bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Endangered languages, sociolinguistics, and linguistic sentimentalism
Authors: DE SWAAN ABRAM
Published: October 2004

It is a recurrent theme in sociolinguistics that besides fully documenting endangered languages, it is important to ensure somehow that they will continue to be used. The basic trope is that of ‘language death’, analogous to the extinction of species. But the analogy fails: languages do not die, although their users may abandon them, usually in favour of a more widely spoken language. Nor does linguistic diversity increase cultural diversity — or the equal treatment of language groups mitigate inequality between and within groups. In addition, promoting minority, local and immigrant languages, which are all too often ill-equipped for modern life, actually strengthens the position of the dominant language as the only common language of communication: the more languages are spoken, the sooner English will take over. This process can be seen at work both in post-Apartheid South Africa and in the European Union as it undergoes enlargement.
The Rigveda, the cognitive linguistics and the oral poetry
Authors: JUREWICZ JOANNA
Published: October 2004

My aim is to show how the principal notions of cognitive linguistics, namely metaphor and metonymy are helpful in the analysis of the ancient Indian poetical text, the Rigveda. Their use enables us to reconstruct aspects of thinking of the Rigvedic poets and to explain some obscure metaphors. The basic way of conceptualization of desire in the Rigveda is presented.
BEAUTY OR BEAST, OR MONSTROUS REGIMENTS? ROBERTSON AND BURKE ON WOMEN AND THE PUBLIC SCENE
Authors: KONTLER LÁSZLÓ
Published: October 2004

The Enlightenment can usefully be conceived as a confrontation with eroding Christian and classical republican ethics. It was permeated with assumptions about women and the gendered dichotomy between public and private spheres. While William Robertson and Edmund Burke, along with many of their contemporaries, remained committed to Christian- and republican-based conceptions of virtue, they were working within a new Enlightenment paradigm. Its political agenda has to be understood by way of its configurations of beauty, taste, and morality as these relate to the imperatives and needs of modern societies of a high level of sophistication and differentiation. An examination of two themes in the work of Robertson and Burke—the nature of women in “savage” and “civilized” societies, and “beauty in distress”—reveals how long-held convictions about the character of women, especially with regard to their capacity and right to appear in the public domain, were modified and adjusted to the idea of progress, and became central to an enlightened affirmation of modern European civilization. The result had its ironies. On the one hand, a positive public and indeed political role was invented for women that is central to understanding the overall thrust of a political discourse based on politeness, civility, refinement and similar values specifically associated with modern commercial societies. On the other hand, though the complexity of this model of society gave ample scope to informal and spontaneous vehicles of social disciplining, whatever room was left for the more traditional ways of governing polities through the direct exertion of political power remained closed to women: the very features that opened for them the opportunity to play political roles through sociability in the public sphere also circumscribed them.
PHILHELLENISM AND THE FUROR ORIENTALIS
Authors: MARCHAND SUZANNE
Published: October 2004

Focusing on the study of the ancient Orient in fin-de-siècle Germany, this essay argues that “orientalism” had a wider range of cultural consequences than the term usually evokes in studies of Western imperialism and its ideologies. The essay describes the development of a generational movement in German scholarship that was characterized by its vigorous championing of the Orient over and against the dominant tendency to isolate and exalt classical civilizations, and especially ancient Greece, and by its role in destabilizing Western presumptions. It demonstrates that the furor orientalis did contribute to the decentering of the Greeks and the ancient Hebrews, bequeathing to the twentieth century both a much deeper and more diverse picture of the ancient Near East and an obsession with origins that could be mobilized by racist propagandists. The essay offers three case studies of groups which exemplified this furor—the Panbabylonists; the Religious-Historical School; and the iconoclastic mythographer Heinrich Zimmer, who represents a strong strain of Schopenhauerian Indology. It concludes by suggesting the more constructive directions taken by orientalists outside Germany in the 1920s–1940s, and poses the question: how long will the peaceful solutions they promoted last?
GODLESS CAPITALISM: AYN RAND AND THE CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT
Authors: BURNS JENNIFER
Published: October 2004

This essay examines the relationship between the novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand (The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged) and the broader conservative movement in the twentieth-century United States. Although Rand was often dismissed as a lightweight popularizer, her works of radical individualism advanced bold arguments about the moral status of capitalism, and thus touched upon a core issue of conservative identity. Because Rand represented such a forthright pro-capitalist position, her career highlights the shifting fortunes of capitalism on the right. In the 1940s, she was an inspiration to those who struggled against the New Deal and hoped to bring about a new, market-friendly political order. As a second generation of conservatives built upon these sentiments and attempted to tie them to a defense of Christian tradition, Rand's status began to erode. Yet by the late 1960s, Rand's once-revolutionary defense of capitalism had become routine, although she herself remained a controversial figure. The essay traces the ways in which Rand's ideas were assimilated and modified by key intellectuals on the right, including William F. Buckley, Jr, Whittaker Chambers, and Gary Wills. It identifies the relationship between capitalism and Christianity as a fundamental dilemma for conservative and right-wing thinkers. By treating Rand as an intellectual and cultural leader of significant import, the essay broadens our understanding of the American right beyond the confines of “mainstream” conservatism, and re-establishes the primacy of the 1930s, and 1940s, to its ideological formation. Responding to a paucity of scholarship on Rand, the essay offers an analysis and summary of Rand's ideas, and argues that despite her outsider status, Rand's work both embodied and shaped fundamental themes of right-wing thought throughout the century.
THE FEMINIST IMAGINATION
Authors: LEWIS JAN ELLEN
Published: October 2004

Barbara Taylor, Mary Wollstonecraft and the Feminist Imagination (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003)

Ruth H. Bloch, Gender and Morality in Anglo-American Culture, 1650–1800 (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2003)

Barbara Taylor entitles her new book Mary Wollstonecraft and the Feminist Imagination. The imagination in question is Wollstonecraft's, but, like Wollstonecraft, Taylor is interested in the imagination more generally, both the problems that the imagination gets women into and the ways in which the feminist imagination can get women out of those problems and help them imagine a more just and equitable future. Ruth H. Bloch's aim in Gender and Morality in Anglo-American Culture, 1650–1800, the newly published collection of her essays, is somewhat more modest. Although her chief objective is to analyze the transformation in American views about women, gender, the family, and religion in the era of the American Revolution, she also offers case studies in the use of a culturalist approach to feminist history. Although there are important differences in approach and subject matter between these two books, their similarities and areas of overlap—not the least of which is that their authors are two of the best feminist intellectual historians at work today—make it instructive to review them together.
TWO APPROACHES TO AMERICAN THEOLOGY
Authors: HOWE DANIEL WALKER
Published: October 2004

Mark Noll, America's God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002)

Brooks Holifield, American Theology: Christian Thought from the Age of the Puritans to the Civil War (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2003)

Intellectual history, after a generation of neglect, is suddenly getting attention again in the United States. Giving impetus to this renewal of energy are two major works on American religious thought before the Civil War: Mark Noll's America's God and Brooks Holifield's American Theology. Both are big books, over 600 pages each, and they address a big topic stretching across time and space: the grand tradition of American theology, now a lost art. They treat a time when Christian theology as an intellectual activity enjoyed considerably more prestige and cultural influence than it does today, and surely it has seldom been so innovative and diverse as in the period they treat. Both books have been written by highly respected scholars, deeply learned in the relevant primary and secondary sources. The danger in reviewing such large undertakings is that reviewers will not treat them as a whole but simply grumble that their own specialty doesn't get enough attention: the historian of gender wants more about women, the historian of science more about his subject, etc. These books deserve to be evaluated in toto. Having been conceived and written independently, even though more or less simultaneously, they demonstrate contrasting visions of how to deal with their subject. The two books typify the “external” and “internal” approaches to intellectual history respectively, illustrating for the reader strengths and limitations of the two approaches as well as their complementarity.
Comparing copper requirements of field pea and wheat grown on alkaline soils
Authors: Brennan R. F. , Bolland M. D. A.
Published: October 2004

Copper (Cu) is a common deficiency of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), the major crop grown in south-western Australia. The Cu requirements of wheat are well known for soils in the region, but are not known for field pea (Pisum sativum L.) grown in rotation with wheat on alkaline soils in the region. The Cu requirements of field pea and spring wheat were compared in a glasshouse experiment, using 2 alkaline soils from south-western Australia. The Cu was either incubated in moist soil at 22°C for 100 days before sowing (incubated Cu) or applied just before sowing (current Cu). Comparative Cu requirements were determined from yields of 43-day-old dried shoots for: (i) Cu already present in the soil (indigenous Cu); (ii) the amount of added Cu required to produce the same percentage of the maximum (relative) yield of dried shoots; and (iii) the Cu content of dried shoots (Cu concentration multiplied by yield of dried shoots). The critical concentrations of Cu in youngest mature growth and in dried shoots were also determined. As determined from yield of shoots, both species used indigenous Cu about equally effectively. Compared with spring wheat, field pea was about 12% less effective at using current and incubated Cu to produce dried shoots. It was about 15% less effective at using current and incubated Cu to increase Cu content in dried shoots. Relative to current Cu, the effectiveness of incubated Cu declined by about 60% for both wheat and field pea in both soils. The critical Cu concentration in the youngest tissue, associated with 90% of the relative yield, was 1.4 mg Cu/kg for spring wheat and 2.0 mg Cu/kg for field pea. The critical value for the rest of the dried shoots was about 3.0 mg Cu/kg for both species.
Performance of annual pasture legumes in cropping rotations in the cool temperate zone of south-eastern Australia
Authors: Zhang X. , Evans P. M. , Riffkin P. A.
Published: October 2004

The relative performance of 3 alternative pasture legumes, in comparison with subterranean clover, grown in a 1:1 pasture:crop rotation was investigated during 1997–2001, at 2 sites in the high rainfall (>500 mm/year) zone of southern Australia. Seedling densities of the pasture legumes (before and after crop) were examined, along with herbage dry matter production, growth pattern and seed production. After 2 cycles of a 1:1 pasture:crop rotation, average seedling densities of balansa (Trifolium michelianum Savi var. michelianum), Persian (T. resupinatum L. var. resupinatum Gib. and Belli), arrowleaf (T. vesiculosum Savi.) and subterranean (T. subterraneum L.) clovers at the 2 sites were 6810, 2910, 680 and 630 plants/m2, respectively. Average cumulative herbage mass in 2001 was 7.49, 5.21, 8.53 and 7.76 t DM/ha.year, respectively. All clovers produced a large seed pool: balansa, 71.8 g/m2; subterranean, 38.9 g/m2; Persian, 35.5 g/m2; and arrowleaf, 35.4 g/m2. The results suggest that a 1:1 pasture:crop rotation is sustainable, in terms of pasture seed–seedling dynamics for each of the legumes, and that under this system the pasture legumes need to be sown only once.
Use of delactose whey permeate as a supplement for cattle
on a cereal straw based diet
Authors: Friend M. A. , Kaiser A. G. , Piltz J. W. , Sillence M. N. , Jolliffe S. K.
Published: October 2004

The potential use of delactose whey permeate (delac) as an energy supplement for cattle offered low quality roughage was investigated. Young steers (initial liveweight 267 kg) were fed delac at 0, 0.25, 0.5 or 0.75% of liveweight. The steers had ad libitum access to oaten straw and were fed a protein supplement (cottonseed meal) at 1.33 kg/head once daily with the delac. Total intakes increased with increasing levels of delac. During the first half of the experiment, cattle offered delac had higher intakes than those not offered delac, but intake did not differ between delac supplemented groups. Furthermore, liveweight gain did not differ between groups. In the second half of the experiment, intake and liveweight gain increased with increasing level of delac in the diet. Intake of oaten straw over the whole experiment was greater with 0.25% delac than with no delac, but declined at higher levels of delac as animals substituted delac for straw in the diet. A storage study, conducted over 6 weeks, indicated a higher rate of microbial spoilage in delac with a lower solids content, however pH remained low. Calculations, based on the actual liveweight, liveweight gain and feed intake results, indicate that delac has a metabolisable energy content of about 11 MJ/kg DM. These results indicate that delac has potential as an energy supplement for cattle on low quality roughage diets and could be used on commercial farms if composition (especially solids content) is consistent and storage issues are addressed. Further investigations into the use of delac, in combination with low cost nitrogen supplements such as urea, are also recommended.
Photodegradation of Iron(III)-EDTA: Iron Speciation and Domino Effects on Cobalt Availability
Authors: Laan Ramon G. W. , Verburg Tona , Wolterbeek H. Th. , de Goeij Jeroen J. M.
Published: October 2004

Environmental Context. Aquatic life requires access to sufficient nutrients and trace metals in the surrounding waters. Measuring the speciation (in solution or precipitated, free ionic or complexed) of trace metals is a traditional procedure to assess the potential of waters for life. Iron, an important nutrient, is relatively insoluble, and metal–ligand complexes are required to keep the iron in solution and bioavailable. Sunlight often degrades these metal–ligand complexes, and the subsequently released iron can outcompete other (trace) metals for their ligands. A ‘domino’ effect on weaker metal–ligand complexes will occur which complicates the actual dynamic speciation and its measurements.
Abstract. The effect of photodegradation of iron(iii)-EDTA on the chemical speciation of both iron and cobalt has been tested both in a simple medium and in a more complex algal growth medium. In both media, the photodegradation of iron(iii)-EDTA caused iron(iii) to be released as a free ionic species. Released iron(iii) could be modelled as engaged in precipitation and in competition with cobalt, initially also bound to EDTA. Cobalt appeared as free ionic species after a certain lag. The length of this lag phase was proportional to the amount of EDTA added to the media, which indicated that the surplus of EDTA was first targetted by iron(iii)-EDTA photodegradation, after which iron(iii) out-competed cobalt for the EDTA in the metal–EDTA pool. All data were fitted, using a model on speciation kinetics for cobalt-EDTA and iron(iii)-EDTA, taking into account photodegradation rates of iron(iii)-EDTA and precipitation of free iron(iii). The modelled rate of iron(iii)-EDTA photodegradation was compared to direct HPLC measurements of the disappearance of iron(iii)-EDTA due to photodegradation, the latter, however, with a different iron(iii)-EDTA concentration regime. The results suggest that photodegradation is a complex process which is greatly influenced by experimental conditions (e.g. light intensity/spectrum, iron(iii), and EDTA concentrations). Iron(iii)-desferrioxamine B (DFO-B) was suggested as a possible alternative for EDTA in experimental media: photostability was shown for prolonged experimental periods.
Measurement of Denitrification in the Changjiang River
Authors: Yan Weijin , Laursen Andrew E. , Wang Fang , Sun Pu , Seitzinger Sybil P.
Published: October 2004

Environmental Context.Rivers are carrying an increased load of nitrogen-based matter (nitrates, nitrites) resulting from, among others, increased use of agricultural fertilizers. This nitrogen enrichment leads to a proliferation of plant life in the receiving water body, which in turn reduces the dissolved oxygen content and can cause the extinction of other organisms. Rivers can reduce their nitrogen levels through denitrification, the bacterially mediated transformation of dissolved nitrates and nitrites to gaseous N2 and N2O. This paper reports the first examination of denitrification in China’s largest river, the Changjiang (Yangtze) River, to understand the details of riverine denitrification and its role on controlling nitrogen export.
Abstract.Rivers are an important link between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems for nitrogen cycling, while denitrification plays a key role in riverine nitrogen removal. Denitrification was first examined in China’s largest river, the Changjiang River, by using a whole-reach method. The production rates of N2 by means of denitrification were 2.82 ± 1.18 and 5.74 ± 2.92 mmol(N) m−2 h−1 in October 2002 and March 2003, respectively, and the rates of N2O production were 1.98 ± 1.48 and 581 ± 1937 nmol(N) m−2 hr−1 in August and October 2002, respectively. Nitrogen removal through N2 and N2O emission accounted for 1–2% of NO3–-N flux through October 2002 to March 2003. Continued measurement throughout a whole year period after the construction of the Three Gorges Reservoir will provide more understanding of riverine denitrification and its role on controlling nitrogen export.
Brominated Flame Retardants in the Environment—The Price for our Convenience?
Authors: de Boer Jacob
Published: October 2004

Environmental Context. Flame retardants have been employed for centuries to reduce the flammability of materials; in our age, furniture, textiles, and electronic equipment are heavy users of effective and inexpensive brominated flame retardants. Evidence links these materials to endocrine disruption and bioaccumulation, but better detection and quantification of this large (75 member) molecular family, in order to explore the fine details of this toxic link, is both lacking and of pressing need.
Abstract. This paper reviews information on the occurrence of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in various environmental compartments. The lack of information on BFRs other than pentabrominated diphenylethers (pentaBDEs) is emphasized, as well as the need for better analytical methods and the need for more toxicological information on BFRs. Concern is expressed on the bioaccumulating properties of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD). It is shown that decaBDE can accumulate in birds of prey, although the levels found are not particularly high. A parallel is drawn with the occurrence of other contaminants that are being found in our environment and foodstuffs, such as polyfluorinated sulphones, phthalates, alkylphenols, and others. These substances play a key role in our modern society, often for our convenience. However, a price may have to be paid by later generations if the consequences of their presence in the environment would be neglected.
Rhizotron Study of Cucurbitaceae: Transport of Soil-Bound Chlordane and Heavy Metal Contaminants Differs with Genera
Authors: Mattina Mary Jane Incorvia , Iannucci-Berger William , Eitzer Brian D. , White Jason C.
Published: October 2004

Environmental Context. Many pesticides are difficult to remove from the soil, and remain as persistent pollutants. Some plant species can extract these pollutants from the soil and thereby degrade them, leading to a potential plant-based soil remediation technology. This study examines how plants extract an enduring organic pollutant (chlordane) and heavy metals (zinc, cadmium) from the soil, where they are processed in the plant, and what end-products are generated.
Abstract. Two Cucurbitaceae, Cucurbita pepo L. and Cucumis sativus L., were grown in rhizotrons containing soil contaminated with heavy metals and highly weathered chlordane residues. This experimental scheme allowed in situ access to several portions of the soil/plant system. In the root exudates, concentrations of low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) collected from both genera were detected consistently in the order malic > citric > succinic. Xylem sap was collected from severed plant stems over recorded time segments. Chlordane components and elemental analytes in the sap showed distinct, consistent differences between C. pepo L. and C. sativus L. with regard to chlordane flux, enantiomeric fractions of chlordane components, and heavy metal content. This is the first detailed report of patterns of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the contiguous compartments of soil, whole root tissue, xylem sap, and aerial tissue.
Marine Biogeochemistry of Iron
Authors: Ussher Simon J. , Achterberg Eric P. , Worsfold Paul J.
Published: October 2004

Environmental Context. Several trace elements are essential to the growth of microorganisms, iron being arguably the most important. Marine microorganisms, which affect the global carbon cycle and consequently indirectly influence the world’s climate, are therefore sensitive to the presence of iron. This link means iron-related oceanic processes are a significant ecological and political issue.
Abstract. The importance of the role of iron as a limiting micronutrient for primary production in the World Ocean has become increasingly clear following large-scale in situ iron fertilization experiments in high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll (HNLC) regions.[1] This has led to intensive international research with the aim of understanding the marine biogeochemistry of iron and quantifying the spatial distribution and transport of the element in the oceans. Recent studies have benefited from improved trace metal handling protocols and sensitive analytical techniques, but uncertainties remain concerning fundamental processes such as redox transfer, solubility, adsorption, biological uptake, and remineralization.
This review summarizes our present knowledge of iron biogeochemistry. It begins with a discussion of the effects of the physicochemical speciation of iron in seawater from a thermodynamic perspective, including important topics such as inorganic and organic complexation and redox chemistry. This is followed by an overview of the fluxes of iron to the ocean interface and a description of iron cycling within the open ocean water column. Current uncertainties of iron biogeochemistry are highlighted and suggestions of future work provided.
Australian Biosolids: Characterization and Determination of Available Copper
Authors: Oliver Ian W. , Merrington Graham , McLaughlin Mike J.
Published: October 2004

Environmental Context. Land application of sewage-derived biosolids is both an inexpensive method to dispose of waste and a simple way to increase soil fertility and stability. However, biosolids often contain high concentrations of heavy metals, but not all of the metals are immediately available for uptake by the soil or other organisms. To determine if this toxicologic risk outweighs the benefits, the degree of ecologically available metal, rather than simply the entire metal content, must be known in both the as-disposed and worst conditions scenarios. Application of these principles requires regulatory bodies to amend their guidelines.
Abstract. Application of biosolids to agricultural land provides a low-cost disposal option with many potential benefits to soil. However, the practice may result in accumulations of potentially toxic heavy metals, and thus regulations are in place to limit the amount of metals applied to soil in this way. Current Australian regulations are not ideal because they are based on total metal concentrations in soils and biosolids, rather than the fraction that is ecologically available (the fraction accessible by organisms). Therefore more environmentally appropriate regulations, based on the available metal portion, need to be devised. However, before this is possible, more needs to be known about the characteristics of Australian biosolids, including the factors that influence the availability of biosolid metals. Copper is a metal of great concern because of its commonly high concentration in biosolids and because of its relatively high toxicity to certain groups of bacteria and fungi. Therefore an investigation was conducted to characterize the range of properties observed in Australian biosolids, and to determine the fraction of available metals and the factors that influence it (particularly in the case of copper). General properties such as pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, and total metal concentrations were measured. Availability of copper was specifically measured using isotopic exchange techniques and a Cu2+ ion-selective electrode. Results showed that total copper concentration and Cu2+ activity could be used to predict available copper. A new system of biosolid land-use regulation that incorporates the available metal fraction and a pH protection factor is proposed.
Large-scale cDNA transfection screening for genes related to cancer development and progression
Authors: Wan Dafang , Gong Yi , Qin Wenxin , Zhang Pingping , Li Jinjun , Wei Lin , Zhou Xiaomei , Li Hongnian , Qiu Xiaokun , Zhong Fei , He Liping , Yu Jian , Yao Genfu , Jiang Huiqiu , Qian Lianfang , Yu Ye , Shu Huiqun , Chen Xianlian , Xu Huili , Guo Minglei , Pan Zhimei , Chen Yan , Ge Chao , Yang Shengli , Gu Jianren
Published: October 2004

A large-scale assay was performed by transfecting 29,910 individual cDNA clones derived from human placenta, fetus, and normal liver tissues into human hepatoma cells and 22,926 cDNA clones into mouse NIH 3T3 cells. Based on the results of colony formation in hepatoma cells and foci formation in NIH 3T3 cells, 3,806 cDNA species (8,237 clones) were found to possess the ability of either stimulating or inhibiting cell growth. Among them, 2,836 (6,958 clones) were known genes, 372 (384 clones) were previously unrecognized genes, and 598 (895 clones) were unigenes of uncharacterized structure and function. A comprehensive analysis of the genes and the potential mechanisms for their involvement in the regulation of cell growth is provided. The genes were classified into four categories: I, genes related to the basic cellular mechanism for growth and survival; II, genes related to the cellular microenvironment; III, genes related to host-cell systemic regulation; and IV, genes of miscellaneous function. The extensive growth-regulatory activity of genes with such highly diversified functions suggests that cancer may be related to multiple levels of cellular and systemic controls. The present assay provides a direct genomewide functional screening method. It offers a better understanding of the basic machinery of oncogenesis, including previously undescribed systemic regulatory mechanisms, and also provides a tool for gene discovery with potential clinical applications.
3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl–CoA synthase intermediate complex observed in “real-time”
Authors: Theisen Michael J. , Misra Ila , Saadat Dana , Campobasso Nino , Miziorko Henry M. , Harrison David H. T.
Published: October 2004

The formation of carbon–carbon bonds via an acyl-enzyme intermediate plays a central role in fatty acid, polyketide, and isoprenoid biosynthesis. Uniquely among condensing enzymes, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl (HMG)–CoA synthase (HMGS) catalyzes the formation of a carbon–carbon bond by activating the methyl group of an acetylated cysteine. This reaction is essential in Gram-positive bacteria, and represents the first committed step in human cholesterol biosynthesis. Reaction kinetics, isotope exchange, and mass spectroscopy suggest surprisingly that HMGS is able to catalyze the “backwards” reaction in solution, where HMG–CoA is cleaved to form acetoacetyl-CoA (AcAc–CoA) and acetate. Here, we trap a complex of acetylated HMGS from
Staphylococcus aureus
and bound acetoacetyl-CoA by cryo-cooling enzyme crystals at three different times during the course of its back-reaction with its physiological product (HMG–CoA). This nonphysiological “backwards” reaction is used to understand the details of the physiological reaction with regards to individual residues involved in catalysis and substrate/product binding. The structures suggest that an active-site glutamic acid (Glu-79) acts as a general base both in the condensation between acetoacetyl-CoA and the acetylated enzyme, and the hydrolytic release of HMG–CoA from the enzyme. The ability to trap this enzyme–intermediate complex may suggest a role for protein dynamics and the interplay between protomers during the normal course of catalysis.
Role of proneuregulin 1 cleavage and human epidermal growth factor receptor activation in hypertonic aquaporin induction
Authors: Herrlich Andreas , Leitch Virginia , King Landon S.
Published: October 2004

Mammalian cells are confronted with changes in extracellular osmolality at various sites, including the aqueous layer above the lung epithelium. Hypertonic shock induces the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and the expression of a defined set of genes, including aquaporins. We investigated upstream components of the response to hypertonicity in lung epithelial cells and found that before extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation and aquaporin synthesis, the membrane-bound prohormone neuregulin 1-β is cleaved and binds to human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3). The signaling is prevented by matrix metalloproteinase inhibition, inhibition of neuregulin 1-β binding to HER3, and inhibition of HER tyrosine kinase activity. Inhibition of HER activation interferes with the hypertonic induction of two different aquaporins in three distinct cell lines of mouse and human origin. We propose that ligand-dependent HER activation constitutes a generalized signaling principle in the mammalian hypertonic stress response relevant to aquaporin expression.
Applications of microporous membranes in sensor technology
Authors: Ball Peter
Published: October 2004

Analyses some of the main ways in which microporous membranes can play a role in the efficient functioning of sensors. These devices are used to detect a property of, or component in, a fluid in contact with the sensor. As used in this article, the term “sensor” is intended to cover the broadest range of optical, optoelectronic or electronic devices used to detect a component of a fluid in contact with the sensor as part of a detection system.
Microvascular perfusion upon exchange transfusion with stored red blood cells in normovolemic anemic conditions
Authors: Tsai Amy G. , Cabrales Pedro , Intaglietta Marcos
Published: October 2004

BACKGROUND:  Transfusions are intended to augment oxygen‐carrying capacity. The ability of fresh and stored red blood cells (RBCs) to maintain microvascular perfusion and oxygen delivery to the tissue has not been directly measured.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS:  Microvascular responses to exchange transfusion with fresh and stored RBCs after acute isovolemic hemodilution with a plasma expander were investigated with the hamster window chamber model. In‐vivo functional capillary density (FCD), blood flow, and high‐resolution oxygen distribution in microvascular networks were measured by noninvasive methods.

RESULTS:  Exchange transfusion with an RBC suspension after a 60 percent isovolemic hemodilution with dextran 70 (6% MW = 70 kDa) resulted in a hematocrit of 18 percent (5.6 ± 0.2 g/dL hemoglobin [Hb]). All other systemic variables were unchanged. Stored RBCs (28 days in citrate‐phosphate‐dextrose‐adenine‐1) resuspended in fresh frozen plasma matched to the Hct and Hb concentration were exchange transfused until 25 percent of the circulating RBCs were stored RBCs. Stored RBCs reduced microvascular flow and FCD by 63 and 54 percent, respectively, of the level achieved when fresh RBCs were exchange transfused. Microvascular oxygen extraction by the stored RBC was 54 percent lower than that of the fresh RBCs. The tissue oxygen levels were 3.5 and 14.4 mmHg for the stored and fresh RBCs, respectively.

CONCLUSION:  Circulation of stored RBCs in a hemodiluted animal resulted in significantly malperfused and underoxygenated microvasculature that was not detectable at the systemic level.
Paired comparison of Gambro Trima Accel versus Baxter Amicus single‐needle plateletpheresis
Authors: Burgstaler Edwin A. , Winters Jeffrey L. , Pineda Alvaro A.
Published: October 2004

BACKGROUND:  Gambro BCT recently introduced the Trima Accel Version 5 (TR) plateletpheresis machine. Platelet (PLT) yields, collection efficiencies (CEs), numbers of white blood cells (WBCs), and processing times of the TR versus the Amicus (Version 2.51) single‐needle (AM) procedures were evaluated by use of a prospective paired comparison.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS:  Target yields of 3.0 × 1011 to 6.8 × 1011 PLTs in up to 100 minutes of processing time were used. To detect a difference of 1.0 × 1011 PLTs with a power of 80 percent, 26 paired comparisons were needed.

RESULTS:  The mean amount of whole blood processed was significantly higher for TR than for AM (3795 vs. 3520 mL). The TR and AM were equivalent in regard to mean preprocedure PLT count (259 × 109 vs. 251 × 109/L), PLT yields (6.7 × 1011 vs. 6.5 × 1011), split rate (65% vs. 65%), processing time (73 vs. 78 min), and collection rate (0.090 × 1011 vs. 0.084 × 1011 PLTs/min). The TR had a significantly lower CE than the AM (76% vs. 86%). All of the products (after splitting) had fewer than 5 × 106 WBCs.

CONCLUSIONS:  The Trima Accel machine processed significantly more whole blood with equivalent PLT yields, processing time, and number of PLTs per minute compared to the Amicus single‐needle procedure, but had a significantly lower CE.
Patterns of age‐ and sex‐specific prevalence of major blood‐borne infections in United States blood donors, 1995 to 2002: American Red Cross blood donor study
Authors: Zou Shimian , Notari IV Edward P. , Stramer Susan L. , Wahab Fawzi , Musavi Fatemeh , Dodd Roger Y. ,   ARCNET Research Group
Published: October 2004

BACKGROUND:  The American Red Cross has been maintaining a research database of all blood donations, including all testing results for infectious disease markers, since 1995. This study analyzes the temporal trends of major blood‐borne infections among blood donors.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS:  Temporal trends for age‐ and sex‐specific prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and syphilis infections in US blood donors were analyzed based on linear trend or time series model or other models as appropriate.

RESULTS:  From 1995 to 2002, significant declines have been observed for infections that used to be at relatively higher levels. Declines in prevalence were slower among first‐time donations than repeat donations. There was an increase in prevalence of anti‐HCV among first‐time male donors of 50 to 59 years of age. Anti‐HIV prevalence appeared to have increased among first‐time male donors of 30 to 39 years of age since 2000.

CONCLUSION:  Different sex and age groups showed various patterns of decline and even signs of increase. The increasing prevalence among some age and sex groups may merit further investigation.
An examination of hospital satisfaction with blood suppliers
Authors: Carden Robert , DelliFraine Jami L.
Published: October 2004

BACKGROUND:  The purpose of this study was to identify factors that predict overall hospital satisfaction with blood suppliers.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS:  The data for this study came from a 2001 satisfaction survey of hospital blood bank managers conducted by the National Blood Data Resource Center. A total of 1325 blood‐utilizing hospitals were included in the final study database. The measurement of hospital satisfaction with its blood supplier encompasses the five composites of the SERVQUAL model. The five composites are 1) tangibles, 2) reliability, 3) responsiveness, 4) assurance, and 5) empathy. Linear regression was performed with overall hospital satisfaction as the dependent variable and the five composites of the SERVQUAL model and control variables as predictors of overall hospital satisfaction with blood suppliers.

RESULTS:  Significant predictors of hospital satisfaction with blood suppliers are satisfaction with medical and clinical support provided by the blood center, satisfaction with the routine delivery schedule, and price (service fee) of red cells.

CONCLUSION:  Prior studies have demonstrated the importance of customer satisfaction to organizations. As organizations, blood centers can benefit from improved satisfaction from their hospital customers. Blood center strategies that focus on improving these three predictors of overall hospital satisfaction with primary blood suppliers will be the most likely to improve and/or maintain hospital customer satisfaction with primary blood suppliers.
Triggers for switching from minipool testing by nucleic acid technology to individual‐donation nucleic acid testing for West Nile virus: Analysis of 2003 data to inform 2004 decision making
Authors: Custer Brian , Tomasulo Peter A. , Murphy Edward L. , Caglioti Sally , Harpool Dennis , McEvoy Patrick , Busch Michael P.
Published: October 2004

BACKGROUND:  Concern about West Nile virus (WNV) transfusion‐transmitted infections missed by minipool (MP) nucleic acid testing (NAT) has prompted consideration of the use of individual‐donation (ID) NAT. Strategies were investigated for the application of limited ID‐NAT capacity in 2004.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS:  Patterns of WNV MP‐NAT‐reactive donations tested by the Blood Systems Laboratory each week for 79 blood centers from June 29 to November 23, 2003 (196 MP‐NAT repeat‐reactive [RR] donations among 801,697 units), were analyzed. ID‐NAT initiation strategies were developed consisting of counts of RR donations and/or weekly RR rates, together with three ID‐NAT discontinuation strategies, and ID testing burden was assessed based on these combined start and stop strategies.

RESULTS:  The effectiveness, reported as the percentage of MP‐RR donations that would trigger ID‐NAT based on each initiation strategy, ranged from 57 to 100 percent. The addition of a 1‐ or 2‐week no‐yield requirement for ID discontinuation substantially increased testing burden. Combined strategies resulted in projected ID‐NAT of between 10 and 50 percent of donations for a 10‐ to 20‐week period. For this organization, the most feasible ID‐NAT initiation strategy was 2 MP‐reactive donations and a weekly rate of 1 in 1000, which had an effectiveness of 81 percent and led to peak weekly ID‐NAT of 20 to 25 percent of donations depending on the discontinuation rule.

CONCLUSION:  This new approach of targeted ID‐NAT based on ongoing monitoring of MP‐NAT yield may prove to be a rational policy for agents like WNV that cause seasonal and regional epidemics.
Primula obconica– is contact allergy on the decline?
Authors: Connolly M. , Mc Cune J. , Dauncey E. , Lovell C. R.
Published: October 2004

Primula obconica, a member of the Primulaceae family, was introduced to Britain from China in 1880. P. obconica cultivars, which are reputed to contain less primin, have been developed over the past number of years in an attempt to reduce the incidence of allergic contact dermatitis. Primin (2‐methoxy‐6‐pentyl‐1,4‐benzoquinone) is the main sensitizer, although other allergens have been postulated. We believe the incidence of primula allergic contact dermatitis has fallen since the introduction of primin‐free P. obconica into the European market and thus the aims of this study were twofold. First, to determine whether the incidence of primula allergic contact dermatitis was truly on the decline and, second, to confirm the presence of primin‐free P. obconica in the UK. We surveyed the incidence of primula allergic contact dermatitis in the UK and compared the incidence in the period between 1995 and 2000 with a subsequent follow‐up study looking at the incidence for 2002. The results showed a significant fall in primin‐positive patch tests from 1995 to 2000. The follow‐up results for 2002 showed a further reduction in the number of primin‐positive patch tests. The yearly incidence of contact allergy to primin has fallen from 0.785% in 1995/1996 to 0.429% in 2002. This downward trend was statistically significant (P = 0.001). A telephone survey of UK seed suppliers and selected plant retailers was also undertaken to clarify what types of P. obconica were available for sale and to assess suppliers' and retailers' knowledge of the primin‐free varieties. This survey showed that 50% of suppliers were selling primin‐free varieties but that the majority of surveyed retailers were not currently selling any variety of P. obconica. Our study suggests that although the yearly incidence of contact allergy to primin has fallen significantly over the past 8 years, it is still an important allergen, and thus its inclusion in the standard series remains justified for the foreseeable future.
Patch testing with metalworking fluids from the patient's workplace
Authors: Geier Johannes , Uter Wolfgang , Lessmann Holger , Frosch Peter J.
Published: October 2004

In view of the wide variety of components currently used in metalworking fluids (MWF), relevant contact sensitizations may be overlooked, because commercially available MWF test series cannot cover the full spectrum. Hence, patch testing with MWF from the patient's workplace is an important additional diagnostic tool. However, recommendations on how to perform such patch tests vary. We retrospectively analyzed patch test data of the Department of Dermatology in Dortmund, 1992–2003. In 141 metalworkers tested because of suspected occupational contact dermatitis due to MWF, 829 patch tests with 306 samples of MWF were performed. Water‐based MWF (wb MWF) were mainly tested in 2 dilution series, i.e. pure (workplace concentration), 10% aq. and 1% aq., and pure, 50% aq. and 10% aq. Positive reactions to wb MWF occurred in 27 patients. Patch testing with wb MWF at workplace concentration resulted in 16.1% (39/242) positive reactions, with a positivity ratio of 69% and a reaction index of 0. From the analysis of reaction patterns and concomitant reactions, we conclude that most of these positive reactions indicated true contact allergy. With lower concentrations, relevant allergic reactions may be missed. Neat oils were tested as is or diluted from 1 to 50% in olive oil, but no reactions at all were observed. For optimum benefit of patch testing with MWF from the patient's workplace, breakdown testing is recommended. To overcome the time‐consuming difficulties associated with this procedure, we propose a centre for information and documentation of contact allergies due to occupational exposure. Furthermore, full declaration of MWF ingredients is desirable.
Compliance in contact allergy with focus on cosmetic labelling: a qualitative research project
Authors: Noiesen Eline , Larsen Kristian , Agner Tove
Published: October 2004

Elimination of the allergen is an effective remedy in allergic contact dermatitis. When contact allergy to a preservative is diagnosed, the patient is instructed to read the labelling of contents and to avoid the use of products containing the allergens. The present study, using qualitative research methods, was performed to examine how socially different groups of patients handle everyday life with allergic contact dermatitis caused by preservatives in consumer products. 8 women were interviewed about reading the ingredient labelling on cosmetic products. Observational studies were carried out as well. The study illustrates that the patients experienced problems when trying to read the labelling of contents. The problems were related to social status and ranged from not being able to read the chemical names of the preservatives to doubting the accuracy of the ingredient labelling. The study indicates that non‐compliance with instructions on reading the ingredient labelling is not only a question of patients' lack of knowledge, but also the result of patients not possessing the resources necessary to act in accordance with the medical instructions. The present study is, to our knowledge, the first to apply qualitative research methods to contact dermatitis. The study points out interesting observations about social status and resources in relation to compliance. Further research on this area is necessary to expose the extent of the problem.
The clinicopathological characteristics of oral lichen planus and its relationship with dental materials
Authors: López‐Jornet P. , Camacho‐Alonso F. , Gomez‐Garcia F. , Bermejo Fenoll A.
Published: October 2004

The objective of this work was to carry out a clinicopathological study to ascertain whether clinical and histopathologic differences existed between oral lichen planus OLP patients with and without metal restorations. The predominant clinical form in both groups was reticular white, with no statisically significant differences between the forms associated or not with metal. The histological variables showed no statistically significant differences between the groups.
Who pays for entering Europe? Sectoral politics and European Union accession
Authors: Sharman J. C.
Published: October 2004

Abstract.  This article analyses the effects of sectoral political lobbies on the Romanian and Bulgarian governments’ efforts to reform their economies for European Union accession. The progress of restructuring and retrenchment is crucially dependent on the coincidence of which groups are adversely affected by accession‐motivated reforms, and which groups are sufficiently mobilised at the domestic level to block international‐level deals. In turn, the political power of the agricultural and industrial sectors is determined by workplace‐level and national‐level variables. At the workplace level, it is easier to organise people in a small number of large firms than a large number of small firms, and to organise employees in public‐owned or insider‐privatised enterprises compared to other types. At the national level, monopolistic sectoral associations whose members have no exit option may be bought off by government side payments to the leadership, while representation that is overly fragmented will be ineffectual.