bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dartos reflex: A sympathetically mediated scrotal reflex
Authors: Yilmaz Ugur , Yang Claire C. , Berger Richard E.
Published: November 2005

The dartos muscle is a sympathetically innervated dermal muscle layer within the scrotum, distinct from the somatically innervated cremasteric muscle. We electrophysiologically demonstrate the presence of a dartos reflex (DR), which can be used to evaluate the thoracolumbar sympathetic and genitofemoral nerve pathways. In 20 healthy men, we evoked the DR by cutaneous stimulation of the thigh and recorded the resultant scrotal skin contraction. We recorded hand, foot, and perineal sympathetic skin responses (SSRs) as controls. The DR was reliable and reproducible, as were the SSRs. The mean left DR latency was 4.8 s (SD, 2.7 s) and right DR latency was 5.4 s (SD, 3 .4), both of which were longer than the mean hand, foot, and perineal SSRs (P < 0.05). An intact reflex arc reflects the integrity of the afferent and efferent branches of the genitofemoral nerve (T12–L2). The DR test can also be used to assess scrotal autonomic innervation. Abnormalities of dartos innervation may impact testis thermoregulation and spermatogenesis. Muscle Nerve, 2006
Alternative routes to teaching: The impacts of Teach for America on student achievement and other outcomes
Authors: Glazerman Steven , Mayer Daniel , Decker Paul
Published: November 2005

This paper reports on a randomized experiment to study the impact of an alternative teacher preparation program, Teach for America (TFA), on student achievement and other outcomes. We found that TFA teachers had a positive impact on math achievement and no impact on reading achievement. The size of the impact on math scores was about 15 percent of a standard deviation, equivalent to about one month of instruction. The general conclusions did not differ substantially for subgroups of teachers, including novice teachers, or for subgroups of students. We found no impacts on other student outcomes such as attendance, promotion, or disciplinary incidents, but TFA teachers were more likely to report problems with student behavior than were their peers. The findings contradict claims that such programs allowing teachers to bypass the traditional route to the classroom harm students. © 2006 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
Did Ontario's Zero Tolerance & Graduated Licensing Law reduce youth drunk driving?
Authors: Carpenter Christopher
Published: November 2005

On April 1, 1994, Ontario, Canada, instituted a new graduated driver license (GDL) system that effectively set the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) threshold at zero for the first few years of a youth's driving eligibility. I use data from the 1983–2001 Ontario Student Drug Use Surveys (OSDUS) to examine whether the Zero Tolerance (ZT) policy reduced self‐reported drinking and alcohol‐involved driving among youth. I find that rates of drunk driving reported by 16‐ to 17‐year‐olds—who faced new, lower legal limits after adoption of the ZT policy—were about 5 percentage points lower after the law was implemented. Visual inspection of the data, however, shows that the estimated reduction is an artifact of a pre‐existing trend: Drunk driving rates in this age group were falling steadily throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s. Estimates that account for this pre‐existing trend or that consider shorter windows around the 1994 implementation date return effects on alcohol‐involved driving that are either small and statistically insignificant or large and implausibly signed (positive). These null findings are robust to using the associated change in outcomes for slightly younger (14–15) or slightly older (19–20) youths as controls in a difference‐in‐differences framework. I similarly find no robust effect on drinking participation. This suggests that Ontario's age‐targeted drunk driving law—despite being harsher than similar policies in the United States—was not responsible for reductions in Canadian youth road fatalities over the past two decades. © 2006 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
A cure for crime: Can mental health treatment diversion reduce crime among youth?
Authors: Evans Cuellar Alison , McReynolds Larkin S. , Wasserman Gail A.
Published: November 2005

Youth crime is a serious social problem, as is the high proportion of young offenders in the juvenile justice system who have mental disorders. A recent policy innovation applies the theory of therapeutic jurisprudence and diverts youth with mental disorders to treatment in lieu of further court processing. The expansion of mental health diversion programs reflects an increasingly popular view that there is a causal relationship between youth mental disorders and crime. Policymakers who share this view place greater emphasis on rehabilitation and treatment as a way to reduce crime, rather than on stricter punishment. This paper considers the policy issues around youth mental health diversion programs. In addition, it evaluates the effect of a mental health diversion program for youth that was implemented in Texas. The paper finds that mental health diversion can be used effectively to delay or prevent youth recidivism. © 2006 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
Thermodynamics of interaction between sodium bis(2‐ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinae and polymers in aqueous solutions by isothermal titration microcalorimetry
Authors: Qiu Xiao‐Mei , Wei Xi‐Lian , Yin Bao‐Lin , Sun De‐Zhi
Published: November 2005

The interactions between sodium bis(2‐ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinae (AOT) and two nonionic water‐soluble polymers, including polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) have been investigated by using isothermal titration microcalorimetry in aqueous solutions at 298.15 K. The results show that the critical aggregation concentration, which corresponding to the first turning point in the curve of experimental interaction heat versus concentration of the surfactant, is lower than the critical micellar concentration (cmc), confirming the existence of polymer‐surfactant interactions. The value of cac is not sensitive to the relative amount of polymer in low concentration range of the polymer. The mono‐layer saturated adsorption concentration, which corresponding to the second turning point, rises as the polymer concentration is increased. The interaction between PVP and AOT is stronger than that between PEG and AOT. The results also indicate that the aggregation of AOT in water and polymers solutions is entropically driven. The observed thermal effects have been interpreted in terms of the interactions of the polymer molecules with AOT monomers or the molecular clusters. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 275–283, 2006
Effects of spacing between the exfoliated clay platelets on the crystallization behavior of polyamide‐6 in polyamide‐6/clay nanocomposites
Authors: Li Yongjin , Shimizu Hiroshi
Published: November 2005

Exfoliated polyamide‐6 (PA6)/organoclay nanocomposite films with planar‐oriented clay platelets were prepared by the simple hot pressing of melt‐extruded nanocomposite pellets. The average distance between the neighboring clay platelets was controlled by changes in the clay loading content in the nanocomposites. The effects of the clay platelet spacing on the crystallization behavior of PA6 were investigated with transmission electron microscopy and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction. The crystal lamellae were found to be mainly perpendicular to the clay surface for the nanocomposites with large spacing between the clay sheets at low clay loading contents. This perpendicular orientation morphology was attributed to the strong interactions between the PA6 molecular chain and the clay surface. In contrast, the crystal lamellae were found to be parallel to the clay surface when the spacing between the neighboring clay platelets was less than 30 nm. It was concluded that the confinement crystallization of PA6 within the nanoscale channels formed by clay sheets resulted in this parallel orientation texture. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 284–290, 2006
Signals, receptors, and cytokines involved in the immunomodulatory and anti‐inflammatory properties of apoptotic cells
Authors: Fürnrohr Barbara G. , Sheriff Ahmed , Munoz Luis , von Briesen Hagen , Urbonaviciute Vilma , Neubert Kirsten , Kalden Joachim R. , Herrmann Martin , Voll Reinhard E.
Published: November 2005

Cell death can occur controlled by apoptosis or rather uncontrolled by necrosis. The decision to initiate an inflammatory response has to be made for dying cells, which arise by hundreds of billions each day. They carry valuable information with respect to the possible influence of pathogens. Apoptosis and the swift phagocytosis of dying cells by macrophages and neighboring tissue cells act together to remove supernumerary, dangerous, or damaged cells. Apoptosis, in contrast to necrosis, normally does not induce inflammation or organ damage. Apoptotic cells maintain their membrane integrity for a relatively long time, thereby preventing the release of tissue damaging contents and proinflammatory mediators. In addition, early recognition and efficient, non‐inflammatory removal of the apoptotic cells essentially contribute to preventing an inflammatory response and organ damage. Furthermore, apoptotic cells can even actively suppress inflammation and modulate immune responses by inhibiting the release of proinflammatory cytokines but augmenting the secretion of anti‐inflammatory and immunomodulatory cytokines from monocytes/macrophages (MoMa) and dendritic cells. The anti‐inflammatory effect of apoptotic cells is mediated by the thrombospondin receptor (CD36) on MoMa and, most likely, other surface receptors, which are not yet molecularly identified. Elevation of intracellular cAMP levels seems to be critically involved in the induction of the anti‐inflammatory state in MoMa.

These findings have important implications for clinical medicine. On the one hand side, exposure to high amounts of apoptotic cells in conditions such as cancer or certain viral infections may result in clinically relevant immunosuppression. On the other hand side, therapeutic induction of apoptosis can ameliorate inflammatory diseases. Furthermore, pathogens can misuse apoptotic cells as ‘Trojan horses’ to silently infect and paralyze macrophages. We point out that several pathogens such as HIV, Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania major mimic apoptotic cells for silent entry and immune escape.

Albeit apoptotic cells exert immunosuppressive effects, the impaired clearance of dead cells causes the release of potential autoantigens and, thereby, fosters autoimmunity. At least in a subgroup of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus impaired phagocytosis of dead cells by macrophages has been observed and may contribute to the etiopathogenesis of this autoimmune disorder.
Two Sides of the Same Coin: Wnt Signaling in Neurodegeneration and Neuro-Oncology
Authors: Caricasole A. , Bakker A. , Copani A. , Nicoletti F. , Gaviraghi G. , Terstappen G. C.
Published: November 2005

Wnts function through the activation of at least three intracellular signal transduction pathways, of which the canonical β-catenin mediated pathway is the best understood. Aberrant canonical Wnt signaling has been involved in both neurodegeneration and cancer. An impairment of Wnt signals appears to be associated with aspects of neurodegenerative pathologies while overactivation of Wnt signaling is a common theme in several types of human tumors. Therefore, although therapeutic approaches aimed at modulating Wnt signaling in neurodegenerative and hyperproliferative diseases might impinge on the same molecular mechanisms, different pharmacological outcomes are required. Here we review recent developments on the understanding of the role of Wnt signaling in Alzheimer's disease and CNS tumors, and identify possible avenues for therapeutic intervention within a complex and multi-faceted signaling pathway.
Sphingolipids: Modulators of HIV-1 Infection and Pathogenesis
Authors: Rawat Satinder S. , Johnson Benitra T. , Puri Anu
Published: November 2005

HIV-1 infects host cells by sequential interactions of its fusion protein (gp120-gp41) with receptors CD4, CXCR4 and/or CCR5 followed by fusion of viral and host membranes. Studies indicate that additional factors such as receptor density and composition of viral and cellular lipids can dramatically modulate the fusion reaction. Lipid rafts, which primarily consist of sphingolipids and cholesterol, have been implicated for infectious route of HIV-1 entry. Plasma membrane Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) have been proposed to support HIV-1 infection in multiple ways: (a) as alternate receptor(s) for CD4-independent entry in neuronal and other cell types, (b) viral transmission, and (c) gp120-gp41-mediated membrane fusion. However, the exact mechanism(s) by which GSLs support fusion is still elusive. This article will focus on the contribution of target membrane sphingolipids and their metabolites in modulating viral entry. We will discuss the current working hypotheses underlying the mechanisms by which these lipids promote and/or block HIV-1 entry. Recent approaches in the design and development of novel glycosyl derivatives, as anti-HIV agents will be summarized.
Cloning and Characterization of an Agglutinin Gene from Arisaema lobatum
Authors: Lin Juan , Zhou Xuanwei , Pang Yongzhen , Gao Han , Fei Jiong , Shen Guo-an , Wang Jin , Li Xinsheng , Sun Xiaofen , Tang Kexuan
Published: November 2005

A novel agglutinin gene was cloned from Arisaema lobatum using SMART RACE-PCR technology. The full-length cDNA of Arisaema lobatum agglutinin (ala) was 1078 bp and contained a 774 bp open reading frame encoding a lectin precursor (proproprotein) of 258 amino acid residues with a 23 aa signal peptide. ALA contained three mannose-binding sites (QXDXNXVXY) with two-conserved domains of 45% identity, ALA-DOM1 and ALA-DOM2. The three-dimensional structure of ALA was very similar to that of GNA (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin). ALA shared varying identities, ranging from 40% to 85%, with mannose-binding lectins from other species of plant families, such as Araceae, Alliaceae, Iridaceae, Lillaceae, Amaryllidaceae and Bromeliaceae. Genomic sequence of ala was also cloned using genomic walker technology, and it was found to contain three putative TATA boxes and eight possible CAAT boxes in the 5′-flanking region. No intron was found within the region of genomic sequence. Southern blot analysis indicated that the ala belonged to a multi-copy gene family. Expression pattern analysis revealed that the ala preferentially expressed in the tissues with the higher expression being found in spadix, bud, leaf, spathe and tuber. The cloning of the ala gene not only provides a basis for further investigation of its structure, expression and regulation mechanism, but also enables us to test its potential role in controlling pests and fungal diseases by transferring the gene into plants in the future.
Relationship between cytokines and tumour markers in patients with chronic heart failure
Authors: Kosar Feridun , Aksoy Yuksel , Ozguntekin Gulacan , Ozerol Ibrahim , Varol Ercan
Published: November 2005

Aims:

Serum levels of some cytokines and tumour markers are elevated in patients with chronic heart failure (HF). We aimed to investigate the relationship between circulating levels of cytokines and tumour markers in patients with HF.

Methods:

We included 35 HF patients and 33 normal controls. HF patients were divided into two groups: mild HF (NYHA class I/II) (n=10) and severe HF (NYHA class III/IV) (n=25). Serum cytokine levels (TNF‐α, IL‐1 ß, IL‐6, and IL‐10) were measured by ELISA and tumour markers (CA 125, CA 19–9, CA 15–3, CEA and AFP) by chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay.

Results:

Serum levels of TNF‐α, IL‐6, and IL‐10 as cytokines, and CA 125 and CA 19–9 as tumour markers were significantly higher in HF patients than in normal controls (p<0.0001 for all). Serum levels of TNF‐α, IL‐6 and IL‐10 and CA 125 in the severe HF patients were significantly higher than in the mild HF patients (p<0.001 for all). Correlation analysis showed that CA 125 was positively related to TNF‐α (r=0.624, p<0.001), IL‐6 (r=0.671, p<0.001), and IL‐10 (r=0.545, p<0.001) in HF.

Conclusion:

These findings show that CA 125 is markedly elevated in patients with HF, and correlates with serum TNF‐α, IL‐6 and IL‐10 levels. Therefore, we speculate that among the tumour markers studied, only CA 125 is closely related to the cytokine system.
Upper Ordovician chitinozoan biostratigraphy from the type Ashgill area (Cautley district) and the Pus Gill section (Dufton district, Cross Fell Inlier), Cumbria, Northern England
Authors: VANDENBROUCKE THIJS R. A. , RICKARDS BARRIE , VERNIERS JACQUES
Published: November 2005

Seventy-five samples from the classic sections through the historical type area of the Ashgill Series in the Cautley district and along Pus Gill in the Cross Fell Inlier have been examined for chitinozoans. The results of this study allowed the recognition of five internationally recognized biozones and the definition of two new Avalonian chitinozoan zones. From bottom upwards, these are: the Fungochitina spinifera, the Tanuchitina bergstroemi?, the Conochitina rugata, the Spinachitina fossensis, the Bursachitina umbilicata sp. n., the Ancyrochitina merga and the Belonechitina postrobusta zones. One new species is described: Bursachitina umbilicata sp. n. This biozonation enables a correlation between the Cautley district and the Baltoscandia and Gondwana palaeocontinents based on chitinozoans. The Baltoscandic chitinozoan zones are, therefore, now better correlated with the British chronostratigraphical scheme, which is still widely used. It is stratigraphically significant that the base of the Ashgill in its type area does not fall within the Tanuchitina bergstroemi Zone, as widely believed before, but in the Fungochitina spinifera Zone. In addition, chitinozoans from the Onnian (Caradoc) section of the Cross Fell Inlier provide a link with the type Caradoc section in Shropshire.
DISAGREEMENT IN SPOUSAL REPORTS OF CURRENT CONTRACEPTIVE USE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Authors: BECKER STAN , HOSSAIN MIAN B. , THOMSON ELIZABETH
Published: November 2005

Contraceptive prevalence is a key variable estimated from Demographic and Health Surveys. But the prevalence estimated from reports of husbands differs widely from that estimated for wives. In this research, using data from six Demographic and Health Surveys of sub-Saharan Africa, reports from spouses in monogamous couples with no other reported sex partners in the recent period are examined. Agreement ranged from 47% to 82%, but among couples in which one or both reported use, the ‘both’ category represented less than half in all nations except Zimbabwe. Husbands generally had higher reports of condoms, periodic abstinence and pills but fewer reports of the IUD, injections and female sterilization. Either discussion of family planning with the spouse and/or higher socioeconomic status was associated with agreement in most of the surveys. Ambiguities in the survey question regarding current use need to be reduced, perhaps with an added probe question for non-permanent methods.
BIOSOCIAL AND NUTRITIONAL EFFECTS ON BODY COMPOSITION IN YOUNG ADULTS FROM WROCŁAW, POLAND
Authors: BERGMAN P. , HAUSER G.
Published: November 2005

This work concerns the questions if and to what extent social variables past and present, and actual sports activity and nutritional and smoking habits, have an influence on body compartment indices, and how this differs between female and male medical students from Wrocław, Poland. Backward stepwise regression was applied to four dependent variables, i.e. Body Mass Index (BMI), %Fat Mass (%FM), Extracellular Water/Intracellular Water Index (100×ECW/ICW) and Body Cell Mass Index (BCMI=BCM/height2), and for eighteen independent variables including nutrition, parents’ social status, smoking and sports activity. Females ate meat less frequently and fruit and vegetables more often, and drank beer less frequently but milk more often than did male students. It seems that there exists some effect on fat accumulation resulting from difference in nutrition between females and males. The results may be interpreted in terms of a parental gender effect on body composition of children associated with different conditions of life and nutrition in childhood and youth for female and male students in Wrocław.
THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Authors: PARKER MELISSA , HARPER IAN
Published: November 2005

The Journal of Biosocial Science regularly publishes papers addressing the social and cultural aspects of disease, sickness and well-being. Most of these papers attempt to understand the prevalence and distribution of disease and sickness within and between populations as well as local responses to biomedical interventions and public health policy more generally. They fall broadly within the remit of human ecology; and they embrace a ‘factorial’ model of disease in which social and cultural factors are deemed to be just one of a number of factors to be considered alongside a range of other factors. These include biological features of the infecting organism; nutritional factors; environmental factors; psychological factors; and genetic factors influencing susceptibility to disease at an individual and population level.
Wittgenstein and the Conditions of Musical Communication
Authors: Ahonen Hanne
Published: November 2005

If Wittgenstein's later account of language is applied to music, what seems to follow is a version of musical formalism. This is to say that the meaning of music is constituted by the rules of a given system of music, and the understanding of music is the ability to follow these rules. I argue that, while this view may seem unattractive at the outset, Wittgenstein actually held this view. Moreover, his later notion of a rule gives us resources to answer some of the traditional criticisms directed against formalism.
A Pascal-type Justification of Faith in a Scientific Age
Authors: Falk Arthur
Published: November 2005

The author argues that faith survives as a rational option, despite science rendering improbable distinctively theological claims about the world and history. After rejecting justifications of faith from natural theology and natural law, he defends a seemingly weaker strategy, a corrected version of Pascal's wager argument. The wager lets one's desires count toward showing one's faith to be rational, and the faith requires that oneÕs desires undergo radical transformation to protect the faith, making the wager argument really quite strong. As Nietzsche insisted, to be an atheist in the face of this challenge, one would have to become superhuman and transform one's values radically in the opposite direction.
Freedom from a Mainly Logical Perspective
Authors: De Jasay Anthony
Published: November 2005

The paper criticises a number of accounts of freedom, including those which analyse freedom in terms of affording individuals ever widening opportunities, those which mistake liberties for rights and those which identify freedoms with duties imposed on others. All these inflated notions of freedom are liable to produce a shrinkage of of freedom in its basic
sense of referring to areas of life in which there are rules preventing
others from interfering with individuals or groups in doing things which are
feasible for them.
Psychotic-like experiences in the general community: the correlates of CIDI psychosis screen items in an Australian sample
Authors: SCOTT JAMES , CHANT DAVID , ANDREWS GAVIN , McGRATH JOHN
Published: November 2005

Background. Apart from individuals with clinical psychosis, community surveys have shown that many otherwise well individuals endorse items designed to identify psychosis. The aim of this study was to characterize the demographic correlates of individuals who endorse psychosis screening items in a large general community sample.

Method. The National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing interviewed 10641 individuals living in private dwellings in Australia. As part of a diagnostic interview (the CIDI), respondents were asked between three and six items originally designed to screen for potential psychosis. We examined the impact of selected demographic variables on endorsement of these items including sex, age, marital status, migrant status, urban/rural status, employment, education, and socio-economic status.

Results. An estimated 11·7% of the Australian population endorsed at least one psychosis-screening item. Significantly higher endorsement was associated with younger age, migrants from non-English-speaking backgrounds, those who had never married or who were divorced/separated or unemployed, those living in urban regions and those from the lowest socio-economic levels.

Conclusions. Many of the correlates of endorsement of psychosis-screen items are also associated with psychosis. Unravelling the factors that contribute to this broader non-clinical phenotype will aid our understanding of psychosis.
A new numerical algorithm for the inverse position analysis of all serial manipulators
Authors: Zhao Yongjie , Huang Tian , Yang Zhiyong
Published: November 2005

A new fast successive approximation algorithm for the solution of the inverse position analysis of a general serial manipulator is presented. With the algorithm, we can search out the inverse solution of the serial manipulator quickly under the desired precision when the position of the three non-collinear end effector points is given. The position analysis of the 7R redundant serial manipulator is illustrated in the literature as an example. The simulation results verify the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. Since the three non-collinear end effector points can be selected at random, the algorithm can be applied to any other type serial manipulator.
Human arm kinematics for robot based rehabilitation
Authors: Mihelj Matjaž
Published: November 2005

The paper considers a technique for computation of the inverse kinematic model of the human arm for robot based rehabilitation that uses measurements of the hand position and orientation and radial acceleration of the upper arm. Analytical analysis and empirical validation of the method are presented. The algorithm enables estimation of human arm angles, which can be used in trajectory planning for rehabilitation robots, evaluation of motion of patients with movement disorders, and generation of virtual reality environments.
VALUE AND UNACCEPTABLE RISK
Authors: ARRHENIUS GUSTAF , RABINOWICZ WLODEK
Published: November 2005

Consider a transitive value ordering of outcomes and lotteries on outcomes, which satisfies substitutivity of equivalents and obeys “continuity for easy cases,” i.e., allows compensating risks of small losses by chances of small improvements. Temkin (2001) has argued that such an ordering must also – rather counter-intuitively – allow chances of small improvements to compensate risks of huge losses. In this paper, we show that Temkin's argument is flawed but that a better proof is possible. However, it is more difficult to determine what conclusions should be drawn from this result. Contrary to what Temkin suggests, substitutivity of equivalents is a notoriously controversial principle. But even in the absence of substitutivity, the counter-intuitive conclusion is derivable from a strengthened version of continuity for easy cases. The best move, therefore, might be to question the latter principle, even in its original simple version: as we argue, continuity for easy cases gives rise to a sorites.
PRIORITY OR SUFFICIENCY …OR BOTH?
Authors: BROWN CAMPBELL
Published: November 2005

Prioritarianism is the view that we ought to give priority to benefiting those who are worse off. Sufficientism, on the other hand, is the view that we ought to give priority to benefiting those who are not sufficiently well off. This paper concerns the relative merits of these two views; in particular, it examines an argument advanced by Roger Crisp to the effect that sufficientism is the superior of the two. My aim is to show that Crisp's argument is unsound. While I concede his objections against the particular prioritarian views that he considers, I propose a different version of prioritarianism that is invulnerable to those objections.
Variational models for moving contact lines and the quasi-static approximation
Authors: GLASNER K. B.
Published: November 2005

This paper proposes the use of a variational framework to model fluid wetting dynamics. The central problem of infinite energy dissipation for a moving contact line is dealt with explicitly rather than by introducing a specific microscopic mechanism which removes it. We analyze this modelling approach in the context of the quasi-steady limit, where contact line motion is slower than bulk relaxation. We find that global effects enter into Tanner-type laws which relate line velocity to apparent contact angle through the role that energy dissipation plays in the bulk of the fluid. A comparison is made to the dynamics of lubrication equations that include attractive and repulsive intermolecular interactions. A Galerkin-type approximation method is introduced which leads to reduced-dimensional dynamical descriptions. Computations are conducted using these low-dimensional approximations, and a substantial connection to lubrication equation dynamics is found.
Depression in old age
Authors: Katona Cornelius LE , Shankar Kuttalingam K
Published: November 2005

Depression in old age is common, disabling and under-treated. This review will examine recent advances in our understanding of its clinical presentation, epidemiology, management and prognosis. The relationship of depression in old age with dementia and with physical illness is also discussed, as are the links between suicide, deliberate self-harm and depression in old age.
MONETARY POLICY RULES UNDER UNCERTAINTY: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE, ADAPTIVE LEARNING, AND ROBUST CONTROL
Authors: ZHANG WENLANG , SEMMLER WILLI
Published: November 2005

We first explore empirical evidence of parameter and shock uncertainties in a state-space model with Markov switching. The evidence indicates that uncertainties in the U.S. economy have been too great to accurately define monetary policy rules. We then explore monetary policy rules under uncertainty with two approaches: the RLS learning algorithm and robust control. The former allows the parameters to be learned for a given model. Yet, as our results of the RLS learning in a framework of optimal control indicate, the state variables do not necessarily converge even in a nonstochastic model. The latter, by permitting uncertainty with respect to model misspecification, allows for a broader framework. Our study on robust control shows that robust optimal monetary policy rules reveal a stronger response to fluctuations in inflation and output than when no uncertainty exists, implying that uncertainty does not necessarily require caution.
INTERGENERATIONAL WELFARE AND TRADE
Authors: CREMERS EMILY T.
Published: November 2005

This paper examines the dynamic effects of international commodity trade by merging two benchmark environments, namely, the static factor endowments model and the neoclassical growth model. Two main questions are asked. First, how does commodity trade affect the capital-accumulation paths of two trade partners? Second, do the welfare effects associated with these dynamics serve to reinforce or mitigate the well-known welfare effects associated with the static factor endowments model? It is demonstrated that trade will eventually, if not immediately, narrow the difference in domestic capital accumulation paths. This narrowing introduces a negative welfare effect that is large enough to worsen overall welfare for the country whose capital accumulation has declined. Thus, although the dynamic effects of trade are large enough to dominate the static effects, they do not reinforce the concept of mutually advantageous trade.
A COMPARISON OF TWO METHODS FOR TESTING THE UTILITY MAXIMIZATION HYPOTHESIS WHEN QUANTITY DATA ARE MEASURED WITH ERROR
Authors: JONES BARRY E. , DE PERETTI PHILIPPE
Published: November 2005

The Generalized Axiom of Revealed Preference (GARP) can be violated because of random measurement errors in the observed quantity data. We study two tests proposed by Varian (1985) and de Peretti (2004), which test GARP within an explicit stochastic framework. Both tests compute adjusted quantity data that are compliant with GARP. We compare and contrast the two tests in theoretical terms and in an empirical application. The empirical application is based on testing a large group of monetary assets for the United States over multiple sample periods spanning 1960–1992. We found that both tests provided reasonable results and were largely consistent with each other.
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROBERT AUMANN
Authors: Hart Sergiu
Published: November 2005

Who is Robert Aumann? Is he an economist or a mathematician? A rational scientist or a deeply religious man? A deep thinker or an easygoing person?

These seemingly disparate qualities can all be found in Aumann; all are essential facets of his personality. A pure mathematician who is a renowned economist, he has been a central figure in developing game theory and establishing its key role in modern economics. He has shaped the field through his fundamental and pioneering work, work that is conceptually profound, and much of it also mathematically deep. He has greatly influenced and inspired many people: his students, collaborators, colleagues, and anyone who has been excited by reading his papers or listening to his talks.

Aumann promotes a unified view of rational behavior, in many different disciplines: chiefly economics, but also political science, biology, computer science, and more. He has broken new ground in many areas, the most notable being perfect competition, repeated games, correlated equilibrium, interactive knowledge and rationality, and coalitions and cooperation.

But Aumann is not just a theoretical scholar, closed in his ivory tower. He is interested in real-life phenomena and issues, to which he applies insights from his research. He is a devoutly religious man; and he is one of the founding fathers—and a central and most active member—of the multidisciplinary Center for the Study of Rationality at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Aumann enjoys skiing, mountain climbing, and cooking—no less than working out a complex economic question or proving a deep theorem. He is a family man, a very warm and gracious person—of an extremely subtle and sharp mind.

This interview catches a few glimpses of Robert Aumann's fascinating world. It was held in Jerusalem on three consecutive days in September 2004. I hope the reader will learn from it and enjoy it as much as we two did.
Remote‐sensing‐based estimates of the fundamental global water cycle: Annual cycle
Authors: Mehta Vikram M. , DeCandis Andrew J. , Mehta Amita V.
Published: November 2005

The average annual cycle of the atmospheric branch of the fundamental global water cycle (FGWC) was studied with remote‐sensing‐based precipitation estimates from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP; blended microwave‐infrared‐rain gauge) Version 2 and the Goddard Profiling algorithm (GPROF; passive microwave) Version 6 data sets and overocean evaporation estimates from the Goddard Satellite Surface Turbulent Fluxes Version 2 (passive microwave) data set from 1988 to 2000. Overland evaporation was estimated from the remote‐sensing‐based precipitation estimates combined with a global evaporation minus precipitation (EmP) data set produced by the Climate Analysis Section of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Results show that 75% to 85% of the total global evaporation and approximately 70% of the total global precipitation occur over the oceans in each season. In the GPCP‐based FGWC estimate, there is a remarkable balance in the interhemispheric import‐export of atmospheric moisture in December‐January‐February and June‐July‐August. The dominant cross‐equatorial atmospheric moisture transports in the atmospheric branch of the FGWC supply a significant amount of moisture to precipitation regions and are from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere in December‐January‐February and the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere in June‐July‐August, with approximately 3 × 106 m3 s−1 net annual transport from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere in the GPCP‐based FGWC estimate. In the GPROF‐based FGWC estimate, there are substantial imbalances in interhemispheric moisture transports that may be attributable to missing data over snow‐ or ice‐covered surfaces, inadequate diurnal sampling, and uncertainties in precipitation estimates especially over land. A quantitative evaluation of these results and comparisons with previous FGWC estimates is not possible without quantitative error estimates on precipitation, evaporation, and EmP estimates. These results show that evaporation, precipitation, and atmospheric moisture transport over the oceans play a very important role in the FGWC and that they should be a significant component in the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment and other national and international research programs on the global water cycle.
Trends in Middle East climate extreme indices from 1950 to 2003
Authors: Zhang Xuebin , Aguilar Enric , Sensoy Serhat , Melkonyan Hamlet , Tagiyeva Umayra , Ahmed Nader , Kutaladze Nato , Rahimzadeh Fatemeh , Taghipour Afsaneh , Hantosh T. H. , Albert Pinhas , Semawi Mohammed , Karam Ali Mohammad , Said Al‐Shabibi Mansoor Halal , Al‐Oulan Zaid , Zatari Taha , Al Dean Khelet Imad , Hamoud Saleh , Sagir Ramazan , Demircan Mesut , Eken Mehmet , Adiguzel Mustafa , Alexander Lisa , Peterson Thomas C. , Wallis Trevor
Published: November 2005

A climate change workshop for the Middle East brought together scientists and data for the region to produce the first area‐wide analysis of climate extremes for the region. This paper reports trends in extreme precipitation and temperature indices that were computed during the workshop and additional indices data that became available after the workshop. Trends in these indices were examined for 1950–2003 at 52 stations covering 15 countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Turkey. Results indicate that there have been statistically significant, spatially coherent trends in temperature indices that are related to temperature increases in the region. Significant, increasing trends have been found in the annual maximum of daily maximum and minimum temperature, the annual minimum of daily maximum and minimum temperature, the number of summer nights, and the number of days where daily temperature has exceeded its 90th percentile. Significant negative trends have been found in the number of days when daily temperature is below its 10th percentile and daily temperature range. Trends in precipitation indices, including the number of days with precipitation, the average precipitation intensity, and maximum daily precipitation events, are weak in general and do not show spatial coherence. The workshop attendees have generously made the indices data available for the international research community.
The Rat Blood—Brain Barrier Transcriptome
Authors: Enerson Bradley E , Drewes Lester R
Published: November 2005

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the cellular interface between the circulating blood and neural environment, and is created by apposed endothelial cells and their intercellular tight junctions. Many aspects of how the BBB functions at the molecular level remain unresolved; therefore, we report for the first time a comprehensive gene expression profile of rat brain microvessels using serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE). We assembled a full and quantitative SAGE catalog containing 101,364 tags, of which 33% of the tags matched known genes, 51% matched expressed sequence tags (ESTs) in the Unigene database, and 16% of the tags were unassigned. The transcriptome catalog contains many new and novel transcripts among known BBB genes. A large compliment of junctional proteins and an extensive assortment of facilitated carrier and ATP-dependent transporters are included. To identify microvessel-enriched transcripts, we compared the microvessel SAGE catalog to cortex and hippocampus SAGE catalogs. This resulted in identification of 864 genes, including several known for their abundant expression at the BBB, such as the transferrin receptor (TrnR). Sorting enriched genes based on function revealed groups that encode transporters (11%), receptors (5%), proteins involved in vesicle trafficking (4%), structural proteins (10%), and components of signal transduction pathways (17%). This genomic repertoire emphasizes the unique cellular phenotype existing within the brain and further implicates the BBB as a mediator between the brain and periphery. These results may provide a useful resource and reference point from which to determine the effects of different physiological, developmental, and disease processes on BBB gene expression.
Entropy- or enthalpy-driven collapse of strongly charged polymer chains in a one-component charged fluid of counterions or coions
Authors: Sumi Tomonari , Suzuki Chiaki , Sekino Hideo
Published: November 2005

We applied a simulation method [T. Sumi and H. Sekino, J. Chem. Phys. 122, 194910 (2005)] to an infinitely dilute polyelectrolyte immersed in one-component charged fluids in order to investigate salt effects on its collapse. In this model system, the degree of freedom of the counterion (or the coion) is considered using a density-functional theory for polymer-solvent admixtures, while the oppositely charged ions are treated as a structureless background having the opposite charge. Results obtained by these simulations show that not only the counterion but also the coion makes the polymer chain collapsed. The effects by the coion are stronger than that by the counterion. Temperature variation of the gyration radius of the polymer chain immersed in the counterion is opposite to that in the coion: while the radius of gyration decreases as the temperature decreases in the case of the counterion, it decreases as the temperature increases in the case of the coion. From these results we conclude that the former is interpreted as an enthalpy-driven collapse caused by the screening effects of the counterion, whereas the latter is interpreted as an entropy-driven one due to the translational entropy of the coion.
Error analysis and efficient sampling in Markovian state models for molecular dynamics
Authors: Singhal Nina , Pande Vijay S.
Published: November 2005

In previous work, we described a Markovian state model (MSM) for analyzing molecular-dynamics trajectories, which involved grouping conformations into states and estimating the transition probabilities between states. In this paper, we analyze the errors in this model caused by finite sampling. We give different methods with various approximations to determine the precision of the reported mean first passage times. These approximations are validated on an 87 state toy Markovian system. In addition, we propose an efficient and practical sampling algorithm that uses these error calculations to build a MSM that has the same precision in mean first passage time values but requires an order of magnitude fewer samples. We also show how these methods can be scaled to large systems using sparse matrix methods.
Polyhedral realizations of crystal bases for quantum algebras of finite types
Authors: Hoshino Ayumu
Published: November 2005

Polyhedral realization of crystal bases is one of the methods for describing the crystal base B(∞) of a quantized enveloping algebra explicitly. This method can be applied to symmetrizable Kac-Moody types. We can also apply this method to the crystal bases B(λ) of integrable highest weight modules and of modified quantum algebras. But, the explicit forms of the polyhedral realizations of crystal bases B(∞) and B(λ) are only given in the case of arbitrary rank 2, of An and of An(1). So, we will give the polyhedral realizations of crystal bases B(∞) and B(λ) for all simple Lie algebras in this paper.
Second OH overtone excitation and statistical dissociation dynamics of peroxynitrous acid
Authors: Konen Ian M. , Li Eunice X. J. , Stephenson Thomas A. , Lester Marsha I.
Published: November 2005

The second OH overtone transition of the trans-perp conformer of peroxynitrous acid (tp-HOONO) is identified using infrared action spectroscopy. HOONO is produced by the recombination of photolytically generated OH and NO2 radicals, and then cooled in a pulsed supersonic expansion. The second overtone transition is assigned to tp-HOONO based on its vibrational frequency (10195.3cm−1) and rotational band contour, which are in accord with theoretical predictions and previous observations of the first overtone transition. The transition dipole moment associated with the overtone transition is rotated considerably from the OH bond axis, as evident from its hybrid band composition, indicating substantial charge redistribution upon OH stretch excitation. The overtone band exhibits homogeneous line broadening that is attributed to intramolecular vibrational redistribution, arising from the coupling of the initially excited OH stretch to other modes that ultimately lead to dissociation. The quantum state distributions of the OH XΠ2 (ν=0) products following first and second OH overtone excitation of tp-HOONO are found to be statistical by comparison with three commonly used statistical models. The product state distributions are principally determined by the tp-HOONO binding energy of 16.2(1)kcalmol−1. Only a small fraction of the OH products are produced in ν=1 following the second overtone excitation, consistent with statistical predictions.
Photoelectron spectroscopy of S1 toluene: I. Photoionization propensities of selected vibrational levels in S1 toluene
Authors: Whiteside Paul T. , King Adrian K. , Reid Katharine L.
Published: November 2005

Laser photoelectron spectra have been obtained following the preparation of eight vibrational states in S1 toluene. For four of the vibrational states (up to ∼550cm−1 excess energy) excitation and ionization with nanosecond laser pulses give rise to photoelectron spectra with well-resolved vibrational peaks. For the other states (>750cm−1 excess energy) the photoelectron spectra show a loss of structure when nanosecond pulses are used, as a result of intramolecular dynamics [see Whiteside et al., J. Chem. Phys. 123, 204317 (2005), following paper]. A number of vibrational peaks in the photoelectron spectra are assigned, and we find that the common series of ion vibrational peaks observed following the ionization of p-fluorotoluene in various S1 vibrational states is not reproduced in toluene.