bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mass transfer and fluid flow during detachment faulting and development of an oceanic core complex, Atlantis Massif (MAR 30°N)
Authors: Boschi Chiara , Früh‐Green Gretchen L. , Delacour Adélie , Karson Jeffrey A. , Kelley Deborah S.
Published: January 2006

The Atlantis Massif (Mid‐Atlantic Ridge, 30°N) is an example of an oceanic core complex (OCC) exposed by a major fault system. Our integrated field and analytical study of mafic and ultramafic rocks exposed on the south wall of the massif demonstrates the complex interplay of fluids, mass transfer, and metamorphism in strain localization associated with the evolution of a major detachment shear zone and development of this OCC. Extensive talc‐amphibole‐chlorite metasomatism as well as heterogeneous, crystal‐plastic to cataclastic deformation characterize a strongly foliated, 100‐m‐thick zone of detachment faulting. The metasomatic fault rocks are key elements of this OCC and record a deformation and metamorphic history that is distinct from the underlying basement rocks. Talc‐rich fault rocks preserve textural and geochemical characteristics of their ultramafic protoliths. Although primary textures and mineral parageneses are commonly obliterated in rocks dominated by amphibole, bulk rock data point to a mafic protolith. Major and trace elements indicate a complex mutual interaction between gabbroic and ultramafic rocks during metasomatism, which together with microstructures suggest localized circulation of oxidizing, Si‐Al‐Ca‐rich fluids and mass transfer in high strain deformation zones. This type of flow was distinct from the more pervasive circulation that led to strongly serpentinized domains in the south wall. In contrast, cataclastic microfracturing is associated with a dominantly static metasomatism in less deformed domains, suggesting that a significant amount of metasomatism was controlled by diffuse flow and mass transfer associated with fractures that lack a strong preferred orientation. Distinct differences in lithologies, metamorphic overprinting, and degree of deformation between the south wall and central dome of the Atlantis Massif demonstrate the complex lateral and vertical heterogeneity in composition, alteration, and structure of this OCC.
Depth of the 660‐km discontinuity near the Mariana slab from an array of ocean bottom seismographs
Authors: Tibi Rigobert , Wiens Douglas A. , Shiobara Hajime , Sugioka Hiroko , Shore Patrick J.
Published: January 2006

High frequency records of deep Mariana earthquakes from a dense array of ocean bottom seismographs deployed in the Mariana arc and back‐arc regions are stacked and searched for the phases P660p and S660p to constrain the depth of the 660‐km discontinuity near the Mariana slab. Results of the high‐resolution study suggest that around 18°N the 660‐km discontinuity lies at about 710–730 km (±14 km) depth within or in the vicinity of the slab core. In the region seismicity ceases at ∼620 km depth. This implies that, although tomographic images show the Mariana slab penetrating into the lower mantle, deep seismicity in the region terminates ∼100 km above the base of the transition zone. These findings and similar observations in Tonga argue that factors other than the phase transition at the base of the upper mantle may control the maximum down‐dip extent of the deep seismogenic region in the slab.
Strong daytime production of OH from HNO2 at a rural mountain site
Authors: Acker Karin , Möller Detlev , Wieprecht Wolfgang , Meixner Franz X. , Bohn Birger , Gilge Stefan , Plass‐Dülmer Christian , Berresheim Harald
Published: January 2006

Nitrous acid and OH were measured concurrently with a number of other atmospheric components and relevant photolysis frequencies during two campaigns at the Meteorological Observatory Hohenpeissenberg (980 m a.s.l.) in summer 2002 and 2004. On most of the 26 measurement days the HNO2 concentration surprisingly showed a broad maximum around noon (on average 100 pptv) and much lower concentrations during the night (∼30 pptv). The results indicate a strong unknown daytime source of HNO2 with a production rate on the order of 2–4 × 106 cm−3s−1. The data demonstrate an important contribution of HNO2 to local HOx levels over the entire day, comparable with the photolysis of O3 and HCHO. On average during the 2004 campaign, 42% of integrated photolytic HOx formation is attributable to HNO2 photolysis.
Monthly spherical harmonic gravity field solutions determined from GRACE inter‐satellite range‐rate data alone
Authors: Luthcke S. B. , Rowlands D. D. , Lemoine F. G. , Klosko S. M. , Chinn D. , McCarthy J. J.
Published: January 2006

New monthly estimates of the Earth's gravity field determined solely from GRACE inter‐satellite range‐rate measurements using an improved method of accelerometer calibration and the use of a baseline state parameterization are presented in this paper. Our methodology exploits the inherent power of the inter‐satellite range‐rate data at the expense of the GPS data, which are used solely for establishing an accurate orbital reference and for calibrating accelerometers. Resulting gravity solutions show significantly less error than previously published GRACE solutions, especially for spherical harmonic terms of degree 2 and terms of order 15,16.
Suction mechanism for iron entrainment into the lower mantle
Authors: Kanda Ravi V. S. , Stevenson David J.
Published: January 2006

Perturbations in the Earth's rotation rate at decadal time periods strongly favor the existence of dissipative coupling at the Core–Mantle Boundary (CMB). Here, we explored the plausibility of maintaining a conducting layer on the mantle‐side of the CMB, which can couple the outer core and mantle through Lorentz torques. We propose a suction mechanism that maintains a porous medium on the mantle side of the CMB, with the interconnected pore‐space partly or entirely filled with liquid iron up to a thickness of ∼1 km. The suction arises from the deviatoric stresses supported by the mantle‐solid in regions of mantle downwelling. Infiltration of liquid iron occurs by percolation, but is inhibited by the rate of viscous dilation of the solid mantle. Our model enables core‐mantle material exchange, and maintains a thin conducting layer that has seismic detection potential. Our model is only marginally satisfactory in explaining the inferred CMB coupling.
Interaction potentials and spectroscopy of Hg+∙Rg and Cd+∙Rg and transport coefficients for Hg+ and Cd+ in Rg (RgHeRn)
Authors: Qing Enming , Viehland Larry A. , Lee Edmond P. F. , Wright Timothy G.
Published: January 2006

High-level ab initio calculations have been performed on the Hg+∙Rg and Cd+∙Rg species, where RgHeRn. Potential-energy curves have been calculated over a wide range of internuclear separation, sampling the repulsive, equilibrium, and long-range regions. From these curves, rovibrational and spectroscopic constants were derived and compared to those available from previous studies. In addition, transport coefficients were calculated and compared to the available experimental data for the cases of Hg+ in He, Ne, and Ar. There are two interesting features relating to the mobility results. One is the development of a “mobility minimum” for Hg+ in the heavier rare gases—with weaker minima being found for Cd+; a “rule of thumb” is presented for determining when mobility minima might appear. The second is that excellent agreement is found for the direct calculation of mobilities for Hg+ in Ne22, and those obtained by scaling the Ne20 mobilities. The latter result allows us to conclude that the mobilities of the various combinations of isotopes can be calculated from the results herein via a mass scaling.
Theoretical calculations of CH4 and H2 associative desorption from Ni(111): Could subsurface hydrogen play an important role?
Authors: Henkelman Graeme , Arnaldsson Andri , Jónsson Hannes
Published: January 2006

The results of theoretical calculations of associative desorption of CH4 and H2 from the Ni(111) surface are presented. Both minimum-energy paths and classical dynamics trajectories were generated using density-functional theory to estimate the energy and atomic forces. In particular, the recombination of a subsurface H atom with adsorbed CH3 (methyl) or H at the surface was studied. The calculations do not show any evidence for enhanced CH4 formation as the H atom emerges from the subsurface site. In fact, there is no minimum-energy path for such a concerted process on the energy surface. Dynamical trajectories started at the transition state for the H-atom hop from subsurface to surface site also did not lead to direct formation of a methane molecule but rather led to the formation of a thermally excited H atom and CH3 group bound to the surface. The formation (as well as rupture) of the H–H and C–H bonds only occurs on the exposed side of a surface Ni atom. The transition states are quite similar for the two molecules, except that in the case of the C–H bond, the underlying Ni atom rises out of the surface plane by 0.25 Å. Classical dynamics trajectories started at the transition state for desorption of CH4 show that 15% of the barrier energy, 0.8 eV, is taken up by Ni atom vibrations, while about 60% goes into translation and 20% into vibration of a desorbing CH4 molecule. The most important vibrational modes, accounting for 90% of the vibrational energy, are the four high-frequency CH4 stretches. By time reversibility of the classical trajectories, this means that translational energy is most effective for dissociative adsorption at low-energy characteristic of thermal excitations but energy in stretching modes is also important. Quantum-mechanical tunneling in CH4 dissociative adsorption and associative desorption is estimated to be important below 200 K and is, therefore, not expected to play an important role under typical conditions. An unexpected mechanism for the rotation of the adsorbed methyl group was discovered and illustrated a strong three-center C–H–Ni contribution to the methyl-surface bonding.
Morphology of germanium nanowires grown in presence of B2H6
Authors: Tutuc E. , Guha S. , Chu J. O.
Published: January 2006

We study the Au-catalyzed chemical vapor growth of germanium (Ge) nanowires in the presence of di-borane (B2H6), serving as doping precursor. Our experiments reveal that, while undoped Ge nanowires can be grown epitaxially on Si(111) substrates with very long wire lengths, the B2H6 exposure renders the Ge nanowires significantly tapered. As we describe here, this peculiar morphology stems from the combination of the acicular, one-dimensional nanowire growth and a dramatically enhanced, B-induced conformal Ge deposition. The combination of acicular and conformal Ge growth mechanisms results in cone-shaped Ge nanostructures.
Threshold voltage as a measure of molecular level shift in organic thin-film transistors
Authors: Tal Oren , Rosenwaks Yossi , Roichman Yohai , Preezant Yevgeni , Tessler Nir , Chan Calvin K. , Kahn Antoine
Published: January 2006

The potential across an organic thin-film transistor is measured by Kelvin probe force microscopy and is used to determine directly the pinch-off voltage at different gate voltages. These measurements lead to the determination of a generalized threshold voltage, which corresponds to molecular level shift as a function of the gate voltage. A comparison between measured and calculated threshold voltage reveals a deviation from a simple Gaussian distribution of the transport density of states available for holes.
High density and program-erasable metal-insulator-silicon capacitor with a dielectric structure of SiO2∕HfO2–Al2O3nanolaminate∕Al2O3
Authors: Ding Shi-Jin , Zhang Min , Chen Wei , Zhang David Wei , Wang Li-Kang , Wang X. P. , Zhu Chunxiang , Li Ming-Fu
Published: January 2006

We demonstrate a program-erasable metal-insulator-silicon capacitor with a dielectric structure of SiO2∕HfO2–Al2O3 nanolaminate (HAN)∕Al2O3. The memory capacitor exhibits a high capacitance density of 4.5fF∕μm2, a large memory window of 1.45 V in the case of +12Vprogram∕−12Verase for 5 ms, nearly symmetrical positive and negative flatband voltages under the program/erase operations with the same magnitudes of voltage and time, and no erase saturation. This is attributed to the fact that the introduction of atomic-layer-deposited high-dielectric-constant HAN∕Al2O3 layers increases the electric field across the tunnel oxide and reduces that across the blocking layer, hence, preventing effectively Fowler-Nordheim tunneling current through the blocking layer. Additionally, we find that the HAN is a promising charge storage layer with sufficient trapping centers for electrons and holes.
Traveling-wave photomixer with recessed interdigitated contacts on low-temperature-grown GaAs
Authors: Mikulics M. , Michael E. A. , Schieder R. , Stutzki J. , Güsten R. , Marso M. , van der Hart A. , Bochem H. P. , Lüth H. , Kordoš P.
Published: January 2006

We have fabricated and characterized novel traveling-wave photomixers with recessed interdigitated metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) contacts based on low-temperature-grown GaAs. The new recessed MSM geometry led to an improved electric-field distribution inside the photomixer structure and resulted in an up-to-100% increase in the output power of continuously operated devices, compared to conventional MSM devices with standard surface electrodes fabricated on an identical material. The recessed electrode structure also resulted in lower saturation of output power at higher input powers, enabling it to take advantage of higher input powers.
Incorporating gene functions as priors in model-based clustering of microarray gene expression data
Authors: Pan Wei
Published: January 2006

Motivation: Cluster analysis of gene expression profiles has been widely applied to clustering genes for gene function discovery. Many approaches have been proposed. The rationale is that the genes with the same biological function or involved in the same biological process are more likely to co-express, hence they are more likely to form a cluster with similar gene expression patterns. However, most existing methods, including model-based clustering, ignore known gene functions in clustering.

Results: To take advantage of accumulating gene functional annotations, we propose incorporating known gene functions as prior probabilities in model-based clustering. In contrast to a global mixture model applicable to all the genes in the standard model-based clustering, we use a stratified mixture model: one stratum corresponds to the genes of unknown function while each of the other ones corresponding to the genes sharing the same biological function or pathway; the genes from the same stratum are assumed to have the same prior probability of coming from a cluster while those from different strata are allowed to have different prior probabilities of coming from the same cluster. We derive a simple EM algorithm that can be used to fit the stratified model. A simulation study and an application to gene function prediction demonstrate the advantage of our proposal over the standard method.

Contact:  weip@biostat.umn.edu
CSS-Palm: palmitoylation site prediction with a clustering and scoring strategy (CSS)
Authors: Zhou Fengfeng , Xue Yu , Yao Xuebiao , Xu Ying
Published: January 2006

Summary: Palmitoylation is an important post-translational lipid modification of proteins. Unlike prenylation and myristoylation, palmitoylation is a reversible covalent modification, allowing for dynamic regulation of multiple complex cellular systems. However, in vivo or in vitro identification of palmitoylation sites is usually time-consuming and labor-intensive. So in silico predictions could help to narrow down the possible palmitoylation sites, which can be used to guide further experimental design. Previous studies suggested that there is no unique canonical motif for palmitoylation sites, so we hypothesize that the bona fide pattern might be compromised by heterogeneity of multiple structural determinants with different features. Based on this hypothesis, we partition the known palmitoylation sites into three clusters and score the similarity between the query peptide and the training ones based on BLOSUM62 matrix. We have implemented a computer program for palmitoylation site prediction, Clustering and Scoring Strategy for Palmitoylation Sites Prediction (CSS-Palm) system, and found that the program's prediction performance is encouraging with highly positive Jack-Knife validation results (sensitivity 82.16% and specificity 83.17% for cut-off score 2.6). Our analyses indicate that CSS-Palm could provide a powerful and effective tool to studies of palmitoylation sites.

Availability: CSS-Palm is implemented in PHP/PERL+MySQL and can be freely accessed at

Contact:  yaoxb@ustc.edu.cn; xuyn@bmb.uga.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bionformatics online.
VISSA: a program to visualize structural features from structure sequence alignment
Authors: Li Weizhong , Godzik Adam
Published: January 2006

Motivation: Multiple sequence alignment is an important tool to understand and analyze functions of homologous proteins. However, the logic of residue conservation/variation is usually apparent only in three-dimensional (3D) space, not on a primary sequence level. Thus, in a traditional multiple alignment it is often difficult to directly visualize and analyze key residues because they are masked by other residues along the alignment. Here we present an integrated multiple alignment and 3D structure visualization program that can (1) map and highlight residues from a 1D alignment onto a 3D structure and vice versa and (2) display only the alignment of preselected, key residues. This program, called Visualize Structure Sequence Alignment, also has many other built-in tools that can help analyze multiple sequence alignments.

Availability:  

Contact:  liwz@burnham.org
Versatility of pneumococcal surface proteins
Authors: Bergmann Simone , Hammerschmidt Sven
Published: January 2006

Surface-exposed proteins are key players during the infectious process of pathogenic bacteria. The cell surface of the Gram-positive human pathogenStreptococcus pneumoniaeis decorated not only by typical Gram-positive surface proteins, but also by a family of proteins that recognizes the phosphorylcholine of the lipoteichoic and teichoic acids, namely the choline-binding proteins, and by non-classical surface proteins that lack a leader peptide and membrane-anchor motif. A comprehensive understanding of how microbial proteins subvert host immunity or host protein functions is a prerequisite for the development of novel therapeutic strategies to combat pneumococcal infections. This article reviews recent progress in the investigation of the versatility and sophistication of the virulence functions of surface-exposed pneumococcal proteins.
Structure of N
6-furfurylaminopurine (kinetin) dihydrogenphosphate
Authors: Ślósarek G. , Kozak M. , Gierszewski J. , Pietraszko A.
Published: January 2006

The crystal structure of kinetin dihydrogenphosphate has been determined at 115 and 293 K. Kinetin dihydrogenphosphate undergoes a polymorphic phase transition at 291.1 K. In both phases the crystal belongs to the triclinic system with the symmetry described by the space group P\bar 1. In the low-temperature phase, the unit cell is doubled along the a axis. There is a dynamic equilibrium between different tautomeric forms of the adenine residue, determined by the distribution of H atoms within the network of hydrogen bonds.
Prevention of amyloid fibril formation of amyloidogenic chicken cystatin by site‐specific glycosylation in yeast
Authors: He Jianwei , Song Youtao , Ueyama Nobuhiro , Saito Akira , Azakami Hiroyuki , Kato Akio
Published: January 2006

To address the role of glycosylation on fibrillogenicity of amyloidogenic chicken cystatin, the consensus sequence for N‐linked glycosylation (Asn106‐Ile108 → Asn106‐Thr108) was introduced by site‐directed mutagenesis into the wild‐type and amyloidogenic chicken cystatins to construct the glycosylated form of chicken cystatins. Both the glycosylated and unglycosylated forms of wild‐type and amyloidogenic mutant I66Q cystatin were expressed and secreted in a culture medium of yeast Pichia pastoris transformants. Comparison of the amount of insoluble aggregate, the secondary structure, and fibrillogenicity has shown that the N‐linked glycosylation could prevent amyloid fibril formation of amyloidogenic chicken cystatin secreted in yeast cells without affecting its inhibitory activities. Further study showed this glycosylation could inhibit the formation of cystatin dimers. Therefore, our data strongly suggested that the mechanism causing the prevention of amyloidogenic cystation fibril formation may be realized through suppression of the formation of three‐dimensional domain‐swapped dimers and oligomers of amyloidogenic cystatin by the glycosylated chains at position 106.
Photonic activation of disulfide bridges achieves oriented protein immobilization on biosensor surfaces
Authors: Neves‐Petersen Maria Teresa , Snabe Torben , Klitgaard Søren , Duroux Meg , Petersen Steffen B.
Published: January 2006

Photonic induced immobilization is a novel technology that results in spatially oriented and spatially localized covalent coupling of biomolecules onto thiol‐reactive surfaces. Immobilization using this technology has been achieved for a wide selection of proteins, such as hydrolytic enzymes (lipases/esterases, lysozyme), proteases (human plasminogen), alkaline phosphatase, immunoglobulins' Fab fragment (e.g., antibody against PSA [prostate specific antigen]), Major Histocompability Complex class I protein, pepsin, and trypsin. The reaction mechanism behind the reported new technology involves “photonic activation of disulfide bridges,” i.e., light‐induced breakage of disulfide bridges in proteins upon UV illumination of nearby aromatic amino acids, resulting in the formation of free, reactive thiol groups that will form covalent bonds with thiol‐reactive surfaces (see Fig. 1). Interestingly, the spatial proximity of aromatic residues and disulfide bridges in proteins has been preserved throughout molecular evolution. The new photonic‐induced method for immobilization of proteins preserves the native structural and functional properties of the immobilized protein, avoiding the use of one or more chemical/thermal steps. This technology allows for the creation of spatially oriented as well as spatially defined multiprotein/DNA high‐density sensor arrays with spot size of 1 μm or less, and has clear potential for biomedical, bioelectronic, nanotechnology, and therapeutic applications.
Enhanced SMYD3 expression is essential for the growth of breast cancer cells
Authors: Hamamoto Ryuji , Silva Fabio Pittella , Tsuge Masataka , Nishidate Toshihiko , Katagiri Toyomasa , Nakamura Yusuke , Furukawa Yoichi
Published: January 2006

We previously reported that upregulation of SMYD3, a histone H3 lysine‐4‐specific methyltransferase, plays a key role in the proliferation of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, we reveal that SMYD3 expression is also elevated in the great majority of breast cancer tissues. Similarly to CRC and HCC, silencing of SMYD3 by small interfering RNA to this gene resulted in the inhibited growth of breast cancer cells, suggesting that increased SMYD3 expression is also essential for the proliferation of breast cancer cells. Moreover, we show here that SMYD3 could promote breast carcinogenesis by directly regulating expression of the proto‐oncogene WNT10B. These data imply that augmented SMYD3 expression plays a crucial role in breast carcinogenesis, and that inhibition of SMYD3 should be a novel therapeutic strategy for treatment of breast cancer. (Cancer Sci 2006; 97: 113 – 118)
Phenotypic characterization of endometrial stromal sarcoma of the uterus
Authors: Yamada Kazumi , Kano Junko , Tsunoda Hajime , Yoshikawa Hiroyuki , Okubo Chigusa , Ishiyama Tadashi , Noguchi Masayuki
Published: January 2006

Endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) of the uterus is a rare uterine malignancy that has not been characterized in detail. To characterize the phenotype of ESS of the uterus, we extracted RNA from ESS and the stroma of normal endometrium using a tissue microdissection system and compared the expression profiles in the two tissues. After suppression subtractive hybridization and differential screening, we detected the metastasis‐associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT‐1) gene as one of the major genes upregulated in ESS, and a full‐length placental cDNA clone (CS0DI066YJ10) as one of the major genes downregulated. The results were confirmed by in situ hybridization in four resected specimens of ESS and 36 biopsy specimens of normal endometrial tissue. All ESS (4/4) and all cases of endometrial stromal cells in the proliferative phase (13/13) were positive for MALAT‐1, but samples of normal stroma in the secretory phase and menopausal state included some that were negative or weakly positive for MALAT‐1 (5/13 and 3/10, respectively). In contrast, all ESS and 12 of 13 cases of stromal cells in the proliferative phase were negative for the full‐length placental cDNA clone but 10 of 13 cases of endometrial stromal cells in the secretory phase were positive for transcripts of the gene (P < 0.05). These results indicated that endometrial stromal cells have different phenotypic characteristics between proliferative and secretory phases and the tumor cells of ESS have the phenotypic character of endometrial stromal cells in the proliferative phase. (Cancer Sci 2006; 97: 106  – 112)
Epstein–Barr virus involvement is a predictive factor for the resistance to chemoradiotherapy of gastric diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma
Authors: Yoshino Tadashi , Nakamura Shigeo , Matsuno Yoshihiro , Ochiai Atsushi , Yokoi Takio , Kitadai Yasuhiko , Suzumiya Junji , Tobinai Kensei , Kobayashi Yukio , Oda Ichiro , Mera Kiyomi , Ohtsu Atsushi , Ishikura Satoshi
Published: January 2006

Primary gastric diffuse large B‐cell lymphomas are generally well controlled by non‐surgical treatment with combination chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy. We have previously reported that over 90% of patients achieved complete response (CR) with this therapeutic strategy: three cycles of cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine and prednisone followed by radiotherapy (40.5 Gy). Although the CR rate was very high, some patients still showed resistance to this combination therapy. In order to clarify the factors related to therapy resistance, we examined the relationship between Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), which was examined using an in situ hybridization technique, and the patients’ clinical courses. Out of the 50 patients, four were EBV positive; over half of lymphoma cells were positive for EBV by in situ hybridization. Of the three EBV‐positive patients, two showed progressive disease and one achieved partial response (PR). Two of the patients died of disease progression. The other patient achieved CR, but the lymphoma recurred with distant metastasis in the cerebellum 3 months after remission. In the present study, eight patients did not achieve CR or they relapsed, four patients showed progressive disease, one patient achieved PR, and three patients achieved CR with recurrence. Therefore, half of these unfavorable patients were EBV positive. This finding strongly indicated that EBV‐associated gastric diffuse large B‐cell lymphomas frequently show resistance to standard chemoradiotherapy, although some other adverse factors remain unclear. (Cancer Sci 2006; 97: 163 –166)
What are children's trusts? Early findings from a national survey
Authors: Bachmann M.O. , Reading R. , Husbands C. , O'Brien M. , Thoburn J. , Shemilt I. , Watson J. , Jones N. , Haynes R. , Mugford M. ,   the NECT team
Published: January 2006

Background  The Children Act 2004 and National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services require fuller integration of health, education and social services for children and young people in England and Wales. The UK government supported the establishment of 35 experimental children's trust pathfinders (henceforth called children's trusts) in England.

Methods  A questionnaire was completed by managers in all 35 children's trusts a year after their start. Children's trust documents were examined. Census and performance indicators were compared between children's trust areas and the rest of England.

Results  Children's trust areas had demographic and social characteristics typical of England. All children's trusts aimed to improve health, education and social services by greater managerial and service integration. All had boards representing the three sectors; other agencies’ representation varied. Two‐thirds of children's trusts had moved towards pooling budgets in at least some service areas. At this stage in their development, some had prioritized joint procurement or provision of services, with formal managerial structures, while others favoured an informal strategic planning, co‐ordination and information sharing approach. The commonest priorities for services development were for disabled children (16 children's trusts), followed by early intervention (11) and mental health services (8).

Conclusions  The diverse strategies adopted by these 35 children's trusts during their first year is due to their own characteristics and to the way government strategy developed during this period. Whilst some prioritized organizational development, joint financing and commissioning, and information sharing, others laid more emphasis on mechanisms for bringing front‐line professionals closer together. Their experiences are of value to others deciding how best to integrate children's services.
The marriage‐related risk factors during maternal pregnancy in children with attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder
Authors: Lee C.‐Y. , Chang Y.‐Y. , Lung F.‐W.
Published: January 2006

Background  The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between marriage‐related risk factors during maternal pregnancy and subsequent development of attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Methods  The research design was a retrospective case–control study. The case group included 60 patients that fulfilled the ADHD criteria of Fourth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM‐IV). The controls were normal children randomly selected and matched for their sex and age. Their biological mothers completed a questionnaire about marital adaptation, marital satisfaction and the incidence of stressful life events during pregnancy.

Results  The results showed that the incidence of positive life events, marital adaptation and marital satisfaction during maternal pregnancy was significantly lower in the case group, and conditional logistic regression analysis showed that marital adaptation during pregnancy and pregnancy before marriage were important risk factors for ADHD.

Conclusion  Negative emotion during maternal pregnancy may be an important risk factor for ADHD.
Authoritative parenting and parental stress in parents of pre‐school and older children with developmental disabilities
Authors: Woolfson L. , Grant E.
Published: January 2006

Background  Rearing a child with a developmental disability is associated with increased parental stress. Theories of stress and adjustment and bi‐directional theories of child development suggest that parenting could influence these negative outcomes.

Methods  Relationships between parenting approaches and stress in parents of children with developmental disabilities (DD) (N = 53) were examined across two age groups, 3–5 years and 9–11 years and compared with a contrast group of typically developing children (TD) (N = 60). Measures used were the Parenting Stress Index‐Short Form and Rickel and Biasatti's modification of Block's Child Rearing Practices Report, classified into Baumrind's parenting styles using Reitman and Gross's method.

Results  Parents in the older DD group used Authoritative parenting less than parents in the younger DD group, while the opposite developmental pattern was seen in the TD group. Multivariate analysis of variance showed a significant group × parenting style interaction for Parental Distress, Parent–Child Dysfunctional Interaction and Difficult Child. Stress measures were higher for the DD group and seemed to be associated with Authoritative parenting approaches, an effect that was not observed in the TD group.

Conclusions  Findings suggest that the well‐established effect of group on stress may be moderated by parenting style. Authoritative parenting may be highly stressful for parents of children with DD to implement, resulting in a decrease in its use across the two age groups.
Long‐term studies of freshwater macroinvertebrates: a review of the frequency, duration and ecological significance
Authors: JACKSON JOHN K. , FÜREDER LEOPOLD
Published: January 2006

1. The importance of a long‐term ecological perspective is well documented, yet the availability of long‐term data remains limited. This paper highlights the value of long‐term ecological studies of freshwater macroinvertebrates by reviewing both the availability of long‐term data and recent ecological contributions based on them.

2. A survey of recent literature on stream macroinvertebrates identified 46 papers published between 1987 and 2004 that included long‐term (i.e. ≥5 years) data. Most recently published long‐term studies of stream macroinvertebrates began collecting data in the 1970s and 1980s and their duration (time between first and last year sampled) was relatively brief (median = 9 years, maximum = 96 years). Most studies did not expand their temporal perspective by incorporating older data collected by other researchers.

3. Recent long‐term studies of macroinvertebrates have made major contributions to our understanding of interannual variation and cycles, complex abiotic and biotic interactions, and natural and anthropogenic disturbance and recovery. Without these studies, we would know much less about the magnitude of natural temporal variation, the importance of physical and biological disturbance and interactions, the role of pathogens and introduced species, the overall impact of pollution and the effectiveness of protection and remediation efforts.

4. If we are to encourage long‐term perspectives in our science, we need to facilitate the transfer of individual studies, as well as knowledge and data, among scientists. This includes efforts to archive and annotate data more effectively, so that they can be more easily incorporated into future research.
Repeatability of extra‐pair mating in tree swallows
Authors: WHITTINGHAM LINDA A. , DUNN PETER O. , STAPLETON MARY K.
Published: January 2006

Models of sexual selection assume that female mating preferences are heritable and, thus, repeatable for individual females across multiple mating episodes. Previous studies of the repeatability of female preference have examined individuals in captivity and focused presumably on social mate choice. However, extra‐pair mating is widespread and can also influence sexual selection. We examined the repeatability of extra‐pair mating in a wild population of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) by experimentally inducing females to lay two clutches in rapid succession within the same season. We found that the proportion of extra‐pair young and the number of extra‐pair sires were highly repeatable for individual females. However, the repeatability of specific extra‐pair sires was low. We suggest that this unusual pattern of mating may be due to females maximizing the heterozygosity of their offspring.
NrrA, a nitrogen‐responsive response regulator facilitates heterocyst development in the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120
Authors: Ehira Shigeki , Ohmori Masayuki
Published: January 2006

The heterocyst is a specialized cell for nitrogen fixation in the filamentous cyanobacteria, and its development is triggered by limitation of combined nitrogen in the medium. During heterocyst development, patterns of gene expression change dramatically. We identified seven genes encoding transcriptional regulators that were upregulated by nitrogen deprivation in Anabaena PCC 7120, using an Anabaena oligonucleotide microarray. Among them, the nrrA gene, which encodes a response regulator of the OmpR family with a DNA‐binding domain, has shown the most prominent induction after nitrogen deprivation. Expression of nrrA increased all through the filaments within 3 h of nitrogen deprivation and became higher in proheterocysts than in vegetative cells after 12 h. Sequence analysis of the promoter region of nrrA indicated that the induction of nrrA depended on NtcA, which is the global nitrogen regulator in cyanobacteria. In the nrrA deletion mutant, heterocyst development was delayed and the induction of hetR, which is the master gene in regulation of heterocyst development, was diminished up to 24 h nitrogen deprivation. It is concluded that nrrA facilitates heterocyst development.
White lupin has developed a complex strategy to limit microbial degradation of secreted citrate required for phosphate acquisition
Authors: WEISSKOPF LAURE , ABOU‐MANSOUR ELIANE , FROMIN NATHALIE , TOMASI NICOLA , SANTELIA DIANA , EDELKOTT IRIS , NEUMANN GÜNTER , ARAGNO MICHEL , TABACCHI RAFFAELE , MARTINOIA ENRICO
Published: January 2006

White lupins (Lupinus albus L.) respond to phosphate deficiency by producing special root structures called cluster roots. These cluster roots secrete large amounts of carboxylates into the rhizosphere, mostly citrate and malate, which act as phosphate solubilizers and enable the plant to grow in soils with sparingly available phosphate. The success and efficiency of such a P‐acquisition strategy strongly depends on the persistence and stability of the carboxylates in the soil, a parameter that is influenced to a large extent by biodegradation through rhizosphere bacteria and fungi. In this study, we show that white lupin roots use several mechanisms to reduce microbial growth. The abundance of bacteria associated with cluster roots was decreased at the mature state of the cluster roots, where a burst of organic acid excretion and a drastic pH decrease is observed. Excretion of phenolic compounds, mainly isoflavonoids, induced fungal sporulation, indicating that vegetative growth, and thus potential citrate consumption, is reduced. In addition, the activity of two antifungal cell wall‐degrading enzymes, chitinase and glucanase, were highest at the stage preceding the citrate excretion. Therefore, our results suggest that white lupin has developed a complex strategy to reduce microbial degradation of the phosphate‐solubilizing agents.
Temporal autocorrelation and stochastic population growth
Authors: Tuljapurkar Shripad , Haridas C. V.
Published: January 2006

How much does environmental autocorrelation matter to the growth of structured populations in real life contexts? Interannual variances in vital rates certainly do, but it has been suggested that between‐year correlations may not. We present an analytical approximation to stochastic growth rate for multistate Markovian environments and show that it is accurate by testing it in two empirically based examples. We find that temporal autocorrelation has sizeable effect on growth rates of structured populations, larger in many cases than the effect of interannual variability. Our approximation defines a sensitivity to autocorrelated variability, showing how demographic damping and environmental pattern interact to determine a population's stochastic growth rate.
Direct mass spectrometric peptide profiling and fragmentation of larval peptide hormone release sites in Drosophila melanogaster reveals tagma‐specific peptide expression and differential processing
Authors: Wegener Christian , Reinl Tobias , Jänsch Lothar , Predel Reinhard
Published: January 2006

Regulatory peptides represent a diverse group of messenger molecules. In insects, they are produced by endocrine cells as well as secretory neurones within the CNS. Many regulatory peptides are released as hormones into the haemolymph to regulate, for example, diuresis, heartbeat or ecdysis behaviour. Hormonal release of neuropeptides takes place at specialized organs, so‐called neurohaemal organs. We have performed a mass spectrometric characterization of the peptide complement of the main neurohaemal organs and endocrine cells of the Drosophila melanogaster larva to gain insight into the hormonal communication possibilities of the fruit fly. Using matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) and MALDI‐TOF‐TOF tandem mass spectrometry, we detected 23 different peptides of which five were unpredicted by previous genome screenings. We also found a hitherto unknown peptide product of the capa gene in the ring gland and transverse nerves, suggesting that it might be released as hormone. Our results show that the peptidome of the neurohaemal organs is tagma‐specific and does not change during metamorphosis. We also provide evidence for the first case of differential prohormone processing in Drosophila.
Endogenous GD3 ganglioside induces apoptosis in U‐1242 MG glioma cells
Authors: Saqr H. E. , Omran O. , Dasgupta S. , Yu R. K. , Oblinger J. L. , Yates A. J.
Published: January 2006

GD3 ganglioside induces apoptosis in several cell types, but the molecular events through which this occurs are largely unknown. We investigated the apoptotic effects of GD3 expression using U‐1242 MG glioblastoma cells, as these cells synthesize almost exclusively GM3 and GM2 but not GD3. To express GD3 under the control of the TetOn system with minimum leakage, we modified the system by constructing a single tri‐cistronic retrovirus vector containing three genes separated by two internal ribosome entry sites: (a) transcriptional silencer, tTS; (b) mutant of reverse transcriptional activator, rtTA2(S)‐M2 (provided by H. Bujard, Heidelberg, Germany); and (c) enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), as an indicator of the tri‐cistronic gene expression. Using flow cytometry, we selected glioma cells (U1242MG‐GD3 clone) that express high levels of GD3 in response to doxycycline. Expression of GD3 was associated with apoptosis as verified by annexin‐V binding, TdT‐mediated dUTPnick end‐labelling assay (TUNEL), and EGFP degradation. GD3‐induced apoptosis occurred via caspase‐8 activation, as GD3 caused cleavage of caspase‐8 and inhibition of caspase‐8 activation by zlETD‐fmk minimized GD3‐induced apoptosis.
Mapping superoxide dismutase 1 domains of non‐native interaction: roles of intra‐ and intermolecular disulfide bonding in aggregation
Authors: Wang Jiou , Xu Guilian , Borchelt David R.
Published: January 2006

Superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) proteins harboring mutations linked to familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS) uniformly show heightened potential to form high molecular weight structures. Here, we examine the domains of SOD1 that are involved in forming these structures (aggregates) and study the role of intra‐ and intermolecular disulfide bonds. An analysis of disease mutations identified to date reveals a non‐random distribution with predominant occurrence at residues within highly conserved β‐strands or at highly conserved residues in loop domains. Using a cell transfection assay for aggregation, we determined that no single domain in SOD1 is indispensable in the formation of sedimentable aggregates, suggesting multiple potential motifs in the protein mediate non‐native interactions. By a cell‐free aggregation assay, analysis of transgenic mouse tissues, and mutagenesis approaches, we found evidence that redox conditions may modulate SOD1 aggregation; reduction of the native intramolecular disulfide bonds may predispose SOD1 to unfolding and aggregation, whereas non‐native intermolecular disulfide linkages may help stabilize aggregates in vivo. The results suggest a possible mechanism for diversity in the structures formed by different SOD1 mutants, and define a potential contribution of redox conditions to SOD1 aggregation.
Who Searches the Internet for Health Information?
Authors: Bundorf M. Kate , Wagner Todd H. , Singer Sara J. , Baker Laurence C.
Published: January 2006

Objective. To determine what types of consumers use the Internet as a source of health information.

Data Sources. A survey of consumer use of the Internet for health information conducted during December 2001 and January 2002.

Study Design. We estimated multivariate regression models to test hypotheses regarding the characteristics of consumers that affect information seeking behavior.

Data Collection. Respondents were randomly sampled from an Internet‐enabled panel of over 60,000 households. Our survey was sent to 12,878 panel members, and 69.4 percent of surveyed panel members responded. We collected information about respondents' use of the Internet to search for health information and to communicate about health care with others using the Internet or e‐mail within the last year.

Principal Findings. Individuals with reported chronic conditions were more likely than those without to search for health information on the Internet. The uninsured, particularly those with a reported chronic condition, were more likely than the privately insured to search. Individuals with longer travel times for their usual source of care were more likely to use the Internet for health‐related communication than those with shorter travel times.

Conclusions. Populations with serious health needs and those facing significant barriers in accessing health care in traditional settings turn to the Internet for health information.
ARE COMMON STOCKS A HEDGE AGAINST INFLATION?
Authors: Luintel Kul B. , Paudyal Krishna
Published: January 2006

We test whether U.K. common stocks hedge against inflation using a framework of the tax‐augmented Fisher hypothesis. Aggregate and disaggregate (seven industry groups) monthly data covering 48 years are used. All pairs of stock and retail price indexes are cointegrated. Tests in most cases reveal significant shifts in the cointegrating vectors, and accounting for these shifts improves the precision of the estimates. The point estimates of goods price elasticity are significantly above unity in all but two cases. These findings, though in sharp contrast to most existing findings that report price elasticity of below unity, appear theoretically more plausible because nominal stock returns must exceed the inflation rate to insulate tax‐paying investors.
ESTIMATING EXPECTED EXCESS RETURNS USING HISTORICAL AND OPTION‐IMPLIED VOLATILITY
Authors: Corrado Charles J. , Miller Thomas W.
Published: January 2006

We test the relation between expected and realized excess returns for the S&P 500 index from January 1994 through December 2003 using the proportional reward‐to‐risk measure to estimate expected returns. When risk is measured by historical volatility, we find no relation between expected and realized excess returns. In contrast, when risk is measured by option‐implied volatility, we find a positive and significant relation between expected and realized excess returns in the 1994–1998 subperiod. In the 1999–2003 subperiod, the option‐implied volatility risk measure yields a positive, but statistically insignificant, risk‐return relation. We attribute this performance difference to the fact that, in the 1994–1998 subperiod, return volatility was lower and the average return was much higher than in the 1999–2003 subperiod, thereby increasing the signal‐to‐noise ratio in the latter subperiod.