bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Blast-Induced Stress Wave Propagation and Attenuation: Centrifuge Model Versus Prototype Tests
Authors: Charlie WA , Dowden NA , Villano EJ , Veyera GE , Doehring DO
Published: March 2005

This paper presents results of centrifuge model studies and full-scale field (prototype) studies designed to provide insights into the influence of water content and the degree of saturation during compaction and testing on high-strain rate loading response of medium dense sand. Objectives of the study were to determine the influence of moisture content at the time of compaction on blast-induced ground shock and stress wave propagation and to compare centrifuge model explosive tests with prototype explosive tests. Model testing was conducted using a geotechnical centrifuge to simulate prototype testing conducted at a field explosives test site. Centrifuge models were constructed at scales of 1/26.3 and 1/18.9 and tested at acceleration levels of 26.3 and 18.9 times earth's gravity. Explosives consisting of 3.50 × 10−4 kg (350 mg) and 1.031 × 10−3 kg (1031 mg) of PBX 9407 were buried at depths of 76 mm and 54 mm, respectively. These scaled model tests simulated prototype tests in which 7-kg TNT equivalent explosive charges were detonated at a depth of 1.4 m. Specimens were compacted to a dry density of 1635 kg/m3 at degrees of saturation ranging from 0 to 60 % (water contents from 0 to 14.4 %). Centrifuge model tests and the prototype tests showed similar results. Peak particle velocity, peak stress, and peak scaled acceleration were found to be a function of the degree of saturation with the lowest values at 0 % saturation. Lowest attenuation coefficients occurred in the sand compacted at degrees of saturation of 13 % for the centrifuge tests and 20 % for the prototype tests. Highest attenuation coefficients occurred in the sand compacted dry and at 60 % saturation for all the prototype tests and most of the centrifuge tests. Attenuation coefficients generally decreased with increasing seismic velocities.
Glioblastoma-Induced Attraction of Endogenous Neural Precursor Cells Is Associated with Improved Survival
Authors: Glass Rainer , Synowitz Michael , Kronenberg Golo , Walzlein Joo-Hee , Markovic Darko S. , Wang Li-Ping , Gast Daniela , Kiwit Jürgen , Kempermann Gerd , Kettenmann Helmut
Published: March 2005

Neural precursor cells contribute to adult neurogenesis and to limited attempts of brain repair after injury. Here we report that in a murine experimental glioblastoma model, endogenous neural precursors migrate from the subventricular zone toward the tumor and surround it. The association of endogenous precursors with syngenic tumor grafts was observed, after injecting red fluorescent protein-labeled G261 cells into the caudate-putamen of transgenic mice, which express green fluorescent protein under a promoter for nestin (nestin-GFP). Fourteen days after inoculation, the nestin-GFP cells surrounded the tumors in several cell layers and expressed markers of early noncommitted and committed precursors. Nestin-GFP cells were further identified by a characteristic membrane current pattern as recorded in acute brain slices. 5-Bromo-2-deoxyuridine labeling and dye tracing experiments revealed that the tumor-associated precursors originated from the subventricular zone. Moreover, in cultured explants from the subventricular zone, the neural precursors showed extensive tropism for glioblastomas. Tumor-induced endogenous precursor cell accumulation decreased with age of the recipient; this correlated with increased tumor size and shorter survival times in aged mice. Coinjection of glioblastoma cells with neural precursors improved the survival time of old mice to a level similar to that in young mice. Coculture experiments showed that neural precursors suppressed the rapid increase in tumor cell number, which is characteristic of glioblastoma, and induced glioblastoma cell apoptosis. Our results indicate that tumor cells attract endogenous precursor cells; the presence of precursor cells is antitumorigenic; and this cellular interaction decreases with aging.
Induction of Dickkopf-1, a Negative Modulator of the Wnt Pathway, Is Required for the Development of Ischemic Neuronal Death
Authors: Cappuccio Irene , Calderone Agata , Busceti Carla L. , Biagioni Francesca , Pontarelli Fabrizio , Bruno Valeria , Storto Marianna , Terstappen Georg T. , Gaviraghi Giovanni , Fornai Francesco , Battaglia Giuseppe , Melchiorri Daniela , Zukin Suzanne , Nicoletti Ferdinando , Caricasole Andrea
Published: March 2005

Expression of Dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1), a secreted protein that negatively modulates the Wnt pathway, was induced in the hippocampus of gerbils and rats subjected to transient global cerebral ischemia as well as in cultured cortical neurons challenged with an excitotoxic pulse. In ischemic animals, the temporal and regional pattern of Dkk-1 expression correlated with the profile of neuronal death, as assessed by Nissl staining and Dkk-1 immunostaining in adjacent hippocampal sections. Treatment of ischemic animals with either Dkk-1 antisense oligonucleotides or lithium ions (which rescue the Wnt pathway acting downstream of the Dkk-1 blockade) protected vulnerable hippocampal neurons against ischemic damage. The same treatments protected cultured cortical neurons against NMDA toxicity. We conclude that induction of Dkk-1 with the ensuing inhibition of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway is required for the development of ischemic and excitotoxic neuronal death.
Adaptation to past malarial endemia and susceptibility to common diseases in modern populations: A study of adenosine deaminase and MN blood group genetic polymorphisms
Authors: Bottini N. , Stefanini L. , Lucarelli P. , Bottini E.
Published: March 2005

We carried out a study of adenosine deaminase (ADA) and MN blood group genetic polymorphisms in relation to past malarial morbidity in Sardinia and in relation to susceptibility to allergic asthma (a Th2 disorder) and Crohn's disease (a Th1 disorder) in the population of Rome. Eight hundred and eight schoolchildren, aged 7–14 years from 14 Sardinian villages located in the central area of the island, were considered. One hundred and twenty‐two children with allergic asthma and 39 adult patients with Crohn's disease from the population of Rome were also studied. The data suggest an interaction between the two systems concerning resistance/susceptibility, both to malaria and to the diseases considered. In Sardinia, the frequency of the *LM/ADA*2 gametic type is negatively correlated with past malarial endemia, suggesting an increased susceptibility to malaria leading to its decrease in areas with high malarial endemia. In Rome, this gametic type is correlated negatively to allergic asthma and positively to Crohn's disease, suggesting a protective effect against allergic asthma and increased susceptibility to Crohn's disease. Am J Phys Anthropol 128:194‐198, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Simultane Verkapselung: Moleküle unter sich
Authors: Rebek Julius
Published: March 2005

Durch reversible Verkapselung wird in Lösung ein Raum erzeugt, in dem Moleküle zeitweise von anderen isoliert werden. Die Aufenthaltsdauer dieser Moleküle innerhalb einer Kapsel reicht von Millisekunden bis Stunden, sodass sowohl die chemische und magnetische Umgebung als auch die Anordnung der Moleküle im Wirt‐Gast‐Komplex durch konventionelle NMR‐Spektroskopie untersucht werden können. Der Komplex selbstorganisiert sich nur dann, wenn der Raum in der Kapsel ausreichend ausgefüllt ist. Die schwachen intermolekularen Kräfte, die selbstorganisierende Komplexe zusammenhalten, ermöglichen eine Gleichgewichtseinstellung der Einschlusskomplexe bei Raumtemperatur und Atmosphärendruck in der flüssigen Phase. Wenn zwei oder mehr Moleküle simultan eingeschlossen werden, lassen sich intermolekulare Wechselwirkungen in Lösung erkennen, die mit anderen Methoden nicht beobachtbar sind. Wir beschreiben hier das einzigartige Verhalten von Molekülen bei einer simultanen Verkapselung, einschließlich neuer Formen von Stereochemie, Isomerie und Asymmetrie innerhalb von Kapselmolekülen.
Synthesis of water‐reducible acrylic–alkyd resins based on modified palm oil
Authors: Saravari O. , Phapant P. , Pimpan V.
Published: March 2005

Water‐reducible acrylic–alkyd resins were synthesized from the reaction between monoglycerides prepared from modified palm oil and carboxy‐functional acrylic copolymer followed by neutralization of carboxyl groups with diethanolamine. Modified palm oil was produced by interesterification of palm oil with tung oil at a weight ratio of 1 : 1, using sodium hydroxide as a catalyst, whereas carboxy‐functional acrylic copolymer was prepared by radical copolymerization of n‐butyl methacrylate and maleic anhydride. The amount of acrylic copolymer used was from 15 to 40% by weight, and it was found that homogeneous resins was obtained when the copolymer content was 20–35 wt %. All of the prepared water‐reducible acrylic–alkyd resins were yellowish viscous liquids. Their films were dried by baking at 190°C and their properties were determined. These films showed excellent water and acid resistance and good alkali resistance. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 1170–1175, 2005
Construction and characterization of pta gene‐deleted mutant of Clostridium tyrobutyricum for enhanced butyric acid fermentation
Authors: Zhu Ying , Liu Xiaoguang , Yang Shang‐Tian
Published: March 2005

Clostridium tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755 is an acidogenic bacterium, producing butyrate and acetate as its main fermentation products. In order to decrease acetate and increase butyrate production, integrational mutagenesis was used to disrupt the gene associated with the acetate formation pathway in C. tyrobutyricum. A nonreplicative integrational plasmid containing the phosphotransacetylase gene (pta) fragment cloned from C. tyrobutyricum by using degenerate primers and an erythromycin resistance cassette were constructed and introduced into C. tyrobutyricum by electroporation. Integration of the plasmid into the homologous region on the chromosome inactivated the target pta gene and produced the pta‐deleted mutant (PTA‐Em), which was confirmed by Southern hybridization. SDS‐PAGE and two‐dimensional protein electrophoresis results indicated that protein expression was changed in the mutant. Enzyme activity assays using the cell lysate showed that the activities of PTA and acetate kinase (AK) in the mutant were reduced by more than 60% for PTA and 80% for AK. The mutant grew more slowly in batch fermentation with glucose as the substrate but produced 15% more butyrate and 14% less acetate as compared to the wild‐type strain. Its butyrate productivity was approximately 2‐fold higher than the wild‐type strain. Moreover, the mutant showed much higher tolerance to butyrate inhibition, and the final butyrate concentration was improved by 68%. However, inactivation of pta gene did not completely eliminate acetate production in the fermentation, suggesting the existence of other enzymes (or pathways) also leading to acetate formation. This is the first‐reported genetic engineering study demonstrating the feasibility of using a gene‐inactivation technique to manipulate the acetic acid formation pathway in C. tyrobutyricum in order to improve butyric acid production from glucose. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Genome‐wide loss of heterozygosity analysis of WT1–wild‐type and WT1‐mutant Wilms tumors
Authors: Ruteshouser E. Cristy , Hendrickson Brett W. , Colella Stefano , Krahe Ralf , Pinto Lancelot , Huff Vicki
Published: March 2005

Wilms tumor (WT) is genetically heterogeneous, and the one known WT gene, WT1 at 11p13, is altered in only a subset of WTs. Previous loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analyses have revealed the existence of additional putative WT genes at 11p15, 16q, and 1p, but these analyses examined only one or a handful of chromosomes or looked at LOH at only a few markers per chromosome. We conducted a genome‐wide scan for LOH in WT by using 420 markers spaced at an average of 10 cM throughout the genome and analyzed the data for two genetically defined subsets of WTs: those with mutations in WT1 and those with no detectable WT1 alteration. Our findings indicated that the incidence of LOH throughout the genome was significantly lower in our group of WTs with WT1 mutations. In WT1–wild‐type tumors, we observed the expected LOH at 11p, 16q, and 1p, and, in addition, we localized a previously unobserved region of LOH at 9q. Using additional 9q markers within this region of interest, we sublocalized the region of 9q LOH to the 12.2 Mb between D9S283 and a simple tandem repeat in BAC RP11‐177I8, a region containing several potential tumor‐suppressor genes. As a result, we have established for the first time that WT1‐mutant and WT1–wild‐type WTs differ significantly in their patterns of LOH throughout the genome, suggesting that the genomic regions showing LOH in WT1–wild‐type tumors harbor genes whose expression is regulated by the pleiotropic effects of WT1. Our results implicate 9q22.2–q31.1 as a region containing such a gene. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Association of chromosome arm 16q loss with loss of imprinting of insulin‐like growth factor–II in Wilms tumor
Authors: Mummert Stephanie K. , Lobanenkov Victor A. , Feinberg Andrew P.
Published: March 2005

The most common known molecular defect in Wilms tumor (WT) of the kidney, the most frequent solid tumor of childhood, is loss of imprinting (LOI) of the insulin‐like growth factor–II gene (IGF2), which involves activation of the normally silent maternal allele of the gene and hypermethylation of a differentially methylated region upstream of the H19 gene. Hypermethylation impairs binding of the insulator protein CTCF, allowing activation of IGF2 by an enhancer shared between IGF2 and H19. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of 16q22.1 is found in 15% of WTs, and 16q22.1 harbors CTCF, raising the possibility that reduced CTCF could lead to LOI of IGF2 in some cases. We hypothesized that there is an association between LOH of 16q and LOI of IGF2 in WT. In 40 WTs examined, LOH of 16q was found in five, one of which also showed LOH of 11p15. All of the remaining four tumors showed LOI of IGF2, compared to 13 of 32 WTs without LOH of 16q or 11p (P = 0.040). When published data not previously analyzed in this manner were included, 6 of 6 tumors with 16q LOH (and without LOH of 11p) showed LOI of IGF2, compared to 24 of 52 without LOH (P = 0.015). Thus, a genetic (16q LOH) and an epigenetic (LOI of IGF2) alteration in WT are linked, the first such association described. Finally, haploinsufficiency of CTCF may be the basis of this association, given that CTCF expression in tumors with 16q LOH was 48% that of tumors without LOH. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Human coxsackie adenovirus receptor (CAR) expression in transgenic mouse prostate tumors enhances adenoviral delivery of genes
Authors: Bao Yunhua , Peng Weidan , Verbitsky Amy , Chen Jiping , Wu Lily , Rauen Katherine A. , Sawicki Janet A.
Published: March 2005

BACKGROUND

Transgenic mice that recapitulate the progression of human diseases are potentially useful models for testing the effectiveness of new therapeutic strategies. Their use in pre‐clinical testing of adenovirally‐delivered gene therapies, however, is limited because of restricted cell surface expression of Coxsackie adenovirus receptor (CAR) in mice.

METHODS

To develop a more suitable transgenic mouse model for testing adenoviral‐based gene therapies for prostate cancer, we generated prostate specific antigen/human CAR (PSA/hCAR) transgenic mice in which a chimeric enhancer/promoter sequence of the human PSA gene drives expression of a functional hCAR coding sequence.

Results

Expression of an adenovirally‐delivered luciferase reporter gene in prostate tumor cells in bigenic mice (PSA/hCAR + TRAMP) was enhanced compared to the level in tumor cells lacking the PSA/hCAR transgene.

CONCLUSIONS

Breeding PSA/hCAR mice to existing transgenic mouse models for prostate cancer (e.g., TRAMP) results in improved mouse models for testing adenovirally‐delivered therapeutic genes. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Impact of increased code design base shear on seismic behavior of reinforced concrete moment frame buildings with long periods
Authors: Lin Cheng‐Ming , Ho Lawrence Y. , Sabol Thomas A.
Published: March 2005

Building Codes generally increase design seismic loads in an attempt to address a number of issues on the seismic design of buildings. For buildings having long vibration periods, the increase of design base shear force could have significant impacts on the design of lateral bracing system of buildings. Given the constraints facing design engineers regarding member sizes relative to practical user limits, these increased forces may result in poorer, not better, seismic performance. This paper describes the impact of higher design lateral loads on the design of reinforced concrete moment‐resisting frame buildings, with an emphasis on buildings with long periods. A building located in Southern California is analyzed using UBC 94 and 97 seismic base shear forces as an example to demonstrate the impacts. The design of the frame beam, the beam–column joint, and the frame column based on UBC 94 and 97 are compared and the impacts on the design are highlighted. The significance of axial load demand on the behavior and design of frame column is particularly emphasized. Several methods of estimating the axial load demand of frame columns are described and the results are compared. The results emphasize that the goal of improving seismic performance in buildings by increasing the design base shear may not be achieved in reinforced concrete buildings with long periods if the engineers simply react to the higher lateral load demand by increasing the reinforcing contents of the members. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Landscape‐dependent response to predation risk by forest birds
Authors: Turcotte Yves , Desrochers André
Published: March 2005

Knowing how forest loss and associated fragmentation actually impact individual birds is essential to our understanding of consequences at the population level. We conducted a landscape‐level experiment to test whether deforestation affects the trade‐off between foraging and antipredatory behaviour of black‐capped chickadees (Poecile atricapilla) in 24 landscapes (range 8–88% forest cover, 500‐m radius) during two winters. At a field‐forest edge in the centre of each landscape, we used the maximum distance ventured into the open by flocks to get sunflower seeds placed on the snow‐covered fields, as a measure of risk‐taking. In the more deforested landscapes, chickadees ventured farther (up to the maximum of 40 m) into the open. Edge density and proportion of conifers in the forest had no influence on risk‐taking. However, where ad libitum food was available for a few weeks prior to the experiment (in 12 of the 24 landscapes), chickadees ventured four meters or less away from the forest edge, regardless of the level of deforestation. We conclude that landscape deforestation increases energy stress, which in turn promotes risk‐taking, and may therefore increase winter mortality through greater exposure to predators.
Vesicular and Nonvesicular Transport of Phosphatidylcholine in Polarized HepG2 Cells
Authors: Wüstner Daniel , Mukherjee Sushmita , Maxfield Frederick R. , Müller Peter , Herrmann Andreas
Published: March 2005

We have investigated the transport and canalicular enrichment of fluorescent phosphatidylcholine (PC) in HepG2 cells using the fluorescent analogs of PC C6‐NBD‐PC and β‐BODIPY‐PC. Fluorescent PC was efficiently transported to the biliary canaliculus (BC) and became enriched on the lumenal side of the canalicular membrane as shown for C6‐NBD‐PC. Some fluorescent PC was transported in vesicles to a subapical compartment (SAC) or apical recycling compartment (ARC) in polarized HepG2 cells as shown by colocalization with fluorescent sphingomyelin (C6‐NBD‐SM) and fluorescent transferrin, respectively. Extensive trafficking of vesicles containing fluorescent PC between the basolateral domain, the SAC/ARC and the BC as well as endocytosis of PC analogs from the canalicular membrane were found. Evidence for nonvesicular transport included enrichment of the PC‐analog β‐BODIPY‐PC in the BC (t1/2 = 3.54 min) prior to its accumulation in the SAC/ARC (t1/2 = 18.5 min) at 37 °C. Transport of fluorescent PC to the canalicular membrane also continued after disruption of the actin or microtubule cytoskeleton and at 2 °C. These results indicate that: (i) a nonvesicular transport pathway significantly contributes to the canalicular enrichment of PC in hepatocytic cells, and (ii) vesicular transport of fluorescent PC occurs from both membrane domains via the SAC/ARC.
Glutamate signaling in peripheral tissues
Authors: Hinoi Eiichi , Takarada Takeshi , Ueshima Taichi , Tsuchihashi Yuriko , Yoneda Yukio
Published: March 2005

The hypothesis that l‐glutamate (Glu) is an excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system is now gaining more support after the successful cloning of a number of genes coding for the signaling machinery required for this neurocrine at synapses in the brain. These include Glu receptors (signal detection), Glu transporters (signal termination) and vesicular Glu transporters (signal output through exocytotic release). Relatively little attention has been paid to the functional expression of these molecules required for Glu signaling in peripheral neuronal and non‐neuronal tissues; however, recent molecular biological analyses show a novel function for Glu as an extracellular signal mediator in the autocrine and/or paracrine system. Emerging evidence suggests that Glu could play a dual role in mechanisms underlying the maintenance of cellular homeostasis – as an excitatory neurotransmitter in the central neurocrine system and an extracellular signal mediator in peripheral autocrine and/or paracrine tissues. In this review, the possible Glu signaling methods are outlined in specific peripheral tissues including bone, testis, pancreas, and the adrenal, pituitary and pineal glands.
Germanium movement mechanism in SiGe-on-insulator fabricated by modified Ge condensation
Authors: Di Zengfeng , Chu Paul K. , Zhang Miao , Liu Weili , Song Zhitang , Lin Chenglu
Published: March 2005

The movement of Ge during Ge condensation in SiGe-on-insulator (SGOI) fabrication is studied based on the competition between the diffusion of Ge atoms and accumulation of Ge atoms. The diffusion of Ge atoms overwhelms the Ge accumulation at the top thermal oxide∕SiGe interface, resulting in a flat Ge profile in the SGOI layer. However, the opposite result is found at the bottom SiGe∕buried-oxide (BOX) interface. The Ge diffusion towards the BOX is blocked because of the much smaller diffusion coefficient of Ge in the BOX than that in the SiGe layer. The Ge accumulation effects are more dominant than the diffusion of Ge, and so Ge atoms pile up near the BOX giving rise to an abrupt profile. The disappearance of the SiGe lattice structure near the SiGe∕BOX interface is also found in the sample oxidized for a longer time due to the reduction of the melting point of SiGe alloys with higher Ge fractions.
Magnetic alignment of carbon nanofibers in polymer composites and anisotropy of mechanical properties
Authors: Shi Donglu , He Peng , Lian Jie , Chaud Xavier , Bud’ko Sergey L. , Beaugnon Eric , Wang L. M. , Ewing Rodney C. , Tournier Robert
Published: March 2005

Engineering applications of carbon nanofibers and nanotubes require their alignment in specific directions. Single-walled carbon nanotubes can be aligned in a magnetic field due to the presence of small amounts of catalyst elements, such as Ni and Co. However, for carbon nanofibers, their extremely low magnetic susceptibility is not sufficient for magnetically induced alignment. We present a method of solution-coating of NiO and CoO onto the surface of the carbon nanofibers. Due to the NiO- and CoO-coating, these nanofibers can be well aligned in the polymer composites under moderate magnetic field (3 T). Both transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy results show the well-aligned nanofibers in a polymer matrix. Mechanical testing shows a pronounced anisotropy in tensile strength in directions normal (12.1 MPa) and parallel (22 MPa) to the applied field, resulting from the well-aligned nanofibers in the polymer matrix. The mechanism of magnetic alignment due to coating of NiO and CoO on the nanofiber surface is discussed.
Initiation of Embryonic Cardiac Pacemaker Activity by Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate–dependent Calcium Signaling
Authors: Méry Annabelle , Aimond Franck , Ménard Claudine , Mikoshiba Katsuhiko , Michalak Marek , Pucéat Michel
Published: March 2005

In the adult, the heart rate is driven by spontaneous and repetitive depolarizations of pacemaker cells to generate a firing of action potentials propagating along the conduction system and spreading into the ventricles. In the early embryo before E9.5, the pacemaker ionic channel responsible for the spontaneous depolarization of cells is not yet functional. Thus the mechanisms that initiate early heart rhythm during cardiogenesis are puzzling. In the absence of a functional pacemaker ionic channel, the oscillatory nature of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3)-induced intracellular Ca2+signaling could provide an alternative pacemaking mechanism. To test this hypothesis, we have engineered pacemaker cells from embryonic stem (ES) cells, a model that faithfully recapitulates early stages of heart development. We show that InsP3-dependent shuttle of free Ca2+in and out of the endoplasmic reticulum is essential for a proper generation of pacemaker activity during early cardiogenesis and fetal life.
Introduction: Beyond Madisonian Federalism
Authors: Edling Max. M
Published: March 2005

The aim of this book is described as to search for answers as to why the US Constitution was adopted. Like most other studies of this topic, it focusses on the Federalist argument, although it also takes the Antifederalist opposition into account. However, the conclusions reached deviate sharply from the mainstream interpretation of the Federalist persuasion in that the study aims to challenge the Madisonian interpretation of Federalism in two ways: it goes beyond the interpretation of The Federalist Papers of 1787–88 and James Madison's pre‐Convention writings to analyze a much broader sample of Federalist and Antifederalist writings; and based on this broader reading, it provides a new interpretation of what the Constitution and the Federalist argument were about. The major finding presented is that the Federalist argument was not a protoliberal call for minority rights and limited government but an argument about state formation or state building. The first two sections of the introduction discuss Madison's thoughts and writings on the Federalist dilemma, and the problems of the traditionalist interpretation of the Federalist position; the last two sections give an outline of the structure of the book and describe its intended audience.
Independence, Commerce, and Military Strength
Authors: Edling Max. M
Published: March 2005

Chapter 6 and the corresponding Ch. 11 in Part Three of the book provide the layout of the Federalist argument that Congress had to possess an unlimited power to raise men and money from American society without any intervention from the states. While the following chapter looks more closely at Antifederalist objections to the military clauses of the U S Constitution, here the concern is only with the proposals for amendments to the Constitution that Antifederalists suggested, or that Federalists suggested as concessions to Antifederalist objections; the purpose of the chapter is to address the question of why the Federalists refused to accept limits to the army clauses of the Constitution. When the first Congress presented the states with the proposal for what would become the Bill of Rights, this contained a guarantee against the disarmament of the people, as well as a specification of what was involved in Congress's power to govern state militias; it also contained a restriction on the right of the national government to quarter troops in private houses. The first ten amendments, however, made no attempt to restrict the right of the national government to raise an army, and not because of oversight, since neither James Madison, nor anyone else present at the first Congress, could have been unaware of the strong reservations that Antifederalists had expressed against the unlimited power to raise and maintain armies that the Constitution vested in Congress. This power was central to the national state that the Federalists attempted to form, and in the debate over ratification they made clear why no limits could be placed on Congress's power of military mobilization.
The Costs of Government
Authors: Edling Max. M
Published: March 2005

Presents the Antifederalist objections to a stronger national government in the “fiscal‐military” sphere, with this chapter looking closely at Antifederalist objections to the federal fiscal powers of the US Constitution, and the answers of the Federalists to these. Only rarely did the Antifederalists raise any objections to the right of Congress to borrow money, but the fact that they seemed to accept that public borrowing might sometimes be necessary did not mean that they accepted the need for an unlimited federal power over taxation. In their opposition to the Constitution's tax clauses, the Antifederalists continued an Anglo‐American political tradition of opposition against state growth that in turn is but an instant of a universal resistance to the centralization of power characteristic of early modern Europe. The Antifederalist opposition centered on the future role of the state legislatures: in Antifederalist thought the state assembly had come to take on the function filled by the House of Commons in English “Country” thought, so it was regarded as a crucial barrier against government abuse and as the only institution that made possible taxation with the consent of the governed.
Phase variation mediated niche adaptation during prolonged experimental murine infection with Helicobacter pylori
Authors: Salaün Laurence , Ayraud Sarah , Saunders Nigel J.
Published: March 2005

Changes in the repeats associated with the recently redefined repertoire of 31 phase-variable genes in Helicobacter pylori were investigated following murine gastric colonization for up to one year in three unrelated H. pylori strains. Between the beginning and end of the experimental period, changes were seen in ten genes (32 %), which would alter gene expression in one or more of the three strains studied. For those genes that showed repeat length changes at the longest time points, intermediate time points showed differences between the rates of change for different functional groups of genes. Genes most likely to be associated with immediate niche fitting changed most rapidly, including phospholipase A (pldA) and LPS biosynthetic genes. Other surface proteins, which may be under adaptive immune selection, changed more slowly. Restriction-modification genes showed no particular temporal pattern. The number of genes that phase varied during adaptation to the murine gastric environment correlated inversely with their relative fitness as previously determined in this murine model of colonization. This suggests a role for these genes in determining initial fitness for colonization as well as in subsequent niche adaptation. In addition, a coding tandem repeat within a phase-variable gene which does not control actual gene expression was also investigated. This repeat was found to vary in copy number during colonization. This suggests that changes in the structures encoded by tandem repeats may also play a role in altered protein functions and/or immune evasion during H. pylori colonization.
Skew-Laplace distribution in Gram-negative bacterial axenic cultures: new insights into intrinsic cellular heterogeneity
Authors: Julià Olga , Vives-Rego Josep
Published: March 2005

The application of flow cytometry and skew-Laplace statistical analysis to assess cellular heterogeneity in Gram-negative axenic cultures is reported. In particular, fit to the log-skew-Laplace distribution for cellular side scatter or ‘granulosity’ is reported, and a number of theoretical and applied issues are considered in relation to the biological significance of this fit.
Dissimilation of cysteate via 3-sulfolactate sulfo-lyase and a sulfate exporter in Paracoccus pantotrophus NKNCYSA
Authors: Rein Ulrike , Gueta Ronnie , Denger Karin , Ruff Jürgen , Hollemeyer Klaus , Cook Alasdair M.
Published: March 2005

Paracoccus pantotrophusNKNCYSA utilizes (R)-cysteate (2-amino-3-sulfopropionate) as a sole source of carbon and energy for growth, with either nitrate or molecular oxygen as terminal electron acceptor, and the specific utilization rate of cysteate is about 2 mkat (kg protein)−1. The initial degradative reaction is catalysed by an (R)-cysteate : 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, which yields 3-sulfopyruvate. The latter was reduced to 3-sulfolactate by an NAD-linked sulfolactate dehydrogenase [3·3 mkat (kg protein)−1]. The inducible desulfonation reaction was not detected initially in cell extracts. However, a strongly induced protein with subunits of 8 kDa (α) and 42 kDa (β) was found and purified. The corresponding genes had similarities to those encoding altronate dehydratases, which often require iron for activity. The purified enzyme could then be shown to convert 3-sulfolactate to sulfite and pyruvate and it was termed sulfolactate sulfo-lyase (Suy). A high level of sulfite dehydrogenase was also induced during growth with cysteate, and the organism excreted sulfate. A putative regulator, OrfR, was encoded upstream ofsuyABon the reverse strand. Downstream ofsuyABwassuyZ, which was cotranscribed withsuyB. The gene, an allele oftauZ, encoded a putative membrane protein with transmembrane helices (COG2855), and is a candidate to encode the sulfate exporter needed to maintain homeostasis during desulfonation.suyAB-like genes are widespread in sequenced genomes and environmental samples where, in contrast to the current annotation, several presumably encode the desulfonation of 3-sulfolactate, a component of bacterial spores.
Influence of homologous phasins (PhaP) on PHA accumulation and regulation of their expression by the transcriptional repressor PhaR in Ralstonia eutropha H16
Authors: Pötter Markus , Müller Helena , Steinbüchel Alexander
Published: March 2005

Phasins play an important role in the formation of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [poly(3HB)] granules and affect their size. Recently, three homologues of the phasin protein PhaP1 were identified inRalstonia eutrophastrain H16. The functions of PhaP2, PhaP3 and PhaP4 were examined by analysis ofR. eutrophaH16 deletion strains (ΔphaP1, ΔphaP2, ΔphaP3, ΔphaP4, ΔphaP12, ΔphaP123and ΔphaP1234). When cells were grown under conditions permissive for poly(3HB) accumulation, the wild-type strain and all single-phasin negative mutants (ΔphaP2, ΔphaP3and ΔphaP4), with the exception of ΔphaP1, showed similar growth and poly(3HB) accumulation behaviour, and also the size and number of the granules were identical. The single ΔphaP1mutant and the ΔphaP12, ΔphaP123and ΔphaP1234mutants showed an almost identical growth behaviour; however, they accumulated poly(3HB) at a significantly lower level than wild-type and the single ΔphaP2, ΔphaP3or ΔphaP4mutants. Gel-mobility-shift assays and DNaseI footprinting experiments demonstrated the capability of the transcriptional repressor PhaR to bind to a DNA region +36 to +46 bp downstream of thephaP3start codon. The protected sequence exhibited high similarity to the binding sites of PhaR upstream ofphaP1, which were identified recently. In contrast, PhaR did not bind to the upstream or intergenic regions ofphaP2andphaP4, thus indicating that the expression of these two phasins is regulated in a different way. Our current model for the regulation of phasins inR. eutrophastrain H16 was extended and confirmed.
Predicting change in psychopathology in youth referred to mental health services in childhood or adolescence
Authors: Visser Jeroen Heijmens , van der Ende Jan , Koot Hans M. , Verhulst Frank C.
Published: March 2005

Background:  Little evidence is available on factors associated with persistence and change of psychopathology, and little is known about the predictive value of factors regarding change once problem behaviours exist. This study aims to evaluate change in level of scores of empirically derived problem patterns and to study factors that influence this change for children and adolescents referred to mental health services.

Method:  A referred sample (N=1,652), aged 4 to 18 years at initial assessment, was followed up after a mean interval of 6.2 years. We used standardised information from parents, teachers and subjects, including the CBCL, YSR and TRF at both assessments.

Results:  Subjects at follow‐up scored significantly above the expected mean norm scores, although for most scores improvement was found. The strongest predicting factor for time 2 psychopathology was the corresponding time 1 score, odds ratios ranging from 1.6 to 21.7. Males and children older at intake improved more than females and younger children, respectively.

Conclusions:  Few child, family and treatment‐related factors had additional predictive value over and above earlier psychopathology, and their contribution to the prediction of outcome was small. Findings indicate continuity of behavioural and emotional problems in clinically referred children and adolescents, and these problems should be viewed as chronic conditions. Girls referred for behavioural and emotional problems may form a group especially at risk for poor outcome.
Affective startle modulation in anticipation and perception
Authors: Sabatinelli Dean , Bradley Margaret M. , Lang Peter J.
Published: March 2005

Startle modulation was investigated as participants first anticipated and then viewed affective pictures in order to determine whether affective modulation of the startle reflex is similar in these different task contexts. During a 6‐s anticipation period, a neutral light cue signaled whether the upcoming picture would portray snakes, erotica, or household objects; at the end of the anticipatory period, a picture in the signaled category was viewed for 6 s. Male participants highly fearful of snakes were recruited to maximize emotional arousal during anticipation and perception. Results indicated that the startle reflex was potentiated when anticipating either unpleasant (phobic) or pleasant (erotic) pictures, compared to neutral stimuli, whereas during perception, reflexes were potentiated when viewing unpleasant stimuli, and reduced when viewing pleasant pictures. The startle reflex is modulated by hedonic valence in picture perception, and by emotional arousal in a task context involving picture anticipation.
An overlooked DNA source for non‐invasive genetic analysis in birds
Authors: Horváth Márton B. , Martínez‐Cruz Begoña , Negro Juan J. , Kalmár Lajos , Godoy José A.
Published: March 2005

Non‐invasive sampling is a useful tool for genetic analyses of endangered and/or elusive species, but it is often inapplicable due to the low quality and quantity of the DNA obtained. In this study we show that the blood clot located in the superior umbilicus of the feather shaft is a better source of DNA than the previously used tip samples from moulted feathers. We found that feather clots from museum specimens provided results nearly as good as footpad and better than those from the more commonly used museum skin snips. Feather clots proved to be a good source of DNA for genetic analysis that will significantly facilitate genetic monitoring of wild bird populations.
Expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase‐2 mRNA in brain damage induced by lipopolysaccharide and intermittent hypoxia–ischemia in neonatal rats
Authors: Yang Li , Sameshima Hiroshi , Yamaguchi Masatoshi , Ikenoue Tsuyomu
Published: March 2005

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and intermittent hypoxia–ischemia (HI) on brain damage in neonatal rats.

Methods: Seven‐day‐old Wistar rats were injected with saline or LPS (1 mg/kg), and then underwent left common carotid artery ligation followed by a repetitive 8% hypoxia (2.0–4.5 min) at 10‐min intervals 10 times. The rats were divided into three groups: LPS with HI (LPS/HI, n = 46), saline with HI (HI alone, n = 42) and LPS alone (n = 16). Seven days later, brains were assessed for neuronal damage and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) mRNA expression.

Results: Neuronal damage in the ligated side was significantly higher in LPS/HI than the other two groups (P < 0.01). The expression of iNOS and COX‐2 mRNA was observed in the affected brain in LPS/HI, which corresponded well to histologic neuronal loss.

Conclusions: LPS enhanced intermittent HI brain damage in immature animals. The expression of iNOS and COX‐2 mRNA is considered to be associated with perinatal brain injury processes.
Aggregation and carbon storage in silty soil using physical fractionation techniques
Authors: Balabane M. , Plante A. F.
Published: March 2005

Soil texture and degree of aggregation affect the stabilization of organic matter. We studied their influences in silty soils using samples from two field experiments with contrasting long‐term use (cropped versus bare fallow). The cropped soil had a larger organic C content than the bare fallow, and allowed us to compare a soil with pools of organic C differing in turnover time with a soil dominated by the passive organic C pool. Increasingly dispersive treatments applied to the soils yielded aggregates of various sizes, stabilities, and organic matter contents. We found an intimate interaction between soil structure and organic matter by demonstrating that aggregation is hierarchical and that active pools of organic matter are responsible for this hierarchy. Microaggregates were found to consist of a constant ratio of clay to silt particle‐size fractions. We propose that such a property be used to estimate true microaggregation and aggregate stability by estimating the amount of soil material dispersed by a given treatment. Organic matter associated with clay is confirmed as an important sink of long‐term stabilized C, and it appears to have been increasingly preserved when in increasingly larger aggregates. However, most of the soil mass and associated organic C is in smaller aggregates. We hypothesize that the physical protection within macroaggregates does not directly control long‐term stabilization of organic C in the soil, but rather contributes indirectly through the time and local conditions it offers for organic matter to gain chemical or physico‐chemical protection by interacting with the soil environment.
A novel diagnostic tool for detecting oesophageal pathology: the PillCam oesophageal video capsule
Authors: Eliakim R. , Yassin K. , Shlomi I. , Suissa A. , Eisen G. M.
Published: March 2005

Background : Gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease is a common entity. Erosive oesophagitis, ulcers and Barrett's oesophagus, which is found in up to 10% of gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease patients, characterize severe gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease. Patients with Barrett's oesophagus have 0.5% per patient‐year risk of developing oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Currently, it appears that a minority of those at risk for Barrett's oesophagus undergo screening in part because of the costs associated with endoscopy as well as risks of sedation. A new ingestible PillCam oesophageal capsule developed may offer an alternative office‐based approach to visualize the oesophagus without sedation.

Aim : To compare the oesophageal capsule to conventional upper endoscopy for detection of oesophageal pathologies.

Methods : A newly developed capsule, which acquires video images from both ends of the device at a 4 frame/s rate, was ingested by 17 fasting patients with suspected oesophageal disorders. An ingestion procedure aimed to lengthen capsule transit time in the oesophagus was utilized. Subsequently, a standard upper endoscopy was carried out. The investigator interpreting the capsule findings was blinded to the endoscopy results and vice versa. Patients with dysphagia, known Zenker's diverticulum, intestinal obstruction, cardiac pacemaker or pregnancy were excluded.

Results : Twelve of the 17 patients examined had oesophageal findings using the endoscope as the gold standard. Capsule endoscopy identified oesophageal pathology in all 12 of these patients and an additional pathology in one patient that was missed during endoscopy. For the purpose of this study, this finding was regarded as a false‐positive. The mean oesophageal passage time was 189 ± 280 s. The positive predictive value of the oesophageal capsule for any oesophageal pathology was 92% and the negative predictive value was 100%. Oesophageal capsule sensitivity was 100% and specificity 80%. There were neither swallowing difficulties nor complications subsequent to ingestion in any subjects. Seventy‐three percentage of patients preferred the oesophageal capsule procedure on conventional endoscopy. Only one patient preferred oesophagogastroduodenoscopy.

Conclusions : This pilot study has shown that oesophageal capsule endoscopy is an accurate, convenient, safe and well‐tolerated method to screen patients for significant oesophageal disorders. No sedation is required, which may allow simple, office‐based screening and assessment. Further, large‐scale studies are necessary to more fully assess this novel diagnostic tool.
Repopulation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cell depleted tissue in a model of chronic demyelination
Authors: Foote A. K. , Blakemore W. F.
Published: March 2005

Some, but not all chronically demyelinated MS lesions are depleted of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) suggesting that OPCs are destroyed during the process of demyelination and some factor impedes OPC repopulation of the depleted tissue. The chronically demyelinated axons in MS lie in an astrocytic environment and it has been proposed that this might impede entry of OPCs into such regions. By depleting a short length of spinal cord of its OPCs using 40 Gy of X‐irradiation in both normal rats and rats with progressive myelin loss accompanied by an astrocytosis (taiep rats), we investigated whether such changes affect the ability of OPCs to repopulate OPC‐depleted tissue. In both taiep and normal rats, the rate of repopulation decreases with age, but no difference was detected in the rate at which OPCs repopulated normally myelinated and chronically demyelinated and astrocytosed tissue. This indicates that, if the astrocytic environment of the taiep CNS is comparable to that found in MS lesions, then the presence of chronically demyelinated axons and astrocytosis in chronic MS lesions does not represent a barrier to repopulation of the tissue by OPCs. However, similar to the situation in the normal adult rodent CNS, the rate of repopulation  by  endogenous  OPCs  in  aged  taiep rats  is very slow, approximately 0.2 mm per week.