bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pharmacokinetics of morphine and its metabolites in freshwater rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Authors: NEWBY N. C. , ROBINSON J. W. , VACHON P. , BEAUDRY F. , STEVENS E. D.
Published: February 2008

In this study, we injected morphine sulfate IP into rainbow trout and measured the concentration of morphine and all potential metabolites in plasma using LC‐MS/MS at a series of times after the injection. The pharmacokinetics of morphine were similar to those previously reported for seawater‐acclimated rainbow trout, i.e. they were about one order of magnitude slower than in similarly sized mammals. The only metabolite of morphine present in the plasma was morphine‐3‐β‐d‐glucuronide (M3G); morphine‐6‐β‐d‐glucuronide (M6G) was not detected. M3G gradually increased after the morphine injection, peaked about 2 days later, then gradually decreased. In mammals, M3G plasma levels exceed morphine levels extremely rapidly, i.e. in less than an hour, regardless of dose, route of administration, or species. In trout, it took 2 days for M3G levels to exceed morphine levels. This is the first study of the metabolites of morphine in any ectotherm. We conclude that trout can metabolize morphine, but at a rate much slower than in mammals.
Do Mayoral Elections Work? Evidence from London
Authors: Curtice John , Ben Seyd , Katarina Thomson
Published: February 2008

The introduction of directly elected mayors potentially represents a major reform of the operation of local government in Britain. Drawing upon survey data collected at the time of the first two London mayoral elections, this article considers whether such elections necessarily deliver the advantages claimed for them by their advocates. It addresses three questions: (1) What was the basis of public support for the new institutions; (2) who participated in the London elections, and why; and (3) what accounts for voting behaviour in the London elections? In particular we examine how far the election of a single-person executive helps provide people with a clear choice, encourages citizens to vote on the qualities of individual candidates rather than on their party affiliation, and motivates people to vote on distinctively local issues as opposed to national ones. Our results suggest that while mayoral elections deliver some of the advantages claimed for them, they may be less successful on others. The extent to which directly elected mayors enhance the local electoral process is thus doubtful.
Democracy, Solidarity and Post-Nationalism
Authors: Spinner-Halev Jeff
Published: February 2008

Nearly all democratizing states are also nationalizing, but this connection has not been adequately explained. A few scholars argue that nationality supplies democracy with a pre-political identity, while others maintain that nationality is often developed and manipulated by elites. I argue that national identity is a political identity, sustained by political institutions for political purposes, though this identity may contain some ethnic or abstract principles within it. The solidarity that national identity creates is most needed by democracies when they first emerge. Democratizing states need to build up institutions and create a culture of sacrifice, which they can do by creating a sense of solidarity among citizens. This solidarity is not only in the interests of the elites, but also benefits those in the dominant national group. The solidarity created by national identity is crucial to institution building, but it is also a source of inequality, since those not seen as members will often face discrimination or worse. The unfortunate side of nationalism has led some theorists to argue that liberal democracies need to move toward post-nationalism if they are to reach the promise of equality and individual rights for all. Doing so, however, means separating identity from the state. I doubt this is possible; and I argue that post-nationalism means forgetting about national memories. Yet to honor rightly the past victims of nationalism we must engage in acts of remembrance. We cannot both bear the legacy of the past and easily move toward post-nationalism. I work through these issues partly by way of Habermas who tries, unsuccessfully in my view, to reconcile post-nationalism with the retention of national memory.
Race in the Ontology of International Order
Authors: Jones Branwen Gruffydd
Published: February 2008

The current world order is characterised by profound global inequality, depicted through reference to the developed and developing world. The racialised character of global inequalities in power is rarely acknowledged, however. Explicit racial discourse has been removed from the institutional form of the modern world order, and this apparent transcendence of race is mirrored in the lack of attention to race within mainstream scholarship in International Relations (IR). This is in part because of the empiricist assumptions underlying much IR scholarship, which reflect the non-racialised appearance of the modern world order. While the question of race has been exposed by critical strands of IR scholarship, such critiques have focused largely on discursive dimensions of race. This article argues that critical analysis of global racism and racial oppression must go beyond the limits of discursive critique. It is necessary to grasp the non-discursive dimensions of racial power, in order to explain the reproduction of racial inequality by an international order formally committed to racial equality. This, in turn, requires an expanded theory of social ontology. Critical realism develops a theory of social ontology which provides a basis for differentiating between various dimensions of racial oppression. The critical realist theory of social ontology highlights the significance of the relations structuring societal interaction with nature, which are fundamental in determining distributions of social power within society. A survey of the long global history of colonialism reveals that the relations structuring societal interaction with nature on a global scale have been built upon a basis of racialised dispossession. The article argues that the racialised structures of social power produced through centuries of colonial dispossession remain entrenched, despite the formal transcendence of racism in modern institutions of international order. Thus a realist ontology provides the basis for revealing the endurance of race in the structures of international order.
Critical Mass Theory and Women's Political Representation
Authors: Sarah Childs , Mona Lena Krook
Published: February 2008

In studies of women's legislative behaviour, the concept of critical mass is widely used and, more recently, criticised as a tool for understanding the relationship between the percentage of female legislators and the passage of legislation beneficial to women as a group. In this research note, we revisit classic contributions by Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Drude Dahlerup and outline and discuss their assumptions regarding anticipated connections between numbers and outcomes. We find that later gender and politics scholars have often misconstrued their work, with crucial implications for subsequent research on relations between the descriptive and substantive representation of women. We argue that clarifying the theoretical origins of the critical mass concept is crucial for forging a more coherent and cumulative research agenda on women's political representation.
Bright Children Become Enlightened Adults
Authors: Deary Ian J. , Batty G. David , Gale Catharine R.
Published: February 2008

We examined the prospective association between general intelligence (g) at age 10 and liberal and antitraditional social attitudes at age 30 in a large (N = 7,070), representative sample of the British population born in 1970. Statistical analyses identified a general latent trait underlying attitudes that are antiracist, proworking women, socially liberal, and trusting in the democratic political system. There was a strong association between higher g at age 10 and more liberal and antitraditional attitudes at age 30; this association was mediated partly via educational qualifications, but not at all via occupational social class. Very similar results were obtained for men and women. People in less professional occupations—and whose parents had been in less professional occupations—were less trusting of the democratic political system. This study confirms social attitudes as a major, novel field of adult human activity that is related to childhood intelligence differences.
Implicit Prejudice Toward Injecting Drug Users Predicts Intentions to Change Jobs Among Drug and Alcohol Nurses
Authors: von Hippel William , Brener Loren , von Hippel Courtney
Published: February 2008

The meaning and importance of implicit prejudice is a source of considerable debate. One way to advance this debate is to assess whether implicit prejudice can predict independent variance, beyond that predicted by explicit prejudice, in meaningful and unambiguous behaviors or behavioral intentions. In the current research, drug and alcohol nurses reported their level of stress working with injecting drug users, their job satisfaction, their explicit prejudice toward injecting drug users, and their intentions to leave drug and alcohol nursing. The nurses also completed the Single Category Implicit Association Test, which measured their implicit prejudice toward injecting drug users. Analyses revealed that implicit prejudice was a significant mediator, beyond explicit prejudice and job satisfaction, of the relation between job stress and intention to change jobs.
Cultural Influences on Neural Substrates of Attentional Control
Authors: Hedden Trey , Ketay Sarah , Aron Arthur , Markus Hazel Rose , Gabrieli John D.E.
Published: February 2008

Behavioral research has shown that people from Western cultural contexts perform better on tasks emphasizing independent (absolute) dimensions than on tasks emphasizing interdependent (relative) dimensions, whereas the reverse is true for people from East Asian contexts. We assessed functional magnetic resonance imaging responses during performance of simple visuospatial tasks in which participants made absolute judgments (ignoring visual context) or relative judgments (taking visual context into account). In each group, activation in frontal and parietal brain regions known to be associated with attentional control was greater during culturally non-preferred judgments than during culturally preferred judgments. Also, within each group, activation differences in these regions correlated strongly with scores on questionnaires measuring individual differences in culture-typical identity. Thus, the cultural background of an individual and the degree to which the individual endorses cultural values moderate activation in brain networks engaged during even simple visual and attentional tasks.
Association Between Polymorphisms in the Dopamine Transporter Gene and Depression
Authors: Haeffel Gerald J. , Getchell Marya , Koposov Roman A. , Yrigollen Carolyn M. , De Young Colin G. , Klinteberg Britt af , Oreland Lars , Ruchkin Vladislav V. , Grigorenko Elena L.
Published: February 2008

Previous research has generated examples of how genetic and environmental factors can interact to create risk for psychopathology. Using a gene-by-environment (G X E) interaction design, we tested whether three polymorphisms in the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1, also referred to as SLC6A3, located at 5p15.33) interacted with maternal parenting style to predict first-onset episodes of depression. Participants were male adolescents (N = 176) recruited from a juvenile detention center in northern Russia. As hypothesized, one of the polymorphisms (rs40184) moderated the effect of perceived maternal rejection on the onset of major depressive disorder, as well as on suicidal ideation. Further, this G X E interaction was specific to depression; it did not predict clinically significant anxiety. These results highlight the need for further research investigating the moderating effects of dopaminergic genes on depression.
Mr. Grimace or Ms. Smile
Authors: Santos Andreia , Rondan Cécilie , Rosset Delphine B. , Da Fonseca David , Deruelle Christine
Published: February 2008

This study compared the influence of categorization on perceptual processing in adults with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and normal control participants. Participants were asked to categorize hybrid faces (composed of two overlapped faces of different spatial bandwidths) by gender and emotion. Control participants exhibited a bias for low-pass information during gender categorization and a bias for high-pass information during emotion categorization. By contrast, adults with ASD showed the same low-pass bias in both tasks. This absence of a shift in processing style in the ASD group is discussed in terms of diminished top-down modulation in autism.
Not all that was Solid has Melted into Air (or Liquid): A Critique of Bauman on Individualization and Class in Liquid Modernity
Authors: Atkinson Will
Published: February 2008

Whilst theories of individualization are usually perceived as posing a severe challenge to the oft-disputed concept of class, the recent work of postmodernist-turned-liquid-modernist Zygmunt Bauman in this vein has generally escaped the attention of faithful class analysts keen to defend their object of study. Indeed, in places Bauman has been mobilised to critique the cognate ideas of Ulrich Beck and Anthony Giddens, despite the fact that the intellectual affinity between the three is patent and has been rightly flagged by others. This paper seeks to remedy the treatment of Bauman thus far by tracing his precise views on class as they have developed over his extended career and clarifying his current position on its decline in the face of the sweeping individualization brought by liquid modernity. It then provides a critique of his views by pulling out the contradictions and errors besetting them and, in the process, attempts to render less credible his claim that class is no longer a significant sociological tool.
Social Networks and Student Activism: On the Politicising Effect of Campus Connections
Authors: Crossley Nick
Published: February 2008

In the first part of this paper I present original survey data which suggests that the transition from further to higher education, or more specifically the process of becoming a university student, has a politicising effect upon some students. In particular, university students are more likely that their 6th form counter-parts to have engaged in some of the forms of protest activity associated with social movements. This holds even during periods when levels of social movement mobilisation are low both on and off campus. In the second part of the paper I review several of the key theoretical explanations of student politicisation to be found in the social movements literature. Having criticised these theories and noted that they are challenged by my survey findings, I outline an alternative which focuses upon campus-based social networks. University campuses, I suggest, facilitate the formation of a critical and connected mass of previously politicised actors who then use their further networks to recruit political novices into activism. It is this recruitment activity, which is greatly enhanced by the network structure of campus life, which explains the politicising effect of campus life. Moreover, insofar as new recruits go on to become recruiters this forms part of a self-perpetuating dynamic of politicisation.
‘It's like Saying “Coloured”’: Understanding and Analysing the Urban Working Classes
Authors: Vincent Carol , Ball Stephen J. , Braun Annette
Published: February 2008

This paper draws on data from a qualitative project exploring the engagement of working class families in London with childcare. It is a first attempt to throw some light on our usage of the term ‘working class’, and consider what forms ‘working class-ness’ takes in relation to our respondent families. We discuss some recent sociological literature on the working class(es) in order to understand the emphasises and focuses of other research. We emphasise the heterogeneity of the working class(es), the differences in attitude and experiences based on place, gender, occupational status, education, age and family membership. Then we consider our respondents in relation to their strategies and exercise of agency, their engagement with the labour market, and their embedded-ness in social networks. We conclude that one way of understanding the lives of urban working class families is to consider the extent to which they ‘manage or struggle to cope’, a focus which emphasises process, activity and the differential degrees of agency which the respondents are able to exercise.
Scale and Periodicities of Recorded Music Consumption: Reconciling Bourdieu's Theory of Taste with Facts
Authors: López-Sintas Jordi , Garcia-Alvarez Maria Ercilia , Filimon Nela
Published: February 2008

Recent data show that middle class consumers have an omnivorous pattern of consumption or tastes, contrary to Bourdieu's predictions of a snob pattern of consumption. To explore the implications of Bourdieu's framework for omnivorousness further, we make use of the anthropological view of consumption to analyse Spaniards’ musical tastes and consumption. Results showed a variety of omnivorous patterns of musical consumption associated with upscale consumers: a higher position on the social ladder was linked to more omnivorous tastes and greater use of technologies that free the consumer from fixed periodicities in music consumption. We found that different types (economic, social and cultural) and levels of capital do configure subjects’ structural constraints and hence, their tastes in musical genres and the technological media used to consume them. Consequently, the combination of all three types of capital helps to explain the omnivorous consumption (elitist but inclusive as well) of upscale consumers.
Money, Power and Spending Decisions in Intimate Relationships
Authors: Vogler Carolyn , Lyonette Clare , Wiggins Richard D.
Published: February 2008

Drawing on British data from the 2002 International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) module on ‘Family and Changing Gender Roles’, this paper is an exploratory attempt to assess the extent to which newly emerging ‘individualised’ patterns of money management in intimate relationships, are coming to be associated with shifts towards greater equality between partners, in terms of who has the final say over large expenditure decisions, and the implications this has for overall satisfaction with the relationship and happiness with life in general. Our findings show that while in general, keeping money partly separate was associated with a relatively high level of male control, which was more visible to female respondents than male control in other systems, a minority of (sometimes) higher earning, cohabiting women with partly separate finances, were able to make autonomous decisions about spending, possibly by using their own personal spending money. However, the analysis also indicates that when either men or women made autonomous decisions about spending, both male and female respondents were less satisfied with family life, as well as with life in general, than those who made joint decisions.
The Established, the Outsiders and Scale Strategies: Studying Local Power Conflicts
Authors: Hogenstijn Maarten , van Middelkoop Daniël , Terlouw Kees
Published: February 2008

Established – outsider theory has been a useful tool for explaining the nature and course of local conflicts since its introduction in the 1960s. However, increased mobility and changing lifestyles have led to a change in the role of the local community in people's lives. Established – outsider theory can still be very relevant in explaining the course of local conflicts, if combined with new insights on the relation between space and community and the geographical concept of scale. Then it becomes clear that groups can use a number of scalar strategies in order to win a local conflict. An analysis of local conflicts in the Dutch village of Amerongen shows the related character of these strategies.
Methods for Sitting Posture Evaluation: Static Posture and Applications
Authors: Scena S. , Steindler R.
Published: February 2008

Abstract:  Pressure sores (PS), are frequent in subjects with spinal cord injuries, and to minimize PS these subjects must get used to frequently changing their posture; useful information to this aim may come by testing healthy subjects and studying their kinematic behaviour during long sitting sessions. Two different investigation systems have been developed to this aim in the Department of Mechanics and Aeronautics (DMA) of Rome University ‘‘La Sapienza’’: the two systems, a pressure map sensor arranged on a chair and a potentiometer‐based device to measure trunk rotations at the base of the spine are shown in this paper and their outputs are compared and correlated. The behaviour of ten healthy subjects is then evaluated during a one hour sitting session for preliminary consideration: there is a postural change every 7.7 ± 6.7 minutes in the frontal plane and every 5.7 ± 2.7 minutes in the sagittal plane; pelvis movements can be resumed by Centre of Pressure (COP) displacements and the largest values of these displacements are 5.2 ± 2.4 cm in the frontal plane and 3.0 ± 1.4 cm in the sagittal plane; the largest rotations in the two planes are respectively 8.4 ± 0.7° and 20.7 ± 12.6°. The results of the study are discussed and satisfactorily compared with literature results.
Damage Localisation in a Stiffened Composite Panel
Authors: Chetwynd D. , Mustapha F. , Worden K. , Rongong J. A. , Pierce S. G. , Dulieu‐Barton J. M.
Published: February 2008

Abstract: This work was conducted as part of the Aircraft Reliability Through Intelligent Materials Application (ARTIMA) European Union project. It presents a case study of damage detection in a curved carbon‐fibre reinforced panel with two omega stiffeners which was investigated using ultrasonic Lamb waves. The statistical technique of outlier analysis was used here as a way of pre‐processing experimental data prior to damage classification. Multilayer perceptron neural networks were used here for both classification and regression problems of damage detection. It was then investigated whether using wavelet analysis to perform prior wavelet decompositions of experimental data could facilitate damage classification.
Local Energy Approach to Steel Fatigue
Authors: Chrysochoos A. , Berthel B. , Latourte F. , Pagano S. , Wattrisse B. , Weber B.
Published: February 2008

Abstract:  This paper presents an experimental protocol developed to locally estimate different terms of the energy balance associated with the fatigue of DP600 steel. The method involves two quantitative imaging techniques. First, digital image correlation provides displacement fields and, after derivation, strain and strain‐rate fields. A variational method, associated with an energy functional, is used to simultaneously identify elastic parameter and stress fields. The deformation energy rate distribution can then be determined on the basis of the stress and strain data. Secondly, infrared thermography provides thermal images which are used to separately estimate the thermoelastic source amplitude and mean dissipation per cycle distributions. The image processing uses a local form of the heat diffusion equation and a special set of approximation functions that take the frequency spectra of the sought sources into account.
A Comparison between the Behaviour of Young and Older Subjects During the Functional Reach Test
Authors: Monteleone L. , Pettinelli S. , Steindler R.
Published: February 2008

Abstract:  The importance of the functional reach (FR) test as an indication of the aptitude of subjects to maintain their balance in an upright position is recalled and the results of tests reported in the literature, which have been performed on young and older subjects (healthy or affected by pathologies), are cited. It is highlighted that in such studies, in addition to determining the value of the FR, the displacement of the centre of pressure is also determined. As a result a new series of tests on 40 healthy subjects, 20 young and 20 older subjects is proposed, concentrating on the equipment used, in particular on a sensor to map the pressure instead of a force platform, and on the possibility of performing the tests at different speeds. The results show a notable decline in performance with age, which is largely supported by a Student's t‐test, and also a partial decrease in performance with the speed of the test. Within the two populations, the influence of gender is observed in the better performance of the male subject but considering the difference in height, the different performances linked to this aspect cannot be considered significant. A comparison of our results with those reported in the literature shows good qualitative agreement (but not from a quantitative point of view); so the need of a correct control of the method of performing the test is underlined.
Analysis of Fatigue Damage under Block Loading in a Low Carbon Steel
Authors: Pereira H. F. S. G. , De Jesus A. M. P. , Fernandes A. A. , Ribeiro A. S.
Published: February 2008

Abstract:  The fatigue damage accumulation behaviour of the P355NL1 steel is characterised using block loading fatigue tests. First, the constant amplitude low‐cycle fatigue behaviour of the P355NL1 steel is evaluated through strain‐controlled fatigue tests of smooth specimens. Both fatigue and cyclic elastoplastic behaviours are analysed. Then, block loading is applied to identify the key features of the fatigue damage accumulation phenomena for the P355NL1 steel. The block loading is composed of two distinct low‐cycle constant amplitude strain‐controlled blocks. The first block is applied for a predefined number of loading cycles, being followed by a second block which is applied until failure. The block loading illustrates that fatigue damage evolves nonlinearly with the number of load cycles as a function of the strain amplitude. These observations suggest a nonlinear damage accumulation rule with load sequence effects. The linear Palmgren–Miner's rule used extensively in design is not verified for the P355NL1 steel. Finally, using the generated experimental data, the cyclic elastoplastic behaviour of the P355NL1 steel is modelled using a continuum plasticity model with nonlinear kinematic hardening, available in the commercial finite element code ansys®.
RECONSTRUCTING ANCIENT YEMENI COMMERCIAL ROUTES DURING THE MIDDLE AGES USING STRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION OF TERPENOID RESINS*
Authors: REGERT M. , DEVIÈSE T. , LE HÔ A.‐S. , ROUGEULLE A.
Published: February 2008

Following the discovery of items that look like resins at the medieval site of Sharma (Hadramawt coast, Yemen, c. 11th century ad), chemical investigations were carried out in order to determine their nature and geographic origin. By combining visual observation, infrared spectroscopy, direct inlet electron ionization – mass spectrometry (DI EI–MS) and pyrolysis gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (Py GC–MS) or gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analyses, it was demonstrated that 84% of the samples were harvested from Hymenaea trees growing in Madagascar and East Africa. Contrary to what was thought previously, frankincense, identified with certainty in only two samples, was thus not the main resin exploited at Sharma. These results are of prime importance for reconsidering the trading routes of resins passing through Sharma, a site that was obviously strongly connected with Africa during the Middle Ages.
THE CHARACTERIZATION OF WATERLOGGED ARCHAEOLOGICAL WOOD: THE THREE ROMAN SHIPS FOUND IN NAPLES (ITALY)*
Authors: CAPRETTI C. , MACCHIONI N. , PIZZO B. , GALOTTA G. , GIACHI G. , GIAMPAOLA D.
Published: February 2008

Three apparently well‐preserved shipwrecks dating back to Roman times were brought to light near Piazza Municipio in Naples (Italy), during the excavation for the construction of Line 1 of the subway. The shipwrecks were covered by marine sand and silt, below the water table. In order to establish the nature and the extent of wood degradation and, therefore, determine how best to preserve the shipwrecks, a diagnostic investigation was carried out. The study involved the identification of wood species, chemical characterization of the residue component and physical and micro‐morphological characterization.
Polar Directions of the 90° and 180° Ferroelectric Domains in Tetragonal Barium Titanate Determined by Electron‐Backscatter Diffraction
Authors: Cheng Shun‐Yu , Ho New‐Jin , Lu Hong‐Yang
Published: February 2008

Ferroelectric domains induced in pressureless‐sintered BaTiO3 ceramics by the cubic to tetragonal phase transformation at Curie point TC≈130°C have been analyzed using electron‐backscatter diffraction (EBSD) equipped with the scanning electron microscope. The EBSD technique with built‐in automatic indexing algorithms enabling the differentiation of the {110} family, and the measurement of the twin obliquity has permitted unambiguous assignment of the fourfold c‐axis and twofold a‐axes from Kikuchi patterns obtained from the twin domains. Both the 90° and 180° domains with mutually perpendicular and parallel polar directions thus determined are consistent with those deduced by the traditional techniques whereby the polar directions were resolved morphologically from the configuration of domains, and from differential etching rate along the a‐ and c‐axis of the tetragonal phase. The successful demonstration of domain identification using EBSD has confirmed that the traditional techniques relying on differential etching rate are suitable for the purpose.
ZnO Nanofiber and Nanoparticle Synthesized Through Electrospinning and Their Photocatalytic Activity Under Visible Light
Authors: Liu Haiqing , Yang Jinxia , Liang Jianhe , Huang Yingxing , Tang Chunyi
Published: February 2008

In this paper, we fabricate ZnO nanofibers and nanoparticles through electrospinning precursor solution zinc acetate(ZnAc)/cellulose acetate(CA) in mixed‐solvent N,N‐dimethylformamide/acetone. Depending on the posttreatment of precursor ZnAc/CA composite nanofibers, both ZnO nanofibers and nanoparticles were synthesized after calcination of precursor nanofibers. The morphology and crystal structure of the ZnO nanofiber and nanoparticle were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and X‐ray diffraction. It was found that the mean diameter of the ZnO nanofiber and nanoparticle was ca. 78 and 30 nm, respectively. The photo‐degradation of dye molecules such as Rhodamine B and acid fuchsin catalyzed by the ZnO nanofiber and nanoparticle was evaluated under the irradiation of visible light. Both morphological ZnO species showed strong photocatalytic activity. However, the ZnO nanofiber in the form of nanofibrous mats showed much higher efficiency than the nanoparticle although the latter has a smaller size than the former. The porous structure of ZnO nanofibrous mats is believed to improve the contacting surface areas between the catalyst and the dye molecules, while the aggregation of ZnO nanoparticle in the solution lowers the photocatalytic efficiency.
Estimating Age in Maori, Pacific Island, and European Children from New Zealand
Authors: TeMoananui Raymond , Kieser Jules A. , Herbison G. Peter , Liversidge Helen M.
Published: February 2008

Abstract:  The islands of New Zealand are populated by persons of European, Maori, and Pacific Island extraction. The purpose of this research is to quantify the levels of dental maturation of each of these three populations, in order to obtain data that will be useful in forensic identification and age estimation. The sample consisted of 1383 orthopantomographs (660 males, 723 females) of 477 Maori, 762 European, and 144 Pacific Island children between the ages of 3 and 14 years. Each radiograph was digitized and the stages of mineralization of the seven left mandibular permanent teeth were assessed using the eight stages described by Demirjian. Values for 1, 3, 5, 50, 95, 97, and 99% confidence intervals are listed for each maturity score. Intra‐observer reliability was evaluated using Bland–Altman’s method on data from re‐scoring one out of every 20 radiographs and standard dental maturation curves were constructed for the three populations by means of a quantile regression method. Despite the fact that quantile regression analysis showed that across the age group investigated there were differences between boys and girls, knowledge of the sex does not increase the accuracy of the age estimate, simply because the magnitude of the error of age estimation is greater than the difference between the sexes. Our analysis also shows that population divergence is most marked after the age of 9 years, with a peak difference seen at age 10.
An Investigation into the Spatial Elemental Distribution Within a Pane of Glass by Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Coumbaros John , Denman John , Kirkbride K. Paul , Walker G. Stewart , Skinner William
Published: February 2008

Abstract:  Advances in the technology employed for the manufacture of glass have resulted in a final glass product with little variability in terms of its physical and optical properties. For example, the refractive index of Australian float glass tends to lie between 1.5189 and 1.5194. It has therefore become necessary to complement physical and optical methods for forensic glass comparison with instrumental elemental analyses. In a previous study, time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry has been shown to offer potential for the analysis of glass particles as small as a few tens of microns across. In this study, the three‐dimensional homogeneity of a sheet of float glass is described, and consequences for forensic elemental analysis of glass particles of such size are explored. Variation in Si, Ca, Mg, and Na levels immediately under the nonfloat surface was observed, with the variance accompanied by a decrease in refractive index.
Postmortem Dental Radiography*
Authors: Mincer Harry H. , Chaudhry Jahanzeb , Blankenship Jane A. , Turner Edgar W.
Published: February 2008

Abstract:  Comparison of postmortem and antemortem dental radiographic films or digital images is a common procedure for establishing identity of human remains. This article describes some problems with producing postmortem dental radiographs in a medical examiner setting and gives methods for circumventing these difficulties. Resection of the jaws, when permitted, significantly simplifies the postmortem radiographic technique. When producing an actual postmortem panoramic dental radiograph (orthopantomogram) from a dry skull, stabilization of the specimen for exposure by the moving beam source may be accomplished simply by placing the specimen upside down on an anthropologist’s skull ring. Image “burnout” in the anterior segment, which results from absence of the tissues of the neck, may be avoided by appropriate placement of radiodense objects such as “zippered” plastic bags filled with water or other fluid material, freezer gel packs, or a block of self‐polymerizing acrylic. These methods may increase future postmortem dental radiography efficiency.
Concurrent Detection of Heroin, Fentanyl, and Xylazine in Seven Drug‐related Deaths Reported from the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office
Authors: Wong Stella C. , Curtis John A. , Wingert William E.
Published: February 2008

Abstract:  Recreational drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, are often adulterated with other pharmacological agents to either enhance or diminish the drug effects. Between April 21, 2006 and August 8, 2006, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office detected xylazine (a veterinary sedative) and fentanyl (a synthetic opioid) in specimens taken from seven cases. Initial immunoassay screening was performed on urine and blood for fentanyl, opiate, cocaine, phencyclidine (PCP), and benzodiazepines. All tests reported positive were confirmed by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. All seven xylazine positive cases tested positive for fentanyl and six cases tested positive for 6‐acetylmorphine (a metabolite and definitive marker for heroin). The seventh case was positive for morphine and had a history of heroin abuse. Xylazine was present in urine in all seven cases and blood levels were detected in three cases. The blood concentrations ranged from trace to 130 ng/mL. Fentanyl was present in the blood and urine in each case and blood concentrations ranged from 4.7 to 47 ng/mL. Adulteration of illicit drugs has become an epidemic health concern for drug users. Healthcare professionals need to be aware of this issue, so the patients can be treated in an effective, timely manner.
Single Vesicle Analysis of Endocytic Fission on Microtubules In Vitro
Authors: Murray John W. , Sarkar Souvik , Wolkoff Allan W.
Published: February 2008

Following endocytosis, internalized molecules are found within intracellular vesicles and tubules that move along the cytoskeleton and undergo fission, as demonstrated here using primary cultured rat hepatocytes. Although the use of depolymerizing drugs has shown that the cytoskeleton is not required to segregate endocytic protein, many studies suggest that the cytoskeleton is involved in the segregation of protein in normal cells. To investigate whether cytoskeletal‐based movement results in the segregation of protein, we tracked the contents of vesicles during in vitro microscopy assays. These studies showed that the addition of ATP causes fission of endocytic contents along microtubules, resulting in the segregation of proteins that are targeted for different cellular compartments. The plasma membrane proteins, sodium (Na+) taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (ntcp) and transferrin receptor, segregated from asialoorosomucoid (ASOR), an endocytic ligand that is targeted for degradation. Epidermal growth factor receptor, which is degraded, and the asialoglycoprotein receptor, which remains partially bound to ASOR, segregated less efficiently from ASOR. Vesicles containing ntcp and transferrin receptor had reduced fission in the absence of ASOR, suggesting that fission is regulated to allow proteins to segregate. A single round of fission resulted in 6.5‐fold purification of ntcp from ASOR, and 25% of the resulting vesicles were completely depleted of the endocytic ligand.
Evaluation of success in the reattachment of coronal fractures
Authors: Yilmaz Yucel , Zehir Cigdem , Eyuboglu Ozge , Belduz Nihal
Published: February 2008

Abstract –  The aim of this study was to evaluate clinically and radiographically the restored teeth using reattachment technique of fractured fragment to the remaining tooth. This study was conducted on 11 children (six girls and five boys; age range: 8–13 years). Before the treatment, the teeth were evaluated clinically and radiographically. The broken incisal part was directly reattached to the remaining tooth part with flowable resin composite. Thereafter, with the purpose of obtaining optimal esthetics and function, along the fracture line an external ‘double chamfer’ in the shape of a V was created and then covered with resin composite. During the follow‐up (1–24 months) after the treatment, the teeth were evaluated clinically and/or radiographically with regard to periodontal, pulpal, coronal, color harmony of the fragments, and occlusion. In addition, the restored teeth were assessed in terms of parental–patient ratings of satisfaction. Both clinically and radiographically, no pathology was reported and all the restorations were successful. Moreover, the mean scores of parental–patient satisfaction were reported as ‘satisfied, very‐satisfied.’
Kinetic properties of catecholoxidase activity of tarantula hemocyanin
Authors: Jaenicke Elmar , Decker Heinz
Published: February 2008

Phenoloxidases occur in almost all organisms, being essentially involved in various processes such as the immune response, wound healing, pigmentation and sclerotization in arthropods. Many hemocyanins are also capable of phenoloxidase activity after activation. Notably, in chelicerates, a phenoloxidase has not been identified in the hemolymph, and thus hemocyanin is assumed to be the physiological phenoloxidase in these animals. Although phenoloxidase activity has been shown for hemocyanin from several chelicerate species, a characterization of the enzymatic properties is still lacking. In this article, the enzymatic properties of activated hemocyanin from the tarantula Eurypelma californicum are reported, which was activated by SDS at concentrations above the critical micellar concentration. The activated state of Eurypelma hemocyanin is stable for several hours. Dopamine is a preferred substrate of activated hemocyanin. For dopamine, a KM value of 1.45 ± 0.16 mm and strong substrate inhibition at high substrate concentrations were observed. Typical inhibitors of catecholoxidase, such as l‐mimosine, kojic acid, tyramine, phenylthiourea and azide, also inhibit the phenoloxidase activity of activated hemocyanin. This indicates that the activated hemocyanin behaves as a normal phenoloxidase.
Selective increase of angiotensin(1–7) and its receptor in hearts of spontaneously hypertensive rats subjected to physical training
Authors: Filho Ary Gomes , Ferreira Anderson J. , Santos Sérgio Henrique S. , Neves Sílvia R. S. , Silva Camargos Elizabeth R. , Becker Lenice K. , Belchior Hindiael A. , Dias‐Peixoto Marco Fabricio , Pinheiro Sérgio V. B. , Santos Robson A. S.
Published: February 2008

In the present study we investigated the effects of physical training on plasma and cardiac angiotensin(1–7) [Ang(1–7)] levels. In addition, possible changes in expression of the Ang(1–7) Mas receptor in the heart were also evaluated. Normotensive Wistar rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were subjected to an 8 week period of 5% overload swimming training. Blood pressure was determined by a tail‐cuff system. Heart and left ventricle weights and cardiomyocyte diameter were analysed to evaluate cardiac hypertrophy. Radioimmunoassay was used to measure angiotensin levels. Expression of Mas was determined by semi‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence and Western blotting. Physical training induced cardiac hypertrophy in Wistar rats and SHR. A significant decrease of plasma angiotensin II (Ang II) levels in both strains was also observed. Strikingly, trained SHR, but not trained Wistar rats, showed a twofold increase in left ventricular Ang(1–7) levels. No significant changes were observed in plasma Ang(1–7) and left ventricular Ang II concentrations in either strain. Furthermore, Mas mRNA and protein expression in left ventricle were substantially increased in trained SHR. The physical training protocol used did not change blood pressure in either strain. These results suggest that the beneficial effects induced by swimming training in hypertensive rats might include an augmentation of Ang(1–7) and its receptor in the heart.
Paraventricular nucleus is involved in the central pathway of cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex in rats
Authors: Zhong Ming‐Kui , Duan Yang‐Can , Chen Ai‐Dong , Xu Bo , Gao Xing‐Ya , De Wei , Zhu Guo‐Qing
Published: February 2008

Our previous studies have shown that angiotensin II and reactive oxygen species in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) modulate the cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex (CSAR). The present study was designed to demonstrate more conclusively that the PVN is an important component of the central neurocircuitry of the CSAR. In anaesthetized Sprague–Dawley rats with sinoaortic denervation and cervical vagotomy, renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were continuously recorded. The CSAR was evaluated by the response of the RSNA to epicardial application of bradykinin or capsaicin. Bilateral microinjection of the anaesthetic, lignocaine, into the PVN abolished the CSAR without significant effects on the baseline RSNA and MAP, while l‐glutamate, which excites the neurons in the PVN, enhanced the CSAR and increased the baseline RSNA and MAP. Bilateral electrolytic lesions of the PVN irreversibly abolished the CSAR without significant effects on the baseline RSNA and MAP. Bilateral selective lesions of the neurons in the PVN with kainic acid induced rapid and great increases in both RSNA and MAP which returned to nearly normal levels in 60 min. At the 90th minute after kainic acid, epicardial application of bradykinin or capsaicin failed to induce the CSAR. These results indicate that inhibition or lesion of the PVN abolishes the CSAR, but excitation of the neurons in the PVN enhances the CSAR, suggesting that the PVN is an important component of the central neurocircuitry of the CSAR.
Monitoring of Waterborne Pathogens in Surface Waters in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and the Potential Health Risk Associated with Exposure to
Cryptosporidium
and
Giardia
in These Waters
Authors: Schets F. M. , van Wijnen J. H. , Schijven J. F. , Schoon H. , de Roda Husman A. M.
Published: February 2008

The water in the canals and some recreational lakes in Amsterdam is microbiologically contaminated through the discharge of raw sewage from houseboats, sewage effluent, and dog and bird feces. Exposure to these waters may have negative health effects. During two successive 1-year study periods, the water quality in two canals (2003 to 2004) and five recreational lakes (2004 to 2005) in Amsterdam was tested with regard to the presence of fecal indicators and waterborne pathogens. According to Bathing Water Directive 2006/7/EC, based on
Escherichia coli
and intestinal enterococcus counts, water quality in the canals was poor but was classified as excellent in the recreational lakes.
Campylobacter
,
Salmonella
,
Cryptosporidium
, and
Giardia
were detected in the canals, as was rotavirus, norovirus, and enterovirus RNA. Low numbers of
Cryptosporidium
oocysts and
Giardia
cysts were detected in the recreational lakes, despite compliance with European bathing water legislation. The estimated risk of infection with
Cryptosporidium
and
Giardia
per exposure event ranged from 0.0002 to 0.007% and 0.04 to 0.2%, respectively, for occupational divers professionally exposed to canal water. The estimated risk of infection at exposure to incidental peak concentrations of
Cryptosporidium
and
Giardia
may be up to 0.01% and 1%, respectively, for people who accidentally swallow larger volumes of the canal water than the divers. Low levels of viable waterborne pathogens, such as
Cryptosporidium
and
Giardia
, pose a possible health risk from occupational, accidental, and recreational exposure to surface waters in Amsterdam.