J. , Sundkvist D. , Lefebvre B.
Published: November 2005

The main characteristics of the long‐boom electric antennas installed on board the Cluster satellites are derived from finite element modeling in a kinetic and isotropic space plasma, in the frequency range of about 1–100 kHz. The model is based on the surface charge distribution method in quasi‐static conditions. The impedances of both types of antenna, i.e., the double‐wire and the double‐probe, are computed versus the frequency normalized with respect to the local plasma frequency and for several different Debye lengths. Most of the code outputs are checked using analytic estimations for better understanding of the involved physical mechanisms. As a by‐product, the effective length of the double‐probe antenna and the mutual impedance between the two antennas are computed by the code. It is shown that if it had been possible to implement such measurements on board, one would have been able not only to determine accurately the electric characteristics of the antennas but also to estimate the local plasma parameters. Nevertheless, an interesting feature predicted by the model has been checked recently in orbit by running a special mode of operation for testing the mutual impedance measurement. The preliminary results are globally consistent with the predictions, except that they suggest that our Maxwellian model for the electron distribution should be revised in order to explain the unexpected low‐frequency response. After analysis of the electron flux measurements obtained simultaneously, it appears that a rough adjustment of the electron distribution with a two‐component distribution allows us to account for the observations.
Cilnidipine, a slow‐acting Ca2+channel blocker, induces relaxation in porcine coronary artery: role of endothelial nitric oxide and [Ca2+]i
Authors: Leung Hok Sum , Yao Xiaoqiang , Leung Fung Ping , Ko Wing Hung , Chen Zhen‐Yu , Gollasch Maik , Huang Yu
Published: November 2005

Cilnidipine is a dual blocker of L‐type voltage‐gated Ca2+channels in vascular smooth muscle and N‐type Ca2+channels in sympathetic nerve terminals that supply blood vessels. However, the clinical benefits of cilnidipine and underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. This study was designed to compare the time course of relaxant responses to cilnidipine and nifedipine, and to examine the role of endothelial NO and [Ca2+]iin the vasorelaxation.

Porcine left circumflex coronary arteries were isolated and isometric tension was measured with Grass force transducers. Endothelial [Ca2+]iin intact arteries was determined by a calcium fluorescence imaging technique. The free radical scavenging capacity was also assayed.

Cilnidipine and nifedipine induced concentration‐dependent relaxations in high KCl‐precontracted artery rings, while the former‐induced relaxation was slower as compared to the latter. Treatment withL‐NAME or ODQ reduced relaxations to cilnidipine or nifedipine to the same extent as in rings without endothelium. Indomethacin orω‐conotoxin had no effects.L‐Arginine antagonized the effect ofL‐NAME on cilnidipine‐induced relaxations. Cilnidipine did not affect sodium nitroprusside‐induced relaxation in rings with and without endothelium.

Cilnidipine and nifedipine caused extracellular Ca2+‐dependent increases in endothelial [Ca2+]iin intact arteries and cilnidipine's action had a slower onset, similar to that of cilnidipine‐induced relaxation.

Neither cilnidipine nor nifedipine exhibited a free radical scavenging property.

The present results demonstrate that cilnidipine can produce endothelium‐dependent relaxation in porcine coronary arteriesin vitroin addition to blocking Ca2+channels. Like short‐acting nifedipine, cilnidipine‐dependent relaxation, albeit to a slower onset, is partly mediated by endothelial NO but not by prostacyclin. The increased release or bioavailability of NO may causally result from elevated endothelial [Ca2+]iin arteries. The Ca2+channel‐independent effect suggests the usefulness of cilnidipine in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases associated with diminished NO release, such as atherosclerosis.

British Journal of Pharmacology(2006)147, 55–63. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706450
The immunomodulator FTY720 and its phosphorylated derivative activate the Smad signalling cascade and upregulate connective tissue growth factor and collagen type IV expression in renal mesangial cells
Authors: Xin Cuiyan , Ren Shuyu , Eberhardt Wolfgang , Pfeilschifter Josef , Huwiler Andrea
Published: November 2005

The immunomodulating agent FTY720 is a substrate for the sphingosine kinase and the phosphorylated form is able to bind to sphingosine 1‐phosphate (S1P) receptors. In this study, we show that exposure of renal mesangial cells to phospho‐FTY720 leads to a rapid and transient activation of several protein kinase cascades, including the mitogen‐ and stress‐activated protein kinases. The nonphosphorylated FTY720 also increased MAPK phosphorylation, but with a reduced potency and a more delayed time course. In addition, phospho‐FTY720 and FTY720 are able to increase phosphorylation of Smad proteins which are classical members of the transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) signalling device, thus suggesting a crosstalk between FTY720 and TGF‐β signalling.

Pretreatment with the S1P3 receptor antagonist suramin inhibits FTY720 and phospho‐FTY720‐induced Smad phosphorylation, whereas pertussis toxin pretreatment, which blocks Gi/0 proteins, has no effect on Smad phosphorylation.

Since TGF‐β is a potent profibrotic cytokine in mesangial cells and upregulates the connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and collagen as important hallmarks in the fibrotic sequelae, we investigated whether FTY720 and phospho‐FTY720 are able to mimic these effects of TGF‐β. Indeed, FTY720 and phospho‐FTY720 markedly upregulate CTGF and collagen type IV protein expressions. In addition, the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase‐1 is transcriptionally activated by FTY720, whereas cytokine‐induced matrix metalloproteinase‐9 is down‐regulated by FTY720.

Depletion of the TGF‐β receptor type II by the siRNA transfection technique blocks not only Smad phosphorylation but also CTGF upregulation. Similarly, Smad‐4 depletion by siRNA transfection also abrogates CTGF upregulation induced by FTY720 and phospho‐FTY720.

In summary, our data show that FTY720 and phospho‐FTY720 not only activate the Smad signalling cascade in mesangial cells, but also upregulate the expression of CTGF and collagen. These findings suggest that FTY720 may have additional effects besides the established immunomodulatory action and, importantly, a profibrotic activity has to be considered in future experimental approaches.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2006) 147, 164–174. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706452
Study of the mechanisms involved in the vasorelaxation induced by (−)‐epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate in rat aorta
Authors: Álvarez Ezequiel , Campos‐Toimil Manuel , Justiniano‐Basaran Hélène , Lugnier Claire , Orallo Francisco
Published: November 2005

This study investigated several mechanisms involved in the vasorelaxant effects of (−)‐epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (EGCG).

EGCG (1 μM–1 mM) concentration dependently relaxed, after a transient increase in tension, contractions induced by noradrenaline (NA, 1 μM), high extracellular KCl (60 mM), or phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate (PMA, 1 μM) in intact rat aortic rings. In a Ca2+‐free solution, EGCG (1 μM–1 mM) relaxed 1 μMPMA‐induced contractions, without previous transient contraction. However, EGCG (1 μM–1 mM) did not affect the 1 μMokadaic acid‐induced contractions. Removal of endothelium and/or pretreatment with glibenclamide (10 μM), tetraethylammonium (2 mM) or charybdotoxin (100 nM) plus apamin (500 nM) did not modify the vasorelaxant effects of EGCG. In addition, EGCG noncompetitively antagonized the contractions induced by NA (in 1.5 mMCa2+‐containing solution) and Ca2+(in depolarizing Ca2+‐free high KCl 60 mMsolution).

In rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMC), EGCG (100 μM) reduced increases in cytosolic free Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+]i) induced by angiotensin II (ANG II, 100 nM) and KCl (60 mM) in 1.5 mMCaCl2‐containing solution and by ANG II (100 nM) in the absence of extracellular Ca2+.

In RASMC, EGCG (100 μM) did not modify basal generation of cAMP or cGMP, but significantly reversed the inhibitory effects of NA (1 μM) and high KCl (60 mM) on cAMP and cGMP production.

EGCG inhibited the enzymatic activity of all the cyclic nucleotide PDE isoenzymes present in vascular tissue, being more effective on PDE2 (IC50∼17) and on PDE1 (IC50∼25).

Our results suggest that the vasorelaxant effects of EGCG in rat aorta are mediated, at least in part, by an inhibition of PDE activity, and the subsequent increase in cyclic nucleotide levels in RASMC, which, in turn, can reduce agonist‐ or high KCl concentration‐induced increases in [Ca2+]i.

British Journal of Pharmacology(2006)147, 269–280. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706507
IUPAC-NIST Solubility Data Series. 81. Hydrocarbons with Water and Seawater Revised and Updated. Part 7. C8H12–C8H18 Hydrocarbons with Water
Authors: Goral Marian , Wisniewska-Goclowska Barbara , Skrzecz Adam , Owczarek Iwona , Blazej Krystyna , Haulait-Pirson Marie-Claire , Hefter Glenn T. , Kapuku F. , Maczynska Zofia , Szafranski Andrzej
Published: November 2005

The mutual solubility and related liquid-liquid equilibria of C8H12–C8H18 hydrocarbons with water are exhaustively and critically reviewed. Reports of experimental determinations of solubility in 20 chemically distinct binary systems that appeared in the primary literature prior to end of 2002 are compiled. For 5 systems sufficient data are available to allow critical evaluation. All data are expressed as mass percent and mole fraction as well as the originally reported units. In addition to the standard evaluation criteria used throughout the Solubility Data Series, a new method based on the evaluation of the all experimental data for a given homologous series of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons was used.
Method to determine the melting temperatures of metals under megabar shock pressures
Authors: Tan H. , Dai C. D. , Zhang L. Y. , Xu C. H.
Published: November 2005

Based on the model that the high-pressure melting temperatures of metals approximately equal the experimentally measured interface temperatures between the metallic plate sample and the transparent window when shock- and/or release-induced melting falls into the mixed phase region, we proposed a method to determine the melting temperatures of metals under megabars of shock compression. Experiments were conducted by using the oxygen-free high-conductivity copper, and pure iron plate sample with single-crystal lithium fluoride windows. Results showed that the measured melting temperatures are in good agreement with reported theoretical calculations.