bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of lyophilized extracts from guaraná seeds [Paullinia cupana var. sorbilis (Mart.) Ducke] on behavioral profiles in rats
Authors: Otobone F. J. , Sanches A. C. C. , Nagae R. , Martins J. V. C. , Sela V. R. , Mello J. C. P. de , Audi E. A.
Published: April 2007

The aim of the present study was to investigate the pharmacological properties of the crude lyophilized extract (EBPC) of Paullinia cupana seeds (guaraná) and the semi‐purified extracts (EPA and EPB) after acute or chronic administration by the oral route in rats. Anxiolytic‐like, antidepressant‐like and motor stimulant effects were evaluated using the plus maze (PMT), forced swimming (FST) and open field (OFT) tests, respectively. Acute or chronic administration of EBPC (3.0, 30.0 or 60.0 mg/kg) did not alter the percentage of entries or the time spent in the open arm in the PMT. In the FST, chronic treatment with 30.0 mg EBPC/kg and 4.0 mg EPA/kg extract decreased the immobility time similarly to the antidepressant reference drug, imipramine (20.0 mg/kg). Locomotor activity in the OFT was not increased by these extracts. Caffeine (10.0 mg/kg) significantly reduced the immobility time in the FST, but increased locomotor activity in the OFT, indicating psychostimulant activity. The EPB extract did not induce any effect after acute or chronic treatment in the different models used. The present results suggest that the crude EBPC extract and EPA extract produced an antidepressant‐like effect after long‐term administration. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Are herbs always good for you? A case of paralytic ileum using a herbal tisane
Authors: Sossai Paolo , Nasone Cinzia , Cantalamessa Franco
Published: April 2007

We believe that administration of phytotherapics (‘herbal’ medicines) should be managed by physicians and pharmacists who can monitor any adverse reactions including allergies in patients. This of course implies that physicians and pharmacists require adequate training at the university and post‐university level regarding all aspects of medicinal plants.

We report here a case of paralytic ileum occurring in an older self‐medicated patient who acquired an herbal tisane composed of Cassia angustifolia, as well as other plant products, in an herbal shop, for chronic constipation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Isolation of antileishmanial sterol from the fruits of Cassia fistula using bioguided fractionation
Authors: Sartorelli Patrícia , Andrade Samanta P. , Melhem Márcia S. C. , Prado Frederico O. , Tempone André G.
Published: April 2007

Natural products represent a rich source of new chemical entities for the development of drugs for neglected diseases. Leishmaniasis still afflicts the poorest populations in the world, with 12 million cases worldwide. This work analysed crude extracts and fractions from the fruits of Cassia fistula against the most dramatic and fatal disease form of leishmaniasis, the visceral form (VL). Hexane extract from the fruits showed significant antileishmanial activity against the promastigote form of Leishmania L. chagasi. The bioguided fractionation resulted in the isolation of a sterol, clerosterol, which was further analysed in different models. Promastigotes presented an inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50) of 10.03 µg/mL and intracellular amastigotes demonstrated high susceptibility, with an IC50 of 18.10 µg/mL. Mammalian cytotoxicity was evaluated and it was demonstrated that clerosterol was 3.6‐fold less toxic than the standard drug pentamidine. No antifungal activity of the isolated clerosterol was found. Future studies of the extracted compounds of Cassia fistula could be a useful tool for the development of new therapeutic agents for VL. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rapid structural determination of amides in Piper longum by high‐performance liquid chromatography combined with ion trap mass spectrometry
Authors: Sun Cuirong , Pei Saifeng , Pan Yuanjiang , Shen Zhiquan
Published: April 2007

A reversed‐phase liquid chromatography/tandem multistage mass spectrometry (MS/MS) method was developed for the characterization of amides from the extracts of Piper longum. The characteristic fragmentations of the amides found in P. longum showed diagnostic structural information. Extracted ion chromatography (EIC) and constant neutral losses were used to guide the search for the amides of interest. Amides of known structures that contain four subtypes of amides were rapidly determined, and novel amides were also identified for this plant. Forty‐two amides were rapidly identified, of which 22 were found in this plant for the first time and 9 were new compounds. The method is convenient and sensitive, especially for minor components in the unpurified, complex mixture; the structures of unknown constituents could be determined, in the absence of authentic sample, by comparison of the fragmentation patterns with those of homologous compounds. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A method for assessing channelization effects on riparian vegetation in a Mediterranean environment
Authors: Bombino G. , Gurnell A. M. , Tamburino V. , A. Zema D. , Zimbone S. M.
Published: April 2007

This paper proposes a methodology to assess the effects of artificial embankments on riparian vegetation. It then tests the methodology on a mountain torrent system in Calabria, Southern Italy. The method delimits homogeneous reaches within which a sample of embanked and control (unembanked) sites is identified for study. Transects, subdivided into sample areas, are located in embanked and control sub‐reaches. At these transects, vegetation parameters (number of species, canopy cover of each species and vegetation layer, height of each vegetation layer, vegetation type, biological forms and ecological groups) are surveyed. Two new parameters (global canopy cover and weighted canopy height) are also proposed to give synthetic information on the global development of vegetation. A simple hydraulic index (cAb/W) is used to explore differences in riparian vegetation both along the river and according to local narrowing caused by embanking. Application of this methodology to a torrent system (locally called ‘fiumara’) illustrates a clear influence of concrete embankments in the upper and middle torrent reaches. It demonstrates that torrent narrowing induces: a decrease in the number of vegetation types with a tendency to confine the types to generally lower evolution levels and with a less marked trend between the thalweg and embankment; an increase in annual species and decrease in perennial species; and also a lower global canopy cover with, sometimes, a reduction in the weighted canopy height (WCH).

This example illustrates that the methodology provides useful information concerning the impact of existing control works, which can aid the design of new works and can inform environmentally sensitive restoration of Mediterranean water courses. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Predicted impact of HIV/AIDS on improved fallow adoption and rural household food security in Malawi
Authors: Thangata P. H. , Hildebrand P. E. , Kwesiga F.
Published: April 2007

Research was conducted to assess the impact of HIV/AIDS on improved fallow adoption and rural household food security in Malawi. An ethnographic linear programming model was created for a representative household with three scenarios: no illness, adult female illness and adult male illness. Results show that the impact of HIV/AIDS on food production depends on the patient's gender. If a male head of household is sick and later dies, available field labour is reduced as family members are expected to care for him and, consequently, less food and cash crops are produced, which creates a food insecure household. However, when a woman is sick and later dies, the effect on male labour is not as great, as males are not care‐givers. We conclude that in an HIV/AIDS environment, agroforestry adoption is more feasible in households in which available labour is undisrupted for longer periods of time. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Understanding delamination in microelectronic devices using AES, XPS and chemometrics
Authors: Piao Hong , Le Tarte Laurie , Hennessy William A. , Fairley N.
Published: April 2007

The recent development of XPS instrumentation with near‐micron spatial resolution has advanced the capability of elemental and chemical‐state imaging accompanied by small‐area analysis (down to 15 µm). In this paper, the combined use of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) at enhanced spatial resolution is shown to have significantly improved the understanding of interfacial delamination and related problems encountered in the production of electronic devices in the field of microelectronics. An example of the application of surface analysis for ITO/Mo adhesion problems will be presented. The mathematical procedure using principal component analysis (PCA) in the reduction of noise in XPS images will also be described. The dramatic improvements in the image contrast and chemical component determination from multispectral image data sets will be presented. This study is intended to explore the contributions given by advanced surface analysis tools to solve real‐world problems. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tetralogy of Fallot in the fetus in the current era
Authors: Poon L. C. Y. , Huggon I. C. , Zidere V. , Allan L. D.
Published: April 2007

Objectives

To compare the spectrum of tetralogy of Fallot detected recently in fetal life with that in previous reports of prenatal and postnatal experience.

Methods

All cases of tetralogy of Fallot, including those with pulmonary atresia, diagnosed between 1998 and 2005 inclusive were identified. Additional data for the 129 cases were collected, including associated congenital heart malformations, nuchal translucency measurement, karyotype and outcome.

Results

The most common reason for referral was a suspicion of heart malformation at the routine obstetric ultrasonography scan and referrals increased during the study period. The mean gestational age at diagnosis was 20.6 weeks. The nuchal translucency measurement was above the 95th centile in 37 (47%) of the 78 fetuses in which it had been measured, and in 19/37 of the chromosomally normal fetuses. Of 112 fetuses with chromosomal analysis, 55 (49%) had anomalies, including 22q11 microdeletion in 15. There were additional extracardiac malformations in 65/129 cases (50%) and additional cardiac malformations in 73 (57%). In 70/129 (54%) cases, the parents chose termination of pregnancy. Overall survival to date in the continuing pregnancies is 77%.

Conclusions

Tetralogy of Fallot is increasingly recognized during routine fetal obstetric scanning. However, the spectrum of disease detected in the fetus remains biased towards those cases with extracardiac malformations and those with complex disease. As a result, even in the current era, the prognosis for the whole group of fetal cases under the diagnostic heading of tetralogy of Fallot continues to be much less favorable than would be expected of a postnatal series. Copyright © 2007 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quantitative chemical analysis of pickling solutions by x‐ray fluorescence spectrometry
Authors: Jung Sung‐Mo , Cho Young‐Mo , Na Han‐Gil , Min Dong‐Joon
Published: April 2007

A quantitative analytical method of chlorine and iron in hydrochloric pickling solutions by x‐ray spectrometry in atmospheric He mode is proposed. This work is concerned with the replacement of the wet chemical analyses of pickling solutions with rapid and reproducible quantification by an x‐ray fluorescence spectrometer. An in‐depth investigation was performed to identify the species present in real pickling solutions. X‐ray diffraction patterns and semiquantitative results for the pickling solutions provided synthetic standards based on the compositional range of solutions by analyzing the pickling solutions obtained in real processes. Twenty‐seven liquid calibration standards were prepared by diluting standard solutions certified by wet chemical analyses for the x‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) calibration curves for Cl and Fe. The suggested method showed satisfactory precision and accuracy in the analysis of pickling solutions. It is possible to estimate the acidities of pickling acid solutions on the basis of the correlation between the HCl concentrations calculated from a simple XRF measurement of total Cl and Fe concentrations and those measured by acid‐base titration methods. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Oxidized fatty acid‐protein complexes
Authors: Narayan K. A. , Kummerow F. A.
Published: April 2007

Complexes have been formed between egg albumin and oxidized linoleic acid. Little or no complex formation could be obtained with unoxidized linoleic acid, oleic acid, or lauric acid. The amount of complexed linoleic acid could not be increased to more than 8.0% in spite of a long reaction time. The number of reactive groups (amino, sulfhydryl, and hydroxyl) in the protein of the complexes and in the original protein were found to be the same. The data seemed to indicate that a covalent linkage did not exist between the reactive groups of the protein and the lipide in complexes of this type. Strongly bound adsorption complexes were formed between alumina and oxidized lipides by a simple mixing technique. A possible structure on the basis of a large number of hydrogen bonds has been proposed for the lipide‐protein and the lipide‐alumina complexes and has been discussed in detail.
When is it optimal to exhaust a resource in a finite time?
Authors: Akao Ken‐Ichi , Farzin Y. Hossein
Published: April 2007

Exhaustion of a natural resource stock may be a rational choice for an individual and/or a community, even if a sustainable use for the resource is feasible and the resource users are farsighted and well informed on the ecosystem. We identify conditions under which it is optimal not to sustain resource use. These conditions concern the discounting of future benefits, instability of a social system or ecosystem, nonconvexity of natural growth function, socio‐psychological value of employment, and strategic interaction among resource users. The identification of these conditions can help design policies to prevent unsustainable patterns of resource use.
Degradation of Pesticides Wastewater by Silyl Based Cationic Surfactants
Authors: Badawi Abdelfattah M. , Ahmed Sahar M.
Published: April 2007

New stable silayl cationic surfactants have been studied for the destruction of toxic organophosphorus pesticides. Hexadecyl, dodecyl trimethyl silane ammonium chloride or iodide surfactants were synthesized and evaluated in the degradation of pesticides such as Diazinon, Malathion or Chlorpyrifos. The hydrolytic efficiency of each surfactant was tested by measuring the kinetics of model substrates cleavage under a pseudo‐first order reaction. The iodo silayl based surfactants showed more destructive power than the chloro derivatives. Meanwhile, the hexadecyl moiety showed more effective pesticide degradation than the corresponding dodecyl moiety.
Fatty Acids in Liver, Muscle and Gonad of three Tropical Rays including Non‐Methylene‐Interrupted Dienoic Fatty Acids
Authors: Kebir Mohamed Vall Ould El , Barnathan Gilles , Gaydou Emile M. , Siau Yves , Miralles Joseph
Published: April 2007

Scientific investigation of lipids in Elasmobranchs has been conducted mainly on shark species. Because rays seem to be neglected, this study was performed to examine the complete fatty acid (FA) composition with a particular interest for long‐chain polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) content in different tissues of three ray species including parts usually discarded. The total FA and PUFA profiles of total lipids were determined in muscle, liver, and gonad of Rhinobatos cemiculus, Rhinoptera marginata, and Dasyatis marmorata, the most often caught ray species from the East Tropical Atlantic Ocean. Fifty FA were characterized as methyl esters and N‐acyl pyrrolidides by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, showing significant levels of 20:5n‐3 (EPA) (up to 5.3%) and 22:5n‐3 (DPA) (up to 7.3%), high levels of 20:4n‐6 arachidonic (ARA) (4.8–8.6% of total FA) and 22:6n‐3 (DHA) (up to 20.0%). The results show that muscle, liver and gonad of rays can provide high amounts of essential PUFA, specially DHA, for direct human nutrition or the food processing industry. High proportions of DHA were particularly found in all samples of R. cemiculus (11.6–20.0%), and in muscle and liver of D. marmorata (11.1–16.1%). Regarding the high amounts of (n‐3) PUFA, this study shows that these rays deserve a better up‐grading, including the normally discarded parts, and describes the occurrence of unusual NMID FA in all tissues studied. Five non‐methylene‐interrupted dienoic fatty acids (NMID FA) (0–3.4%) were reported, including previously known isomers, namely 20:2 Δ7,13, 20:2 Δ7,15, 22:2 Δ7,13, 22:2 Δ7,15, and new 22:2 Δ6,14. These acids are quite unusual in fish and unprecedented in rays. The 22:2 Δ6,14 acid occurred in gonads of male specimens of R. cemiculus at 2.9%.
Polyhydroxy Fatty Acids Derived from Sophorolipids
Authors: Zerkowski Jonathan A. , Solaiman Daniel K. Y.
Published: April 2007

Starting from 17‐hydroxyoleic acid, which is readily available from acid alcoholysis of sophorolipids, several new polyhydroxy fatty acids have been synthesized. These compounds contain from 2 to 4 hydroxy groups, in some instances combined with other functional groups. The added hydroxy groups can be incorporated in the C18 chain in a variety of geometries, for example spaced widely throughout the chain at C1, C8, and C17. This regiochemical control will be of use in structure/function studies involving materials constructed from these hydroxy fatty acids. A further benefit is that the hydroxy groups can be present in protected or free states. The principal reactions used to introduce extra hydroxy groups are selenium oxide‐mediated allylic hydroxylation, osmium‐catalyzed dihydroxylation, and borohydride reduction of a carboxylic ester. These new compounds are expected to be of use in a number of areas, but particularly as building blocks for polymers or components of lubricant formulations.
Changes in expression of cell wall turnover genes accompany inhibition of chromosome segregation by bovine protein kinase C α expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Sprowl Jason A. , Villeneuve David J. , Guo Baoqing , Young Andrew J.M. , Hembruff Stacey L. , Parissenti Amadeo M.
Published: April 2007

Expression of bovine PKCα in Saccharomyces cerevisiae results in growth inhibition, which is strongly augmented upon addition of phorbol esters. To investigate the nature of this PKC‐induced inhibition of cell growth, wildtype and bovine PKCα‐expressing yeast cells were examined by flow cytometry and by fluorescence microscopy after staining with propidium iodide. Upon expression and activation of the mammalian PKC isoform, cells accumulated in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle and exhibited impaired chromsome segregation. In some instances, PKC expression and activation was accompanied by a defect in septum formation between mother and daughter cells. cDNA microarray analysis revealed 4 genes (CTS1, DSE1, DSE2, and SVS1) that changed expression in both a PKCα‐ and phorbol ester‐dependent manner. These findings were confirmed by quantitative real‐time PCR. Three of these genes are involved in cell wall turnover and are regulated by a single transcription factor (Ace 2) that localizes to daughter cell nuclei after cytokinesis. Taken together, these observations suggest that expression and activation of bovine PKCα in yeast cells repress growth by inducing an accumulation of cells in G2/M, likely through an impairment of chromosome segregation, cytokinesis, and septum formation. Moreover, when these observations are taken in the context of previously published observations with various yeast null mutants, we propose that bovine PKCα may directly or indirectly activate a subunit of the PP2A phosphatase complex (cdc55), which is a component of the mitotic spindle checkpoint.
‘Standing with My Brother’: Hizbullah, Palestinians, and the Limits of Solidarity
Authors: Khalili Laleh
Published: April 2007

On 30 January 2004, after months of negotiations between Hizbullah and the state of Israel via German mediators, a major exchange of bodies and prisoners was completed. In return for a kidnapped Israeli citizen—alleged to belong to Israeli intelligence services—and the bodies of three Israeli soldiers captured three years previously, Israel released twenty-nine Lebanese and other Arab prisoners, the remains of fifty-nine Lebanese citizens, and, astonishingly, 400 Palestinian prisoners. The prisoner release was something of a coup for Hizbullah and its success led Hizbullah on 12 July 2006 to emulate the same capture operation hoping to precipitate the release of the last remaining Lebanese prisoners in Israeli prisons. In 2004, many from across the political spectrum in Lebanon and Palestine praised Hizbullah's achievement. In Beirut, the welcoming ceremonies for the released Palestinian prisoners were awash in both Palestinian and Lebanese flags. Among the celebrants were tens of thousands of Palestinians. The superior effectiveness of Hizbullah in comparison with then Palestinian leadership was not lost on observers. After all, in its most successful negotiations with the Israeli state the previous August, then Palestinian Prime Minister Abu Mazen had been able to secure the release of only 338 Palestinian prisoners of Israel, most of whom had reached the end of their terms anyway. In his welcoming speech to his Palestinian and Lebanese audience, Hizbullah Secretary General, Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah, further took a swipe at the Fatah-dominated Palestinian National Authority (PNA) by insisting that “We should not fall under any illusions and let ourselves believe that peaceful negotiations are an alternative to military resistance. Effective [military] resistance was the main factor behind our success” (Daily Star, 30 Jan. 2004, my emphases). One Lebanese analyst claimed that the Hizbullah success could not possibly be “a popular deal with Palestinian leadership” (Daily Star, 26 Jan. 2004), because it showed the relative effectiveness of Hizbullah compared to the Fatah-dominated PNA.
Recycling Baraka: Knowledge, Politics, and Religion in Contemporary Algeria
Authors: Scheele Judith
Published: April 2007

Since the overwhelming electoral victory of Algeria's main Islamist party, the Front Islamique du Salut (FIS), in 1990 and 1991, the annulment of the elections by the Algerian army in 1992, and a decade of apparently random killings that followed throughout the country, religion has been at stake in most contemporary debates on Algeria. Algeria has thereby entered the field of larger debates within the Western world about radical Islam, the rise of religion, the rejection of “Western models,” and other expressions of the putative “clash of civilizations.” At the same time, relatively little has been said about what “Islam” actually means in the Algerian context, even by more perspicacious authors and analysts who are keen to stress the economic and social causes for the success of political Islam in Algeria (e.g., Burgat 1988; 1995; Charef 1994; Martinez 1998). This is not to say that the variety of religious practices in Algeria has attracted no attention from researchers. Rather, it means that those writers who focus on ‘local’ religion, such as Andezian (1993; 2001) and Hadibi (1999; 2002), tend to produce local accounts of the veneration of saints and pilgrimages, without referring to broader cultural dynamics and political struggles, and without attempting to link their findings in more than superficial ways to the emergence of modern Islamism.
Finding Labor from India for the War in Iraq: The Jail Porter and Labor Corps, 1916–1920
Authors: Singha Radhika
Published: April 2007

In the bleak spring of 1916, a military note expostulated about the slowness with which the Government of India was finding coolies and porters for British forces in Mesopotamia. At first, labor could be obtained only from tribals of the Santhal Parganas and Chota Nagpur and by tapping Indian jails: “Could there possibly have been a greater opportunity for India with millions of men not usable as soldiers, to take a larger share in the war, or even a larger share in helping its own Indian Army? From all accounts India was burning to get such a chance, yet what happened? The honour of India was upheld first by aborigines and then by convicts.”
Diaspora Discourse: The Construction of Ethos in James
Authors: KLOPPENBORG JOHN S.
Published: April 2007

If we take the address of James ‘to the twelve tribes in the diaspora’ seriously and conclude that James represents itself as a letter to Diaspora Judaeans, it becomes easier to account for the fact that James lacks references to most of the beliefs and practices distinctive of the Jesus movement. In that case, James is framed as a letter written to an outsider, much like 4QMMT, in which the (fictive) writer must construct ethos not by reference to special revelations or qualifications of the writer, which would hold no sway with the fictive recipient, but by appeal to exemplary figures of Israel's epic history, in particular Solomon.
Joint attention and word learning in Ngas-speaking toddlers in Nigeria
Authors: CHILDERS JANE B. , VAUGHAN JULIE , BURQUEST DONALD A.
Published: April 2007

This study examines infants' joint attention behavior and language development in a rural village in Nigeria. Participants included eight younger (1;0 to 1;5, M age=1;2) and eight older toddlers (1;7 to 2;7, M age=2;1). Joint attention behaviors in social interaction contexts were recorded and coded at two time points six months apart. Analyses revealed that these toddlers were producing more high-level joint attention behaviors than less complex behaviors. In addition, the quality and quantity of behaviors produced by these Nigerian children was similar to those found in other cultures. In analyses of children's noun and verb comprehension and production (in relation to the number of nouns or verbs on a parental checklist), parents reported proportionally more verbs than nouns, perhaps because Ngas has some linguistic characteristics that are similar to languages in which a noun bias is not seen (e.g. Mandarin Chinese). An examination of the interrelations of joint attention and language development revealed that joint attention behaviors were related to both noun and verb development at different times. The set of results is important for understanding the emergence of joint attention in traditional cultures, the comprehension and production of nouns and verbs given the specific linguistic properties of a language, and the importance that early social contexts may have for language development.
Size and composition of the lexicon in prematurely born very-low-birth-weight and full-term Finnish children at two years of age
Authors: STOLT SUVI , KLIPPI ANU , LAUNONEN KAISA , MUNCK PETRIINA , LEHTONEN LIISA , LAPINLEIMU HELENA , HAATAJA LEENA
Published: April 2007

This paper focuses on the aspects of the lexicon in 66 prematurely born very-low-birth-weight and 87 full-term Finnish children at 2;0, studied using the Finnish version of the MacArthur Communicative Developmental Inventory. The groups did not differ in vocabulary size. Furthermore, the female advantage in vocabulary size was not seen in preterm children. The overall shapes of the trajectories for the main lexical categories as a function of vocabulary size were highly similar in both groups and followed those described in the literature. However, there were significant differences in the percentage of nouns and grammatical function words between the two groups. The results suggest that prematurity ‘cuts off’ the female advantage in vocabulary development. Furthermore, it also seems that there are differences between prematurely born and full-term children in the composition of the lexicon at 2;0. The findings support the universal sequence in the development of lexical categories.
Child and adult construal of restrictive relative clauses: Knowledge of grammar and differential effects of syntactic context
Authors: FRAGMAN CATHY , GOODLUCK HELEN , HEGGIE LINDSAY
Published: April 2007

We report four act-out experiments testing the sensitivity of adults and three- to five-year-old children to the distinction between restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses in English. Specifically, we test knowledge of the fact that restrictive relative clauses cannot modify a proper name head, and of the fact that relatives introduced by that (as opposed to a wh-pronoun) are obligatorily restrictive. Both children and adults show knowledge of these properties. No support was found for the hypothesis that children extend the block on proper name heads to wh-relatives. Both children and adults are sensitive to the syntactic context (double object vs. existential) in which the relative clause is embedded. However, adults differ from children in four respects. First, in the double object context, adults are more likely than children to commit the error of construing a that relative as referring to a proper name head. Second, the effect of syntactic context on selection of a head is larger for adults than for children. Third, for adults, but not for children, the effect of syntactic context interacts with the type of relative clause. Fourth, adults, but not children, are influenced by whether they hear the existential context before the double object context. We propose that by three to four years of age children have acquired an adult-like grammar of relative clauses, and that the differences we see in child and adult performance can be attributed to that grammar in combination with a mature (adult) or immature (child) sentence processing capacity.
Acquisition of verb meaning through syntactic cues: A comparison of children with autism, children with specific language impairment (SLI) and children with typical language development (TLD)
Authors: SHULMAN CORY , GUBERMAN AINAT
Published: April 2007

The ability to extract meaning through the use of syntactic cues, adapted from Naigles' (1990) paradigm, was investigated in Hebrew-speaking children with autism, those with specific language impairment (SLI) and those with typical language development (TLD), in an attempt to shed light on similarities and differences between the two diagnostic categories, both defined by primary language deficits. Thirteen children with autism and 13 with SLI were matched on chronological age, level of language functioning and gender, and 13 children with TLD were matched to the children in the two clinical groups according to language level, as measured by the CELF-P. Children with autism and children with TLD learned novel words using the syntactical cues in the sentences in which they were presented, whereas children with SLI experienced more difficulty, learning only that which would be expected from chance according to the binomial test. Only 4 of the 13 children with SLI (31%) learned the new words, whereas 11 children with autism and 10 children with TLD learned the novel verb using syntactical cues from the sentence frame. The results are analyzed in terms of possible underlying mechanisms in language acquisition. Children with autism seem to rely on relatively intact syntactic abilities, while children with SLI seem to have marked impairment in using this mechanism in acquiring word meaning. Implications for future research and intervention with preschool children with primary language disorders are discussed.
Editorial Dynamics of European and national citizenship: inclusive or exclusive?
Authors:   LB/JHR
Published: April 2007

Citizenship is an eminent example of the dynamic development of European constitutional concepts. From a status to which the member states wished not to attach any significant directly effective new rights, the Court of Justice has declared European citizenship to be ‘the fundamental status of nationals of the member states’ (Grzelczyck) and has given one of the prime citizenship rights, the freedom to reside in member states, direct effect. This development and in particular the interplay between constitutional developments at European Union and at national level regarding citizenship deserve reflection. We focus on the extent to which citizenship constitutes an exclusive bond with a political community which distinguishes those who are its members from those who are not.
Legal adaptability in Elbonia
Authors: Siems Mathias M.
Published: April 2007

Law has to be able to respond to new or changing circumstances. This ‘legal adaptability’ may be more important than details in the ‘law as such’. However, its meaning and its significance have not yet been analysed in detail. Thus, legal adaptability will be examined in this article. It looks at the worst case scenario by discussing a fictional country (Elbonia) where legal adaptability is poor, and identifies the main adaptability criteria. By using empirical data from the three Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia), it also provides an example of how to ascertain the degree of legal adaptability of particular countries.
Chemical composition of sediments subducting at the Izu‐Bonin trench
Authors: Plank Terry , Kelley Katherine A. , Murray Richard W. , Stern Lacie Quintin
Published: April 2007

In this characterization brief, report here comprehensive major and trace element analyses of over 45 sediment samples from Ocean Drilling Program Site 1149, located seaward of the Izu‐Bonin trench. The combination of these core analyses with a complete set of geochemical logging data enables us to calculate the bulk composition of the sedimentary column subducting at the Izu trench with high accuracy (uncertainties ≤13%). Izu sediment has lower concentrations than global subducting sediment for most elements, due to ∼50% dilution by biogenic material (∼45% opal and ∼10% carbonate), but is relatively enriched in Ba, Pb, and rare earth elements (REE), except Ce, due to nonterrigenous inputs. Sediments subducting into the Izu and Mariana trenches differ compositionally due to ocean island–sourced volcaniclastics in Marianas sediments, enriching them in Nb, Ta, Ti, and LREE, and continentally derived eolian material in Izu sediments, enriching them in Cs, Rb, Th, and U. These differences predict along‐strike variations in sediment input that should be manifested in the composition of volcanic output from the Honshu‐Izu‐Bonin‐Mariana arc systems. Such variations are observed as an increase in Th/La in both sediments and arc volcanics from the Marianas in the south to Honshu in the north.
Spatial patterns and fire response of recent Amazonian droughts
Authors: Aragão Luiz Eduardo O. C. , Malhi Yadvinder , Roman‐Cuesta Rosa Maria , Saatchi Sassan , Anderson Liana O. , Shimabukuro Yosio Edemir
Published: April 2007

There has been an increasing awareness of the possibility of climate change causing increased drought frequency in Amazonia, with ensuing impacts on ecosystems and human populations. This debate has been brought into focus by the 1997/1998 and 2005 Amazonian droughts. We analysed the spatial extent of these droughts and fire response to the 2005 drought with TRMM and NOAA‐12 data, respectively. Both droughts had distinct fingerprints. The 2005 drought was characterized by its intensification throughout the dry season in south‐western Amazonia. During 2005 the annual cumulative number of hot pixels in Amazonia increased 33% in relation to the 1999–2005 mean. In the Brazilian state of Acre, at the epicentre of the 2005 drought, the area of leakage forest fires was more than five times greater than the area directly deforested. Fire leakage into flammable forests may be the major agent of biome transformation in the event of increasing drought frequency.
Iodine speciation in rain and snow: Implications for the atmospheric iodine sink
Authors: Gilfedder Benjamin S. , Petri Michael , Biester Harald
Published: April 2007

Atmospheric iodine models currently predict iodate as the only stable iodine sink species in the troposphere. However, it is shown here using ion chromatograph inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectroscopy (IC‐ICP‐MS) that iodate is the least abundant iodine species in precipitation (rain and snow) collected from various locations in southern Germany, the Swiss Alps, and Patagonia (Chile). The majority of iodine is associated with organic compounds (average 56%) followed by iodide (average 27%). Although the exact structure of the organic fraction remains ambiguous and is probably of higher molecular weight, a smaller portion of the iodo‐organic compounds are anionic (5–20% of total I). One of these anionic organo‐I peaks is present in all rain and most snow chromatograms and is generally responsible for 5–18% of total iodine. This suggests a ubiquitous atmospheric iodine species. The data indicate that organic iodine compounds play an important role in the global atmospheric iodine cycle and the atmospheric iodine sink. As such, future tropospheric iodine models must consider organic‐I reactions.
Sediment budget of the Yangtze River
Authors: Wang Zhao‐Yin , Li Yitian , He Yiping
Published: April 2007

The sediment budget is a method to study the distribution of sediment in different parts of a river basin. This paper studies the sediment budget of the Yangtze River by analyzing the data on soil erosion, size distributions of sediment deposits, sediment load, and fluvial process. A method to determine the sediment budget for the Yangtze River is proposed in which the total soil erosion from the upstream reaches and tributaries is divided into two parts: sediment load transported to the Yichang station and sediment storage in the tributaries and gullies. Furthermore, the sediment load is divided into three parts: bed material load deposited in the middle and lower reaches for the fluvial process, wash load transported to the estuary, and sediment deposition in Tongting Lake. The sediment transported into the estuary is further divided into two parts: very fine sediment drifting to the ocean and sediment deposition in the estuary for land creation. There is a large sediment demand for (1) the fluvial process to reach the minimum stream power in the middle and lower reaches; (2) sediment mining for building material; and (3) land creation in the estuary. The riverbed profile in the middle and lower reaches is developing toward the equilibrium profile defined by the minimum stream power, but the impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir interrupts and modifies this fluvial process. The annual sediment load in the Yangtze River has reduced due to various human activities by about 100 × 106 t in the past 15 years. Thus there is a sediment shortage for land creation in the river mouth.
Internal structure of a magnetic flux rope from Cluster observations
Authors: Lui A. T. Y. , Dunlop M. W. , Rème H. , Kistler L. M. , Gustafsson G. , Zong Q.‐G.
Published: April 2007

We investigate a magnetic flux rope (MFR) observed by Cluster in the magnetotail during a substorm on 2001 August 22. The MFR was aligned with its principal axis closely along the dawn‐dusk direction and had a small size of ∼2 RE with a total current of ∼0.8 MA. The four spacecraft traversed the MFR at different distances from its center based on the magnetic field signature. This fortuitous situation reveals the irregular magnetic field structure in its inner core, which is a feature reported here for the first time. At the leading edge, the y‐component of the electric field was dawnward against the current density direction (dynamo action) and the x‐component of the Lorentz force was Earthward. These parameters reversed in direction at its trailing edge (load).
Aminoguanidine prevents fructose‐induced deterioration in left ventricular–arterial coupling in Wistar rats
Authors: Chang K‐C , Liang J‐T , Tseng C‐D , Wu E‐T , Hsu K‐L , Wu M‐S , Lin Y‐T , Tseng Y‐Z
Published: April 2007

Background and purpose:

Aminoguanidine (AG), an inhibitor of advanced glycation endproducts, has been identified as a prominent agent that prevents the fructose‐induced arterial stiffening in male Wistar rats. Our aims were to examine whether AG produced benefits on the left ventricular (LV)‐arterial coupling in fructose‐fed (FF) animals in terms of the ventricular and arterial chamber properties.

Experimental approach:

Rats given 10% fructose in drinking water (FF) were daily treated with AG (50 mg·kg−1, i.p.) for 2 weeks and compared with the untreated FF group. In anaesthetised rats, LV pressure and ascending aortic flow signals were recorded to calculate LV end‐systolic elastance (Ees, an indicator of myocardial contractility) and effective arterial volume elastance (Ea). The optimal afterload (Qload) determined by the ratio of Ea to Ees was used to measure the coupling efficiency between the left ventricle and its vasculature.

Key results:

There was a significant interaction between fructose and AG in their effects on Ea. Fructose loading significantly elevated Ea and AG prevented the fructose‐derived deterioration in arterial chamber elastance. Both fructose and AG affected Ees and Qload, and there was an interaction between fructose and AG for these two variables. Both Ees and Qload exhibited a decline with fructose feeding but showed a significant rise after AG treatment in the FF rats.

Conclusions and Implications:

AG prevented not only the contractile dysfunction of the heart caused by fructose loading, but also the fructose‐induced deterioration in matching left ventricular function to the arterial system.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 151, 341–346; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707223
Catecholamine outflow from mouse and rat brain slice preparations evoked by nicotinic acetylcholine receptor activation and electrical field stimulation
Authors: Scholze P , Orr‐Urtreger A , Changeux J‐P , McIntosh J M , Huck S
Published: April 2007

Background and purpose:

Mice with targeted deletions of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit genes are valuable models to study nAChR function such as catecholamine outflow by presynaptic receptor activation. Contrary to the rat, our present knowledge on presynaptic nAChRs in mice primarily relies on observations made with synaptosomes. We have now used brain slices to investigate nicotine‐induced catecholamine outflow in wild type (WT) and nAChR (β2and α5) knockout mice for a comparison with rat brain slice preparations.

Experimental approach:

Brain slices from rat and mouse hippocampus, parieto‐occipital neocortex, and corpus striatum were loaded with either [3H]‐noradrenaline or [3H]‐dopamine. We provoked catecholamine outflow by electrical field stimulation and nicotinic agonists.

Key results:

When set in relation to electrical field stimulation, nicotine‐evoked catecholamine release was sizeable in the striatum but low in the neocortex of both rats and mice. [3H]‐noradrenaline outflow was, on the other hand, substantial in the rat but low in the mouse hippocampus. About 10% (or less) of nicotine‐induced catecholamine release persisted in the presence of tetrodotoxin in all our preparations.

Conclusions and implications:

Targeted deletion of theβ2subunit gene essentially abolished the effect of nicotine, indicating that this subunit is an essential constituent of nAChRs that indirectly (viaaction potentials) induce catecholamine release from hippocampal and striatal slices in mice. The impact of nAChRs in catecholaminergic projection areas differs between species and has thus to be considered when extrapolating results from animal models to human conditions.

British Journal of Pharmacology(2007)151, 414–422; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707236
Cell signaling pathways in the mechanisms of neuroprotection afforded by bergamot essential oil against NMDA‐induced cell death in vitro
Authors: Corasaniti M T , Maiuolo J , Maida S , Fratto V , Navarra M , Russo R , Amantea D , Morrone L A , Bagetta G
Published: April 2007

Background and purpose:

The effects of bergamot essential oil (BEO; Citrus bergamia, Risso) on excitotoxic neuronal damage was investigated in vitro.

Experimental approach:

The study was performed in human SH‐SY5Y neuroblastoma cells exposed to N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA). Cell viability was measured by dye exclusion. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and caspase‐3 activity were measured fluorimetrically. Calpain I activity and the activation (phosphorylation) of Akt and glycogen synthase kinase‐3β (GSK‐3β) were assayed by Western blotting.

Key results:

NMDA induced concentration‐dependent, receptor‐mediated, death of SH‐SY5Y cells, ranging from 11 to 25% (0.25–5 mM). Cell death induced by 1 mM NMDA (21%) was preceded by a significant accumulation of intracellular ROS and by a rapid activation of the calcium‐activated protease calpain I. In addition, NMDA caused a rapid deactivation of Akt kinase and this preceded the detrimental activation of the downstream kinase, GSK‐3β. BEO (0.0005–0.01%) concentration dependently reduced death of SH‐SY5Y cells caused by 1 mM NMDA. In addition to preventing ROS accumulation and activation of calpain, BEO (0.01%) counteracted the deactivation of Akt and the consequent activation of GSK‐3β, induced by NMDA. Results obtained by using specific fractions of BEO, suggested that monoterpene hydrocarbons were responsible for neuroprotection afforded by BEO against NMDA‐induced cell death.

Conclusions and Implications:

Our data demonstrate that BEO reduces neuronal damage caused in vitro by excitotoxic stimuli and that this neuroprotection was associated with prevention of injury‐induced engagement of critical death pathways.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 151, 518–529; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707237
Replication fork barriers: pausing for a break or stalling for time?
Authors: Labib Karim , Hodgson Ben
Published: April 2007

Defects in chromosome replication can lead to translocations that are thought to result from recombination events at stalled DNA replication forks. The progression of forks is controlled by an essential DNA helicase, which unwinds the parental duplex and can stall on encountering tight protein–DNA complexes. Such pause sites are hotspots for recombination and it has been proposed that stalled replisomes disassemble, leading to fork collapse. However, in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes it now seems that paused forks are surprisingly stable, so that DNA synthesis can resume without recombination if the barrier protein is removed. Recombination at stalled forks might require other events that occur after pausing, or might be dependent on features of the surrounding DNA sequence. These findings have important implications for our understanding of the regulation of genome stability in eukaryotic cells, in which pausing of forks is mediated by specific proteins that are associated with the replicative helicase.