bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surface modification of bagasse fibers by silane coupling agents through microwave oven and its effects on physical, mechanical, and rheological properties of PP bagasse fiber composite
Authors: Hashemi S.A. , Arabi H. , Mirzaeyan N.
Published: November 2007

Polypropylene/bagasse fiber composites were prepared by compounding polypropylene (PP) with bagasse fibers as reinforcing filler. Surfaces of fibers were modified through the use of silane coupling agents (Vinyltrimethoxysilane and γ‐Glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane). The fiber coating was performed by mixing of silane with fibers and cured through microwave oven in presence of catalyst. It was found that modification of surface fiber will change the physical, mechanical, morphological, and rheological properties of composite. It was observed from scanning electron microscopy that fiber adhesion to matrix has been improved and so as dispersion. Addition of fibers increases the melt viscosity in unmodified fibers but reduced the melt viscosity for modified fibers and even the viscosity is lower at higher loading compared with unmodified fibers. The tensile strength and tensile modulus increased in modified fibers compared with the unmodified on the same loading, but elongation at break decreased. The effect of coupling agent on properties of filled PP depend on the content of coupling agents and optimum amount was achieve through measurement of water absorption. Two types of coupling agents were used, one as A‐171 [CH2CHSi (OCH3)3] and second one as A‐187 [CH2OCHCH2O (CH2)3Si(OCH3)], the first one shows better adhesion to the fibers and improvements in mechanical properties are much better compared with the second one. POLYM. COMPOS., 28:713–721, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers
Nonpolar interactions between trans‐membrane helical EGF peptide and phosphatidylcholines, sphingomyelins and cholesterol. Molecular dynamics simulation studies
Authors: Róg Tomasz , Murzyn Krzysztof , Karttunen Mikko , Pasenkiewicz‐Gierula Marta
Published: November 2007

A molecular dynamics simulation study of four lipid bilayers with inserted trans‐membrane helical fragment of epithelial growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGF peptide) was performed. The lipid bilayers differ in their lipid composition and consist of (i) unsaturated phosphatidylcholine (palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine, POPC), (ii) POPC and 20 mol% of cholesterol (Chol), (iii) sphingomyelin (SM) and 20 mol% of Chol, and (iv) SM and 50 mol% of Chol. Only 1 out of 26 residues in the EGF‐peptide sequence is polar (Thr). The hydrophobic thickness of each bilayer is different but shorter than the length of the peptide and so, due to hydrophobic mismatch, the inserted peptide is tilted in each bilayer. Additionally, in the POPC bilayer, which is the thinnest, the peptide loses its helical structure in a short three‐amino acid fragment. This facilitates bending of the peptide and burying all hydrophobic amino acids inside the membrane core (Figure 1(b)). Bilayer lipid composition affects interactions between the peptide and lipids in the membrane core. Chol increases packing of atoms relative to the peptide side chains, and thus increases van der Waals interactions. On average, the packing around the peptide is higher in SM‐based bilayers than POPC‐based bilayers but for certain amino acids, packing depends on their position relative to the bilayer center. In the bilayer center, packing is higher in POPC‐based bilayers, while in regions closer to the interface packing is higher in SM‐based bilayers. In general, amino acids with larger side chains interact strongly with lipids, and thus the peptide sequence is important for the pattern of interactions at different membrane depths. This pattern closely resembles the shape of recently published lateral pressure profiles [Ollila et alJ. Struct. Biol. DOI:10.1016/j.jsb.2007.01.012]. Copyright © 2007 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rapid identification of oxidation‐induced conformational changes by kinetic analysis
Authors: Venkatesh Sanjay , Tomer Kenneth B. , Sharp Joshua S.
Published: November 2007

Protein oxidation by reactive oxygen species is known to result in changes in the structure and function of the oxidized protein. Many proteins can tolerate multiple oxidation events before altering their conformation, while others suffer gross changes in conformation after a single oxidation event. Additionally, reactive oxygen species have been used in conjunction with mass spectrometry to map the accessible surface of proteins, often after verification that the oxidations do not alter the conformation. However, detection of oxidation‐induced conformational changes by detailed kinetic oxidation analysis of individual proteolytic peptides or non‐mass spectrometric analysis is labor‐intensive and often requires significant amounts of sample. In this work, we describe a methodology to detect oxidation‐induced conformational changes in proteins via direct analysis of the intact protein. The kinetics of addition of oxygen to unmodified protein are compared with the kinetics of addition of oxygen to the mono‐oxidized protein. These changes in the rate of oxidation of the oxidized versus the non‐oxidized protein are strongly correlated with increases in the random coil content as measured by the molar ellipticity at 198 nm. This methodology requires only small amounts of protein, and can be done rapidly without additional sample handling or derivatization. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A UD factorization‐based nonlinear adaptive set‐membership filter for ellipsoidal estimation
Authors: Zhou Bo , Han Jianda , Liu Guangjun
Published: November 2007

The extended set‐membership filter (ESMF) for nonlinear ellipsoidal estimation suffers from numerical instability, computation complexity as well as the difficulty in filter parameter selection. In this paper, a UD factorization‐based adaptive set‐membership filter is developed and applied to nonlinear joint estimation of both time‐varying states and parameters. As a result of using the proposed UD factorization, combined with a new sequential and selective measurement update strategy, the numerical stability and real‐time applicability of conventional ESMF are substantially improved. Furthermore, an adaptive selection scheme of the filter parameters is derived to reduce the computation complexity and achieve sub‐optimal estimation. Simulation results have shown the efficiency and robustness of the proposed method. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ecophilosophy as a philosophical underpinning of sustainable development
Authors: Piątek Zdzisława
Published: November 2007

The subjects considered here underpin the philosophical way in which the sustainable development concept is justified. In this context, the new branch of philosophy known as ecophilosophy is seen to have left behind the special pleading on behalf of humankind's exploitative attitudes towards Nature, in favour of considerations that – as they assign value to the biosphere per se – aim at the harmonious coexistence of the human species with all beings present in the biosphere.

In the conceptual terms with which ecophilosophy has armed itself, sustainable development is the search for proper moderation in so far as human activity in the environment is concerned. A strategy for sustainable development is a mechanism needing to be incorporated into any further advancement of Western civilization.

Ecophilosophy's chances of emerging are related to whether an inevitable, unavoidable antagonism between Nature and culture does or does not exist. It is the contention of this article that it does not. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
The surface of enargite after exposure to acidic ferric solutions: an XPS/XAES study
Authors: Fantauzzi M. , Elsener B. , Atzei D. , Lattanzi P. , Rossi A.
Published: November 2007

Enargite surface reactivity in acidic ferric solutions simulating the acid mine drainage (AMD) environment has been investigated by X‐ray photoelectron (XPS) and X‐ray excited Auger electron spectroscopy (XAES) surface analysis. Natural enargite samples from a Peruvian mine with close to the nominal composition Cu3AsS4 have been analysed after cleavage and a 24 h exposure to 0.025 mol/l ferric acidic solutions.

The results, based on the calculated modified Auger parameter α′, show that the chemical state of copper and arsenic in enargite does not change during immersion in acidic, oxidising solutions. The sulfur S 2p spectrum of enargite is characterized by two components, one at 162.0 ± 0.2 eV and the other at 163.5 ± 0.2 eV. The lower binding energy component (162.0 eV) is attributed to the sulfur atoms in enargite. Immersion does not change the chemical state of this compound. XPS/ARXPS measurements show the intensity of the higher binding energy component (163.5 ± 0.2 eV), located at the outermost surface of the reacted enargite, to increase after immersion in solutions. The chemical state plot suggests that this sulfur compound might be associated with the formation of a copper‐deficient enargite surface layer and not with elemental sulfur.

Based also on the quantitative XPS determinations, the surface of the reacted enargite can be described as a layered structure: a thin copper‐deficient enargite layer (up to 0.7 nm) is formed on a slightly sulfur‐enriched enargite surface, the arsenic content remaining constant. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reliability analysis for continuous measurements: Equivalence test for agreement
Authors: Yi Qilong , Wang P. Peter , He Yaohua
Published: November 2007

In tandem with the rapid development of medical technology, methods for assessing intrarater and interrater reliability or agreement across tools for continuous measurements have become an increasingly important research topic. Thus far, a number of reliability assessment methods have been proposed. Among them, the limits of agreement and repeatability coefficients were found to be the most useful tools for assessing reliability when measurements are on a continuous scale. However, both are considered as descriptive methods. The concepts of consistency or conformity require an equivalence test without which judgment would be subjective. In this paper we will extend the repeatability coefficient approach and propose an equivalence test that can be used to confirm the agreement between two or more measurement tools or assess interrater and intrarater reliability. Using this approach, a formula to calculate sample size will also be suggested and examples will be provided to illustrate the method. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Bayesian approach to adjust for diagnostic misclassification between two mortality causes in Poisson regression
Authors: Stamey James D. , Young Dean M. , Seaman John W.
Published: November 2007

Response misclassification of counted data biases and understates the uncertainty of parameter estimators in Poisson regression models. To correct these problems, researchers have devised classical procedures that rely on asymptotic distribution results and supplemental validation data in order to estimate unknown misclassification parameters. We derive a new Bayesian Poisson regression procedure that accounts and corrects for misclassification for a count variable with two categories. Under the Bayesian paradigm, one can use validation data, expert opinion, or a combination of these two approaches to correct for the consequences of misclassification. The Bayesian procedure proposed here yields an operationally effective way to correct and account for misclassification effects in Poisson count regression models. We demonstrate the performance of the model in a simulation study. Additionally, we analyze two real‐data examples and compare our new Bayesian inference method that adjusts for misclassification with a similar analysis that ignores misclassification. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The economics of super‐tall towers
Authors: Watts Steve , Kalita Neal , Maclean Michael
Published: November 2007

This paper addresses global economic factors influencing the decisions leading to the development of super‐tall towers, including population growth and urbanization, economic cycles and the ‘Skyscraper Index’, regulation and ‘regulatory tax’, and resource availability. The project economics of individual developments are then explored with respect to construction costs. The development, design and construction challenges that impact on cost are also discussed. Furthermore, a breakdown of costs is given in the form of an indicative cost model (for a central London landmark tower) from cost data collected by Davis Langdon in the course of their work as construction consultants. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison of Uptake Characteristics and Prognostic Value of 201Tl and 18F‐FDG in Esophageal Cancer
Authors: Chung Hyun Woo , Lee Kyung‐Han , Lee Eun Jeong , Lee Su Jin , Cho Young Seok , Choi Joon Young , Shim Young Mog , Kim Kwhanmien , Kim Byung‐Tae
Published: November 2007

Background

Patients with esophageal cancer often undergo 201Tl myocardial imaging for preoperative risk evaluation, thereby providing an excellent opportunity to assess tumor handling of 201Tl. We thus compared the characteristics of 201Tl and 18F‐FDG uptake by esophageal cancer and further investigated their prognostic values.

Methods

The study included 100 newly diagnosed esophageal cancer patients who underwent preoperative 201Tl SPECT and 18F‐FDG PET exams. Tumor to mediastinal uptake (T/M) ratio and retention index (RI) of 201Tl, tumor 18F‐FDG pSUV, tumor size, location, and stage were assessed. Survival analysis was performed for disease‐free survival using the Kaplan–Meier method. Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine independent risk factors.

Results

201Tl SPECT and 18F‐FDG PET visualized the primary tumor in 85/100 (85.0%) and 91/100 (91.0%) patients, respectively (p = 0.03). There were close correlations between early and delayed 201Tl T/M ratios (r = 0.83, p < 0.0001) and between T/M ratios and 18F‐FDG pSUV (r = 0.56 and 0.57, respectively, both p < 0.0001). Both T/M ratios and 18F‐FDG pSUV correlated significantly with tumor stage (ρ = 0.45, 0.40, and 0.59, respectively, all p < 0.0001). Survival analysis revealed tumor size, 201Tl negative tumors, 18F‐FDG negative tumors, delayed 201Tl T/M ratio, RI, stage, and 18F‐FDG pSUV to be significant univariate predictors for disease‐free survival. Multivariate survival analysis showed stage (p = 0.02) to be a significant independent prognostic predictor.

Conclusions

In patients with esophageal cancer, assessment of tumor 201Tl uptake, as with 18F‐FDG, may provide potentially useful information regarding tumor characteristics.
Fourier Transform Near Infrared Spectroscopy: A Newly Developed, Non‐Invasive Method To Measure Body Fat
Authors: Azizian H. , Kramer J. K. G. , Heymsfield S. B. , Winsborough S.
Published: November 2007

An FT‐NIR technique is reported to provide a fast, accurate and low cost method of determining in‐vivo human body fat content. The body fat content of 353 healthy subjects (154 males and 199 females) of various height, weight, and age were measured by FT‐NIR and compared to 420 subjects investigated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The procedure involved scanning each subject's upper ear that provided a necessary reflectance surface and proved representative of the subject's subcutaneous fat content. The average FT‐NIR spectrum was compared to a reference mixture with known and similar fat content and composition to that of humans. The FT‐NIR response was incorporated into an empirical equation using the ratio of subcutaneous to total body fat from MRI data, taking into account the subject's gender, height, weight and age. The results on the two data sets were similar and demonstrated that the FT‐NIR technique can be used to obtain a measure of the body fat content of individuals, similar to that using MRI. In addition, the FT‐NIR was used to more accurately monitor the fat content of sleep apnea patients.
The Percentage of n‐3 Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids in Total HUFA as a Biomarker for Omega‐3 Fatty Acid Status in Tissues
Authors: Stark Ken D.
Published: November 2007

A blood biomarker of omega‐3 fatty acid intake and tissue status could serve as a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The percentage of omega‐3 highly unsaturated fatty acid (HUFA ≥ 20 carbons and ≥3 double bonds) in the total HUFA pool (the n‐3 HUFA score) was examined as a potential blood biomarker of omega‐3 fatty acids in tissues. The fatty acid composition of total lipid extracts (TLE) and phospholipid (PL) fractions were determined for plasma and erythrocytes samples of human subjects (n = 20) and the n‐3 HUFA score and the sum of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were compared. Omega‐3 fatty acids in blood and tissues of rats (n = 31) and pigs (n = 48) were also determined and the associations were compared. The n‐3 HUFA score is more consistent across plasma and erythrocytes, with strong correlations between TLE and PL in plasma (r = 0.93) and erythrocytes (r = 0.94). The n‐3 HUFA score was less variable and blood levels correlated strongly with various animal tissues. The n‐3 HUFA score is a useful blood biomarker that does not require the isolation of the PL class thereby supporting high throughput analyses. The strength of association between the n‐3 HUFA score and disease risk needs to be examined.
Romans 5:12–21 against the Background of Torah-Theology and Hebrew Usage
Authors: Kister Menahem
Published: November 2007

Paul was an original thinker, and his epistles are full of novel, at times paradoxical, ideas. Christology stands at the center of Paul's system, and his Christological teaching is unique among Jewish writings of the Second Temple period. Some, especially non-Christological, elements of Pauline theology do, however, have illuminating parallels in earlier Jewish teachings, which seem to have been modified and adapted by Paul to fit his own revolutionary thought. While Paul's theology cannot be reduced to these elements, they might help to explain (at least partly) its emergence. After all, even the ideas of the most original thinkers owe their emergence to prevailing conceptions of the culture in which those thinkers operated, taking some of them for granted and incorporating them naturally into their thought, while struggling with and reacting to others. In Paul's case, Jewish concepts played a significant role in shaping some central features of his theology. Thus, reading Paul in the light of the Dead Sea scrolls and rabbinic writings is important both for understanding Paul as well as for dating and interpreting rabbinic parallels.
The Lex Dei and the Latin Bible
Authors: Frakes Robert
Published: November 2007

Two striking developments in late antiquity are the growing influence of Christianity and the codification of Roman law. The first attempt to harmonize these two developments lies in the late antique Latin work known by scholars as the Lex Dei (“Law of God”) or Collatio Legum Mosaicarum et Romanarum (“Collation of the Laws of Moses and of the Romans”). The anonymous collator of this short legal compendium organized his work following a fairly regular plan, dividing it into sixteen topics (traditionally called titles). Each title begins with a quotation from the Hebrew Bible (in Latin), followed by quotations of passages from Roman jurists and, occasionally, from Roman law. His apparent motive was to demonstrate the similarity between Roman law and the law of God. Scholars have differed over where the collator obtained his Latin translations of passages from the Hebrew Bible. Did he make his own translation from the Greek Septuagint or directly from the Hebrew Scriptures themselves? Did he use the famous Latin translation of Jerome or an older, pre-Jerome, Latin translation of the Bible, known by scholars as the Vetus Latina or Old Latin Bible? Re-examination of the evolution of texts of the Latin Bible and close comparison of biblical passages from the Lex Dei with other surviving Latin versions will confirm that the collator used one of the several versions of the Old Latin Bible that were in circulation in late antiquity. Such a conclusion supports the argument that the religious identity of the collator was Christian (a subject of scholarly controversy for almost a century). Moreover, analysis of the collator's use of the Bible can also shed light on his methodology in compiling his collection.
Andrew of Crete's Homilia de exaltatione s. crucis (CPG 8199; BHG 434f). Editio princeps
Authors: De Groote Marc
Published: November 2007

Andrew of Crete, born in Damascus in 660, led a monastic life in the monastery of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem from 678 onwards. Sent on an official mission to Constantinople in 685, he preferred to stay in that city and for ten years continued his monastic practice there. When Leontius III ascended the throne in 695, Andrew was by imperial order ordained deacon of the Hagia Sophia and became head of both the local orphanage and the administration of the deaconry . In 711 he was appointed metropolitan of Crete with his see in Gortyna. In that year he signed the anathema of the 6th Council under Emperor Philippicus (711–713), thus supporting Philippicus's monotheletism, although soon afterwards he returned to orthodoxy. He stayed in Crete until 730, when Emperor Leo III called him back to the capital because of his opposition to the imperial policy that favored iconoclasm. For ten years he ventilated his resistance to that policy in his homilies but was finally exiled to Lesbos. He died on 4 July 740 in Eresos.
The Late Zionism of Nathan Birnbaum: The Herzl Controversy Reconsidered
Authors: Olson Jess
Published: November 2007

Despite a distinguished life and a remarkable written and intellectual legacy, history has not been kind to Nathan Birnbaum. While alive, he was acknowledged not only as one of the founders of central European Zionism but also as a major figure in Jewish politics and thought. As a journalist and essayist, he contributed to and was read widely in a staggering number of Jewish periodicals in central Europe—several of which, such as the first Jewish nationalist periodical in the German language, Selbst-Emancipation—he founded and edited himself. Yet today, little of his legacy is known, and his massive literary and intellectual production has received surprisingly little attention from Jewish historians.
Plato in Rabbi Shimeon bar Yohai's Cave (B. Shabbat 33b–34a): The Talmudic Inversion of Plato's Politics of Philosophy
Authors: Fonrobert Charlotte Elisheva
Published: November 2007

Thus we are told in one of the most famous narratives in talmudic literature, in its most elaborate and complex version in the Babylonian Talmud. The late ancient and early medieval rabbinic popularity of Rabbi Shimeon bar Yohai's (henceforth Rashbi) sojourn in the cave is demonstrated by the wide distribution of the motif in various rabbinic texts. It later gained additional prominence in the Jewish collective imagination to such a degree that no less than the composition of the Zohar was attributed to Rashbi; indeed, the text was considered a product of his sojourn in the cave. As is the case with other extensive narratives in the Babylonian Talmud about early rabbinic sages from the days of the Mishnah, different and most likely earlier versions of the whole or parts of this story can be found elsewhere in rabbinic literature. Others have gone about the task of carefully assembling and comparing the versions of the story, and various interpretations of it have been offered. Surely, any additional attempt at making sense of the story and decoding what the rabbinic narrators in the Babylonian Talmud sought to convey with its inclusion in the larger corpus needs to take this work into account.
How the 'Aylonit Got Her Sex
Authors: Lev Sarra
Published: November 2007

In this essay, I posit that the ’aylonit essentially receives her sex/gender assignment from her parallel, the natural eunuch. I reach this conclusion by demonstrating that the aggregate simanim (signs) of the ’aylonit are chosen specifically for their sex/gender-crossing attributes, fitting neither any known modern condition nor any ancient condition. Given that in the legal material the rabbis do not, in fact, understand the ’aylonit as a sex/gender crosser, the list of attributes seems to emerge from nowhere. The answer to the riddle of its origin is to be found in the text describing the seris ḥammah (the congenital eunuch, whose description parallels that of the ’aylonit in many ways). That is, the simanim of the seris ḥammah also present him as a sex/gender crossover despite the lack of supporting halakhic literature. But whereas the ’aylonit has no ancient corollary in the Greek and Roman literature, the attributes of the seris ḥammah directly match those of the Roman eunuch, who does appear in many of the contemporaneous Christian and Roman materials as a sex/gender crosser. It would seem, then, that the seris ḥammah shares his sex/gender with the Roman eunuch, and the ’aylonit receives her sex/gender from her mirror image, the seris ḥammah.
Financial transition in pre-World War II Japan and Southeast Asia
Authors: Huff Gregg
Published: November 2007

Self-sustaining, technologically based growth has always been accompanied by a process of financial transition which, as defined by Raymond Goldsmith, entails an increase in the financial superstructure to a status in the economy comparable to that in the leading countries of North America and Western Europe. The pattern of development along this transitional path may, of course, differ, as for example in the relative contribution of bank- or market-based financial systems. But all countries, Goldsmith observed, trace a similar transitional path in the increase in their superstructure of financial instruments and institutions relative to an infrastructure of output and wealth. Because of the close relationship between financial transition and modern economic growth as defined by Simon Kuznets, differences in speed at which countries traverse Goldsmith's transitional path are critical.
Designing a national currency: antebellum payment networks and the structure of the national banking system
Authors: Redenius Scott A.
Published: November 2007

As reflected in the April 2006 issue of the Financial History Review, monetary historians remain divided over the central features of the US monetary union and their contribution to US economic development. In that issue – which focused on the monetary union formed by the Constitution and early federal monetary legislation – Ronald Michener and Robert E. Wright focused on the creation of a uniform unit of account defined in terms of specie. The establishment of a uniform unit of account ‘simplified domestic and international transactions’ compared with the colonial period when ‘[e]conomic calculations across regions were complicated by the fact that people had to reckon with different units of account, without the aid of electronic calculators’. By contrast, Richard Sylla emphasised the role the Bank of the United States played in reducing the costs and risks of clearing and settling interregional payments. An institution, like the Bank, that operated on a national scale was particularly important in the United States because of the limited geographical scope of state bank operations. The Bank's notes and deposits became a truly national monetary standard, and the Bank helped to maintain the value of state bank notes, the principal means of cash payment in the antebellum economy, by enforcing par redemption.
Publications on financial history 2005
Authors: Noiret Serge
Published: November 2007

This bibliography covers publications that appeared during 2005 and 2004 when they were not known before the deadline of last year's bibliography. In that case the year of publication is mentioned in the citation.
Depressive Störungen im Kindes- und Jugendalter - Eine Übersicht
Authors: Preiß Maike , Remschmidt Helmut
Published: November 2007

Zusammenfassung: Depressive Störungen im Kindes- und Jugendalter sind ein ernstzunehmendes Gesundheitsrisiko, das eine große Anzahl von Komplikationen und Spätfolgen haben kann. Eine Literaturrecherche in PubMed, Psycontent und Psyndex gibt die gegenwärtige Datenlage wieder und die Ergebnisse werden kritisch diskutiert. Auffällig war die geringe Anzahl an Studien für Kinder und die wenige Beachtung möglicher geschlechterbezogener Unterschiede. Nicht nur im Bezug auf die Epidemiologie, Erkrankungsdauer, Symptomatik, Komorbidität, Entwicklungspsychopathologie werden weitere Untersuchungen notwendig sein, sondern gerade bezüglich einer adäquaten Pharmako- und Psychotherapie sind unumgänglich, um auf die Prognose, Progredienz und Persistenz der Erkrankung erfolgreich Einfluß nehmen zu können.
Überblick zur Behandlung des Selektiven Mutismus
Authors: Melfsen Siebke , Warnke Andreas
Published: November 2007

Zusammenfassung: Der selektive Mutismus ist eine Kommunikationsstörung in der Kindheit, bei der das Kind trotz seiner Fähigkeit zu sprechen in spezifischen sozialen Situationen nicht spricht. Praktische Richtlinien für die Diagnostik und Therapie von Kindern mit selektivem Mutismus wurden auf der Basis einer Literaturübersicht erstellt. Es gibt eine Vielzahl behavioraler Therapiemethoden zur Behandlung des selektiven Mutismus wie z.B. das Kontingenzmanagement, shaping, stimulus-fading, escape-avoidance, self-modeling oder lerntheoretische Ansätze. Eine klare diagnostische Einordnung des Störungsbildes als Angststörung oder oppositionelle Verhaltensstörung ist jedoch ein wesentlicher erster Schritt, um eine effektive Behandlung zu entwickeln.
Selbstverletzendes Verhalten bei Kindern und Jugendlichen mit intellektueller Beeinträchtigung
Authors: Rojahn Johannes , Bienstein Pia
Published: November 2007

Zusammenfassung: 10% der Kinder und Jugendlichen mit intellektueller Beeinträchtigung entwickeln im Lebensverlauf selbstverletzendes Verhalten. Die Ursachen hierfür sind weitestgehend erforscht, oftmals vielfältig und reichen von lerntheoretischen bis hin zu neurobiologischen Bedingungen. Es wird ein Überblick über den aktuellen Forschungsstand zur Ätiologie, zu weiteren Einflussfaktoren sowie über den Verlauf selbstverletzenden Verhaltens bei intellektueller Beeinträchtigung gegeben. Darüber hinaus werden aktuelle Diagnoseverfahren sowie Behandlungsansätze der letzten dreißig Jahre und ihre Wirksamkeit vorgestellt und abschließend diskutiert.
Attribution of decadal variability in lower‐stratospheric tropical ozone
Authors: Marsh Daniel R. , Garcia Rolando R.
Published: November 2007

The variability of ozone in the lower stratosphere in a climate‐chemistry model is investigated by multiple regression analysis. The model includes forcing due to changes in solar irradiance and to anomalies in sea surface temperatures (SST). When ozone calculated for the period 1979–2003 is regressed against time and 10.7 cm radio flux (f10.7), the regression coefficient of f10.7 at 52 hPa is 2.8% per 100 flux units. This decreases to 1.8% if a lagged index of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is included in the regression model, and to 0.78% if the period of analysis is extended to 1950–2003. The last value is in good agreement with simulations of fixed solar maximum vs. solar minimum conditions that do not include SST variability. These results suggest that some of the decadal variability in tropical ozone previously attributed to solar variability may instead be related to the occurrence of ENSO events.
Powering Mercury's dynamo
Authors: Williams J.‐P. , Aharonson O. , Nimmo F.
Published: November 2007

The presence of the global magnetic field of Mercury has implications for the interior structure of the planet and its thermal evolution. We use a thermal evolution model to explore the conditions under which excess entropy is available to drive a convective dynamo. The current state of the core is strongly affected by its sulfur concentration and the viscosity of the overlying mantle. A present‐day dynamo is difficult to achieve. The minimum rate of entropy production required to drive a dynamo is attained in only the most optimistic models, and requires present‐day mantle convection. An additional entropy source such as the addition of a radiogenic heat source in the core increases the probability of a present‐day dynamo. Given the uncertainty, more specific characterization of the planet's interior and magnetic field is required to alleviate ambiguities in the original Mariner 10 observations.
Mass movement within a slope streak on Mars
Authors: Phillips Cynthia B. , Burr Devon M. , Beyer Ross A.
Published: November 2007

Slope streaks on Mars represent a currently active geological process. Various theories for slope streak formation have suggested that slope streaks form by disturbing only a thin surface veneer, or by staining of the surface, preserving pre‐existing topography within the streak. Theories also vary as to whether the formation mechanism requires the presence of water or another liquid. We present observations of a slope streak that reveal topographic mounds within the streak. These mounds do not continue outside the streak, and we suggest that they formed with, or immediately after, the slope streak. We use estimates of the total volume of mounds in this particular streak, compared with the estimated excavation volume, to extrapolate to a global sediment transport rate from slope streak formation. If this slope streak is typical, then this calculated rate is greater than estimates of the total volume of material transported by dust storms each year.
An Olfactory Receptor Pseudogene whose Function emerged in Humans
Authors: Lai Peter , Bahl Gautam , Gremigni Maryse , Matarazzo Valery , Clot-Faybesse Olivier , Ronin Catherine , Crasto Chiquito
Published: November 2007

Human olfactory receptor, hOR17-210, is identified as a pseudogene in the human genome. Experimental data has shown however, that the gene product of cloned hOR17-210 cDNA was able to bind an odorant-binding protein and is narrowly tuned for excitation by cyclic ketones. Supported by experimental results, we used the bioinformatics methods of sequence analysis, computational protein modeling and docking, to show that functionality in this receptor is retained due to sequence-structure features not previously observed in mammalian ORs. This receptor does not possess the first two transmembrane helical domains (of seven typically seen in GPCRs). It however, possesses an additional TM that has not been observed in other human olfactory receptors. By incorporating these novel structural features, we created two putative models for this receptor. We also docked odor ligands that were experimentally shown to bind hOR17-210 model. We show how and why structural modifications of OR17-210 do not hinder this receptor's functionality. Our studies reveal that novel gene rearrangement that result in sequence and structural diversity in has a bearing on OR and GPCR function and evolution.
Endogenous glucocorticoids control neutrophil mobilization from bone marrow to blood and tissues in non‐inflammatory conditions
Authors: Cavalcanti D M H , Lotufo C M C , Borelli P , Ferreira Z S , Markus R P , Farsky S H P
Published: November 2007

Background and purpose:

We have shown that endogenous glucocorticoids control neutrophil mobilization in the absence of inflammation. In this study the role of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in the physiological control of neutrophil mobilization was investigated, focusing on the specific mechanisms for mature neutrophils in bone marrow, circulating neutrophils and endothelial cells.

Experimental approach:

Male Wistar rats were treated with RU 38486 or adrenalectomized. Cell numbers in bone marrow and circulation were morphologically quantified and expressions of L‐selectin determined by flow cytometry. Expressions of P‐selectin, E‐selectin, PECAM‐1, VCAM‐1 and ICAM‐1 were measured by immunohistochemistry on vessels of cremaster muscle and their mRNA levels quantified in primary cultured endothelial cells. NF‐κB activity in neutrophils and endothelium was quantified by EMSA.

Key results:

RU 38486 treatment altered the maturation phases of neutrophilic lineage and reduced expression of L‐selectin in mature neutrophils from bone marrow; increased the number of neutrophils in the circulation and elevated the expression of L‐selectin in these cells. P‐selectin and E‐selectin expression in endothelial cells was unchanged by adrenalectomy or RU 38486 treatment. Membrane expressions, mRNA levels of ICAM‐1, VCAM‐1 and PECAM‐1 and NF‐κB translocation into the nucleus were higher in the endothelium of adrenalectomized and RU 38486 treated rats.

Conclusions and implications:

Endogenous glucocorticoids, through activation of GR on neutrophils, physiologically control the rolling behaviour of these cells and, by modulating endothelial functions, affect their adhesiveness. The molecular mechanism induced by activated GR is different in each cell, as NF‐κB translocation was only altered in endothelial cells.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 152, 1291–1300; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707512; published online 5 November 2007
CB2receptor‐mediated migration of immune cells: it can go either way
Authors: Miller A M , Stella N
Published: November 2007

Though many studies have examined the role of CB2receptors in immune cell migration, it has been difficult to form definitive conclusions about the physiopathological role of these receptors in regulating immune responses and how this might be pharmacologically targeted for therapy. Do cannabinoids promote inflammation through the recruitment of immune cells, or reduce inflammation by interfering with the action of other chemoattractants? Is therapeutic intervention with an agonist or antagonist more appropriate for the reduction of inflammation? In this review, we will summarize the progress that has been made in answering these questions and outline current hypotheses.

British Journal of Pharmacology(2008)153, 299–308; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707523; published online 5 November 2007
Functional coupling of angiotensin II type 1 receptor with insulin resistance of energy substrate uptakes in immortalized cardiomyocytes (HL‐1 cells)
Authors: Alfarano C , Sartiani L , Nediani C , Mannucci E , Mugelli A , Cerbai E , Raimondi L
Published: November 2007

Background and purpose:

Increased angiotensin II levels and insulin resistance coexist at the early stages of cardiomyopathies. To determine whether angiotensin II increases insulin resistance in cardiomyocytes, we studied the effect of angiotensin II on basal and insulin‐stimulated transport rate of energy substrates in immortalized cardiomyocytes (HL‐1 cells).

Experimental approach:

Glucose and palmitic acid uptakes were measured using [3H]2‐deoxy‐D‐glucose and [14C]palmitic acid, respectively, in cells exposed or not exposed to angiotensin II (100 nM), angiotensin II plus irbesartan or PD123319, type 1 and 2 receptor antagonists, or PD98059, an inhibitor of ERK1/2 activation. Cell viability, DNA, protein synthesis and surface area were evaluated by the MTT test, [3H]thymydine, [3H]leucine and morphometric analysis, respectively. Type 1 receptor levels were measured by western blot analysis.

Key results:

Basal uptakes of glucose and palmitic acid by HL‐1 cells (0.37±0.07 and 7.31±0.22 pmol per 104cells per min, respectively) were both stimulated by 100 nM insulin (+91 and +64%, respectively). Cells exposed to angiotensin II remained viable and did not show signs of hypertrophy. In these conditions, the basal palmitic acid uptake of the cells increased (11.41±0.46 pmol per 104 cells per min) and insulin failed to stimulate the uptake of glucose and fatty acids. Changes in the rate of uptake of energy substrates were prevented or significantly reduced by irbesartan or PD98059.

Conclusions and implications:

Angiotensin II is a candidate for increasing insulin resistance in cardiomyocytes. Our results suggest a further mechanism for the cardiovascular protection offered by the angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, 907–914; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707563; published online 5 November 2007
Electron ionization of acetylene
Authors: King Simon J. , Price Stephen D.
Published: November 2007

Relative partial ionization cross sections and precursor specific relative partial ionization cross sections for fragment ions formed by electron ionization of C2H2 have been measured using time-of-flight mass spectrometry coupled with a 2D ion-ion coincidence technique. We report data for the formation of H+, H2+, C2+, C+∕C22+, CH+∕C2H22+, CH2+, C2+, and C2H+ relative to the formation of C2H2+, as a function of ionizing electron energy from 30–200eV. While excellent agreement is found between our data and one set of previously published absolute partial ionization cross sections, some discrepancies exist between the results presented here and two other recent determinations of these absolute partial ionization cross sections. We attribute these differences to the loss of some translationally energetic fragment ions in these earlier studies. Our relative precursor-specific partial ionization cross sections enable us, for the first time, to quantify the contribution to the yield of each fragment ion from single, double, and triple ionization. Analysis shows that at 50eV double ionization contributes 2% to the total ion yield, increasing to over 10% at an ionizing energy of 100eV. From our ion-ion coincidence data, we have derived branching ratios for charge separating dissociations of the acetylene dication. Comparison of our data to recent ab initio/RRKM calculations suggest that close to the double ionization potential C2H22+ dissociates predominantly on the ground triplet potential energy surface (Σg−3) with a much smaller contribution from dissociation via the lowest singlet potential energy surface (Δg1). Measurements of the kinetic energy released in the fragmentation reactions of C2H22+ have been used to obtain precursor state energies for the formation of product ion pairs, and are shown to be in good agreement with available experimental data and with theory.
Numerical study of A+A→ and A+B→ reactions with inertia
Authors: Romero A. H. , Lacasta A. M. , Sancho J. M. , Lindenberg Katja
Published: November 2007

Using numerical methods the authors study the annihilation reactions A+A→0 and A+B→0 in one and two dimensions in the presence of inertial contributions to the motion of the particles. The particles move freely following Langevin dynamics at a fixed temperature. The authors focus on the role of friction.
Theory for the solvation of nonpolar solutes in water
Authors: Urbic T. , Vlachy V. , Kalyuzhnyi Yu. V. , Dill K. A.
Published: November 2007

We recently developed an angle-dependent Wertheim integral equation theory (IET) of the Mercedes-Benz (MB) model of pure water [Silverstein et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 120, 3166 (1998)]. Our approach treats explicitly the coupled orientational constraints within water molecules. The analytical theory offers the advantage of being less computationally expensive than Monte Carlo simulations by two orders of magnitude. Here we apply the angle-dependent IET to studying the hydrophobic effect, the transfer of a nonpolar solute into MB water. We find that the theory reproduces the Monte Carlo results qualitatively for cold water and quantitatively for hot water.
Thermodynamical properties of reaction intermediates during apoplastocyanin folding in time domain
Authors: Baden N. , Hirota S. , Takabe T. , Funasaki N. , Terazima M.
Published: November 2007

Two intermediates observed for the folding process of apoplastocyanin (apoPC) were investigated by using a photoinduced triggering system combined with the transient grating and transient lens methods. The thermodynamic quantities, enthalpy, heat capacity, partial volume, and thermal expansion volume changes during the protein folding reaction were measured in time domain for the first time. An interesting observation is the positive enthalpy changes during the folding process. This positive enthalpy change must be compensated by positive entropy changes, which could be originated from the dehydration effect of hydrophobic residues and/or the translational entropy gain of bulk water molecules. Observed negative heat capacity change was explained by the dehydration effect of hydrophilic residues and/or motional confinement of amino acid side chains and water molecules in apoPC. The signs of the volume change and thermal expansion volume were different for two processes and these changes were interpreted in terms of the different relative contributions of the hydration and the dehydration of the hydrophilic residues. These results indicated two-step hydrophobic collapses in the early stage of the apoPC folding, but the nature of the dynamics was different.
Unusual long-range spin-spin coupling in fluorinated polyenes: A mechanistic analysis
Authors: Gräfenstein Jürgen , Cremer Dieter
Published: November 2007

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a prospective means to realize quantum computers. The performance of a NMR quantum computer depends sensitively on the properties of the NMR-active molecule used, where one requirement is a large indirect spin-spin coupling over large distances. F–F spin-spin coupling constants (SSCCs) for fluorinated polyenes F–(CHCH)n–F (n=1⋯5) are >9Hz across distances of more than 10Å. Analysis of the F,F spin-spin coupling mechanism with our recently developed decomposition of J into Orbital Contributions with the help of Orbital Currents and Partial Spin Polarization (J-OCOC-PSP=J-OC-PSP) method reveals that coupling is dominated by the spin-dipole (SD) term due to an interplay between the π lone-pair orbitals at the F atoms and the π(C2n) electron system. From our investigations we conclude that SD-dominated SSCCs should occur commonly in molecules with a contiguous π-electron system between the two coupling nuclei and that a large SD coupling generally is the most prospective way to provide large long-range spin-spin coupling. Our results give guidelines for the design of suitable active molecules for NMR quantum computers.
Crystallization kinetics and spectroscopic investigations on Tb3+ and Yb3+ codoped glass ceramics containing CaF2 nanocrystals
Authors: Huang Lihui , Qin Guanshi , Arai Yusuke , Jose Rajan , Suzuki Takenobu , Ohishi Yasutake , Yamashita Tatsuya , Akimoto Yusuke
Published: November 2007

Transparent Tb3+ and Yb3+ codoped oxyfluoride glass ceramics containing CaF2 nanocrystals were prepared by melt quenching and subsequent heat treatment. Crystallization kinetics of CaF2 nanocrystals was investigated by differential scanning calorimetric method. The average apparent activation energy Ea of the crystallization was ∼498kJ∕mol. Moreover, the value of the Avrami exponent n was 1.01. These results suggest that the crystallization mechanism of CaF2 is a diffusion controlled growth process of needles and plates of finite long dimensions. X-ray diffraction patterns and transmission electron microscopy image confirmed the CaF2 nanocrystals in the glass ceramic. Ultraviolet (UV) and visible emission spectra of the as-made glass and the glass ceramic with an excitation of a 974nm laser diode were recorded at room temperature. An intense UV emission at 381nm was observed in the glass ceramic. The origin of the enhancement of the emission at 381nm was investigated using spectroscopic technique and Judd-Ofelt analysis. The enhancement of the emission at 381nm could be attributed to the change of the ligand field of Tb3+ ions due to the incorporation of some Tb3+ and Yb3+ ions into CaF2 nanocrystals in the glass ceramic.