bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The low energy emitting states of the Lhca4 subunit of higher plant photosystem I
Authors: Zucchelli Giuseppe , Morosinotto Tomas , Garlaschi Flavio M. , Bassi Roberto , Jennings Robert C.
Published: March 2005

The selectively red excited emission spectrum, at room temperature, of the in vitro reconstituted Lhca4, has a pronounced non‐equilibrium distribution, leading to enhanced emission from the directly excited low‐energy pigments. Two different emitting forms (or states), with maximal emission at 713 and 735 nm (F713 and F735) and unusual spectral properties, have been identified. Both high‐energy states are populated when selective excitation is into the F735 state and the fluorescence anisotropy spectrum attains the value of 0.3 in the wavelength region where both emission states are present. This indicates that the two states are on the same Lhca4 complex and have transition dipoles with similar orientation.
Inflammatory cerebrospinal fluid analysis in cats: Clinical diagnosis and outcome
Authors: Singh M. , Foster D.J. , Child G. , Lamb W.A.
Published: March 2005

The medical records of 62 cats with clinical signs of central nervous system disease and accompanying inflammatory cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis were examined retrospectively to determine if signalment, clinical signs, CSF analysis and ancillary testing could accurately predict the type of central nervous system disease that was present. An inflammatory CSF was defined as one in which a total nucleated cell count was greater than 5 cells/μl or one in which the total nucleated cell count was normal but the nucleated cell differential count was abnormal. Sex, degree of CSF inflammation, neuroanatomical location and systemic signs provided little contributory information to the final diagnosis. In 63% of the cases a presumptive diagnosis could be made based on a combination of clinical signs, clinicopathological data and ancillary diagnostic tests. CSF analysis alone was useful only in the diagnosis of cats with feline infectious peritonitis, Cryptococcus species infection, lymphoma and trauma. Overall, despite extensive diagnostic evaluation, a specific diagnosis could not be made in 37% of cats. The prognosis for cats with inflammatory CSF was poor with 77% of cats surviving less than 1 year.
Possible association between Indian monsoon rainfall and solar activity
Authors: Bhattacharyya S. , Narasimha R.
Published: March 2005

Over the 120 y period (1871–1990) for which reliable Indian rainfall statistics are available, solar activity parameters exhibit nonstationarity. Taking this fact into account, we present here the results of an analysis of four solar activity indices and seven major Indian monsoon rainfall time series, over two distinct test periods respectively of low and high solar activity, each comprising three complete solar cycles. It is found that the average rainfall is higher in all seven rainfall indices during periods of greater solar activity, at confidence levels varying from 75% to 99%, being 95% or greater in three of them. Using wavelet techniques it is also found that the power in the 8–16 y band during the period of higher solar activity is higher in 6 of the 7 rainfall time series, at confidence levels exceeding 99.99%. These results support existence of connections between Indian rainfall and solar activity.
Left Atrial Flutter Following Pulmonary Vein Antrum Isolation with Radiofrequency Energy: Linear Lesions or Repeat Isolation
Authors: CUMMINGS JENNIFER E. , SCHWEIKERT ROBERT , SALIBA WALID , HAO STEVEN , MARTIN DAVID O. , MARROUCHE NASSIR F. , BURKHARDT J. DAVID , KILICASLAN FETHI , VERMA ATUL , BEHEIRY SALWA , BELDEN WILLIAM , NATALE ANDREA
Published: March 2005

Introduction:

Left atrial flutter (LAFL) is a known complication of pulmonary vein isolation. Treatment of this arrhythmia currently involves both linear lesions as well as re‐isolation. However, it is unknown if re‐isolation alone is sufficient to prevent recurrence. This study reviews the incidence of LAFL following segmental PV antrum isolation (PVAI) in a large patient population and evaluates if re‐isolation alone is sufficient to prevent recurrence.

Methods and Results:

Seven hundred thirty‐seven patients underwent PVAI. Twenty‐three patients (3.1%) developed post‐PVAI LAFL. All patients underwent a second procedure in which only repeat PVAI was done. During the second procedure, all flutter circuits were electroanatomically mapped. All patients were followed at 3, 6, and 12 months. All 23 patients demonstrated recovery in one or more PV. After repeat isolation of the PVs, 61% of patients were arrhythmia free off all antiarrhythmic drugs. A relationship between the presence/absence of pre‐existing left atrial (LA) scar was observed. Of the 11 patients with pre‐existing LA scar, 36% remained arrhythmia free off antiarrhythmic drugs. In contrast, of the 12 patients without pre‐existing LA scar, 83% remained arrhythmia free off antiarrhythmic drugs (P = 0.03).

Conclusion:

Among patients with LAFL following PVAI, re‐isolation alone is sufficient in preventing recurrence in patients without pre‐existing LA scar. Patients with pre‐existing LA scar tend to have recurrence requiring further ablation including linear lesions, and continue to need antiarrhythmic medications.
Photovoltaic effects on Franz–Keldysh oscillations in photoreflectance spectra: Application to determination of surface Fermi level and surface recombination velocity in undoped GaAs∕n-type GaAs epitaxial layer structures
Authors: Takeuchi Hideo , Kamo Yoshitaka , Yamamoto Yoshitsugu , Oku Tomoki , Totsuka Masahiro , Nakayama Masaaki
Published: March 2005

We demonstrate that the surface Fermi level and surface recombination velocity in undoped GaAs∕n-type GaAs (i-GaAs∕n-GaAs) epitaxial layer structures can be simultaneously estimated from Franz–Keldysh oscillations (FKOs) in photoreflectance spectra, taking account of the photovoltaic effects. Initially, we performed computational studies on the surface electric fields in i-GaAs∕n-GaAs structures under the illumination of a probe beam. The surface electric-field strength is sensitive to the surface Fermi level and surface recombination velocity. We have found that these parameters can be evaluated from the dependence of the surface electric-field strength on the probe-beam power density. Next, we estimated experimentally the surface Fermi level and surface recombination velocity in an as-grown i-GaAs∕n-GaAs structure by analyzing the photovoltaic effect on the FKOs. The period of the FKOs increases with a decrease in the probe-beam power density. The surface Fermi level and surface recombination velocity are estimated from the probe-beam power dependence of the surface electric-field strength that is obtained from the analysis of the FKOs. We have also applied the analysis of the photovoltaic effect to the assessment of the GaAs surfaces exposed to the nitridation and the catalytic chemical vapor deposition of SiNx. In addition, we have derived a line-shape function of the FKOs from i-GaAs∕n-GaAs structures, which is applicable even to the FKOs influenced by a probe-beam interference phenomenon in a layered structure.
A new mechanism for the production of highly vibrationally excited OH in the mesosphere: An ab initio study of the reactions of O2(AΣu+3andA′Δu3)+H
Authors: Liu Jianjun , Zhang Peng , Morokuma Keiji , Sharma Ramesh D.
Published: March 2005

In an attempt to explain the observed nightglow emission from OH(v=10) in the mesosphere that has the energy greater than the exothermicity of the H+O3 reaction, potential energy surfaces were calculated for reactions of high lying electronic states of O2(AΣu+3andA′Δu3) with atomic hydrogen H(S2) to produce the ground state products OH(Π2)+O(P3). From collinear two-dimensional scans, several adiabatic and nonadiabatic pathways have been identified. Multiconfigurational single and double excitation configuration interaction calculations show that the adiabatic pathways on a Δ4 potential surface from O2(A′Δ3)+H and a Σ+4 potential surface from O2(AΣu+3)+H are the most favorable, with the zero-point corrected barrier heights of as low as 0.191 and 0.182eV, respectively, and the reactions are fast. The transition states for these pathways are collinear and early, and the reaction coordinate suggests that the potential energy release of ca. 3.8eV (larger than the energy required to excite OH to v=10) is likely to favor high vibrational excitation.
Depth distribution of traps in Au∕n-GaAs Schottky diodes with embedded InAs quantum dots
Authors: Koutsouras D. A. , Hastas N. A. , Tassis D. H. , Dimitriadis C. A. , Frigeri P. , Franchi S. , Gombia E. , Mosca R.
Published: March 2005

Self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) were grown by molecular-beam epitaxy in an n-type GaAs buffer layer, capped with an n-type GaAs layer with a thickness of 0.8 μm. The depth distribution of the QDs-induced traps in the GaAs confining layers is investigated with low-frequency noise measurements by removing a GaAs cap layer and using Au∕n-GaAs Schottky diodes as test devices. In diodes containing QDs grown from a 3-monolayer (ML) InAs coverage, the forward current noise spectra are composed of two components: a 1∕f noise at frequencies below 100 Hz and a generation-recombination (g-r) noise at higher frequencies. The 1∕f noise is due to the interface trap property and the g-r noise to the monoenergetic midgap traps. It is found that the density of the g-r centers increases from the surface of the GaAs cap layer to the region close to the QDs by more than one order of magnitude, whereas their density in the underlying GaAs buffer layer is lower. In diodes containing QDs grown from a 2.4-ML InAs coverage, the noise spectra are composed of two components: a 1∕f noise at frequencies below 100 Hz and a shot noise at higher frequencies. The absence of the g-r noise indicates that the quality of the upper GaAs confining layer remains unchanged in the case of QDs grown from a 2.4-ML InAs coverage.
Ultrapure C60 field-effect transistors and the effects of oxygen exposure
Authors: Tapponnier A. , Biaggio I. , Günter P.
Published: March 2005

We report on electrical measurements of C60-based field-effect transistors (FETs) that were fabricated and characterized in an ultrahigh vacuum, and on how their properties are affected by progressive exposure to impurity gases. The in situ experiments demonstrated that oxygen-free devices have unipolar n-type characteristics with an electron field-effect mobility of up to 0.08cm2∕Vs immediately after fabrication, and up to 0.5cm2∕Vs after an annealing treatment in a high vacuum. Upon oxygen exposure, the effective electron mobility dramatically decreases in a way that depends on the diffusion time of oxygen into the C60 thin film. It is shown that contact with oxygen can lead to C60-FETs with ambipolar characteristics. The real-time measurement of the degradation of the devices subjected to oxygen allows us to derive the diffusion rate for oxygen molecules in C60 thin films, yielding a diffusion constant D=4×10−12cm2∕s.
Air-stable n-type carbon nanotube field-effect transistors with Si3N4 passivation films fabricated by catalytic chemical vapor deposition
Authors: Kaminishi Daisuke , Ozaki Hirokazu , Ohno Yasuhide , Maehashi Kenzo , Inoue Koichi , Matsumoto Kazuhiko , Seri Yasuhiro , Masuda Atsushi , Matsumura Hideki
Published: March 2005

Air-stable n-type carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNTFETs) were fabricated, with Si3N4 passivation films formed by catalytic chemical vapor deposition (Cat-CVD). Electrical measurements reveal that the p-type characteristics of CNTFETs are converted to n-type after fabricating Si3N4 passivation films at 270°C. This indicates that adsorbed oxygen on the CNT sidewalls was removed during the formation process of the Si3N4 passivation films. In addition, the source-drain current of the n-type CNTFETs does not change over time under vacuum, or in air. Consequently, the n-type CNTFETs are completely protected by the Si3N4 passivation film from further effects of ambient gases. Therefore, Cat-CVD is one of the best candidates to fabricate Si3N4 passivation films on CNTFETs.
Electric field switching between blue-green and red cathodoluminescence in poly(4,4′- diphenylene diphenylvinylene) mixed with ZnO:Mg nanoparticles
Authors: Panin G. N. , Kang T. W. , Aleshin A. N. , Baranov A. N. , Oh Y.-J. , Khotina I. A.
Published: March 2005

We report the effect of reversible switching between blue-green and red cathodoluminescence (CL) in poly(4,4′-diphenylene diphenylvinylene) (PDPV), mixed with the 12–60nm size ZnO:Mg nanoparticles by applying an electric field. We found that without electric field the CL emission maximum is in the blue-green region for a PDPV–ZnO:Mg composite deposited on Si–SiO2 substrate with gold electrodes. Application of positive bias suppressed the blue-green emission and shifted the emission maximum to the red region. The mechanism for the formation of the exited states in PDPV–ZnO:Mg structure implies the presence of radiative recombination channels, which can be controlled by an electric field.
Cluster effects in high-order harmonics generated by ultrashort light pulses
Authors: Vozzi C. , Nisoli M. , Caumes J-P. , Sansone G. , Stagira S. , De Silvestri S. , Vecchiocattivi M. , Bassi D. , Pascolini M. , Poletto L. , Villoresi P. , Tondello G.
Published: March 2005

High-order harmonic generation in argon driven by 25-fs-light pulses is investigated from the gaseous to the cluster regime. The harmonic cutoff observed in presence of clusters shows a considerable extension with respect to the gaseous phase. Harmonic spectra are investigated as a function of cluster size, showing the existence of an optimal cluster dimension, which maximizes the harmonic photon yield.
Adaptive evolution in the SRZ chemoreceptor families of
Caenorhabditis elegans
and
Caenorhabditis briggsae
Authors: Thomas James H. , Kelley Joanna L. , Robertson Hugh M. , Ly Kim , Swanson Willie J.
Published: March 2005

We investigated the possibility of positive selection acting on members of the putative seven-pass chemoreceptor superfamily in
Caenorhabditis elegans
, which comprises ≈1,300 genes encoding seven-pass G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Using a maximum-likelihood approach, we conducted statistical tests for evidence of codon sites where the ratio of nonsynonymous substitutions per nonsynonymous site to synonymous substitutions per synonymous site (
d
N
/
d
S
) was >1. Evidence for positive selection was found only for the
srz
family, about which virtually nothing specific is known. We extended the annotation of the
srz
gene family, establishing gene models for 60
srz
genes in
C. elegans
and 28
srz
genes in
Caenorhabditis briggsae
.
d
N
/
d
S
ratios varied dramatically in different regions of the SRZ proteins, peaking in predicted extracellular regions. These regions included 23 sites where evidence of positive selection was highly significant, corresponding remarkably well with regions implicated in ligand binding in other GPCR family members. We interpret these results as indicating that the
srz
family is under positive selection, probably driven by ligand binding.
‘War No Longer Has Any Logic Whatever’: Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Thermonuclear Revolution
Authors: Eardmann Andrew P. N.
Published: March 2005

For Eisenhower, it was nuclear weapons’ destructive potential, not the image of a protracted conventional war, that destroyed the ’logic’ of war. He believed that thermonuclear weapons made any notion of victory incoherent. Meaningful defence could then only be deterrence. Facing this new setting, Eisenhower reassessed the dynamics of international relations and altered his behaviour accordingly. During his first three years as president, he relied on the ’Detroit Deterrent’, the belief that the US industrial capacity would enable it to triumph in any such war of attrition. By 1956, however, the combination of thermonuclear weapons and growing Soviet intercontinental delivery capabilities made Detroit Deterrent obsolete in his mind. By the end of his presidency, therefore, superpower relations had begun to operate according to this new logic, the logic of ’thermonuclear revolution’.
Konrad Adenauer: Defence Diplomat on the Backstage
Authors: Messemer Annette
Published: March 2005

For Konrad Adenauer, post‐war international system centred around two revolutionary developments: the decline of Europe and the rise of the US and the Soviet Union to superpower status. For the survival of the ’European cultural supremacy’, Adenauer believed it was necessary to resist dependency on the US, and protect from a Soviet threat. Considering Germany's policy constraints on nuclear armament and its position as the possible nuclear battlefield in a military conflict between the US and the Soviet Union, Adenauer saw the solution in Western European unification as the only way to make West Germany an equal member of the post‐war international order.
CITIZENSHIP AS IDENTITY, CITIZENSHIP AS SHARED FATE, AND THE FUNCTIONS OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION
Authors: Williams Melissa S.
Published: March 2005

This is the second of the four essays in Part II of the book on liberalism and traditionalist education; all four are by authors who would like to find ways for the liberal state to honour the self-definitions of traditional cultures and to find ways of avoiding a confrontation with differences. Melissa Williams examines citizenship as identity in relation to the project of nation-building, the shifting boundaries of citizenship in relation to globalization, citizenship as shared fate, and the role of multicultural education within the view of citizenship-as-shared-fate. She argues the other side of the same coin to that presented by Shelley Burtt in the previous chapter: according to Williams, the liberal state often demands too much in the way of loyalty from traditional groups, and when it does, it runs a strong risk of becoming oppressive and illiberal. Moreover, she holds that there is no need for a single shared identity among citizens of the liberal state. Her conception of people tied together by a shared fate is to this extent compatible with Burtt’s attempt to make liberalism’s commitment to autonomy more hospitable to groups of individuals encumbered by unchosen attachments, but her notion of citizenship as shared fate also goes further than that, and possibly stands in some tension with, Burtt’s view, since it allows and even encourages people to develop primary affiliation to all kind of groups – traditional as well as global.
CIVIC FRIENDSHIP AND DEMOCRATIC EDUCATION
Authors: Blacker David
Published: March 2005

This is the third of the four essays in Part II of the book on liberalism and traditionalist education; all four are by authors who would like to find ways for the liberal state to honour the self-definitions of traditional cultures and to find ways of avoiding a confrontation with differences. David Blacker’s essay on civic friendship and democratic education develops a Rawlsian conception of civic friendship, the scaffolding of which is necessarily provided by the wide range of comprehensive conceptions of the good that characterize democratic societies. Thus, Blacker argues, a democratic civic education ‘allows citizens to embrace democracy on their own terms, drawing support for democracy’s requisite political conceptions from the perspectives of citizens’ many different secular and/or religious comprehensive doctrines’. For Blacker, a conception of civic friendship that is friendly to citizens’ multiple comprehensive doctrines also entails a substantial lowering of the ‘wall of separation’ between church and state so that courts might be more willing than they currently are to allow the use of state funds to support religious groups, in particular where these groups perform functions within public (common) schools that converge with public interests. The essay concludes by proposing and defending two American educational policy initiatives that are consistent with Blacker’s politically liberal ideal of civic friendship – the revival of a ‘school stamps’ plan first proposed in the 1970s, and a modified version of a ‘clergy in the schools’ programme recently struck down by a federal circuit court in Texas.
MULTINATIONAL CIVIC EDUCATION
Authors: McDonough Kevin
Published: March 2005

The essays in Part III of the book, on liberal constraints and traditionalist education, argue for a more regulatory conception of liberal education and emphasize the need for some controls over cultural and religious educational authority. Kevin McDonough’s essay, on multinational civic education, develops a conception of this that allows for both federal and minority national groups to reinforce conditional civic attachments. This ‘conditionalist’ view of civic education is necessary in multinational federal societies, he argues, because appeals to one set of national attachments may exacerbate rather than alleviate particular injustices in particular circumstances. For example, McDonough argues that when aboriginal women and children are the victims of injustice at the hands of tribal institutions and leaders, they must be able to appeal to their fellow non-aboriginal citizens and federal institutions for assistance, although this is not possible unless citizens – aboriginal and otherwise – have come to regard attachments to the minority nation as conditional rather than absolute. Similarly, citizens whose primary identification is to the federal society must be able to recognize that some of their fellow citizens legitimately have a minority nation as the object of their primary loyalty – otherwise, efforts to support federal intervention in minority national affairs will be vulnerable to forces of cultural insensitivity and arrogance, rather than of liberal justice.
Chapter 1 WORK AND TEXT
Authors: Currie Gregory
Published: March 2005

Rejects the idea that a literary work is identical with its text. Argues that distinct works can have the same text. Considers, and rejects, various ways an advocate of work/text identity could deny this claim and explain away the intuitions that support it.
Chapter 3 GENRE
Authors: Currie Gregory
Published: March 2005

Outlines a theory of genres: of what they are, what they do, and what they explain. The central notion is that of a genre‐for‐a‐community, which depends on psychological facts concerning tendencies of expectation in the audience. The minimal conditions for a genre to be instantiated are weak; Outlines some stronger conditions which allow us to focus on self‐conscious genre‐based effects. Suggests that genre, even thus strengthened, has only a very weak explanatory role. Gives accounts of genre identity across time, and of genre change.
3Reliability
Authors: Bovens Luc , Hartmann Stephan
Published: March 2005

Introduces different interpretations of witness reliability into the models and constructs Bayesian-Network representations. Applies the models to Condorcet-style jury voting and Tversky and Kahneman’s Linda puzzle.
The potential of mifepristone (RU‐486) as an emergency contraceptive drug
Authors: Sarkar N. N.
Published: March 2005

The potential of mifepristone to be an emergency contraceptive is reviewed. Mifepristone prevents 92–100% of pregnancies with an acceptable side‐effect profile on oral intake of a 10–600‐mg dose within 72 h of unprotected intercourse. A single dose of 10 mg mifepristone resulted in a pregnancy rate of 1.5%, similar to a 1.5‐mg single dose or two doses of 0.75 mg levonorgestrel 12 h apart, administered within 120 h (current standard) of unprotected sexual intercourse. Mifepristone and levonorgestrel do not differ in efficacy as emergency contraceptives. The mode of action of emergency contraception (EC) with mifepristone or levonorgestrel is primarily associated with inhibition of ovulation rather than prevention of implantation. Different doses of mifepristone appear to have similar effects. However, delay in the onset of subsequent menstruation caused by mifepristone is dose dependent and is reduced with a lower dose without affecting its efficacy. Patient acceptability of mifepristone as EC is high. However, the optimum standard dose of mifepristone is yet to be established for its application as an effective and acceptable emergency contraceptive drug for ordinary clinical use or practice.
Duplex ultrasound screening for deep vein thrombosis in Chinese after cesarean section
Authors: Chan L. Y.‐S. , Lam K. Y. M. , Metreweli C. , Lau T. K.
Published: March 2005

Background.  To evaluate the incidence of asymptomatic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in Chinese after cesarean section (CS).

Methods.  This is a prospective observational study. Ethnic Chinese women who were asymptomatic for DVT and delivered by CS were included. Duplex ultrasound scan (US) of the lower limbs was carried out 3–7 days after CS.

Results.  From July 2000 to March 2001, a total of 93 women were examined. The mean age was 32.1 years (SD 5.0). Forty‐nine of 93 CSs were elective (52.7%). The median time from CS to US was 4 days (interquartile range, 4–5 days). No case of DVT was found in these 93 women.

Conclusion.  The incidence of asymptomatic DVT is low in Chinese women after CS. Routine screening for DVT after CS is not warranted.
Changes in bone density and metabolism in pregnancy
Authors: Wisser Josef , Florio Ivrea , Neff Maurus , König Volker , Huch Renate , Huch Albert , Von Mandach Ursula
Published: March 2005

Objective.  The impact of pregnancy on maternal bone density remains unclear. As a prerequisite to investigate the pathophysiology of gestational bone metabolism, we sought to document the changes in bone metabolism biochemistry in conjunction with those in selective trabecular/cortical osteodensitometry between early and late pregnancy.

Methods.  A prospective, controlled study in a university hospital was conducted with 43 healthy women, 34 of them during uneventful pregnancy. The main outcome measures are trabecular and cortical bone density measured in the first and third trimesters using peripheral quantitative computed tomography in conjunction with a panel of bone metabolism parameters, including blood parathyroid hormone, calcitonin, osteocalcin, skeletal alkaline phosphatase, and the urinary desoxypyridinoline/creatinine ratio.

Results.  Cortical bone density was unaffected by pregnancy. Trabecular bone density changes showed wide interindividual variation, ranging from +1.3 to −20.7% per year, identified as fast losers (less than −3%) and slow losers (more than −3%). Serum osteocalcin levels were lower in slow versus fast bone losers in both trimesters (first: P = 0.02, third: P = 0.02) and were the only independent parameter to differentiate between fast and slow losers.

Conclusions.  Our data suggest that wide interindividual variation and the failure to provide a separate measure of trabecular bone density account for the conflicting evidence in earlier reports. Serum osteocalcin concentration during the first trimester distinguishes between fast and slow losers of trabecular bone and should be evaluated in future studies as predictor for later bone loss (osteoporosis).
The Analysis of the Borders of the Social World: A Challenge for Sociological Theory
Authors: LINDEMANN GESA
Published: March 2005

ABSTRACT:In order to delimit the realm of social phenomena, sociologists refer implicitly or explicitly to a distinction between living human beings and other entities, that is, sociologists equate the social world with the world of living humans. This consensus has been questioned by only a few authors, such as Luckmann, and some scholars of science studies. According to these approaches, it would be ethnocentric to treat as self‐evident the premise that only living human beings can be social actors. The methodological consequence of such critique is a radical deanthropologization of sociological research. It must be considered an open question whether or not only living human can be social actors. The paper starts with a discussion of the methodological problems posed by such an analysis of the borders of the social world, and presents the results of an empirical analysis of these borders in the fields of intensive care and neurological rehabilitation. Within these fields it must be determined whether a body is a living human body or a symbol using human body. The analysis of these elementary border phenomena challenges basic sociological concepts. The relevant contemporary sociological theories refer to a dyadic constellation as the systematic starting point of their concept of sociality. The complex relationship between at least two entities is understood as the basis of the development of a novel order that functions as a mediating structure between the involved parties. Based upon empirical data, I argue that it is necessary to change this foundational assumption. Not the dyad but the triad must be understood as the foundational constellation. This implies a new understanding of the third actor, which is distinct from the concepts developed by Simmel and Berger and Luckmann.
Preparation and Properties of Porous Aluminum Nitride–Silicon Carbide Composite Ceramics
Authors: Hagen Eirik , Grande Tor , Einarsrud Mari‐Ann
Published: March 2005

Microporous two‐phase AlN–SiC composites were prepared using Al4C3 and either Si (N2 atmosphere) or Si3N4 (Ar atmosphere) as precursors. The reaction mechanisms of the two synthesis routes and the effect of processing conditions on reaction rate and the material microstructures were demonstrated. The exothermic reaction between Si and Al4C3 under N2 atmosphere was shown to be a simple processing route for the preparation of porous two‐phase AlN–SiC materials. The homogeneous two‐phase AlN–SiC composites had a grain size in the range of 1–5 μm, and the porosity varied in the range of 36%–45%. The bending strength was 50–60 MPa, in accordance with the high porosity.
Preparation of Micrometer‐ to Sub‐micrometer‐Sized Nanostructured Silica Particles Using High‐Energy Ball Milling
Authors: Hampsey J. Eric , De Castro Claudio L. , McCaughey Byron , Wang Donghai , Mitchell Brian S. , Lu Yunfeng
Published: March 2005

Nanostructured porous silica particles with sizes in the micrometer to sub‐micrometer range are of great interest due to their potential applications as catalyst supports and nanocomposite materials. However, if these particles are to be used in industry, a process must be developed to affordably produce them on a large scale. This paper reports on a high‐energy ball‐milling process that has been used to create micrometer‐ to sub‐micrometer‐sized mesoporous silica particles starting from a silica xerogel prepared by a surfactant self‐assembly sol–gel process. We have studied various milling conditions such as milling media (zirconia, stainless steel, or steel‐centered nylon balls), milling time, and the presence of surfactants during milling and the resulting effect on particle size and pore structure. Results from transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, light scattering, and nitrogen adsorption demonstrate the feasibility of producing large quantities of nanostructured particles by this simple milling process.
Oxygen Stoichiometry in Sr2FeMoO6, the Determination of Fe and Mo Valence States, and the Chemical Phase Diagram of SrO‐Fe3O4‐MoO3
Authors: Rager J. , Zipperle M. , Sharma A. , MacManus‐Driscoll J. L.
Published: March 2005

Phase diagram studies of the system SrO‐Fe3O4‐MoO3 were undertaken in Ar/1% H2 at 1200°C with particular emphasis on the region near Sr2FeMoO6 (SFMO). We find that Sr2FeMoO6 is not a point compound but is part of the Sr2+zFe2−xMoxOy solid solution region. The oxygen stoichiometry, y, in Sr2Fe2−xMoxOy was also determined across the solid solution region. Using the experimental data and by invoking a substitution model based on preferential substitution of similar ionic radii for Mo ions on the Fe ion sites, it was possible, for the first time, to calculate the individual Fe and Mo valence states in the substituted samples. In Ar/1% H2 at 1200°C, Fe2+/Fe3+ and Mo5+/Mo6+ are present in Sr2Fe2−xMoxOy. With increasing Mo substitution, the amount of Fe3+ decreases. In the ideal Sr2FeMoO6 composition, we predict the amounts of Fe2+, Fe3+, Mo5+, and Mo6+ to be equal. In Ar/1% H2 at 1200°C, there is a predominance of Mo5+ in Sr2FeMoOy because the oxygen stoichiometry, y, in SFMO has a value of only 5.8. Hence such processing conditions are too reducing. The work predicts the processing conditions for optimizing film and bulk properties, as well as explaining why there is a wide variability of reported sample properties in the literature. To optimize the magnetoresistive properties of Sr2FeMoO6, it is critical (a) to carefully select the correct annealing atmosphere to obtain oxygen stoichiometric Sr2FeMoO6 and (b) to control cation composition; otherwise nonstoichiometric Sr2Fe2−xMoxOy will form instead of Sr2FeMoO6.
Effect of Preparation Temperature on the Lattice Parameter of Nickel Aluminate Spinel
Authors: Han Yong Sheng , Li Jian Bao , Ning Xiao Shan , Chi Bo
Published: March 2005

Nickel aluminate spinels were prepared by solid‐state reaction. Their lattice parameters (a0) changed with preparation temperature, which was explained by cation distribution, vacancies formation, and cation entrance. When the preparation temperature increased from 1100° to 1200°C, a0 decreased with temperature as the result of the uptake of Al2O3. After 1200°C, a0 increased to temperature, which was attributed to some Ni2+ exchange with tetrahedral sites and some vacancies occupancy by Ni2+ and Al3+.
Monodispersed Spherical Particles of Brookite‐Type TiO2: Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Property
Authors: Li Ji‐Guang , Tang Chengchun , Li Di , Haneda Hajime , Ishigaki Takamasa
Published: March 2005

Phase‐pure brookite of high crystallinity, which was classically obtained via hydrothermal treatment, has been synthesized under ambient pressure at 70°C via reacting a mixed solution of urea and titanium (III) chloride (instead of the widely used titanium (IV) compounds). The resultant particles are monodispersed spheres (∼154 nm) composed of brookite nanocrystals (∼25 nm), which are stable in terms of phase purity and morphology up to ∼500°C, above which a direct transition to rutile occurred. The as‐made powder has a high specific surface area of ∼41.2 m2/g, which rapidly decreased to ∼9.7 m2/g after transforming to rutile at 700°C. The brookite powder shows good catalytic property for the decomposition of acetaldehyde under UV radiation.
Low‐Temperature Crystallization of Sol‐Gel Processed Pb0.5Ba0.5TiO3: Powders and Oriented Thin Films
Authors: Pillai Suresh C. , Boland Stacey W. , Haile Sossina M.
Published: March 2005

A novel sol‐gel process suitable for depositing thin‐film lead barium titanate has been developed. X‐ray diffraction analysis showed perovskite phase crystallization to occur at a temperature as low as 400°C with single‐phase Pb0.5Ba0.5TiO3 (PBT) resulting at a temperature as low as 500°C. Small concentrations of barium carbonate were evident by X‐ray diffraction at 400°C, and indications of minor, carbonate‐containing phases were evident by FTIR at 600°C. Deposition of the sol by spin coating on single‐crystal and thin‐film MgO on silicon resulted in highly oriented PBT films after calcination at 600°C. Mixed (100)/(001) films were obtained on single‐crystal MgO, whereas entirely (100) films were obtained on thin‐film MgO.
Effect of Sintering Additive Composition on the Processing and Thermal Conductivity of Sintered Reaction‐Bonded Si3N4
Authors: Zhu Xinwen , Zhou You , Hirao Kiyoshi
Published: March 2005

Two compositions of the Y2O3–MgO (YM) and Yb2O3–MgO (YbM) systems were chosen to study the effect of the sintering additive composition on the processing and thermal conductivity of sintered reaction‐bonded silicon nitride (SRBSN). The nitridation, postdensification, microstructural evolution, and thermal conductivity of SRBSN were found to depend strongly on the sintering additive composition. The RBSN materials with YbM exhibited a poor sinterability, whereas those with YM exhibited an excellent sinterability. However, the SRBSN materials with YbM showed a higher thermal conductivity than those with YM. This was associated primarily with the isolated distribution and lower amount of secondary phase and the higher percentage of large grains in the former materials.
Preparation of Textured Bismuth Titanate Ceramics Using Spark Plasma Sintering
Authors: Junjie Hao , Xiaohui Wang , Renzheng Chen , Zhilun Gui , Longtu Li
Published: March 2005

Textured bismuth titanate ceramics were successfully produced using spark plasma sintering and platelike bismuth titanate particles prepared using a molten‐salt method. The microstructure and dielectric properties of the samples were investigated. The results showed that the dielectric property of the textured bismuth titanate ceramics was anisotropic in various directions and that spark plasma sintering was an effective sintering technology to obtain textured, dense bismuth titanate ceramics at a low temperature.
Danish parents’ experiences when their new born or critically ill small child is transferred to the PICU – a qualitative study
Authors: Hall Elisabeth OC
Published: March 2005

The aim of this study was to describe Danish parents' experiences when their newborn or small child was critically ill. Thirteen parents were interviewed. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The child's transfer to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) meant either help or death for the parents. The back transfer was experienced as joy and despair. The parents had confidence in most nurses, and they were kind, helpful, informative and capable. Less capable and distressed nurses made the parents feel uncomfortable and insecure. Parents need help and support during their child's transfer to and from the PICU. Critical care nurses have to discuss the policy of family‐centred care.
Inhibitory oligodeoxynucleotides − therapeutic promise for systemic autoimmune diseases?
Authors: Lenert P
Published: March 2005

Recent studies have shed new light on a possible link between the innate activation of plasmocytoid dendritic cells and marginal zone B cells and the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus. Animal studies have identified that this response requires the Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9). Engagement of the TLR9 by various ligands, including non-canonical CpG-motifs, can cause or aggravate pathogenic autoantibody production and cytokine secretion in lupus. Attempts to neutralize this activity either by blocking the acidification of the endosomal compartment with chloroquine and related compounds, or by preventing the interaction between the CpG-DNA sequences and TLR9 using inhibitory oligonucleotides could be a promising therapeutic option for lupus.
Anti-lysobisphosphatidic acid antibodies in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Alessandri C , Bombardieri M , Di Prospero L , Conigliaro P , Conti F , Labbadia G , Misasi R , Sorice M , Valesini G
Published: March 2005

Lyso(bis)phosphatidic acid (LBPA) is a novel antigenic target in anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS) and antibodies directed against LBPA (aLBPA) have been detected in sera from APS patients. In this study we first evaluated aLBPA in comparison with the most widely used methods (i.e. anticardiolipin [(aCL)-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)] and antibeta-2-glycoprotein-I antibodies (aβ2-GPI-ELISA) utilized to detect antiphospholipid antibodies in patients with primary or secondary APS, systemic lupus erythematosus, chronic HCV infection and healthy subjects. We then assessed the relationship between aLBPA, lupus anticoagulant (LAC) and the main clinical manifestations of APS. Finally, we evaluated the presence of ‘pure’ (i.e. β2-GPI-independent) aLBPA in patients with APS and controls. The results indicate that aLBPA as well as aβ2-GPI display higher specificity but lower sensitivity for APS compared to aCL. Moreover, serum aLBPA correlate closely with aCL and aβ2-GPI in APS patients and are strictly associated with LAC positivity. We demonstrate that β2-GPI binds to LBPA with affinity similar to CL, and antibodies able to react with phosholipid-protein complex exist; however, ‘pure’ aLBPA can also be detected in sera of APS patients. Altogether these data confirm that LBPA may be an antigenic target in APS and that aLBPA are serological markers of APS with similar sensitivity and specificity compared to aβ2-GPI. However, the clinical utility of aLBPA detection alone or in combination with aCL and/or aβ2-GPI remains to be elucidated in larger and longitudinal studies.
Abnormalities of CD4+ T cell subpopulations in ANCA-associated vasculitis
Authors: Marinaki S , Neumann I , Kälsch A-I , Grimminger P , Breedijk A , Birck R , Schmitt W , Waldherr R , Yard B A , Van Der Woude F J
Published: March 2005

In patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), CD25 expression is increased on circulating T cells. Although in animal experiments the role of CD4+ CD25+ T-regulatory-cells (Treg) in protection against autoimmunity is well established, the role of these cells in AAV is unknown. To investigate the hypothesis that an increased expression of CD25 on T cells is related to persistent T cell activation and not to disturbances in Treg cells in AAV (34 patients, six of them after renal transplantation), we investigated CD25 expression in different subpopulations of CD4+ cells and FOXP3 mRNA expression by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In addition, T cell proliferation and cytokine secretion after stimulation with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 and intracellular cytokine production after stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-ionomycin was determined. Controls were non-vasculitic renal transplant patients (n = 9) and healthy controls (HC) (n = 13). In AAV the total number of lymphocytes, CD4+ lymphocytes and the percentage of naive T cells are lower than in HC and RTX. An increased percentage of CD25+ cells was found in AAV and AAV/RTX, irrespective of disease activity, but not in HC or RTX. This was confined to the naive (CD4+ CD45RBhigh) population only. FOXP3 mRNA expression in CD4+ T cells did not differ between AAV patients and healthy controls. In vitro T cell proliferation was enhanced in AAV patients compared to HC (P < 0·01). PBMC of AAV patients produced significantly less interleukin (IL)-10 and interferon (IFN)-γ after anti-CD3/CD28 stimulation. The percentage of IL-10 and IL-12, but not IFN-γ, IL-4 or tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α-producing cells was significantly higher in patients compared to HC. These findings were confined to the memory population of CD4+ cells. We conclude that AAV patients are lymphopenic and have low numbers of CD4+ T cells, which seem to be in a persistent state of activation.
Relationship of granulocyte colony stimulating factor with other acute phase reactants in man
Authors: Noursadeghi M , Pepys M B , Gallimore R , Cohen J
Published: March 2005

The non-specific acute phase response in mice is associated with increased resistance to bacterial infection, which is critically mediated by granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), but the behaviour of G-CSF in the human acute phase response is not known. Cardiothoracic surgery is a powerful acute phase stimulus and we show here that this procedure caused increased production of G-CSF, in addition to increases in the circulating concentrations of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 and the acute phase plasma proteins C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A protein (SAA). Values of G-CSF correlated positively with IL-6 concentrations and circulating neutrophil counts, but not with CRP values. These results confirm that G-CSF is a physiological component of the acute phase response in humans that shares some of the same regulatory controls as IL-6, but its downstream effects are on neutrophils, not hepatic acute phase protein synthesis. Our observations are compatible with a protective role against bacterial infection for G-CSF in the human acute phase response, and support investigation of the prophylactic use of G-CSF in at-risk patients.
Assessment of CD8+ T cell immune activation markers to monitor response to antiretroviral therapy among HIV-1 infected patients in Côte d’Ivoire
Authors: Ondoa P , Koblavi-Dème S , Borget M-Y , Nolan M L , Nkengasong J N , Kestens L
Published: March 2005

Because of the paucity of plasma HIV RNA viral load (VL) tests in resource-poor settings, the CD4+ T cell count is often used as the sole laboratory marker to evaluate the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in HIV-infected patients. In untreated patients, the level of activated T cells is positively correlated with VL and represents a prognostic marker of HIV infection. However, little is known about its value to predict early drug failure, taking into account the relatively high non-specific immune activation background observed in many resource-limited tropical countries. We assessed the use of immune activation markers (expression of CD38 and/or human leucocyte antigen-DR on CD8+ lymphocytes) to predict virological response to ART in a cohort of HIV-1 infected patients in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Correlations between VL, absolute CD4+ T cell counts and immune activation levels were examined in 111 HIV patient samples at baseline and after 6 and 12 months of therapy. The percentage of CD38+ CD8+ T cells appeared to be the best correlate of VL. In contrast, changes in CD4+ T cell counts provided a poor correlate of virological response to ART. Unfortunately, CD38+ CD8+ percentages lacked specificity for the determination of early virological drug failure and did not appear to be reliable surrogates of RNA viral load. CD38+ CD8+ T cell percentages may, rather, provide a sensitive estimate of the overall immune recovery, and be a useful extra laboratory parameter to CD4 counts that would contribute to improve the clinical management of HIV-infected people when VL testing facilities are lacking.
Evidence for involvement of peptidoglycan in the triggering of an oxidative burst byListeria monocytogenesin phagocytes
Authors: Remer K A , Reimer T , Brcic M , Jungi T W
Published: March 2005

We have shown previously that in listeric encephalitis of cattle and rats, nitrotyrosine was produced in microabscesses, implying that both superoxide anion (O2–) and nitric oxide (NO) are present and react with each other. Evidence of local synthesis of NO by macrophages was provided, but the source of O2– remained unknown. Here we have examined whether phagocytes exposed to viable and heat-killed Listeria monocytogenes (LMΔ) produce O2– and, if so, whether this results from direct interaction of phagocytes with the bacterial surface of L. monocytogenes or whether prior opsonization is required. Using lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence (LCL) for the measurement of O2–, we show that LMΔ induces an oxidative burst in human neutrophils, monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages (Mφ). Viability is not required, and opsonization by antibodies and/or complement does not enhance the LCL signal. As Toll-like receptors (TLR) were shown recently to mediate an oxidative burst, TLR agonists representative for pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) were tested for their ability to elicit an oxidative burst. These included lipoteichoic acid (LTA), bacterial peptidoglycan (PGN), recombinant flagellin, CpG-containing DNA and double-stranded RNA. Only PGN and flagellin consistently elicited an LCL signal resembling that induced by LMΔ with regard to the kinetics and cell spectrum stimulated. However, flagellin was unlikely to be responsible for the LMΔ-mediated burst, as a flagellin-deficient mutant showed no decrease in LCL. We therefore assume that in LMΔ, core PGN acts as a PAMP and directly induces an oxidative burst in all phagocyte populations. We conclude that in cerebral lesions superoxide anion is generated locally by phagocytes recognizing bacterial PGN.