bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The 7‐year course of depression and anxiety in the general population
Authors: Rhebergen D. , Batelaan N. M. , de Graaf R. , Nolen W. A. , Spijker J. , Beekman A. T. F. , Penninx B. W. J. H.
Published: February 2011

Rhebergen D, Batelaan NM, de Graaf R, Nolen WA, Spijker J, Beekman ATF, Penninx BWJH. The 7‐year course of depression and anxiety in the general population.

Objective:  Insight into the long‐term course of depression and anxiety.

Method:  Data were derived from Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study/Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety, epidemiologic surveys in the adult population in the Netherlands. Three hundred and three respondents with depressive and/or anxiety Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) disorder were interviewed, examining the 7‐year course of depression (n = 141), anxiety (n = 102) and the comorbid state (n = 60) and possible prognostic factors. Outcomes were CIDI diagnostic status after 7 years and percentage of time during 7 years with depressive and/or anxiety symptoms, retrospectively assessed by the Life Chart Interview (LCI).

Results:  After 7 years, 60.7% of the subjects were free from a 12‐month CIDI depression or anxiety diagnosis. The odds were higher for subjects with anxiety and comorbidity compared to subjects with depression. Low physical functioning and high neuroticism predicted the presence of a diagnosis after 7 years.

During 7‐year follow‐up, 37.3% of the subjects were free from depressive and anxiety symptoms according to the LCI, 51.8% had symptoms <50% of the time, and 10.9%≥50% of the time. (Comorbid) anxiety resulted in a poorer course. High neuroticism and childhood adversity predicted more follow‐up time with symptoms.

Conclusion:  Course trajectories were more favorable than expected, although comorbidity resulted in poorer course. Neuroticism, physical functioning, and childhood adversity predicted an unfavorable course.
From children to young adults: cystic fibrosis and siblingship A longitudinal study
Authors: Wennström I‐L , Isberg P‐E , Wirtberg I , Rydén O
Published: February 2011

Aim:  To compare the results from our previous study in 1994/95 of children with cystic fibrosis (CF) at the age of 6–14 years and their healthy siblings with data from the same participants as young adults in regard to their self‐esteem, life satisfaction and attitudes towards the CF siblingship situation.

Methods:  Thirty‐seven sibling pairs participated. Three instruments were used: The ‘As I see myself’ self‐evaluation questionnaire; the ‘Ladder of life’, assessing life satisfaction; and the ‘Sibling Mirror’, reflecting a person’s feelings, when one’s sibling or oneself has CF.

Results:  Contrary to 1994/95 study results, the female participants showed no signs of impaired self‐esteem. Concerning life satisfaction, women in both groups and the men with CF have lower ratings than a healthy reference group. Individuals with CF look upon themselves today as independent, thoughtful and mature, but remember themselves as being active, spoiled or fussy. Healthy siblings consider themselves diplomatic, responsible, mature, important and loyal but remember themselves as angry, envious and neglected.

Conclusion:  The self‐esteem of women in the sibling pairs (whether with CF or healthy sisters) has improved since their childhood. Overall, the results indicate that young adults with CF today are medically well controlled and psychosocially well adapted, albeit aware of their precarious future.
Breastfeeding and early child development: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Oddy Wendy H. , Robinson Monique , Kendall Garth E. , Li Jianghong , Zubrick Stephen R. , Stanley Fiona J.
Published: February 2011

Aim:  Breastfeeding has been associated with multiple developmental advantages for the infant; however, there have also been a number of studies that find no significant benefits to child development. We examined the relationship between breastfeeding for 4 months or longer and child development at age 1, 2 and 3 years.

Methods:  Women were enrolled in the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study (N = 2900) and their live born children (N = 2868) were followed to the age of 3 years (N = 2280). Infant feeding data were collected at each age, and the mothers completed the Infant/Child Monitoring Questionnaire (IMQ), which measures progress towards developmental milestones in the domains of gross and fine motor skills, adaptability, sociability and communication. Factors adjusted for in multivariable analyses included maternal sociodemographic characteristics and stressful life events.

Results:  Infants breastfed for 4 months or longer had significantly higher mean scores (representing better functioning) for fine motor skills at age 1 and 3, significantly higher adaptability scores up to age two, and higher communication scores at age 1 and 3 years. Infants who were breastfed for <4 months were more likely to have at least one atypical score across the five developmental domains than those who were breastfed for 4 months or longer.

Conclusion:  Although our effect sizes were small, breastfeeding for 4 months or longer was associated with improved developmental outcomes for children aged one to 3 years after adjustment for multiple confounding factors.
Intestinal polypoid arteriovenous malformation: unusual presentation in a child and review of the literature
Authors: Yazbeck Nadine , Mahfouz Imane , Majdalani Marianne , Tawil Ayman , Farra Chantal , Akel Samir
Published: February 2011

Aim:  We report a jejuno‐jejunal intussusception with a polypoid arteriovenous malformation as a lead point in a 12‐year‐old boy, presenting with lower abdominal pain and non‐bloody non‐projectile vomiting.

Methods:  A computed tomography scan of the abdomen and pelvis showed proximal jejuno‐jejunal intussusception in the right upper quadrant. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a 5.5 × 2.5 × 2 cm polypoid mass within the wall of the jejunum. Consequently, jejunal segment resection was performed with end to end jejunostomy. Our case is distinctive because it involves a rare vascular lesion at an atypical site, the jejunum, in a child with an unusual presentation of intussusception treated surgically.

Conclusion:  Many paediatric benign and surgical conditions present with similar clinical symptoms; the physician in the emergency department should try to narrow the differential diagnosis and recognize surgical emergencies to avoid any delay in intervention that could be life‐threatening.
Enzymes of mannitol metabolism in the human pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus – kinetic properties of mannitol‐1‐phosphate 5‐dehydrogenase and mannitol 2‐dehydrogenase, and their physiological implications
Authors: Krahulec Stefan , Armao Guilliano Cem , Klimacek Mario , Nidetzky Bernd
Published: February 2011

The human pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus accumulates large amounts of intracellular mannitol to enhance its resistance against defense strategies of the infected host. To explore their currently unknown roles in mannitol metabolism, we studied A. fumigatus mannitol‐1‐phosphate 5‐dehydrogenase (AfM1PDH) and mannitol 2‐dehydrogenase (AfM2DH), each recombinantly produced in Escherichia coli, and performed a detailed steady‐state kinetic characterization of the two enzymes at 25 °C and pH 7.1. Primary kinetic isotope effects resulting from deuteration of alcohol substrate or NADH showed that, for AfM1PDH, binding of d‐mannitol 1‐phosphate and NAD+ is random, whereas d‐fructose 6‐phosphate binds only after NADH has bound to the enzyme. Binding of substrate and NAD(H) by AfM2DH is random for both d‐mannitol oxidation and d‐fructose reduction. Hydride transfer is rate‐determining for d‐mannitol 1‐phosphate oxidation by AfM1PDH (kcat = 10.6 s−1) as well as d‐fructose reduction by AfM2DH (kcat = 94 s−1). Product release steps control the maximum rates in the other direction of the two enzymatic reactions. Free energy profiles for the enzymatic reaction under physiological boundary conditions suggest that AfM1PDH primarily functions as a d‐fructose‐6‐phosphate reductase, whereas AfM2DH acts in d‐mannitol oxidation, thus establishing distinct routes for production and mobilization of mannitol in A. fumigatus. ATP, ADP and AMP do not affect the activity of AfM1PDH, suggesting the absence of flux control by cellular energy charge at the level of d‐fructose 6‐phosphate reduction. AfM1PDH is remarkably resistant to inactivation by heat (half‐life at 40 °C of 20 h), consistent with the idea that formation of mannitol is an essential component of the temperature stress response of A. fumigatus. Inhibition of AfM1PDH might be a useful target for therapy of A. fumigatus infections.
Do all Sun-like stars have planets? Inferences from the disc mass reservoirs of Class 0 protostars
Authors: Greaves J. S. , Rice W. K. M.
Published: February 2011

Protostars ∼0.1 Myr old are heavily obscured, but their circumstellar dust discs can be studied by millimetre interferometry that resolves out the obscuring envelope. Consistent estimates are made for the disc masses of Class 0 protostars, and these range over 7–660 MJup. A simple grain coagulation model reproduces the mass distributions of more evolved discs around Class I protostars and Class II T Tauri stars (at ≲1, ≲5 Myr), implying that their observed dust is remnant material. The conversion of most dust grains into planetesimals thus occurs very early, at ∼0.1 Myr. As this is concurrent with the formation of the star itself, much of the disc is expected to accrete on to the central object, and a correlation of bolometric luminosity and disc mass is observed that agrees well with disc models. The observed Class 0 discs all contain upwards of 20 M of dust, allowing for the formation of ‘super-Earths’ around many Sun-like stars. Only 10 per cent of the dust mass needs to be converted into planetary cores to match the range of such core masses presently known.
Defining Miracles: Violations of the Laws of Nature
Authors: Luck Morgan
Published: February 2011

Philosophers have made numerous and varied attempts to analyse the concept of a miracle. To the end, an assortment of necessary and sufficient conditions for the truth an instantiation of a miracle have been offered. In this paper we discuss one of the most common of these conditions – the violation restriction. This restriction holds that all miracles involve a violation of a law of nature.
Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico‐Philosophicus and Religion
Authors: Hansen Stig Børsen
Published: February 2011

This paper explores the relevance of Wittgenstein’s early work for treatments of religion. The first section briefly outlines some different interpretive possibilities with respect to early Wittgenstein’s thinking. The following section explores the idea that what is important about early Wittgenstein’s work resides not in the meaning of the text as such, but in elements of his Jewish heritage. The third section outlines the immediate task that is undertaken in the body of the TLP. Central notions are those of mysticism and logical form and the two concluding sections explore how these notions play a role in treatments of religion. This they do either by exhibiting parallels between themes in theology and themes in logic, or they do so by playing a role in assessing cosmological arguments in the philosophy of religion.
Disability and Justice
Authors: Hartley Christie
Published: February 2011

Historically, philosophers have had little to say about justice and disability. However, in recent years and in response to disability rights movements, philosophers have started to consider the claims to justice of persons with mental and physical impairments. Importantly, some have charged that without extensive revision, social contract accounts of justice – which enjoy immense popularity among political philosophers – cannot address the needs and interests of persons with disabilities. In this article, I explain why social contract accounts are thought to flounder when it comes to justice for persons with disabilities. Then I assess the merits of recent attempts to construct theories of justice inclusive of persons with disabilities. In particular, I consider Nussbaum’s capabilities approach, Kittay’s justice as caring, and various restatements of the social contract.
More Recent Idealist Readings of Spinoza
Authors: Newlands Samuel
Published: February 2011

In this paper, I discuss a once dominant tradition of Spinoza interpretation that shows signs of renewal: Spinoza as a kind of idealist. According to this interpretation, the attribute of thought is the most fundamental attribute in Spinoza’s system and the existence of finite modes is in some way illusory. Its proponents include a contemporary scholar, Michael Della Rocca, as well as several late 19th century British scholars: John Caird, Harold Joachim, James Martineau, and Frederick Pollock. In this paper, I explore their arguments, criticisms, and conclusions.
Lawyers, Guns, and Money: A Plenary Presentation from the Conference “Using Law, Policy and Research to Improve the Public's Health”
Authors: Marks James S. , Larkin Michelle A. , McGowan Angela K.
Published: February 2011

On behalf of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), I want to thank the Public Health Law Association and the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics for your leadership and the work that both you and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have done to grow this field. RWJF is pleased to co-sponsor this conference.

The music that opened this talk is a clip from Warren Zevon, who encouraged us musically to “send lawyers, guns and money.” Zevon was a singer/songwriter and social critic whose songs often took a jaundiced, somewhat cynical point of view. Even so, I know that I am probably stretching his meaning when I think of this song. I see “lawyers, guns and money” as his take on the major drivers of how change happens in a society.
The Role of Federal Preemption in Injury Prevention Litigation
Authors: Vernick Jon S.
Published: February 2011

In 2007, there were 182,479 injury-related deaths in the United States — including homicides, suicides, and unintentional injuries – making injuries the leading cause of death for persons under age 45. Also in 2007, nearly 30 million Americans suffered a non-fatal injury serious enough to warrant hospital treatment. The lifetime cost of fatal and non-fatal injuries occurring in 2000 is estimated to exceed $400 billion.

Efforts to prevent injuries have often focused on changes to the built environment or potentially dangerous products to reduce risks. Building safety into a product or environment — especially in ways that require little or no user action to confer protection — is often more effective than trying to change consumer behavior. For example, improving the crashworthiness of cars through design changes such as air bags, fire-resistant fuel systems, or electronic stability programs, is more effective than simply trying to teach operators to become safer drivers.
The Michigan BioTrust for Health: Using Dried Bloodspots for Research to Benefit the Community While Respecting the Individual
Authors: Chrysler Denise , McGee Harry , Bach Janice , Goldman Ed , Jacobson Peter D.
Published: February 2011

The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) stores almost 4 million dried blood spot specimens (DBS) in the Michigan Neonatal Biobank. DBS are collected from newborns under a mandatory public health program to screen for serious conditions. At 24 to 36 hours of age, a few drops of blood are taken from the baby’s heel and placed on a filter paper card. The card is sent to the state public health laboratory for testing. After testing, MDCH retains the spots indefinitely for the personal use of the patient and also, pursuant to a 2000 law, for possible research.
Ties Binding Asia, Europe and the USA
Authors: Kim Soyoung , Lee Jong‐Wha , Park Cyn‐Young
Published: February 2011

We investigate changes in Asia's regional and global trade linkages and their influence on macroeconomic relationships among Asia, Europe and the USA. We first document changes in tripartite trade patterns and discuss stylized facts about East Asia's trade structure, with particular focus on the role of China. China plays a critical role in the rapidly expanding intra‐Asian trade as an assembly and production center that supplies final goods for the advanced economies. However, China's trade shares in final goods with East Asia and in parts and components with Europe and the USA are rising, suggesting that the region's production chains are becoming increasingly integrated into the global business network. Empirical results from a panel vector autoregression model generally confirm increasingly mutual macroeconomic interdependence among East Asia, Europe and the USA. The findings suggest a future role for Asia as an important trade partner and balancing power in the world economy.
A New Global Auto Industry?
Authors: Kierzkowski Henryk
Published: February 2011

This paper brings together a number of robust trade models to shed some light on the likely evolution of the global automotive industry. Vertical product differentiation, intra‐industry trade and fragmentation of production leading to international outsourcing are important features of the existing global automotive sector. The global automotive sector will most likely experience groundbreaking changes over the coming decades. The sector is confronted with a multidimensional technological revolution spurred by radical product innovation, shifts in customer demand and government incentives. A dominant driver will be growing public concern about climate change. China and India might well become leading players by 2050, if not earlier.
Optimal Monetary Policy in China
Authors: He Ping , Nie Guangyu , Wang Guanglong , Zhang Xiang
Published: February 2011

Using the structural vector autoregression model, we estimate the current responses of monetary policy to contemporaneous shocks from macroeconomic variables. Our findings indicate that the People's Bank of China responded to inflation and output changes, but did not react to asset price fluctuations during the period from January 1997 to March 2010. The optimal monetary responses to exogenous shocks are also examined. It is revealed that using asset prices to formulate monetary policy would not help to improve monetary authorities' performance in lowering the volatilities of output growth and inflation while keeping output growth and inflation in their safety zones. The effectiveness of monetary policy and fiscal policy in reacting to external shocks is also discussed.
Attitudes to North America in Wieland's Teutscher Merkur
Authors: SHOOKMAN ELLIS
Published: February 2011

Christoph Martin Wieland's German journal Der Teutsche Merkur ran over fifty articles mentioning North America. The attitudes expressed in the articles were complex and changed dramatically. In the mid‐1770s most were impartial – or even mildly favourable – but by the early nineteenth century many were harshly disparaging. This essay examines the evidence of this striking contrast, evidence that may be explained in Rousseauian terms. The essay thus shows that Der Teutsche Merkur yields a trove of information on eighteenth‐century German attitudes towards the American Revolution and the fledgling United States.
polysat: an R package for polyploid microsatellite analysis
Authors: CLARK LINDSAY V. , JASIENIUK MARIE
Published: February 2011

We present an R package to help remedy the lack of software for manipulating and analysing autopolyploid and allopolyploid microsatellite data. polysat can handle genotype data of any ploidy, including populations of mixed ploidy, and assumes that allele copy number is always ambiguous in partial heterozygotes. It can import and export genotype data in eight different formats, calculate pairwise distances between individuals using a stepwise mutation and infinite alleles model, estimate ploidy based on allele counts and estimate allele frequencies and pairwise FST values. This software is freely available through the Comprehensive R Archive Network (http://cran.r‐project.org/) and includes a thorough tutorial.
Development of a multiplex PCR assay for fine‐scale population genetic analysis of the Komodo monitor Varanus komodoensis based on 18 polymorphic microsatellite loci
Authors: CIOFI CLAUDIO , TZIKA ATHANASIA C. , NATALI CHIARA , WATTS PHILLIP C. , SULANDARI SRI , ZEIN MOCH S. A. , MILINKOVITCH MICHEL C.
Published: February 2011

Multiplex PCR assays for the coamplification of microsatellite loci allow rapid and cost‐effective genetic analyses and the production of efficient screening protocols for international breeding programs. We constructed a partial genomic library enriched for di‐nucleotide repeats and characterized 14 new microsatellite loci for the Komodo monitor (or Komodo dragon, Varanus komodoensis). Using these novel microsatellites and four previously described loci, we developed multiplex PCR assays that may be loaded on a genetic analyser in three separate panels. We tested the novel set of microsatellites for polymorphism using 69 individuals from three island populations and evaluated the resolving power of the entire panel of 18 loci by conducting (i) a preliminary assignment test to determine population(s) of origin and (ii) a parentage analysis for 43 captive Komodo monitors. This panel of polymorphic loci proved useful for both purposes and thus can be exploited for fine‐scale population genetic analyses and as part of international captive breeding programs directed at maintaining genetically viable ex situ populations and reintroductions.
Special Taxation of the Mining Industry*
Authors: Freebairn John , Quiggin John
Published: February 2011

The efficiency and equity arguments for changing the structure of, and the aggregate level of, special taxation of the mining industry are reviewed. An economic rent base tax would cause smaller taxation distortions than the current quantity base royalties. A higher level of taxation of immobile factors, including mining resources, as part of a tax‐mix change to fund lower taxation of internationally mobile capital would lead to higher Australian economic growth and after‐tax returns to labour. The Brown tax, the Allowance for Corporate Capital, and versions of a resource rent tax, including the petroleum resource rent tax and minerals resource rent tax variants, are described and evaluated as measures of economic rent in the mining industry. In principle, the Brown tax has greater transparency and desired efficiency properties.
Some Economics of Mining Taxation
Authors: Ergas Henry , Harrison Mark , Pincus Jonathan
Published: February 2011

We argue five main propositions. First, the choice between royalties and profit‐based taxation involves an efficiency tradeoff, between diminished incentives to produce output on one hand, and diminished incentives to minimise costs on the other (as in Laffont and Tirole, 1993). So the Brown tax is indeed a tax, and one that reduces the incentive to mine. Next, the ex post Resource Super Profits Tax (RSPT) falls on quasi‐rents as well as on rents, and therefore involves some expropriation. Third, there may be a case in favour of a retrospective RSPT or the like, but it has yet to be made persuasively. Fourth, the successor to the RSPT – the Minerals Resource Rent Tax (MRRT) – has many of the inefficiencies of the RSPT but adds some further serious inefficiencies of its own. Last, the value of revenues from taxes such as the RSPT and the MRRT is usually over‐stated, as those revenues are highly risky. The failure to take account of the risky character of those income streams amounts to fiscal illusion and makes it more likely that unwise spending commitments will be made.
Oxidant and antioxidant profile of hyperketonemic ewes affected by pregnancy toxemia
Authors: Al‐Qudah Khaled M.
Published: February 2011

Background: Negative energy balance during late pregnancy in ewes is an important cause of hyperketonemia. Ketone bodies can generate superoxide radicals and cause oxidative stress and cellular dysfunction, as noted in cows with subclinical ketosis or in diabetic people.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of hyperketonemia in initiating the process of lipid peroxidation.

Methods: The study included 10 pregnant ewes (aged 3.5–6 years) with pregnancy toxemia, 10 clinically healthy pregnant ewes, and 10 clinically healthy nonpregnant ewes. Serum concentrations of β‐hydroxybutyrate (BHB), cortisol, and glucose, plasma activities of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase, and plasma concentrations of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), markers of lipid peroxidation, and reduced glutathione were measured. Data from the 3 groups were statistically analyzed and compared.

Results: Serum concentrations of BHB, cortisol, and TBARS were significantly higher in ewes with pregnancy toxemia when compared with concentrations in healthy pregnant and nonpregnant groups (P≤.05). In ewes with pregnancy toxemia, a strong positive correlation was found between concentrations of TBARS and BHB (r=.80; P=.002) and between concentrations of BHB and cortisol (r=.76; P=.005).

Conclusions: Oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation are involved in the development and complications of pregnancy toxemia. An association between hyperketonemia and the products of lipid peroxidation has also been demonstrated, suggesting that ketosis is a risk factor in the development of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress in ewes affected by pregnancy toxemia.
Reference Value Advisor: a new freeware set of macroinstructions to calculate reference intervals with Microsoft Excel
Authors: Geffré Anne , Concordet Didier , Braun Jean‐Pierre , Trumel Catherine
Published: February 2011

Abstract: International recommendations for determination of reference intervals have been recently updated, especially for small reference sample groups, and use of the robust method and Box–Cox transformation is now recommended. Unfortunately, these methods are not included in most software programs used for data analysis by clinical laboratories. We have created a set of macroinstructions, named Reference Value Advisor, for use in Microsoft Excel to calculate reference limits applying different methods. For any series of data, Reference Value Advisor calculates reference limits (with 90% confidence intervals [CI]) using a nonparametric method when n≥40 and by parametric and robust methods from native and Box–Cox transformed values; tests normality of distributions using the Anderson–Darling test and outliers using Tukey and Dixon–Reed tests; displays the distribution of values in dot plots and histograms and constructs Q–Q plots for visual inspection of normality; and provides minimal guidelines in the form of comments based on international recommendations. The critical steps in determination of reference intervals are correct selection of as many reference individuals as possible and analysis of specimens in controlled preanalytical and analytical conditions. Computing tools cannot compensate for flaws in selection and size of the reference sample group and handling and analysis of samples. However, if those steps are performed properly, Reference Value Advisor, available as freeware at http://www.biostat.envt.fr/spip/spip.php?article63, permits rapid assessment and comparison of results calculated using different methods, including currently unavailable methods. This allows for selection of the most appropriate method, especially as the program provides the CI of limits. It should be useful in veterinary clinical pathology when only small reference sample groups are available.
Preservice Mathematics Teachers' Ambiguous Views of Technology
Authors: Chen Rong‐Ji
Published: February 2011

While the nature of mathematics and the nature of science have received much attention, there is a lack of research on the nature of technology. This study sought to investigate preservice teachers' perceptions about the nature of technology and its role in mathematics education and society. Based on two philosophical theories of technology, the author analyzed 22 preservice teachers' philosophy statements on educational technology and in‐depth interviews with 5 of them. The findings reveal that the teachers had ambiguous notions about the characteristics of technology, which were contingent on contexts of technology use, human–machine relationships, and other factors. However, in most cases, they had an instrumental view of technology and a techno‐centric mindset. Although the participating teachers were encouraged to reflect on broad socio‐cultural issues associated with technology, most of them did not have a linguistic and conceptual framework from which to examine thoroughly how technology might influence human consciousness. As the educational technology and teacher education communities have broadened their understanding of technology and what it takes for an organizational change, preservice teachers need adequate opportunities to explore the pedagogical, epistemological, ontological, and cultural implications of the educational use of technology.
A strengthening of the GL(2) converse theorem
Authors: Booker Andrew R. , Krishnamurthy M.
Published: February 2011

We generalize the method of A. R. Booker (Poles of Artin L-functions and the strong Artin conjecture, Ann. of Math. (2)158(2003), 1089–1098; MR 2031863(2004k:11082)) to prove a version of the converse theorem of Jacquet and Langlands with relaxed conditions on the twists by ramified idèle class characters.
Iwasawa theory for modular forms at supersingular primes
Authors: Lei Antonio
Published: February 2011

We generalise works of Kobayashi to give a formulation of the Iwasawa main conjecture for modular forms at supersingular primes. In particular, we give analogous definitions of the plus and minus Coleman maps for normalised new forms of arbitrary weights and relate Pollack’s p-adic L-functions to the plus and minus Selmer groups. In addition, by generalising works of Pollack and Rubin on CM elliptic curves, we prove the ‘main conjecture’ for CM modular forms.
Wireless Passive Sensor for Remote pH Monitoring
Authors: Bhadra Sharmistha , Bridges Greg E. , Thomson Douglas J. , Freund Michael S.
Published: February 2011

In this paper we describe a wireless passive pH sensor for high-resolution remote pH monitoring. The sensor is based on a passive LC coil resonator whose resonant frequency is monitored remotely by measuring the change in impedance of an interrogator coil coupled to the sensor coil. The sensor resonator consists of an inductive coil connected in parallel with a voltage dependent capacitor and a pH combination electrode. Change in the electrode potential in response to variations of the pH of the solution changes the capacitance, and therefore the resonant frequency of the sensor. A linear response with a 0.1 pH resolution is achieved over a 4–10 pH dynamic range. The response time of the sensor is demonstrated to be less than 30 s and is limited by the response time of the pH combination electrode. The described sensor technology is suitable for long-term remote pH monitoring in numerous fields such as biomedical sensing, environmental monitoring, industrial and chemical processing, and structural health monitoring.
Prebuckling Enhancement of Imperfect Composite Plates Using Piezoelectric Actuators
Authors: de Faria Alfredo R. , Oguamanam Donatus C. D. , Donadon Maurício V.
Published: February 2011

The nonlinear response of initially imperfect composite plates with piezoelectric actuators is investigated. The nonlinearity is limited to the prebuckling regime, where higher order terms present in the strain energy expression can be neglected. The advantage of the electromechanical coupling is exploited in two ways. First, the in-plane piezoelectric stress stiffening effect is used to tailor a stress distribution that inherently increases the critical buckling loads of perfect composite plates by posing an optimization problem that efficiently handles eventual uncertainties involved in the application of mechanical loadings. Second, piezoelectric bending moments are applied in order to avoid or ameliorate the undesirable effects of initial imperfections. An actuation strategy, where the piezoelectric membrane forces and bending moments are decomposed via an appropriate selection of voltages applied to piezoelectric patches that are symmetrically bonded to the top and bottom surfaces of the plate, is proposed and shown to be effective.
Vibration of Single- and Double-Layered Graphene Sheets
Authors: Arash Behrouz , Wang Quan
Published: February 2011

Free vibration of single- and double-layered graphene sheets is investigated by employing nonlocal continuum theory and molecular dynamics simulations. Results show that the classical elastic model overestimated the resonant frequencies of the sheets by a percentage as high as 62%. The dependence of small-scale effects, sizes of sheets, boundary conditions, and number of layers on vibrational characteristic of single- and double-layered graphene sheets is studied. The resonant frequencies predicted by the nonlocal elastic plate theory are verified by the molecular dynamics simulations, and the nonlocal parameter is calibrated through the verification process. The simulation results reveal that the calibrated nonlocal parameter depends on boundary conditions and vibrational modes. The nonlocal plate model is found to be indispensable in vibration analysis of grapheme sheets with a length less than 8 nm on their sides.
Posttranslational Modification of Pili upon Cell Contact Triggers
N. meningitidis
Dissemination
Authors: Chamot-Rooke Julia , Mikaty Guillain , Malosse Christian , Soyer Magali , Dumont Audrey , Gault Joseph , Imhaus Anne-Flore , Martin Patricia , Trellet Mikael , Clary Guilhem , Chafey Philippe , Camoin Luc , Nilges Michael , Nassif Xavier , Duménil Guillaume
Published: February 2011

Regulated deaggregation allows meningitis-causing bacteria to propagate to new host cells and migrate across epithelia.
Bounds and Vision
Atlas of Science
Visualizing What We Know

by Katy Börner

MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2010. 266 pp. $$29.95, £22.95. ISBN 9780262014458.
Authors: Porter Mason A.
Published: February 2011

This book and the associated continuing exhibition comprise a rather diverse collection of visualizations of the structure, contents, and concepts of science and technology.
An Anniversary Party
Authors: Stefánsson Kári
Published: February 2011

The genome anniversary being celebrated commemorates an important announcement, but we still do not have a complete sequence.
First Steps on a Long Road
Authors: Schadt Eric
Published: February 2011

We have learned that the human genome is much more dynamic than previously thought.
The Proapoptotic Bcl-2 Protein Bax Plays an Important Role in the Pathogenesis of Reovirus Encephalitis
Authors: Berens Heather M. , Tyler Kenneth L.
Published: February 2011

Encephalitis induced by reovirus serotype 3 (T3) strains results from the apoptotic death of infected neurons. Extrinsic apoptotic signaling is activated in reovirus-infected neurons
in vitro
and
in vivo
, but the role of intrinsic apoptosis signaling during encephalitis is largely unknown. Bax plays a key role in intrinsic apoptotic signaling in neurons by allowing the release of mitochondrial cytochrome
c
. We found Bax activation and cytochrome
c
release in neurons following infection of neonatal mice with T3 reoviruses. Bax
−/−
mice infected with T3 Abney (T3A) have reduced central nervous system (CNS) tissue injury and decreased apoptosis, despite viral replication that is similar to that in wild-type (WT) Bax
+/+
mice. In contrast, in the heart, T3A-infected Bax
−/−
mice have viral growth, caspase activation, and injury comparable to those in WT mice, indicating that the role of Bax in pathogenesis is organ specific. Nonmyocarditic T3 Dearing (T3D)-infected Bax
−/−
mice had delayed disease and enhanced survival compared to WT mice. T3D-infected Bax
−/−
mice had significantly lower viral titers and levels of activated caspase 3 in the brain despite unaffected transneuronal spread of virus. Cytochrome
c
and Smac release occurred in some reovirus-infected neurons in the absence of Bax; however, this was clearly reduced compared to levels seen in Bax
+/+
wild-type mice, indicating that Bax is necessary for efficient activation of proapoptotic mitochondrial signaling in infected neurons. Our studies suggest that Bax is important for reovirus growth and pathogenesis in neurons and that the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis, mediated by Bax, is important for full expression of disease, CNS tissue injury, apoptosis, and viral growth in the CNS of reovirus-infected mice.
Evidence of a Dominant Lineage of Vibrio cholerae-Specific Lytic Bacteriophages Shed by Cholera Patients over a 10-Year Period in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Authors: Seed Kimberley D. , Bodi Kip L. , Kropinski Andrew M. , Ackermann Hans-Wolfgang , Calderwood Stephen B. , Qadri Firdausi , Camilli Andrew
Published: February 2011

Lytic bacteriophages are hypothesized to contribute to the seasonality and duration of cholera epidemics in Bangladesh. However, the bacteriophages contributing to this phenomenon have yet to be characterized at a molecular genetic level. In this study, we isolated and sequenced the genomes of 15 bacteriophages from stool samples from cholera patients spanning a 10-year surveillance period in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Our results indicate that a single novel bacteriophage type, designated ICP1 (for the
I
nternational Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh
c
holera
p
hage

1

) is present in all stool samples from cholera patients, while two other bacteriophage types, one novel (ICP2) and one T7-like (ICP3), are transient. ICP1 is a member of the
Myoviridae
family and has a 126-kilobase genome comprising 230 open reading frames. Comparative sequence analysis of ICP1 and related isolates from this time period indicates a high level of genetic conservation. The ubiquitous presence of ICP1 in cholera patients and the finding that the O1 antigen of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) serves as the ICP1 receptor suggest that ICP1 is extremely well adapted to predation of human-pathogenic
V. cholerae
O1.

IMPORTANCE
The severe diarrheal disease cholera is caused by the bacterium
Vibrio cholerae
, which can be transmitted to humans from the aquatic environment. Factors that affect
V. cholerae
in the environment can impact the occurrence of cholera outbreaks; one of these factors is thought to be the presence of bacterial viruses, or bacteriophages. Bacteriophages that prey on
V. cholerae
in the environment, and potentially in humans, have not been extensively genetically characterized. Here, we isolated and sequenced the genomes of bacteriophages from cholera patient stool samples collected over a 10-year period in Dhaka, Bangladesh, a region that suffers from regular cholera outbreaks. We describe a unique bacteriophage present in all samples, infer its evolution by sequencing multiple isolates from different patients over time, and identify the host receptor that shows that the bacteriophage specifically predates the serogroup of
V. cholerae
responsible for the majority of disease occurrences.
Infrared spectroscopic study of the effects of hydration and reduction of V2O5/Al2O3 catalyst on ammonia adsorption
Authors: Sobalík Zdeněk , Pour Vladimír
Published: February 2011

The effects of hydration and reduction of V2O5/Al2O3 catalyst (14.7% V2O5) on ammonia adsorption have been studied by infrared spectroscopy. Both the oxidation-reduction state of the catalyst and the degree of surface dehydration have an influence on the proportions of Broensted and Lewis acidic adsorption sites in the surface. For adsorption at room temperature, the proportion of ammonia bound to Broensted acidic sites in the form of NH4+ is highest with oxidized and weakly dehydrated catalyst surfaces, decreasing as the degree of reduction and dehydration temperature are increased. Negligible proportion of this form is present on strongly reduced catalyst dehydrated at 763 K.
1-[2-(2-Hydroxymethylphenylthio)benzyl]-4-methylpiperzine and related compounds as potential antidepressants: Synthesis and pharmacological acreening
Authors: Červená Irena , Protiva Miroslav
Published: February 2011

Heating of 1-(2-iodobenzoyl)-4-methylpiperazine (II) with thiophenol and its 2-methyl, 4-methyl, 4-chloro and 2-hydroxymethyl derivatives in dimethylformamide in the presence of potassium carbonate, copper and cuprous iodide gave the piperazides IV-VIII; compound VIII was transformed by reduction with lithium aluminium hydride to the title compound I. The acid IX, obtained by a reaction of 5-chloro-2-iodobenzoic acid with 2-methylthiophenol, was reduced to the alcohol X, which was transformed via the chloride XI to 1-[5-chloro-2-(2-methylphenylthio)-benzyl]-4-methylpiperazine (XII), an open model of the neuroleptic agent clorothepin. Heating of 2,5-dichloroacetophenone with thiosalicylic acid afforded the keto acid XIII whose reaction with 1-methylpiperazine was carried out with the help of N,N"-carbonyldiimidazole. The piperazide XIV obtained was reduced on the one hand with sodium borohydride to the secondary alcohol XV, and with lithium aluminium hydride to 1-(2-[4-chloro-2-(1-hydroxyethyl)phenylthio]benzyl)-4-methylpiperazine (XVI) on the other. None of the dibasic piperazines (I, XII, XVI) did show antireserpine activity. In the general screening, some of the piperazides displayed a mild hypotensive (II, VIII, XIV, XV), adrenolytic (VIII), mild stimulating and antitussic (V), and spasmolytic, antiinflammatory and negatively ino- and chronotropic (XIV) activities.
Effect of gamma irradiation of support on the activity of a hydrogenation nickel catalyst
Authors: Kudláček Rostislav , Judlová Alena
Published: February 2011

The effect of previous gamma irradiation of support is studied for a hydrogenation nickel catalyst prepared by depositing the active component on kieselguhr; the rate and degree of calcination, degree of reduction, and surface area of the samples and the rates of heterogeneously catalyzed hydrogenations of maleic acid and sunflower oil are determined. The effect of the reduction temperature on the catalyst activity is examined in detail; due to interaction with hydrogen, two activity values are obtained for a given temperature.
Model compounds of poly(methyl methacrylate). Conformational structure of methyl 3-methoxy-2-methylpropionate
Authors: Doskočilová Danica , Štokr Jan , Schneider Bohdan , Přádný Martin , Ševčík Stanislav
Published: February 2011

By analysis of 1H and 13C NMR spectra, and of infrared and Raman spectra of methyl 3-methoxy-2-methylpropionate, the formation of conformers generated by rotation about the bonds CH3O-CH2, CH2-CH and C-C=O was studied. The structure of the most highly populated conformer is proposed.
Oxidation of hydrogen peroxide at the dropping mercury electrode
Authors: Březina Miroslav , Wedell Martin
Published: February 2011

Reduction of oxygen and oxidation of hydrogen peroxide at the dropping mercury electrode are electrochemical processes strongly influenced both by the pH value and the anions in solution. With decreasing pH, both processes become irreversible, especially in the presence of anions with a negative φ2 potential of the diffusion part of the double layer. In the case of irreversible oxygen reduction, the concept that the rate-controlling step of the electrode process is the acceptance of the first electron with the formation of the superoxide anion, O2-, was substantiated. Oxidation of hydrogen peroxide becomes irreversible at a lower pH value than the reduction of oxygen. The slowest, i.e. rate-controlling step of the electrode process in borate buffers at pH 9-10 is the transfer of the second electron, i.e. oxidation of superoxide to oxygen.
Tricyclic compounds containing two chalcogen atoms in the central seven-membered rings as potential drugs: Synthesis of 3-chloro-6-(1-methyl-4-piperidyl)-6H-dibenz[b,e]-1,4-oxathiepin and 6-oxodibenz[b,e]-1,4-oxathiepin-2-acetic acid
Authors: Šindelář Karel , Holubek Jiří , Ryska Miroslav , Dlabač Antonín , Valchář Martin , Metyšová Jiřina , Protiva Miroslav
Published: February 2011

2-(4-hloro-2-fluorophenylthio)benzaldehyde (IIa) was subjected to treatment with 1-methyl-4-piperidylmagnesium chloride and the resulting secondary alcohol IIIa was cyclized with sodium hydride to the title compound Ia. In this synthesis, two by-products were isolated and identified as compounds IV and VIa. Repeating the synthesis of compound Ib by a similar way led to isolation of Vb and VII. Reaction of thiosalicylic acid with (3-iodo-4-methoxyphenyl)acetic acid in boiling aqueous potassium hydroxide in the presence of copper gave the methoxy diacid IX which was demethylated with hydrogen bromide in acetic acid to the hydroxy diacid X. Heating with acetic anhydride afforded the title lactone acid VIII. Compound Ia is an almost noncataleptic neuroleptic with a rather low antidopaminergic activity in the test of influencing the dopamine turnover and metabolism in the rat brain striatum. The acid VIII showed some antiinflammatory activity in the test of carrageenan-induced edema of rat's paw.
Reaction of 3,5-dicyano-2,4,4,6-tetramethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine with nitric acid
Authors: Kurfürst Antonín , Kuthan Josef
Published: February 2011

Reaction of the title compound I with nitric acid in acetic afforded a mixture of products which on column chromatography afforded 5-cyano-4,4,6-trimethyl-2-nitromethylene-3-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyridine (II), (Z)-5-(1-acetoxy-2-nitrovinyl)-3,5-dicyano-4,4-dimethyl-2-pyrazoline (III) and 3-acetoxy-3-cyano-4,4,6-trimethyl-5-oxo-2,3,4,5-tetrahydropyridazine (IV). Reaction of I with nitrating mixture in chloroform gave only the compound II. The probable mechanism of formation of compounds II, III and IV, together with their 1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR and mass spectra, is discussed.
Imaging abnormalities that correlate with joint pain
Authors: Felson David T
Published: February 2011

This article summarises evidence on structural pathology in the joint that causes joint pain. Evidence, mostly from studies using MRI scans in persons with and without joint pain has suggested that pain often originates in bone or synovium.
Canada frostweed (Helianthemum canadense(L.) Michx.; Cistaceae) at the northeastern limit of its range: implications for conservation
Authors: Yorke Alana F. , Mockford Stephen , Evans Rodger C.
Published: February 2011

Canada frostweed (Helianthemum canadense) is a perennial herb whose abundance and habitat are declining in Nova Scotia. These sites mark the northeastern limit of this species with nearest populations occurring in Maine and Quebec. To determine the genetic structure of northeastern populations, we used amplified fragment length polymorphisms to examine individuals from Nova Scotia, Maine, New Hampshire, and Quebec. Cluster analyses and analysis of molecular variance identified four groups: (i) Queens County, Nova Scotia; (ii) Kings County, Nova Scotia; (iii) Quebec; and (iv) Northeastern New England. New England samples revealed evidence of gene flow among populations within that region, and several individuals from Quebec and Queens County, Nova Scotia, were assigned to the same cluster. The majority of individuals from Kings County were assigned to a separate cluster from that associated with Queens County, indicating two distinct populations within Nova Scotia. Differences between Nova Scotia populations may be attributed to isolation and drift, or separate postglacial colonization events. We recommend that Queens County and Kings County populations be considered as discrete units for conservation and, because Nova Scotia populations are distinct from other populations in eastern Canada and northeastern United States, we suggest that conservation of populations at the northeastern limits of the range of H. canadense is warranted.