bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La langue générale et la grammatisation des langues indiennes
Authors: Borges Luiz Carlos , Horta Nunes José
Published: November 2007

This article analyses certain aspects of the grammatisation of Brazil's native languages, especially the Tupi language. The historical and discursive constitution of the lingua geral ("general language") is considered with respect to certain of its varieties. Thanks to the study of bilingual dictionaries (Portuguese-Tupi, Tupi-Portuguese), we can examine the appearence, in the 19th century, of both the practice of the archives studying conducted in the Geographic and Historical Institute of Brazil, and the development, in the study of native languages, of two tendencies: nationalist romantism and universalist naturalism.
Portugais du Brésil et langues africaines
Authors: Bonvini Emilio , Taddoni Petter MM
Published: November 2007

This article is devoted to the position of the relationship between African languages and the Portuguese language of Brazil. In the year 1930, two types of analyses were proposed: for the first one, African languages influenced Brazilian language; for the second, the Brazilian language was creolized by its contact with African languages. Now, research in this field is being reorganized: linguistic structures and social organization are being studied together, from the sociolinguistic and ideological points of view. We study here the languages spoken in Brazil by African slaves, African multilinguism, the specific status of certains languages and the complex relationship between Portugal, Brazil, and specific African countries such as Angola and Nigeria.
Introduction aux classes d'objets
Authors: Le Pesant Denis , Mathieu-Colas Michel
Published: November 2007

The authors address the general question of object classes. They present the theoretical bases , stressing the role of "appropriate predicates" , and describe the method to construct classes, including predicate classes. This approach throws new light polysemy. Several applications of object classes to linguistic analysis and processing are suggested and the article ends on associated semantic considerations.
Sémantique cognitive de l'action : 2. étude expérimentale de la catégorisation des verbes d'action
Authors: Kekenbosch Christiane , Meunier J.M. , Richard Jean-François , Descles Jean-Pierre , Flageul Valérie
Published: November 2007

The hypothesis investigated is that the semantic similarities of verbs of action are organized according to a limited number of semantic fields and the experiment is designed to identify these fields. Seven subjects have been asked to classify 172 verbs of action, chosen as a function of their frequency of occurrence, so that the verbs belonging to the same class have a definite similarity in meaning, with the possibility for a verb to be classified into several classes. A similarity index between each pair of verbs has been defined as the number of times both verbs of the pair have been ascribed to the same class, and using multidimensional methods six semantic fields have resulted from the analysis : movement and change in place, possession and transfer of possession, modification of a property of an entity or construction of a new entity by fitting parts together, causing damage to an entity by attack or destruction, basic activities neces- sary for life, processes describing the course of action. These semantic groupings have proved to be quite stable in a replication of the experiment using the same subjects.
Les constructions adjectivales à sujet phrastique en grec moderne et en français
Authors: Sklavounou Elsa
Published: November 2007

During the comparative study of adjectives nominalization in Modern Greek and in French (E. Sklavounou, 1997) we have singled out constructions with specific syntactic properties and related them to lexical entries of different syntactic classes. In this article we study the specific syntactic properties of the adjectival constructions whose subject is a sentence or a deverbal phrase, for example Η απόφαση του Οδυσσέα ήταν έξυπνη (Ulysses' decision was clever) . These constructions are related to the construction with a human subject and a sentential complement ΝΟ είναι Adj QueP. The two adjectival constructions (sentential or human subject) have important syntactic differences. Both can be nominalized leading to two de-adjectival nominal sentences, indirectly related, with slightly different meanings and different support verb. We propose a representation with two families of constructions inside the lexical entry : one for the human-subject construction and another for the sentential-subject one.

These specific syntactic properties and those of morphologically related nouns and adverbs define a class of adjectives denoting human psychological qualities.
Réflexions à partir de renouvellements de locutions stéréotypées
Authors: Bähler Ursula
Published: November 2007

Modifications of stereotypical locutions in literary texts are well known rhetorical procedures. Studies of this subject have largely focused upon the deconstructive function of such modifications. Adopting a constructive perspective, this contribution will examine such procedures not only as a way of denying a given form of aesthetics and/or a given system of values but also as a means of proposing a new form of aesthetics and a new system of values. Since modifications of stereotypical locutions articulate formal signs which explicitly invite the reader to construct dialogical relations between the known (a "source universe") and the unknown (a "target universe"), they can be considered a particularly obvious example of a type of enunciative operations which is productive for the interpretation of "poetic language" in general.
La rhétorique de la tension chez Léonardo Crémonini. Figure de l'attente et figure de l'aguet dans l'énoncé visuel
Authors: Parouty-David Françoise
Published: November 2007

In the philosophy of the french art movement called Nouvelle figuration, Cremonini starts from familiar, apparently harmless scenes and introduces into his pictures a number of tensive signs on each plane : figurative, expressive and enunciative. He builds a baroque space in the Wölfflin sense where wait and watch figures predominate in a narrative yet suspended program. Wait here is linked to promise and mainly to threat. A motif of wait, the watch figure is specific of volitive modalities of seeing and showing through various manipulations of things : mirrors, windows, glasses... The corpus generates a strong pathemisation and comes under a rhetoric strategy, a very tensive one with its predominantly persuasive dimension resulting from the coherent recurrences from one painting to another.
L'adjectif en portugais et en kriyol : essai de syntaxe comparée
Authors: Kihm Alain
Published: November 2007

Alain Kjhm : The adjective in Portugese and in Kriyol : A study in comparative syntax

The pre-theoretical notion "adjective" is described in terms of a combination of features as defined in Chomsky (1970), Jackendoff (1977) etc. Adjectives in Portugese, be they preposed or postposed, are shown to be lexical items that combine the features [+N] and [uV]. They are inserted in the Specifier of NP, bearing overt or non overt agreement features, and they are liable to merge with the copula [+V uN] to form a complex head. Unlike its lexifier language, Guinee-Bissau Kriyol exclusively postposes adjectives to the head noun. Arguments are adduced to show that Kriyol adjectives include [uN] and [+V] features, incorporating copula features, hence their inherent predicate status. Although both languages, Portuguese and Kriyol, possess adjectives as a linguistic category, a slight displacement in the values of the features

associated with Kriyol adjectives, probably due to creolization, has had far-reaching consequences.
L'absence de pronoms clitiques en créole mauricien
Authors: Syea Anand
Published: November 2007

Anand Syea : Pronouns and the absence of clitic pronouns in Mauritian Creole

An examination of the pronominal system of Mauritian Creole, as of other French-based creoles, reveals that while most of the strong pronouns of French have been-retained, the weak (clitic) pronouns were never acquired. An obvious question arises as to why these pronouns failed to appear in the French creoles. It is suggested here that if clitic pronouns are in effect agreement markers, as has been suggested in the

literature, and are base-generated as bundles of features which are spelt out on functional heads such as Agr(S) and Agr(O), their absence in Mauritian and other French creoles can be accounted for. It is proposed that in general the spelling out of subject clitics in Agr(S) rests crucially on the presence of an overt Tense marker and the reason they failed to be spelt out in Mauritian Creole is because no overt Tense

marker was available in the initial period. In the case of object clitics, their failure to be realised on Agr(O) is attributed to the strict SVO order imposed on the emerging grammar.
Discours procédural et activités mentales : de la compréhension d'instructions complexes à la planification de l'action
Authors: Ganier Franck , Gombert Jean-Émile , Fayol Michel
Published: November 2007

In processing procedural documents, two steps obviously exist: inspection of instructions and execution of actions. This paper is concerned by mental activities linking these two steps. For some authors, comprehension of instructions involves two sub-processes: construction of a situational representation and elaboration of an action plan. The first sub-process is aimed at coordinating information provided by the text, the pictures, the device and the user's knowledge base. This preliminary sub-process would be a prerequisite for the subsequent sub-process: elaboration of action plan. This article reports a study aimed at investigating these processes. The presented results established the special importance of the verbal system in the comprehension of procedural instructions, particularly in action planning. In addition, results showed that presenting text together with pictures improve comprehension in comparison with pictures or text alone.
Dictionnaires électroniques et traduction automatique espagnol-français
Authors: Blanco Xavier
Published: November 2007

We present an electronic dictionary designed for Spanish-French machine- translation softwares. The paper is structured in three parts: macrostructure of the dictionary, microstructure (includes semantic information) and translation module.
Noms d'animaux et expressions en français et en espagnol
Authors: Desporte Ariane , Martin-Berthet Françoise
Published: November 2007

Taking into account some déficiences in the key-words and thematic classifications of locutions and proverbs, this paper proposes a description that enables to dispose of detailed syntactic and semantic information for the caracterisation of these units. This process is illustrated with a French-Spanish corpus of frozen expressions containing animal names which is useful for translation.
Quelques remarques sur les classes d'objets bilingues
Authors: Vives Robert
Published: November 2007

This paper presents some remarks about the way in which bilingual object classes are constructed. The main point we intend drawing attention to is the fact that object classes constitute semantic organizations of simple sentences strictly based on syntax. The examples concern French, Corean, Malagasy and Spanish.
Traduction automatique des langues et modélisations des interactions langagières
Authors: Salinas Agnès
Published: November 2007

This paper aims to tackle the question of automatic translation of languages, from a psycholinguistic viewpoint. We shall consider the issue in relation to the following problematic areas: intra- and extra-linguistic interactions between dialogues and, more particularly, interactions between cultural substratum's. An ALT (Automatic Language Translation) system should be able to pick out the connections between what is said, by whom and to whom, and incorporate the cultural and developmental variables. The works presented here illustrate the complexity involved in constructing a method for the exchange of information between source language and target language, especially when the formatting can differ in many ways, for example in spatial and contextual dimensions. In fact, one cannot effectively use computers to study dialogues without first analysing the cognitive complexity of the representations generated by individual cultural and linguistic substratum's.
L'évolution des structures grammaticales.
Authors: Peyraube Alain
Published: November 2007

There are three - and only three - mechanisms of grammatical change: Reanalysis (including the different aspects of grammaticalization), Analogy, and External Borrowing. These three mechanisms, implying processes of de-categorization, or generalization, or language contact, are described in detail. Examples are taken in typologically different languages. The motivations of grammatical change that could trigger off the mechanisms are the following: (i) semantic-pragmatic change (processes of metaphorization, of pragmatic inferencing or metonymyzation, of subjectification), (ii) typological extension, (iii) structural requirement, (iv) phonological change. The semantic-pragmatic change, related to conceptual change and different cognitive processes, is crucial.
Les déterminants numéraux, un exemple : les dates horaires
Authors: Gross Maurice
Published: November 2007

Numeral determiners (noted Dnum) are used together with names of units (NUnit) to indicate quantities of varied kinds (e.g. two hundred square meters, one thousand Francs, 1 000 F). Rules that lead to noun phrases of the type Dnum Nunit obey various constraints, among others, the rules of numeration in the decimal system.
Epoxidation of high trans‐1,4‐polyisoprene and its properties
Authors: Zhao Yongxian , Huang Baochen , Yao Wei , Cong Hailin , Shao Huafeng , Du Aihua
Published: November 2007

A new organic‐solvent‐free water‐phase suspension method was used to synthesize partially epoxidized high trans‐1,4‐polyisoprene (TPI) to improve its properties, including oil resistance and wet‐skid resistance. The epoxidation was conducted in an aqueous peracetic acid solution and on the TPI granules prepared by a bulk precipitation method with supported titanium catalyst. The effects of the synthesis conditions, including reaction temperature, reaction time, and pH value, on the epoxy content were investigated. Epoxidized trans‐1,4‐polyisoprene (ETPI) with epoxy contents between 10 and 80% were obtained within 4 h. Both the amorphous and crystalline regions of TPI were epoxidized. The crystallization properties decreased with increasing epoxy content. ETPIs possessed lower mechanical properties than TPI but could be enhanced by vulcanization. The oil resistance and wet‐skid resistance were significantly improved after epoxidation. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Influence of natural fiber type in eco‐composites
Authors: García Miriam , Garmendia Izaskun , García Javier
Published: November 2007

This study concerns the preparation of eco‐composites based on natural fibers coming from wood and subproducts (rice husks) and products (kenaf) of annually grown plants. The matrices used were of two types: a biopolymer (PLA) and a petroleum‐derived polymer (HDPE). Results showed that natural fibers markedly increase the tensile and flexural properties of both polymers by extending the field of application of these materials with less use of nonrenewable resources. The properties obtained are comparable to commercially available fiber‐filled composites. Moreover, processing can easily be carried out in one step below a critical fiber volume. Fire and durability performance of the composites can be also improved by adding typical fire retardants and pigments. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Recognition Properties of Donor‐ and Acceptor‐Modified Biphenyl‐DNA
Authors: Zahn Alain , Leumann Christian J.
Published: November 2007

The recognition properties of DNA duplexes containing single or triple incorporations of eight different donor‐modified (OMe, NH2) and acceptor‐modified (NO2) biphenyl residues as base replacements in opposite positions were probed by UV‐melting and by CD and fluorescence spectroscopy. We found a remarkable dependence of duplex stability on the natures of the substituents (donor vs. acceptor). The stabilities of duplexes with one biphenyl pair increase in the order donor/donor < acceptor/donor < acceptor/acceptor substitution. The most stable biphenyl pairs stabilize duplexes by up to 6 °C in Tm. In duplexes with three consecutive biphenyl pairs the stability increases in the inverse order (acceptor/acceptor < donor/acceptor < donor/donor) with increases in Tm, relative to an unmodified duplex, of up to 10 °C. A thermodynamic analysis, combined with theoretical calculations of the physical properties of the biphenyl substituents, suggests that in duplexes with single biphenyl pairs the affinity is dominated by electrostatic forces between the biphenyl/nearest neighbor natural base pairs, whereas in the triple‐modified duplexes the increase in thermal stability is predominantly determined by hydrophobic interactions of the biphenyl residues with each other. Oligonucleotides containing amino biphenyl residues are fluorescent. Their fluorescence is largely quenched when they are paired with themselves or with nitrobiphenyl‐containing duplex partners.
Adaptation of the “in‐gel release method” to N‐glycome analysis of low‐milligram amounts of material
Authors: Rendić Dubravko , Wilson Iain B. H. , Lubec Gert , Gutternigg Martin , Altmann Friedrich , Léonard Renaud
Published: November 2007

Protein N‐glycosylation is a post‐translational modification which plays numerous crucial physiological roles. The N‐glycan pattern varies depending on the species organs, tissues and even cell types and their respective physiological states. Obtaining enough starting material from a particular cell type or tissue for N‐glycan purification by conventional methods can, in certain cases, be very difficult. Previously, a sensitive technique, the “in‐gel release method” that allows the determination of N‐glycans attached to a protein isolated by SDS‐PAGE, has been developed in this and other laboratories. Here, we describe the adaptation of this method to obtain information on the N‐glycome from minute amounts of tissue. The starting material, ranging from less than a milligram to a few milligrams of fresh tissue, is directly ground in Laemmli sample buffer and subject briefly to discontinuous Tris–glycine–SDS‐PAGE. The Coomassie‐stained band containing the majority of the proteins is subject to the “in‐gel release method”. The developed technique was used to analyze N‐glycan patterns of different samples from Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Spodoptera frugiperda, Trichoplusia ni, Nicotiana benthamiana, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Mus musculus. Furthermore, the technique was used to determine the effects of transient small‐scale RNAi‐mediated knock‐down of a glycosylation‐related gene in Drosophila Schneider 2 cell line.
Detection of novel NF1 mutations and rapid mutation prescreening with Pyrosequencing
Authors: Brinckmann Anja , Mischung Claudia , Bässmann Ingelore , Kühnisch Jirko , Schuelke Markus , Tinschert Sigrid , Nürnberg Peter
Published: November 2007

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is caused by mutations in the neurofibromin (NF1) gene. Mutation analysis of NF1 is complicated by its large size, the lack of mutation hotspots, pseudogenes and frequent de novo mutations. Additionally, the search for NF1 mutations on the mRNA level is often hampered by nonsense‐mediated mRNA decay (NMD) of the mutant allele. In this study we searched for mutations in a cohort of 38 patients and investigated the relationship between mutation type and allele‐specific transcription from the wild‐type versus mutant alleles. Quantification of relative mRNA transcript numbers was done by Pyrosequencing, a novel real‐time sequencing method whose signals can be quantified very accurately. We identified 21 novel mutations comprising various mutation types. Pyrosequencing detected a definite relationship between allelic NF1 transcript imbalance due to NMD and mutation type in 24 of 29 patients who all carried frame‐shift or nonsense mutations. NMD was absent in 5 patients with missense and silent mutations, as well as in 4 patients with splice‐site mutations that did not disrupt the reading frame. Pyrosequencing was capable of detecting NMD even when the effects were only moderate. Diagnostic laboratories could thus exploit this effect for rapid prescreening for NF1 mutations as more than 60% of the mutations in this gene disrupt the reading frame and are prone to NMD.
2‐D difference gel electrophoresis of the lung squamous cell carcinoma versus normal sera demonstrates consistent alterations in the levels of ten specific proteins
Authors: Dowling Paul , O'Driscoll Lorraine , Meleady Paula , Henry Michael , Roy Shunil , Ballot Jo , Moriarty Michael , Crown John , Clynes Martin
Published: November 2007

Most lung cancers are diagnosed too late for curative treatment to be possible, therefore early detection is crucial. Serum proteins are a rich source of biomarkers and have the potential to be used as diagnostic and prognostic indicators for lung cancer. In order to examine differences in serum levels of specific proteins associated with human lung squamous carcinoma, immunodepletion of albumin and five other high‐abundant serum proteins followed by 2‐D difference gel electrophoresis (DIGE) analysis and subsequent MS was used to generate a panel of proteins found to be differentially expressed between the cancer and normal samples. Proteins found to have increased abundance levels in squamous cell carcinoma sera compared to normal sera included apolipoprotein A‐IV precursor, chain F; human complement component C3c, haptoglobin, serum amyloid A protein precursor and Ras‐related protein Rab‐7b. Proteins found to have lower abundance levels in squamous cell carcinoma sera compared to normal sera included alpha‐2‐HS glycoprotein, hemopexin precursor, proapolipoprotein, antithrombin III and SP40; 40. The data presented here demonstrate that high‐abundant protein removal combined with 2‐D DIGE is a powerful strategy for the discovery of potential biomarkers. The identification of lung cancer‐specific biomarkers is crucial to early detection, which in turn could lead to a dramatic increase in survival rates.
Higher risk of hepatitis C virus perinatal transmission from drug user mothers is mediated by peripheral blood mononuclear cell infection
Authors: Azzari Chiara , Moriondo Maria , Indolfi Giuseppe , Betti Letizia , Gambineri Eleonora , de Martino Maurizio , Resti Massimo
Published: November 2007

Maternal injection drug use and peripheral blood mononuclear cell infection by hepatitis C virus are important risk factors for perinatal transmission of the virus. The aim of present study was to evaluate the independent association of these two factors on perinatal transmission. Forty‐eight consecutive mothers who transmitted infection to their offspring and 122 consecutive mothers who did not, together with their children, were examined. Both maternal injection drug use and peripheral blood mononuclear cell infection were significantly more frequent in infected than in uninfected children (respectively P = 0.04; odds ratio 2.33, 95% confidence intervals 1.02–5.42 and P < 10−6; odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals not calculable due to zero values). Multivariate analysis confirmed the link between maternal peripheral blood mononuclear cell infection and perinatal transmission (P < 10−6; odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals not calculable due to zero values) but no association was found with maternal injection drug use. The high risk of perinatal transmission found in injection drug use mothers is dependent on maternal peripheral blood mononuclear cell infection by hepatitis C virus. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell infection represents one of the most important risk factors for hepatitis C virus perinatal transmission. J. Med. Virol. 80:65–71, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Astrovirus detection in sporadic cases of diarrhea among hospitalized and non‐hospitalized children in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, from 1998 to 2004
Authors: Soares Caroline Cordeiro , Albuquerque Maria Carolina Maciel de , Maranhão Adriana Gonçalves , Rocha Ludmila Nascimento , Ramírez María Liz Gamarra , Benati Fabricio J. , Carmo Timenetsky Maria do , Santos Norma
Published: November 2007

We analyzed 379 stool samples collected from January 1998 through December 2004, from hospitalized and non‐hospitalized children with diarrhea in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. These samples had prior negative results for other enteric viruses and bacterial pathogens. The specimens were analyzed for HAstV detection by RT‐PCR. HAstV genotypes were determined by sequence analysis of the RT‐PCR products. Twenty (5.3%) out of 379 samples were positive for astrovirus. Astrovirus was equally common among inpatients and outpatients and among different age groups. Of 20 HAstV‐infected children, 13 (65%) were either hospitalized or received medical care in the emergence department, which suggests that they had a more severe illness. Only 7 (35%) of the 20 HAstV‐infected children attended walk‐in clinics, which suggests that they had mild disease. Other then diarrhea, fever was the most common symptom among the HAstV‐positive patients, followed by vomit and bloody diarrhea. HAstV‐1 was the predominant strain although genotypes 2 and 4 were also found. There was no obvious difference among HAstV strains detected from inpatients or outpatients or among different age groups. The study documented that astrovirus is an agent of acute diarrhea in children who are inpatients or outpatients in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil although it seems to be less common as a single cause of childhood diarrhea then rotavirus. J. Med. Virol. 80:113–117, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Vibrational study of auto‐assembling oligopeptides for biomedical applications
Authors: Tinti A. , Di Foggia M. , Taddei P. , Torreggiani A. , Dettin M. , Fagnano C.
Published: November 2007

Eight alternating polar/non‐polar peptides derived from β‐sheet EAK‐16 were studied for their possible use as biomimetic materials, due to their self‐assembling properties. IR and Raman spectroscopies were used to investigate the influence of the sequence on the prevailing conformation of the peptide and its changes after solubilisation in saline phosphate buffer and lyophilisation.

As regards the as‐synthesised peptides, acidic substitution (Glu → Asp, peptide 2), basic substitution (Lys → Orn, peptide 3), (Glu → Asp and Lys → Orn, peptide 4) and spacer substitution (Ala → Abu, peptide 5; Ala → Tyr, peptide 6) did not induce significant conformational changes with respect to EAK‐16 (peptide 1); the prevailing structure was β‐sheet (about 70%), with about 15% of β‐turn, 10% of unordered structure and a minor α‐helix content. The insertion at the N‐terminus of the Arg‐Gly‐Asp sequence (peptide 7), important for cell adhesion, induced a decrease in the β‐sheet content (50%), while the simultaneous ‘scrambling’ of the sequence (peptide 8) made α‐helix the prevailing structure.

Solubilisation/lyophilisation procedures generally induced a change towards a less ordered conformation in all the analysed peptides. However, for peptides 1–7, the prevailing conformation remained β‐sheet. Peptide 8 was prevalently unordered with a lower β‐sheet content. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fluoxetine and norfluoxetine analysis by direct injection of human plasma in a column switching liquid chromatographic system
Authors: Santos‐Neto Alvaro J. , Fernandes Christian , Rodrigues José C. , Alves Claudete , Lanças Fernando M.
Published: November 2007

A column switching LC method is presented for the analysis of fluoxetine (FLU) and norfluoxetine (NFLU) by direct injection of human plasma using a lab‐made restricted access media (RAM) column. A RAM‐BSA‐octadecyl silica (C‐18) column (40 mm×4.6 mm, 10 μm) is evaluated in both backflush and foreflush elution modes and coupled with a C‐18 lab‐made (50 mm×4.6 mm, 3 μm) analytical column in order to perform online sample preparation. Direct injection of 100 μL of plasma samples is possible with the developed approach. In addition, reduction of sample handling is obtained when compared with traditional liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) and SPE. The total analysis time is around 20 min. A LOQ of 15 ng/mL is achieved in a concentration range of 15–500 ng/mL, allowing the therapeutic drug monitoring of clinical samples. The precision values achieved are lower than 15% for all the evaluated points with adequate recovery and accuracy. Furthermore, no matrix interferences are found in the analysis and the proposed method shows to be an adequate alternative for analysis of FLU in plasma.
Sensitive determination of aliphatic amines by high‐performance liquid chromatography with a new fluorogenic probe 3‐(4‐fluorinebenzoyl)‐2‐quinoline carboxaldehyde
Authors: Zhang Niu , Zhao Yun‐Zhi , Zhang Hua‐Shan , Wang Hong
Published: November 2007

A new fluorogenic reagent 3‐(4‐fluorinebenzoyl)‐2‐quinoline carboxaldehyde (FBQCA) has been synthesized and used as a derivatizing reagent for the determination of aliphatic amines with HPLC. The reagent is nonfluorescent, but forms highly fluorescent isoindole upon the reaction with primary amines in alkaline medium. Eleven amine derivatives were baseline separated in 8 min using a gradient elution on a C8 column and detected with fluorescence detection at λex/λem = 480/546 nm. The detection limits were in the range of 0.5–2 nM (S/N = 3). The proposed method has been successfully applied to the analysis of aliphatic amines in food and environmental samples, including white wine, soybean oil, soil, and tap water with satisfactory recoveries in the range of 94–106%.
Chronic lung disease in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected children
Authors: Zar Heather J.
Published: November 2007

The development of chronic lung disease is common in HIV‐infected children. The spectrum of chronic HIV‐associated lung disease includes lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia (LIP), chronic infections, immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), bronchiectasis, malignancies, and interstitial pneumonitis. Chronic lung disease may result from recurrent or persistent pneumonia due to bacterial, mycobacterial, viral, fungal or mixed infections. In high tuberculosis (TB) prevalence areas, M. tuberculosis is an important cause of chronic respiratory illness. With increasing availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for children in developing countries, a rise in the incidence of IRIS due to mycobacterial or other infections is being reported. Diagnosis of chronic lung disease is based on chronic symptoms and persistent chest X‐ray changes but definitive diagnosis can be difficult as clinical and radiological findings may be non‐specific. Distinguishing LIP from miliary TB remains a difficult challenge in HIV‐infected children living in high TB prevalence areas. Treatment includes therapy for specific infections, pulmonary clearance techniques, corticosteroids for children with LIP who are hypoxic or who have airway compression from tuberculous nodes and HAART. Children who are taking TB therapy and HAART need adjustments in their drug regimes to minimize drug interactions and ensure efficacy. Preventative strategies include immunization, chemoprophylaxis, and micronutrient supplementation. Early use of HAART may prevent the development of chronic lung disease. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2008; 43:1–10. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Lung resection in cystic fibrosis: A survival analysis
Authors: Camargos Paulo , Le Bourgeois Muriel , Revillon Yann , Tatsuo Edson , Sermet‐Gaudelus Isabelle , Scheinmann Pierre , de Blic Jacques
Published: November 2007

Lung resection may be considered for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients showing localized severe chronic atelectasis and/or bronchiectasis. Nonetheless, literature on survival after surgery is scarce. This study was carried out to assess survival time after partial lung resection. Twenty‐one CF patients were operated from 1988 to 2003 and were followed until November 30th, 2004. Survival analysis was performed through Kaplan–Meier method. Mean age at resection was 8.09 years (SD 4.40 years) and two‐thirds were females. Z‐scores for height, weight, and body mass index as well as FEV1 values showed no statistical significance when comparing values obtained from 2 years before to 2 years after resection. Eleven years after resection, survival probability was 93.8%. Our results suggest that lobectomy or segmentectomy are safe procedures and should be considered in carefully selected patients with unilateral severe symptomatic localized and chronic persistent atelectasis and/or bronchiectasis refractory to conservative management. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2008; 43:72–76. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Electroconductive and photocurrent generation properties of self‐assembled monolayers formed by functionalized, conformationally‐constrained peptides on gold electrodes
Authors: Gatto Emanuela , Stella Lorenzo , Formaggio Fernando , Toniolo Claudio , Lorenzelli Leandro , Venanzi Mariano
Published: November 2007

The electroconductive properties and photocurrent generation capabilities of self‐assembled monolayers formed by conformationally‐constrained hexapeptides were studied by cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and photocurrent generation experiments. Lipoic acid was covalently linked to the N‐terminus of the peptides investigated to exploit the high affinity of the disulfide group to the gold substrates. Smart functionalization of the peptide scaffold with a redox‐active (TOAC) or a photosensitizer (Trp) amino acid allowed us to study the efficiency of peptide‐based self‐assembled monolayers to mediate electron transfer and photoinduced electron transfer processes on gold substrates. Interdigitated microelectrodes have shown higher film stability under photoexcitation, lower dark currents, and higher sensitivity with respect to standard gold electrodes. Copyright © 2007 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the solvability of dynamic elastic‐visco‐plastic contact problems
Authors: Jarušek J. , Sofonea M.
Published: November 2007

We consider two dynamic contact problems between an elastic‐visco‐plastic body and an obstacle, the so‐called foundation. The contact is frictionless and it is modelled with normal compliance of such a type that the penetration is not restricted in the first problem, but is restricted with unilateral constraint, in the second one. We derive a variational formulation of the first problem and then prove its unique weak solvability, by using arguments on nonlinear evolution equations with monotone operators and fixed point. Then, we derive a variational formulation of the second problem and prove its weak solvability. To this end we consider a sequence of regularized problems which have a unique solution, derive a priori estimates and use compactness properties to obtain a solution to the original model, by passing to the limit as the regularization parameter converges to zero.
Innexins form two types of channels
Authors: Bao Li , Samuels Stuart , Locovei Silviu , Macagno Eduardo R. , Muller Kenneth J. , Dahl Gerhard
Published: November 2007

Injury to the central nervous system triggers glial calcium waves in both vertebrates and invertebrates. In vertebrates the pannexin1 ATP‐release channel appears to provide for calcium wave initiation and propagation. The innexins, which form invertebrate gap junctions and have sequence similarity with the pannexins, are candidates to form non‐junctional membrane channels. Two leech innexins previously demonstrated in glia were expressed in frog oocytes. In addition to making gap junctions, innexins also formed non‐junctional membrane channels with properties similar to those of pannexons. In addition, carbenoxolone reversibly blocked the loss of carboxyfluorescein dye into the bath from the giant glial cells in the connectives of the leech nerve cord, which are known to express the innexins we assayed.
Developmental neurotoxicity role of cyclophosphamide on post‐neural tube closure of rodents in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Xiao R. , Yu Huan L. , Zhao Hai F. , Liang J. , Feng Jin F. , Wang W.
Published: November 2007

To evaluate the possible developmental role of cyclophosphamide on post‐neural tube closure of rodents, the 46 pregnant rats of 2.5–3 months old were randomly divided into five groups. On the 13th day of gestation, the rats in control and experimental groups were treated with physiological saline and cyclophosphamide (7.5, 10.5, 12.5 and 15.0 mg/kg bw), respectively. On the 14th day of gestation, three rats each selected randomly from control and experimental (12.5 mg/kg bw) group, respectively, were executed and the embryo brains were checked using both light microscope and transmission electron microscope. Neurocytotoxic effects of cyclophosphamide were determined using tetrazolium dye (MTT) assay, single cell gel electrophoresis, flow cytometry and scanning electron microscope. Compared with control group, the malformation incidence of the experimental groups (except the group 7.5 mg/kg bw) was significantly higher, especially in 12.5 mg/kg bw group (malformation incidence 98%, lethality 0). Neural tube serial section of fetus showed the apoptotic morphological features after 24 h cyclophosphamide administrated. Cyclophosphamide (8 μg/ml) decreased the growth and viability of neurons, damaged nuclear DNA and induced early apoptotic morphological changes. Our study shows that the teratogenesis of cyclophosphamide after neural tube closure are involved in cyclophosphamide‐induced neuronal apoptosis and DNA damage.
Petroleum potential of Baikal deposits
Authors: Kontorovich A.E. , Kashirtsev V.A. , Moskvin V.I. , Burshtein L.M. , Zemskaya T.I. , Kostyreva E.A. , Kalmychkov G.V. , Khlystov O.M.
Published: November 2007

We analyzed oils, gases, and bitumens of bottom sediments from natural shows on the southeastern shore of Lake Baikal, in the mouth of the Stvolovaya River near Capes Tolstyi and Gorevoi Utes. Based on a set of geological data, we have established that: (1) the lake oils underwent biodegradation to a variable degree: “Fresh” nondegraded paraffin oil floats up near Cape Gorevoi Utes; in the mouth of the Stvolovaya River and near Cape Tolstyi, aromatic-naphthene oil lacks n-alkanes, monomethyl alkanes, and acyclic isoprenoids; (2) Cenozoic oil originated from the organic matter of fresh-water basins with significant amounts of higher land plant remains, including angiosperm plants (oleanane), which suggests the lake or delta genesis of oil source formations of Cretaceous and younger ages. Judging from the carbon isotope composition (average δ13C = −43.84‰), methane from the bottom sediments near Cape Gorevoi Utes is catagenetic. The initial in-place resources in the Baikal sedimentary basins are estimated by the volumetric-statistical method at 500 mln tons of equivalent hydrocarbons.
Host-correlated morphological variation of Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) populations in Greece
Authors: Margaritopoulos J.T. , Tsitsipis J.A. , Zintzaras E. , Blackman R.L.
Published: November 2007

Morphological variation in nine characters of 157 clones of Myzus persicae(Sulzer) was examined by multivariate analysis. The clones were collected from peach, Prunus persica, the primary host and the secondary hosts tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum, cabbage, Brassica oleracea, sugarbeet, Beta vulgaris and pepper Capsicum annuum. The 156 clones originated from various regions of Greece, both in the north, where a large part of the population has an annual bisexual generation on peach, and in more southerly regions, where populations are predominantly unisexual. One clone was collected from tobacco in Caserta, Italy. All clones were laboratory-reared on potato. Canonical variate analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis and a non-parametric classification tree method both revealed morphological differences associated with the host-plant on which they were collected. The scores of the first two canonical variates separated the tobacco-feeding clones from those originating from other secondary host-plants. However, in tobacco-growing areas the tobacco-feeding form predominated in spring populations on peach, and was sometimes found on other secondary hosts. In addition, using cluster analysis, the clones from tobacco which were sampled in the most southeasterly region showed a relatively large phenotypic distance from those collected further north and west. Moreover, clonal phenotypes were affected both by host plant and by long-term parthenogenetic rearing. However, in spite of these effects, the tobacco form was generally distinguishable from aphids originating from other hosts, indicating that the difference must have a genetic basis. In separate analyses of the clones originating from secondary hosts no association was found between morphology and either life cycle category or colour. Discriminant analysis showed that 89% of 1723 specimens could be correctly classified into the two groups.
Effect of piperonyl butoxide on diazinon resistance in field strains of the sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina (Diptera: Calliphoridae), in New Zealand
Authors: Wilson J.A. , Clark A.G. , Haack N.A.
Published: November 2007

Pretreatment of first instar larvae of 28 resistant strains of Lucilia cuprina(Wiedemann) with the inhibitor of microsomal oxidases, piperonyl butoxide, resulted in a biphasic response to the phosphorothioate insecticide diazinon. Analysis of the data revealed a complex response in which both synergist-dependent and independent effects occurred. The responses varied markedly from strain to strain. A laboratory susceptible strain and field strains with resistance factors of less than 20-fold exhibited, in the presence of piperonyl butoxide, an increased LC50 with respect to diazinon whereas those strains with > 20-fold resistance were synergized by the compound. We conclude tentatively that microsomal mixed-function oxidases play a contributory role in the development of resistance and that the variation in synergist effect from strain to strain may be attributed, at least in part, to the two-fold effect of these enzymes on phosphorothioate insecticides such as diazinon.
Behaviour of tsetse (Diptera: Glossinidae) during the hot season in Zimbabwe: the interaction of micro-climate and reproductive status
Authors: Torr S.J. , Hargrove J.W.
Published: November 2007

Studies were made of the behaviour ofGlossina pallidipesAusten andG. morsitans morsitansWestwood during the hot season (September–November) in Zimbabwe, and attributes of samples of tsetse from refuges, odour-baited traps, targets and mobile baits were compared. Various arrangements of electric nets were used to study tsetse as they entered or left artificial refuges. The peak time of entry into a refuge varied between 0800 h and 1400 h and coincided with the time when the air temperature reached 32°C; the response was stronger if 32°C occurred earlier in the day. The peak time of exit varied between 1500 h and 1700 h, being significantly later on hotter days, but did not show a clear temperature threshold. Micro-meteorological measurements showed that refuges were significantly cooler than the surrounding riverine woodland during the day but warmer at night. There was no significant difference between the air temperatures in leafless mopane woodland and semi-evergreen riverine woodland during the day but at night the riverine woodland was significantly cooler. Combining the micro-meteorological data with the estimated local movements of tsetse suggested that during the hot season, tsetse experienced temperatures 2°C cooler than the daily mean in a Stevenson screen located in mopane woodland. Compared with the catches of tsetse from traps, refuges had higher proportions ofG. m. morsitans, males, young flies and females in the later stages of reproduction, and it is suggested that during the hot season, samples from refuges were less biased than traps with respect to species and sex composition, age and reproductive status. During the hot season, tsetse populations declined byc. 90% and although air temperatures exceeded lethal levels (c.40°C), the refuge-entering responses meant that adult flies probably experienced a maximum of onlyc.35°C. It is suggested that the decline in numbers is not due to direct mortality effects of temperature on adults but may be due, in part, to a doubling in the rates of reproductive abnormality during the hot season and an increase in adult mortality related to a temperature-dependent decrease in pupal period.
Distribution of ticks (Acari: Ixodida) infesting domestic ruminants in Ghana
Authors: Walker A.R. , Koney E.B.M.
Published: November 2007

Nineteen sites throughout Ghana were selected as representative of the three major zones of natural vegetation. At these sites, samples of ticks were collected from groups of approximately five each of cattle, sheep and goats. Ticks were identified by light microscopy. In order of abundance, tick species found on livestock were:Amblyomma variegatum(Fabricius),Boophilus decoloratus(Koch),Rhipicephalus senegalensisKoch,Boophilus annulatus(Say), Hyalomma marginatum rufipesKoch, aRhipicephalusspecies in thesanguineusgroup of uncertain identity close to bothR. turanicusPomerantsev andR. sulcatusNeumann,Boophilus geigyiAeschlimann & Morel, Hyalomma truncatumKoch, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsiNeumann andRhipicephalus lunulatusNeumann.Amblyomma variegatumwas found on every sample of the sheep, goats and cattle examined and was equally abundant in all vegetation zones.Boophilusspecies were found mainly on cattle, with some on sheep and were widely distributed by vegetation zone.Hyalommaspecies were found predominantly on cattle and widely distributed by vegetation zone.Rhipicephalus e. evertsiandR. senegalensiswere found on sheep and cattle in all vegetation zones. The tick fauna of Ghana is similar to those of other West African countries and this shows that control strategies developed in neighbouring countries can be applied to Ghana. The significance of this tick fauna is discussed in relation to potential for pathogen transmission.